At it’s meeting on Monday, January 13, 2014, the Amity Regional School District #5 Board of Education appointed Charles Dumais as the new Superintendent of Schools for the district. Mr. Dumais comes to Amity after having served as the principal of Newtown High School since January 2008.{{more}}
Mr. Dumais was selected from a pool of qualified candidates. Throughout its search, the Board of Education relied heavily on the feedback gathered in the Amity Community Profile Assessment, input from focus groups, and the results of online survey research in October and November.
“We are thrilled that the long search for Amity’s next superintendent has culminated in the appointment of Charles (Chip) Dumais,” stated William Blake, Chair of the Amity Region #5 Board of Education. “Chip is a talented educator and leader, and has a history of success in every position he has held. He is a passionate advocate for students, and has an infectious enthusiasm for learning. We believe we have found the right person to lead Amity forward in preparing our children for the challenges of the ever changing world.”
Mr. Dumais is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He received his Bachelor of Science with a major in Physics in 1988, and Master’s of Science in Physics in 1993. He earned a Sixth-Year Educational Leadership certification in 2004 from Southern Connecticut State University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Executive Leadership from the University of Connecticut in 2008. He anticipates receiving his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University in July 2014.
Mr. Dumais has had a distinguished career in education that began as a science teacher at Haddam-Killingworth High School in 1990. He continued his teaching career as a physics and calculus teacher at Darien High School. He served as the Science Department Chairman at Trumbull High School before being appointed the Assistant Principal of Staples High School in Westport. After four years, he became the Principal of Newtown High School.
Mr. Dumais is a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). He also serves on numerous committees at the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), including the Principals’ Center Board of Control, the CIAC Board of Control and the Professional Studies Committee. He was a founding member of the Crisis Response Team, and also formerly served as the chairman of the Technology Committee at CAS.
“It is a great honor to have been selected to be the Superintendent in a community that overwhelmingly demonstrates its commitment to students, athletics, and artists,” stated Charles Dumais upon learning he had been selected for the Amity Regional School District #5 superintendent position. “I am excited to become a part of this great team of educators and am looking forward to contributing to the growth of this learning organization.”
Mr. Dumais will serve as Amity Regional School District #5’s Superintendent beginning March 1, 2014. C.E.S Executive Search Services coordinated the Board of Education’s search for Amity Regional School District #5’s new school superintendent.