WESTFIELD — During his first few weeks at the helm of Westfield Academy and Central School District, Superintendent Michael Cipolla has spent most of his time listening and learning, and enjoying every minute of it.

“It’s not about what my goals are, it’s about what the goals of the school community are,” Cipolla said. “Collaboration is the key to the first three months and to moving forward. This will allow me to lead in a direction that is focused on our strengths.”

Cipolla took over as superintendent at the beginning of the new year, replacing David Davison, who retired on Dec. 31.

Cipolla said he came to WACS with a well-documented entry plan. “I created a plan that identifies the importance of listening and learning,” he said. “Building trusting relationships and having a team approach is a value of mine and of the district.”

Cipolla said his entry plan led him straight into meeting with employees, community members, and parent groups to have informal discussions about goals and what the focus of the district should be. “This gives me an opportunity to have a personal connection with everyone,” he said.

Once his first 90 days are up and he has met with everyone, Cipolla said, he will take the information he has garnered to the board of education. “Then I will be working with the board to revisit our goals,” he said.

Cipolla said he believes that a critical stakeholder in the operation of the district is the student, and he is trying to involve them as much as possible. “You have to have the students with you at the table from the beginning,” he said. “This leads to providing the students with leadership opportunities.”

Cipolla said the district tries to provide the best opportunities for the students to be prepared for life after high school. For instance, he noted that in the 2018-19 school year, 56 students registered for courses that allowed them to earn college credits. “It’s opportunities such as these that will help to insure our children are prepared,” he said.

However, Cipolla said, the district’s responsibilities to its students extend beyond academics. “It’s about making sure that our environment here at Westifeld is also meeting the needs of our students from a social and emotional aspect.”

Character education is truly unique to this district, Cipolla said. “It’s about the students, it’s for them. We want our students to appreciate the differences and backgrounds of one another,” he said. “This creates a sense of unity within the school system.”

Cipolla said he’s been very impressed with the character that he has seen the students demonstrate, especially toward one another. “It’s rewarding to see how the students treat each other with respect,” he said.

While as a superintendent, Cipolla has to spend a lot of time in meetings and behind a desk, he said he is learning his most important lessons outside of his office. “I do my best to spend as much time as possible out in the halls and with the students,” he said. “One of the first things I noticed is that our student body is doing great work here and they take pride in it.”

This sense of pride in the school can be found in the community as well, Cipolla said. “What I’m learning about Westifeld is that there is a sense of pride here in doing what is best for our students. This matches my core values,” he said.

Cipolla noted that he is only halfway through his entry plan phase. He is just finishing his meetings with employees and students, and plans now to reach out to the community. “It’s crucial for a new leader to understand what is important and of value to the community,” he said.

But the best thing that he has discovered in the six weeks he has spent as superintendent has been what he calls a “common theme in pride in academics.”

“In the day to day education here at Westfield, I’ve heard it from employees and from community leaders, ‘we do things well, we’re always ready to learn and we are always willing to lead our children to the best possible outcome.'”