Somes said he wants to build on the strengths at the school.
Daniel R. Somes has taken over as principal of the Stanely M. Koziol Elementary School in Ware.WARE – Taking over as principal at Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School, which received recognition from the state last year for improvements in reading skills, Daniel R. Somes believes his teaching experience in mathematics can help make strides in that area too.
“I hear teachers saying they want to grow in the area of math. All of my classroom is in math.’’ Somes said. “It is a great fit. I feel like I have something to offer and there is a willingness on the part of the staff to grow in this area.’’
Somes took over as principal July 5, replacing Marlene A. DiLeo who moved on to become principal at Ware Junior-Senior High School.
Somes earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Bentley College in 1990 and started a career in sales and management in the automobile business.
He said he was not finding that work fulfilling, so he took education courses at Worcester State College and began teaching in 1998 and went on to earn a master’s degree in education from American International College.
He taught for several years in Boylston and then became a math specialist with the Ludlow public schools before moving to Royalston.
Somes said he misses going into a classroom to teach every day, but he said administration was an aspiration from the time he switched careers in the late 1990s.
“The desire to lead and keep the growth moving and drive that vision is something that is huge for me,’’ he said. “This is an awesome opportunity.’’
Last year the state acknowledged the improvement in reading skills at Koziol, particularly for low-income students, and sent teams to study how grouping students by abilities and frequent assessments of students and their progress had led to the improvement.
“We are held in a very high regard in a positive light for the work that has been going on,’’ Somes said.
“People need the chance to celebrate what has been accomplished, but you always have to look at what is next,’’ he said. “We have to continue to improve every year. How we do that is a question we have to keep asking ourselves. It will take a lot of work.’’
In his first few weeks on the job, Somes has been meeting with teachers, staff and parents and getting acclimated.
“It is a very supportive environment,’’ he said. “People are committed to continuing the work that they have started.’’