Educator moves from elementary school to middle school principal

NEW FAIRFIELD — Following eight years as a Consolidated School assistant principal, Karen Gruetzner is ready to embark on a new chapter in her education career — as a middle school principal.

Gruetzner has been selected to succeed Christine Baldelli as principal of New Fairfield Middle School. Baldelli said she’s decided to retire after 11 years as principal in order to spend quality time with her family.

After two years working in Pennsylvania, Gruetzner said she wanted to be closer to home and decided to move to Connecticut, where she got a job teaching third grade in Darien.

“I taught there for five years and then took some time off to raise my family,” she said. “I then went back to teaching — in Ridgefield — first as an elementary school classroom teacher, and then as a special education teacher.”

Gruetzner said her two years working as a special education teacher inspired her to get into school leadership and administration.

“Having that opportunity to step out of my classroom, work with other teachers and collaborate and figure out ways to meet the needs of a diverse population of students was so rewarding,” she said. “That was so eye-opening for me, and I decided to pursue my administrative certificate.”

Gruetzner said she’s excited to join the New

Fairfield Middle School community, but will miss her Consolidated School family.

“Working at Consolidated has been the most incredible eight years. I’ve learned so much about myself as an educator, person and a leader,” she said. “It’s going to be very difficult to leave the school and the people in it.”

Gruetzner said working with Consolidated School’s principal, Robert Spino, has prepared her for her upcoming new position.

“He’s really helped grow my skill set and allowed me to take on projects and lead in a way that not every assistant principal has the opportunity to do,” she said. “He believed in my creativity, my vision and supported my work, so I feel so ready to lead a building of my own as principal.”

As the mother of children who have attended the school, Gruetzner said she’s aware of the work the middle school’s staff has done over the last two years.

“During COVID, the teachers in that school taught with such grace and compassion and accomplished amazing things during the pandemic, and so I am overwhelmed and honored and humbled by this opportunity to work with them,” she said.

In addition to getting to know the middle school staff, Gruetzner looks forward to reconnecting with some familiar faces.

“I’m really fortunate because a great majority of students and families in the middle school went through Consolidated, so I have existing relationships with them,” she said. “I’m really excited to reconnect with those students and get to know their older selves, and reconnect with their families.”

Gruetzner said she believes sixth through eighth graders are “a fragile and vulnerable population,” and her passion to help students in the middle school age group motivated her to apply for the New Fairfield Middle School principal position.

“I’ve seen what the pandemic has done to all students in our community, but the middle schoolers really need an incredible amount of support, and that’s what drove me to apply for this particular position at this particular time,” she said.

As principal of New Fairfield Middle School, Gruetzner believes she could “be part of something really great.”

“We could make a difference and help shape their futures and get them going in the right direction,” she said.

Superintendent Pat Cosentino said the Board of Education will appoint Gruetzner on April 27, and she will begin her new role as New Fairfield Middle School principal July 1.

“I am so excited about starting this next part of my career,” Gruetzner said. “From where I’ve been to where I’m going, I have so much gratitude and appreciation for everyone.”