Interim Principal Appointed At Ox Ridge Elementary School
DARIEN, CT — The Darien Board of Education on Tuesday night appointed a new interim principal at Ox Ridge Elementary School.
Dr. Harry Laub will take over for Melissa Kay, who announced her resignation last month. Laub will overlap for three days with Kay prior to her departure on Nov. 22.
“Harry has been in a variety of positions and some similar to the one he is transitioning into, so he’s familiar with this type of challenge,” Superintendent of Darien Public Schools Dr. Alan Addley said during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. “He also brings a wealth of experience in early literacy, numeracy, special education and early childhood education. We’re fortunate to have Dr. Laub with us.”
Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Laub comes to Darien after serving as an educator in New York and New Jersey. He began his career in education with the New York City Board of Education. For 18 years, he also served as a junior high school English teacher and assistant principal, among other various roles.
In March 1989, Laub joined Newark Public Schools (NJ) as the director of the office of reading and language arts, where he worked for eight years.
Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Laub returned to New York in 1997 and worked as the administrator for secondary instruction in the Amityville School District, the coordinator of alternative programs and staff development for Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, and the supervisor of English K-12 in the Lakeland Central School District.
Laub then worked in New Jersey again as a principal before he retired in 2018. Since then, Laub has served as an adjunct instructor at the Touro University Graduate School of Education and has acted as interim principal in both the Katonah-Lewisboro and Eastchester School Districts.
“I am so thrilled to be coming to Ox Ridge. The homework I did on the school told me all sorts of great things about it, but standing out there for a few minutes just a little while ago just reinforced everything that I had felt,” Laub told the Board after he was appointed.
“People have such nice things to say about the school, and I just hope I can live up to your expectations to make sure that the kids have a smooth and wonderful year,” Laub added. “Right now the focus needs to be on just making sure that everything goes along smoothly and well, and get the kids through and have a wonderful, wonderful experience for them.”
According to the district, Laub received his bachelor’s degree in English from the City College of New York and earned two masters degrees from the school in both English education and administration and supervision. He received a Ph.D. in language literacy and learning from Fordham University.
The school district will now post for a permanent principal for Ox Ridge during winter break and will conduct “a full and open search involving all stakeholders.”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.