ORR School Committee welcomes district back to class

Sep 7, 2022

Superintendent Mike Nelson has spent the past week wearing out his shoes as he’s visited every school in the Old Rochester Regional district. And one third-grader noticed.

“You’re wearing the same shoes as last year,” the kid informed Nelson at a back-to-school event. “Why didn’t you get new shoes for the school year?”

Nelson recounted this story at the first Old Rochester Regional District School Committee meeting of the school year on Sept. 7. He said that it has been a busy week, as he has attended open houses, kindergarten orientations, and overseen openings and dismissals of school since classes started again on Aug. 30.

At these events, Nelson said that “this is where you realize how lucky we are to do what we do.”

Joining the school system this year, the school committee welcomed 20 new hires to the system, mostly for high school and junior high school.

“I want to commend the office of the superintendent for a great job with the new teacher orientation,” said Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Mike Devoll. “There was a lot of good energy in the room, and good energy is what carries the day.”

Devoll mentioned that the new hires were “already beginning to enhance the school.”

Listed among the new hires were a new science teacher, a school psychologist, a school social worker, an English teacher, a guidance counselor, a physical education teacher, a math teacher, a secretary for special education and guidance, several new paraprofessionals, and a new position, Director of Academic Guidance.

Also present at the meeting was the new assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, Sharlene Fedorowicz.

After the presentation of the new hires for the year, Nelson said, “The energy that we knew pre-pandemic is coming back, you can feel it.”