St. Thomas the Apostle Principal Colleen Whitty DiSanto has been named the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Administrator of the Year.

St. Thomas the Apostle School Principal Colleen Whitty DiSanto has been named the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Administrator of the Year. Submitted photo

Submitted

Shortly after enrolling her three children at St. Thomas the Apostle School in the fall of 1993, Colleen Whitty DiSanto received a phone call from the principal. One of the fourth grade teachers was out sick; could she serve as a substitute teacher for the day?

Though DiSanto had been looking forward to unpacking boxes from the family’s recent move from Syracuse, NY, she agreed to help out in the fourth grade “just for the day.”

A seasoned educator with 18 years of experience as a teacher and assistant principal, DiSanto was not surprised by the call for help. Several of her years of teaching took place in Catholic schools whose budgets often required creative uses of resources. She was also not surprised when the “one day” of teaching turned into a week, which turned into the rest of the school year … which led to a full time teaching position in the upper grades for the next nine years.

In 2002, she was named principal of the PreK3 – grade 5 elementary school by St. Thomas the Apostle’s then-Pastor Arthur J. Murphy ‘43.

DiSanto, this year’s Administrator of the Year for the Archdiocese of Hartford, received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in elementary and special education from Boston College. She also received her graduate certification in Catholic School Administration from Sacred Heart University. A Boston native, she began her teaching career in Massachusetts in 1975. DiSanto also lived and worked as a teacher and administrator in New Hampshire and New York before moving to Connecticut.

For the last 13 years, DiSanto has sustained a palpable and boundless energy. She is the first to arrive at St. Thomas the Apostle School each day and it’s not uncommon for her to have one or two meetings with parents or teachers before the official school day begins. She greets students and their parents each morning as they arrive in the school yard at 7:55 a.m. Throughout her busy day she finds time to visit each of the school’s 14 homerooms. She knows every one of the 226 students by name.

After waving goodbye to students and families at the end of each school day, DiSanto heads back to her office for a few more hours of meetings and paperwork. This is also the time of day that she likes to contact parents whose child may have needed a little extra TLC during the day.

“During my travels to the classrooms each day, and through conversations with our teachers and school nurse, I will learn about a student struggling for one reason or another. Often times our teachers will call home, but it’s helpful for me to connect with the parent in some situations,” said DiSanto.

Sam Caligiuri said his family benefited from such a call when their son was recovering from a concussion last spring. “She quickly became a vitally important and comforting resource to our son and us as we worked to integrate him back into school. When he had to wear sunglasses in school for a while, she helped him to overcome his self-consciousness by giving him credit for coming up with a ‘special’ day when everyone could wear their sunglasses too. Mrs. DiSanto helped make a very challenging situation much more bearable,” he said.

With the mission of Catholic education serving as her guide, DiSanto has put together a strong team of fully certified teachers and staff committed to providing every child with the opportunity to grow scholastically, spiritually and through service to others. She has ensured that each child, regardless of his or her talents and abilities upon arrival at St. Thomas the Apostle, experiences a year’s worth of growth in all academic areas every year. She instituted daily small group instruction for math and reading in each homeroom to help address the needs of all learners. Small group instruction also allows teachers to evaluate informally their students’ progress and make the necessary adjustments. This commitment to a more individualized instruction has translated into well-documented scholastic success year after year.

As Dr. Hannah Bernard, parent of two students at the school commented, “The school operates like a loving Catholic family. Mrs. DiSanto is easily accessible for our concerns, and each child is known by the teachers and staff. Expectations are high, and each child is given the time and attention to achieve to their greatest potential. “

DiSanto implores teachers to seek ways of incorporating spirituality into areas of the curriculum beyond religion class. Teachers are encouraged to use every creative tool at their disposal to help explain, model and inspire children to follow the elements of Catholic Social Teaching, such as Caring for God’s Creation and Solidarity. Connections are made to these themes during novel studies, art class, social studies, science, even math class! Service projects required by each grade level enables students to put their faith in action and learn that they can and should make a difference in the lives of someone in need.

Current Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Rev. Edward M. Moran explained that DiSanto is “Catholic in her heart and in her actions. I think her greatest gift is her willingness to articulate the personal convictions of her Catholic Faith. Deeply rooted in the Social Justice teachings of our faith, she endeavors to plant deep within the minds and hearts of our students a love for God evidenced in their love for each other, and for the poor.”

“She lives what she preaches,” said Lourdes Dale, mother of a recent alumnus and current student at the school. “She truly believes that everyone is a good person and looks for the good in them. When a child misbehaves she thinks of it as an opportunity to work on kindness. She is a strong, fair, compassionate, and inspirational woman who is an example to all of us.”