Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble has been officially named principal of West Hartford’s Conard High School. [Updated]
By Ronni Newton
West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus made it official on Wednesday: The “interim” tag has been removed, and Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble is now officially the principal of Conard High School.
In an announcement released Wednesday afternoon to the Conard community, Vicinus noted that since serving as interim principal since last fall, Tamborello-Noble earned “high praise and confidence from the staff, student body, and school community.”
He told the district leadership team that Tamborello-Noble’s official appointment “was met with great enthusiasm and support by the staff.”
Tamborello-Noble is originally from Santiago, Chile, and is herself a graduate of Conard High School, Class of 1998. She went on to graduate from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Spanish education, master’s in world language education, and a 6th year certificate, and earned an 093 superintendency certificate from Central Connecticut State University.
“It feels like coming home,” she said in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “I just spoke at graduation and said coming back to Conard is like living my life in full circle.”
Conard Principal Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble, with her son, Thomas, Class of 2024. Courtesy photo
She added that she is “incredibly humbled” to be able to lead Conard, and praised the great staff.
Tamborello-Noble moved to the U.S. as a young child, and when she entered third grade at West Hartford’s Braeburn Elementary School she spoke no English. She’s fluent in Spanish – as well as English – and also speaks Portuguese, and said she feels fortunate to be part of a school and in a district where so many languages are spoken.
She and her husband, Al, and their children, Thomas and Isabella, live in West Hartford. She had the honor of presenting her son, a member of Conard’s Class of 2024, with his diploma on Monday night.
Conard Principal Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble poses for a photo with her son, Thomas, after presenting him with his diploma at the Conard High School graduation. June 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)
Tamborello-Noble started her education career as a Spanish and TESOL teacher with Glastonbury Public Schools. Her experience also includes serving as a district coach in literacy, multilingual services, and world languages in Hartford Public Schools, and as a department supervisor for world languages in West Hartford Public Schools before being named an assistant principal at Conard High School in January 2022, as part of a shuffling of leadership roles.
Tamborello-Noble, who is also president of the Neag School of Education Alumni Board and a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program through Leadership of Greater Hartford, took over for Jamahl Hines on an interim basis in late 2023, and Hines announced last month that he would officially be stepping down as Conard’s principal.
“I am very pleased to have Jocelyn take on this important role and I have no doubt that she will be a strong leader for the school, an advocate for children, and a partner to our community,” Vicinus said.
Vicinus also announced Wednesday that Juan Melián recently asked to step down as principal of Sedgwick Middle School, a position he has held since July 2022. Melián has been named an assistant principal at Conard.
In a letter to Sedgwick families provided to We-Ha.com, Melián thanked families for their partnership throughout the year and shared his future plans. “As I get closer to my 30th year in West Hartford Public schools, which started at Sedgwick in 1997 as a teacher, I look for ways to enter a new chapter with retirement in a not very distant future. With that in mind, I have made the very difficult decision to leave Sedgwick at the end of this year in pursuit of the next leg of my professional journey. Please know how much I have appreciated and valued working with the Sedgwick students and families,” he wrote in his letter. “Sedgwick will always be in my heart and my hope is that I will be able to stay connected with you and continue to work with our fantastic West Hartford students and educators in a different capacity.”
Vicinus said Melián “is a trusted and influential leader in the district, a champion for students, a mentor to teachers and a dear friend. When he was identified to lead Sedgwick two years ago, I could imagine no person better suited to rebuild culture and support students and staff as we emerged from the pandemic into a new normal. His decision to step away from Sedgwick is a significant loss to that community, creating a void not easily filled,” he said, adding that Melián continues to have his unwavering support.
“We have an incredible team that I am so fortunate to work with,” Tamborello-Noble said. “Juan will be an incredible addition to the team,” she said, and like the other assistant principals, Tor Fiske and Lindsay Tringali, brings a “kid-centered” approach to the position.
“I am tremendously excited for Conard and the team of Jocelyn, Lindsay, Tor and Juan,” said Vicinus. “I have every confidence that we have assembled the a very strong team to lead and support the school community.”
“I am just really grateful to the front office team, teachers here at Conard, and the security team,” Tamborello-Noble said. She said they were so supportive of her when she stepped in on an interim basis, and all are so focused on success and support of the Conard students.
Principal Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble (right) and West Hartford Superintendent Paul Vicinus lead the procession. Conard High School graduation. June 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Information about the next step in identifying a principal at Sedgwick Middle School has not been provided.
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Congratulations to Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble as Principal of Conard.
I was a member of the first class to matriculate at Conard for 3 years from Sedgwick Jr HS.
My youngest sister attended Braeburn, Sedgwick & Conard.
All the best in your professional journey.
Sincerely,
James A. Johnson – Class of 1960
http://www.JamesAJohnsonEsq.com