Willow Road principal to retire at year’s end

Stephanie Capozzoli, principal of the Willow Road School, announced on Jan. 26 that she would retire at the end of the school year.

“I would like to thank you for giving me the honor of being the principal of the Willow Road School for the past 14 years,” Capozzoli wrote in her letter of resignation. “Thank you for all your support and confidence during this time.”

District 13 Trustee Frank Chiachiere, who was a board member at the time of Capozzoli’s hiring, said she would be missed. “She’s the heart and soul of Willow. The parents know that, the kids know that and the faculty know that.”

Chiachiere reads to special education classes at the school at least once per month, and said Capozzoli has long been an excellent role model for teachers.

“She showed us early on in her tenure that she valued powerful teaching,” he said. “She knew what it was, she knew what it wasn’t, and she knew how to model instruction so the teachers could learn from her.”

Both Chiachiere and Board President Toni Pomerantz highlighted Capozzoli’s involvement with Lights on for Education, an annual music, arts and academics exhibit that unites all four school districts in April. Pomerantz said that orchestrating that kind of event is a massive undertaking, and Chiachiere agreed.

“I know of precious few schools that put in the effort when we put all four school districts together,” he said. “That is an enormous task.”

Capozzoli was the chair of District 13’s portion of the exhibit, in which every student exhibits a project from one of the disciplines.

Capozzoli’s retirement, which she described as submitting with “mixed emotions,” will take effect on June 30.