West Hartford Schools Announce New King Philip Principal

West Hartford public schools announced Wednesday that Joy Wright has been named the new principal of King Philip Middle School.

Wright, a West Hartford resident, is currently an assistant principal at Conard High School. She replaces Mike Renkawitz, who last week accepted a position at at Thompson Brook School in Avon.

“I am grateful for the 10 years Mike has given to King Philip as assistant principal and principal,” Superintendent of Schools Karen List said in a press release. “He will be remembered for Team KP, reducing the silos between regular and special education, creating KP Safe Zones, having Individual Performance Plans for every student, his tireless efforts to improve student achievement and advocacy for teacher, student and building needs. Change for many is healthy; this is a wonderful opportunity for Mr. Renkawitz.”

Prior to joining the West Hartford public school system last year, Wright was employed as the principal of James Moran Middle School in Wallingford. In addition, Wright was assistant principal of CREC’s Two Rivers Magnet Middle School.

“[Wright] is creative, purposeful, an effective communicator, listener, very insightful and knowledgeable,” List said. “Ms. Wright has the ability to take all perspectives into consideration when making decisions and is innovative when trying to solve complex problems. Her high expectations and genuine caring for students, staff and families will serve the King Philip community well.”

List said that the school system has hired principals at every level of the school system, having reviewed 600 applications and interviewed over 150 candidates for various positions. She said that she is confident that Wright is the ideal candidate for King Philip.

“As we considered what would be in the best interest of King Philip Middle School, we knew that the perfect candidate was already a leader in our schools,” she said.