Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain, or endangering one’s safety.  Adventure is an attitude that we apply to the day-to-day obstacles in life, facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources, and discovering our own potential and individuality. 

As you may know, the following changes are about to take place for the Pomperaug High School administrative team:

• Mr. James C. Agostine, Principal of Pomperaug High School, has been appointed as the Superintendent of Schools for the Regional School District 16, which serves the Towns of Beacon Falls and Prospect.  This appointment is effective on the 14^th of January, 2008.
• Ms. Kristen Della Volpe, Assistant Principal of Pomperaug High School, has been appointed as the Principal of Litchfield High School.  This appointment is effective on the 28^th of January, 2008.

I am sure that you join me in congratulating Mr. Agostine and Ms. Della Volpe on their appointments and wish them well.  We will miss both of them and recognize their positive impact they have made on our educational community.  We also realize that this is an opportunity for them to further their career goals.  I am equally confident that

Mr. Agostine and Ms. Della Volpe will make the same positive impact in their new leadership positions.

In the weeks leading up to his departure, Mr. Agostine has been working on an exit strategy enabling a smooth transition for his successor.   I am pleased to announce that Dr. John Smith has agreed to serve as Interim Principal of Pomperaug High School through June of 2008.  Dr. Smith recently very successfully served as an Interim Principal at Newtown High School.  He will join Pomperaug High School on the 10^th of January.  Dr. Smith earned his doctorate from the University of Connecticut.  He also earned a Sixth Year degree from the University of Connecticut as well as a Master's Degree from Brown University.  Dr. Smith has over 20 years experience as Principal for New Canaan, Conard, and East Haven High Schools.  We are fortunate to have such a highly capable administrator to lead Pomperaug High during this transition period.   

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Tom Banas, former Assistant Principal of PHS, has agreed to serve as Interim Assistant Principal. Under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Smith and Mr. Banas, I am confident the transition in leadership at Pomperaug High School will proceed in an organized manner.

We have begun our search for the next Pomperaug High School Principal and Assistant Principal. The application period for the Principal position will conclude on the 22^nd of February, after which we will begin to follow a carefully planned screening and interview process.  I am also finalizing the details for Assistant Principal search.  Having an Interim Principal and Interim Assistant Principal in place, allows us the time to conduct a thorough search for both positions.

I have listed below the post-storm analysis by the meteorologist regarding the 7^th of December snow event:

THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON 1-INCH SNOW DEBACLE!!!

“Every few years a relatively innocent looking minor snow event finds a way to blowup across portions of western and central Connecticut and Massachusetts. I always do a post-storm analysis on disruptive storms, even ones that are well predicted, but especially those that were almost a total surprise.  My goal is to assess what was good in the forecast, if anything, and to identify atmospheric features that might have allowed for a more precise and/or predictable event.

The Friday afternoon snow burst is a real tough one to figure out. My Thursday afternoon update indicated the chance of a period of snow that might be enough to produce a coating during the afternoon hours of Friday.  My Friday morning update once again indicated the chance of a coating of snow.

Most forecasters that I saw or heard as of noon on Friday had decided to just mention flurries in the afternoon forecast.  As I watched the light snow area come across southern NY/PA, there were no indications of anymore than a coating.  While radar returns were impressive, ground observations indicated very little snow was reaching the ground, as much of it was drying up as it fell.  Once the snow area reached extreme eastern NY and western Connecticut / Massachusetts the snowfall intensities quickly exploded and expanded across the entire western third of the 2 states.

I could not find any mechanism driving the increased snowfall rates, and did not think it could last for more than a brief period.  Unfortunately that also was not the case as a solid 2-hour burst of moderate to heavy snow occurred.

My post storm analysis did not find any missed signals or obvious data supporting a burst of heavy snow.  In conferencing with some National Weather Service forecasters today, we could find only one bit of model data that seemed to hint at a more significant snow burst than what was being forecast or was being depicted in most of the other data.  I believe a low-level front actually formed across western CT/A, and a layer of moist air just off the deck was advanced northward from the Long Island Sound area.  This not only enhanced snowfall formation, but also likely stopped the drying out of the snow we had been observing across NY/PA during the day.

Several factors also conspired to make for a chaotic mid to late afternoon drive period.  If this event had occurred later in the evening or in the overnight period, it would have gone down as a meaningless winter event.  But since it hit right at the time of mid-afternoon bus dismissals along with the normal high traffic volume seen during Friday afternoons, the stage was set for big trouble.  So right off the bat the timing of the event was horrible. 

Next was the road temp and snowflake consistency issue.  Roads had become unusually cold for this time of the year due to several very cold overnight periods.  The air temp just off the ground was within a couple of degrees off freezing.  This allowed a wet snowflake consistency, which fell on very cold road surfaces.  Any water in the wet flakes froze quickly, and as vehicle tires passed over the snow the pressure promoted more melting followed by flash freezing as the tires moved away form the compressed snow/water mix.  The moderate to heavy rate of snowfall made a very volatile setup exploded into a horrendous travel situation. A colder overall air mass would have led to a much drier (fluffier) snowfall and very few issues.  Also, slightly warmer road surfaces may have been made a difference.

I do not know how town crews could have reacted quicker given the scenario and the basic forecast in play.  It is impossible to have trucks on every street and the rapid evolution of the heavy snow would have not have allowed for effective cleaning/treatment applications if all crews were out and ready to go, given the high traffic volume and the rapid freezing of road surfaces once melting / refreezing started to happen.  In business, it is “location, location, location, but in winter events, it is “timing, timing, timing”.  The timing could not have had been any worse.

This type of snowfall enhancement event, although rare, is an issue that has plagued forecasters in the region for years; and when it happens at a busy commuting period with no signal it is about to unfold, it is very disheartening to a forecaster. 

As a result of the unexpected snow storm on the 7^th of December, we have made adjustments and improvements in our communication with parents, First Student Transportation, and the schools.  I have listed the changes below:

1. We will use Alert Now earlier and more frequently during the transportation period of students. Although the situation is changeable, Region 15 will provide updates to parents and guardians with general information and detailed information where feasible and necessary.
2. First Student Transportation will have a one-point contact person at the bus depot who will coordinate information with the building Principals and District Central Office.
3. Each school will ensure that an adequate number of staff members are available to answer phone calls from parents and attend to ongoing concerns that may develop.
4. First Student Transportation will provide more accurate and timely updates to the schools and District Office regarding bus locations and details on specified bus runs using the one-point contact person.

http://www.region15.org/insidethedistrict.shtml

Schedule of Board of Education Meeting Dates