Update: Coginchaug Principal Andre Hauser to Leave School in April

Coginchaug High School principal Andre Hauser is leaving the high school.

On Wednesday night, Hauser was named the next principal at Waterford High School by the school district's Board of Education.

“Your faculty is getting results and your students are performing in ways that they shouldn’t be,” Hauser said. “There is a lot that I want to learn from them. So I am very excited to be here and be part of this team.”

Hauser was hired as vice principal at Coginchaug in 2003 and has served as principal since 2010. In a letter to faculty, parents and students on Wednesday Hauser said he would leave the district April 26.

Hauser a bachelors degree in journalism and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a masters degree in teaching from Sacred Heart University. He was previously an English teacher and also spent a year hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Waterford Schools Superintendent Jerome Belair said Hauser was selected by a search team composed of administrators, teachers, students, parents and Board of Education members, was interviewed by the Board of Education itself and representatives of the Waterford School District visited Coginchaugh to interview faculty, teachers and fellow administrators there.

“It all came down to really trying to find the very best fit for Waterford High School,” Belair said. “A person who brings inspiration, that brings out the very best in our staff as well as our students. And I believe we have a fit."

“We are fortunate to have Andre join (Waterford),” Board of Education Chairwomen Kathleen McCarty said in a statement. “The board was impressed with his leadership style and his ability to listen, collaborate with others and make the best decisions for students.”

Hauser piloted a “bring your own device” initiative at history classes at Coginchaug, where students bring in their own electronic devices from home. Waterford is planning on doing a similar program in the future, so that familiarity with technology helped guide the decision, Belair said.

Hauser lives in Madison with his wife and two chidren. He will replace Principal Don Macrino, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Hauser will join Waterford in May, where he will work alongside Macrino for the remainder of the school year, according to Belair.