James Genova, a member of Foran High’s Class of 1999, has been named assistant principal at Milford's East Shore Middle School, assuming his new post July 1.
Contributed photoMILFORD — A graduate of the Milford school system is coming back to the fold.
James Genova, a member of Foran High’s Class of 1999, has been named assistant principal at East Shore Middle School. He started his new post July 1. He is replacing Donato Piselli who recently was named principal of Perry Hill School in Shelton.
“I'm looking forward to this next part of my career — and equally happy to come back to my roots in Milford,” Genova said.
Genova said he believes middle school is a critical juncture in students’ lives, as it is where interests, skills, and self-regulation take shape to last throughout their life-long opportunities.
He added that the impact educators can make on students at this age is what motivates him each day to be the best he can be.
“I’m excited about Mr. Genova’s appointment as he brings a genuine passion for program improvements for the benefit of all children,” Superintendent Anna Cutaia said.
“His caring disposition coupled with his expertise in curriculum and instruction is exactly what we are looking for in our instructional leaders and, in particular, for the next assistant principal at East Shore Middle School,” Cutaia added.
Genova has been a professional educator for 18 years in the Wallingford Public School district. He began his career as an English teacher at Lyman Hall High School — a position he held for 12 years.
In 2016, he took on the role of department head at Lyman Hall before moving into the role of English Instructional Leader, taking the lead in the development of the English department at both Lyman Hall and Sheehan high schools in Wallingford.
During his time in Wallingford, Genova was a member of and led multiple committees within the district. He said he was deeply involved in work focused on the development of Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems (PBIS), the English/language arts management team, and served on the NEASC Curriculum team.
As an instructional leader for the past six years, Genova said he focused on improving systems within the district that ultimately provided a better educational experience for students.
According to Genova, his work involved professional development planning and programming, and evaluation of district programming to ensure alignment with department, school, and district goals.
He was involved with implementing the credit recovery program, including the development of personalized learning for at-risk students. Genova also facilitated parent evenings and events, conflict resolution meetings and helped to create a nurturing environment for staff, students and families alike.
Genova is a graduate of Quinnipiac University, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2003. He continued his education at Quinnipiac, receiving his Master of Arts degree in teaching in 2004. He continued to pursue his advanced educational degrees at Quinnipiac, including a Master of Science degree in teacher leadership in 2014 and, most recently, a 6th Year Administrative certification.
In addition to his work in Wallingford, Genova also served as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University from 2014 to 2020. In this capacity, he taught graduate students about teacher leadership and leadership philosophy, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com