Education

Oysterponds School picks new principal

JULIE LANE FILE PHOTO | Francoise Wittenburg speaking during a recent school meeting in Orient.

The hunt for a new Oysterponds School principal is over.

The Oysterponds Board of Education on Friday selected Francoise Wittenburg, one of the two finalists who met with the public last week.

She will be given a three-year contract, but salary information wasn’t yet available.

Ms. Wittenburg is currently assistant principal at Arlington High School in Lagrangeville, N.Y., but her family lives on Long Island and she has been wanting to return to the area, she said.

She was chosen from among 45 applicants. James Williams, an elementary assistant principal in the Three Village School District in Setauket, was the other finalist.

During her session with the public, Ms. Wittenburg spoke of  the importance of intervening when students first experience academic difficulties, rather than waiting for test results to confirm a problem.

She also pledged frequent communication with the community and said her approach to education embraces critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and an emphasis on writing skills.