RIASP announces 2017 Rhode Island Secondary School Principal of the Year
Congratulations to Rhode Island’s 2017 Secondary School Principal of the Year, Christopher Savastano, Principal of Tolman High School in Pawtucket!
Please see the following announcement from RIASP:
The Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Association of School Principals (RIASP) has named Mr. Christopher Savastano, Principal of Tolman High School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and resident of Jamestown, as RIASP 2017 Secondary Principal of the Year.
Genuine, humble, determined, and methodical are just a few of the words students, teachers, colleagues and community members have used to describe Mr. Savastano. Improving academic achievement, increasing opportunities for students and building school culture have been the top priorities of Mr. Savastano since taking over the helm at Tolman in 2012. Under his leadership, Tolman High School has made gains in test scores and emerged from Rhode Island Department of Education’s transformation status. While this accomplishment should be celebrated, Mr. Savastano and his faculty have maintained the focus of continued improvement and will keep the best practices that led to this success in place.
Using research based intervention programs and rigorous advanced placement courses, students have the opportunity to strengthen their learning and participate in enrichment programs. Not satisfied with the test results within the first few years of his principalship, Mr. Savastano charged the faculty with revising the curriculum, reading professional publications, and making data driven decisions about kids. These decisions have proven to be quite successful in closing the achievement gap and exiting more students from intervention to enrichment.
Mr. Savastano’s teachers were quick to praise him for trusting their professional judgements and work ethic; giving them autonomy in getting the job done. One teacher proudly stated “Tolman stopped being a factory model of a school and has become a school of innovation”. Another asserted that Mr. Savastano is the “quiet, confident leader that Tolman desperately needed”. Mr. Savastano has created a culture and climate of trust and hard work. By rallying the students and teachers around common themes of student achievement and school pride, Principal Savastano has been able to re-energize all members of the Tolman community and create a “student centered school”.
Christopher Savastano is a true believer in equal access to a quality education. Working tirelessly to ensure students at Tolman High School have access to a rigorous and relevant curriculum. When some students were unable to take a class needed in their scope and sequence, Mr. Savastano found creative ways to schedule their personal pathway so they could gain access to the needed curriculum. Mr. Savastano has inspired many of the students at Tolman to achieve the American Dream. Students are consistently reminded that every child can achieve success. Placing an emphasis on the 9th grade success rates, Mr. Savastano and the faculty developed a 9th grade Success Academy to provide interventions early in the high school experience. As a result, graduation rates have increased significantly to 83%. When visiting Tolman, it becomes clear that every child has a champion. For many, their champion is Christopher
Savastano.
Professional growth has been a top priority at Tolman High School over the past several years. Mr. Savastano requires professional reading with his leadership team. The team, in turn, shares their knowledge with the faculty members in their departments and implements current best practice directly into the classroom.
Mr. Savastano earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College in 1988, a Master of Science degree from Nova Southeastern University at in 2003. Mr. Savastano is clearly worthy of RIASP’s recognition as 2017 Secondary Principal of the Year. The RIASP Secondary Principal of the Year award program is conducted in conjunction with the NASSP National Principal of the Year Program. In addition to being recognized by RIASP at an award ceremony in May, 2017, Mr. Savastano will be honored at the
NASSP State Principals of the Year Principal’s Institute and Awards Banquet in Washington, D.C. this fall.