SAYREVILLE – An elementary school principal in the Sayreville School District is retiring from her position.
The Board of Education honored the retirement of Carmen Davis, the principal of the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, on May 7. Her retirement will be effective on Sept. 1.
Davis has served as the principal of Wilson for six years, according to Superintendent of Schools Richard Labbe. Her career in education has spanned more than 18 years and prior to joining Sayreville, she was a teacher and then a principal in other districts, including the Lakehurst School District K-8.
“I’ve had the privilege to not only work with [Davis], but get to know her and call her a friend,” Labbe said. “I’ve worked with a number of different administrators. I considered myself a pretty darn good elementary principal. And I can say to you with all honesty that I couldn’t compare to Carmen Davis. If she’s not the absolute best elementary principal I’ve ever had the honor to work with, she’s in the top two. She’s that exceptional.
“She went to Wilson when Wilson had some struggles with regard to student performance,” he continued. “She quickly turned that school around. For the past several years, it has been a leader in this district in student performance. And yes, the number one factor in learning is the teacher. So the teachers at the Wilson school should be very proud of that accomplishment. But everything begins with leadership. And she was the leader who motivated and inspired our teachers to do what they could to effectuate the changes in student performance that were made in the six years that she was there.
“She is someone who is able to immediately connect with people and utilize that very strong rapport that she develops to get people to trust her, moreover, to get people to see where she wants to take them, and to allow her to take them there. She challenged her staff, but she demonstrated everyday how much she truly appreciated and was grateful for all that they were doing for the students in their classrooms.
“Again, she is what an elementary school principal is. She is the mold of what every elementary school principal should strive to be like. And she will be an incredible loss to the Wilson school, as well as this school district. But nevertheless, we all love her very much, care about her and realize that it’s time for her to move on to the next phase of her life with her beloved husband,” Labbe said.
Board President Kevin Ciak also voiced praise of Davis.
“I remember when we hired Carmen,” Ciak said. “Carmen succeeded Georgia Baumann, who was a fixture here for a very long time as a teacher, as an English supervisor and eventually as Wilson school principal.
“The school was exceptionally well-run under Mrs. Baumann’s leadership,” he said. “Then we transitioned to Ms. Davis. I remember about six months in, calling your [Labbe’s] predecessor Dr. [Frank] Alfano, and I asked him if we sold Wilson school to South River. That building went through a huge transition from a leader who had so much legacy in this district and I haven’t heard a word. Not a complaint, not a peep from anyone. This is an individual who came into our district from outside our district and immediately made herself at home, connected with the faculty, connected with the students, and had such a significant and positive impact on student achievement in her building.
“But I think her legacy extends beyond just her building because of the diversity she brought to your administrative team, to Dr. Alfano’s administrative team; she brought a perspective of educational leadership that just didn’t exist in Sayreville at that time and also, in some cases within the administrative ranks, is sometimes still a void. One of the things that was probably my biggest takeaway as National School Boards Association president is that I learned from one of the conferences I went to that I will never understand what it’s like to be black, to be Hispanic, to be homeless, to be an English language learner. And the best thing that I can do for children is recognize that I will never get it and surround myself with people who have had the experience and people who can help children from diverse backgrounds. I think Carmen has done that, not only for Wilson school, but also for the Sayreville Public Schools as a whole.”
Davis will be succeeded by Timothy Byrne, who is currently the principal of the Harry S. Truman Elementary School. The Board of Education approved the transfer of Byrne from Truman to Wilson on June 11. He will assume his new position on Sept. 1, following Davis’ effective retirement.
The new principal of Truman School will be Amy Stueber, who is currently an elementary supervisor in the district.