Four New Haven Schools to Have New Principals in 2012-13 School Year

Four New Haven schools will have new principals come next school year, according to district officials.

According to a press release sent out late Thursday afternoon, the changes for the 2012-13 school year will be as follows:

• Anthony La Rue, principal of for the last two years, will serve as principal of .
• Jesus Varela, the assistant principal at , will be promoted to principal.
• Debi Knoth, veteran principal of , will replace La Rue at Eastin.
• Hui Stevens, principal at Alvarado Middle School, will replace Knoth at Searles.
• Alberto Solorzano, current principal of Cesar Chavez who oversaw the merger with Barnard-White Middle School, will leave the district to pursue a position closer to his home in Pleasanton.

The changes were recommended by NHUSD Superintendent Kari McVeigh, the press release stated.

“I have cherished my time at Eastin; this is a very special school with a great staff and a very involved parent community,” La Rue said in the press release. “I am eager to move up to the middle school level and I’m looking forward to this new opportunity at CCMS. I will make it a priority, as I did at Eastin, to be responsive to staff and to listen to the school community, and to work together with all stakeholders.”

Of those assigned new positions, Knoth had the greatest take in her school having spent 12 years at Searles. However, she said she is looking forward to the new opportunity.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my years at Searles. We have a very close-knit staff and a very special community of students and parents, and I will miss them,” she said. "I believe change brings new opportunities for growth, and after 12 years at the same site, I look forward to the opportunity of working together with the students, staff and parents of the Eastin School community."

Stevens said her assignment to Searles will be a welcome return to the elementary level, where she began her administrative career.

“Serving as a middle school principal has been a tremendous experience for me, and I’m grateful to the staff and community of AMS. I have enjoyed and learned a lot from my experiences with middle school students,” she said. “I am very excited to return to the elementary level to focus on early literacy, and I look forward to joining the Searles family.”

Though Varela is receiving a promotion, it won’t be new ground for him. Before serving four years as assistant principal at Alvarado Middle School, Varela was a house principal at Logan.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to be a principal, especially here at AMS, where we have an excellent staff, engaged parents and so many wonderful students. I’ve gotten to know the AMS community very well during these past four years, and I think that will be a tremendous asset for me as I become the principal.”