Mrs. Cristina Kingsbury

Principal

Mrs. Kingsbury graduated from Southern CT State University in 2009 with her Bachelors in English. She then continued onto her Masters Program for Secondary Education at University of Bridgeport. During her time as a student, she began an internship at West Side Middle School in Waterbury, CT. This is where she immediately knew she wanted to continue pursuing secondary education during her studies. Most of her teaching career was spent as an English teacher to students at Derby High School and Waterbury Career Academy. She enjoyed having classroom discussions surrounding relevant novels and topics that inspire student discourse. After 10 years of teaching high school English to students of all backgrounds and abilities, she began to consider enrolling in school to study educational leadership. A semester before COVID hit, she became a student once again but this time was unique. During her time teaching online because of the pandemic, she also attended classes online at night as a student. After her coursework, she was advised to consider school leadership with the intention to lead a high school. With encouragement from a previous school principal, she then became an instructional coach. In this role, she was able to improve teacher instruction and build confidence in her colleagues. Helping teachers and students made coaching the most rewarding experience in my career.

Outside of teaching, Mrs. Kingsbury always worked in the restaurant industry meeting all different kinds of people. Even throughout her teaching career, she continued to work in the restaurant industry for 15 years! After the pandemic, she decided to leave the restaurant business for good and focus on her family and career in 2020.

In her spare time, Mrs. Kingsbury enjoys spending time traveling with family and friends. She loves to dine out, especially to Italian and Spanish restaurants. She currently lives in Waterbury, where she was born and raised. Mrs. Kingsbury lives with her husband, Mathew Kingsbury, social worker for Connecticut Junior Republic and their two children, Veda, 8 and Julian, 10. Both children attend Rotella Magnet School in Waterbury, CT.