New Leadership at Brookfield's St. Joseph's School

Students headed back to school at St. Joseph’s for their first day on Aug. 27 will be greeted by a new principal, Scott Bannon, who took the reins of Brookfield’s private K-8 school in early July.

Bannon, who lives in Shelton with his wife, Stacey, and their son and daughter, comes to St. Joe’s with 15 years of experience as a teacher, beginning as a fourth grade teacher at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Fairfield.

Bannon also taught in Fairfield’s public schools before transitioning into an administrative role. He continued working for Fairfield schools until the opportunity to lead St. Joe’s became available and he was given the chance to give back something he was always grateful for.

Having gone to the parochial St. Ann’s School in Bridgeport growing up, Bannon said the kids he went to school with are still his closest friends and the lessons he learned there have stayed with him throughout his life.

“It’s important to do something in your life that’s from the heart,” he said during an interview Wednesday. “I got a lot from parochial schools and wanted to give something back.”

While St. Joe’s focus will still be on strong academic standards, “We want to focus on building the community” among the students, he said. “More of a balance between the academic aspect and the way we interact with each other and the community,” than students would be exposed to at a public school.

Coming to St. Joe’s, Bannon said transitioning into the position was easy, mostly due to the efforts of outgoing interim principal MaryJo Bokuniewicz, who made herself available throughout the summer.

Bokuniewicz returned to St. Rose of Lima School in Newtown, where she served as assistant principal before coming to St. Joe’s.

Bannon said the school has undergone some safety improvements and that he plans to continue integrating technology into the curriculum — including more smart boards and interactive projectors — but there won’t be any immediate significant changes with the new leadership.

“I live a life where I follow the Golden Rule [Do unto others as you would have them do unto you], so there is a mutual respect, a loving and caring in the community,” he said. “That’s the kind of child we want to grow.”

St. Joseph’s parents and community members will have the opportunity to meet Bannon Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the school gym.