Norwalk BOE Appoints New Assistant Principal, MSAP STEAM Supervisor

NORWALK, CT — The Norwalk Board of Education recently appointed a new assistant principal at one school and a new MSAP STEAM Supervisor at another school.

According to a news release provided by Norwalk Public Schools, the board on Monday approved the appointment of Jennifer Chirles as the MSAP STEAM Supervisor for P-TECH Norwalk and Chris Olson as the new assistant principal of Cranbury Elementary School.

Olson will join the Cranbury Elementary's administrative team with Principal Jennifer Masone.

District officials said they look forward to welcoming back Olson after he took his first administrative job in the Ridgefield Public Schools district in 2022.

Prior to his leave, Olson served multiple roles at Fox Run Elementary School in Norwalk, including classroom teacher.

Chriles will join the high school's administrative team with Principal Beth Furnari. She most recently served as the principal of Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook, N.Y., from 2020 to 2024, overseeing a student body of 400 students.

Chriles earned the Female Diversity Award for expanding young women's access to AP Computer Science Principles and increased access to other advanced learning opportunities for all students, implementing new courses such as Honors English 10, College Entrepreneurship and AP Human Geography, according to the district.

Chirles began her educational career as a math teacher in 2001. She taught for 12 years and served as the Mathematics Program Coordinator for Darien Public Schools before she took her first administrative position as a House Principal at Trumbull High School.

Olson started his education career at Fox Run as a literacy interventionist through The Hill for Literacy in fall 2015. He joined the school full time that winter and taught grades 2, 3 and 5 over six years.

Olson later served as a co-teacher ASD Nest Classroom and as a mathematics coach, according to the district.