Superintendent Christopher Leone Interview
Christopher Leone had been working as Superintendent for Region 6 (Warren, Morris and Goshen) for 2 years when he was approached by both Regions #6 and Litchfield schools to be Superintendent for both regions. After a vote on a referendum last year, the two districts will merge to become a single entity- Region 20 - in July of 2024. It was not an easy vote as there were detractors who spoke out against it. However, Mr. Leone’s patience, calm educational approach and inclusive manner won the day. There are many vocal fans of Mr. Leone’s in these districts and for good reason. He runs his districts as a savvy CEO with the pathos and understanding of a learned and empathetic listener.
In addition to the district’s full High School curriculum, the AG program has been enhanced in the past year under Leone’s leadership. “We have 260 students in our AG program. AG is short for Agriculture, Science, Technology, and Education,” Leone explained. “Those students apply in ninth or tenth grade… We take from Harwinton, Burlington, Torrington, Plymouth, Thomaston, [and] Terryville”… for the AG program. (These participating towns pay for the tuition of these students and the State also helps support the initiative.) The enhanced program will expand the AG program through a partnership with Arethusa Farms. Leone and other community members discussed this with the owner of Arethusa Farms this past winter, citing the need to organize a foundation that….” will ensure the legacy of that property and that farm for generations to come. And then our students, through the AG program, will be able to work that farm and be a part of that farm. So it becomes really a unique, one of a kind AG program that no one else has. Students will learn the business, land and livestock upkeep aspects of agriculture to understand what it takes to physically maintain land and the property it hosts.” This includes the business side of farming as well. As farmers are aging across Connecticut, with no one to continue the work after they can no longer farm, this program may be a model for these hopeful, future farmers to fill that gap.
“Schools, well districts, historically go at a snail's pace…,” Leone noted. “Some people criticize us for that but, you know, if you think about it, a child has one shot at first grade. We got one shot to get first grade right for that child. Education is not the same as it was 20, 40, 60, 80 years ago so we need to move faster, we need to be smarter and lighter on our feet in how we adapt.”
That innovating thinking was essential during the COVID Pandemic.
Unlike other school districts across the state, Litchfield and Region 6 maintained in-person classes for the majority of the pandemic rather than full remote-learning. “...We started that process, April of 2020,” Leone stated. “Yes, there were people that got upset that we were open. There were people that got upset their kids had to wear masks… A vaccine hadn’t even come to play yet in this conversation.” Litchfield and Region 6 offered in-person and remote learning schooling from August 2020 to June 2021 but only 5% of students utilized remote learning. Students attended class unless they were told to quarantine themselves.
By keeping Litchfield and Region 6 students with in-person classes during the pandemic, many of these students were less impacted by the negative effects from remote learning than others found throughout the country. According to an 2022 Early Learning Study at Harvard, young elementary students who were taught through remote learning expressed an increase in temper tantrums, anxiety, poor ability to manage emotions, and overall worse behavioral health compared to students taught in-person. According to a 2022 Yale Study, 13-14 year old students who were remotely schooled were found to enjoy school less, spent less time on school activities, and received more parental monitoring on school-related activities than in-person students.
Many parents, however, still criticized Leone for these actions, “I have those {that said} it was the wrong thing to do, we’re going to spread COVID. Still others said…‘Vaccines are bad’. “I tried to read everything I got and I let people make informed decisions… We never pushed. When we were able to drop masks, we dropped masks. We never pushed vaccines. We’ll tell you where to get them but we're not going to be in the vaccine business. What I try to do is give people as much balance and fair information that we were getting so they too can adjust…when you’re making a recipe for the first time, it’s gonna get a little messy… Just don’t do…harm.
Despite complaints from parents, Leone constantly strives for schools to efficiently adapt to the rapidly changing education world. “I think the piece of all of it is: you plan, plan, plan, plan and then you adjust…,” said Leone…What we became was not what we planned. It just continued to evolve…like what we’re doing now with Region 20.”
In today’s educational climate, there has emerged the concept of equalizing the playing field, be it sports, academics, debating, etc, that rewarding excellence should come second to making everyone feel like a winner. Leone’s response “I don’t think you have to teach winning and losing in schools. For some, participating is a victory. “...you don’t have to…issue a trophy for everything you win either” Leone clarified. “We celebrate. At the same time, we’re also reflective [of] how we could do better and that’s part of the work”….we acknowledge “that victories come in many different ways, shapes and forms. Students are taught how to work together with everybody’s strengths and weaknesses.” The main thing is “Gotta keep going back; doing it again; going at it…also not allowing that child just to give up...In some weird way….doing a new region is that. For decades upon decades, this community pounded each other’s heads and didn’t get anywhere. Just keep going at it, eventually, we’ll get there.”
When asked about the nationwide issue of addressing students struggling with gender identity in schools, Leone says that it is a school’s duty to ultimately support students and ensure that schools provide a beneficial learning experience. “At the root of this is a human being… who has a right, just like somebody else…to a different opinion, and our job is to work with that human being, with that child, with their family, and provide the best support possible to have a learning environment.” he said. He urged people, in the rapidly changing modern world, to adapt and be mindful. While people may be averse to changes on a personal or even a professional level, conflict amongst one another will only make things worse, “Anything that is over politicized, which a lot of these topics are in some ways, will pit people against each other. That ruins progress too.” As an educator, Leone views support as one of the most crucial benefits schools can provide students.
Leone, who probably will not read this article, does not seek laudatory praises from others, nor does he listen to negative comments about others. If asked about his accomplishments his response is, “So first, we have a great staff for great communities. Amazing students which makes all the effort worth it every single day.”
In the end, his goals are clear. He wants to help his students achieve the best of what they can do and hunger for more.
