Avon High School’s new ‘Lead Learner’ listens to ‘Hear and Understand’
By Maria G O’Donnell
staff writer
For many Avon High School students, their new Principal will be a familiar face. Kristina Wallace was previously Assistant Principal, then Principal, at Avon Middle School, starting back in 2019. Now in her current role at AHS, effective July 1, 2026, she replaces Dr. Stephanie Lockhart, who moved to a central office leadership position in Hartford.
“The biggest excitement” for Wallace is reconnecting with the students she knew at the middle school now in the high school. “It’s a unique opportunity to spend that much time with children and see them grow and develop in that way,” she said. “I’m honored to get the chance to do that.”
Wallace is also grateful to Avon Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bridget H. Carnemolla “for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead Avon High School. She’s a mentor of mine; I’ve known her since I began my career here. I very much appreciate and value her.”
The new principal proudly holds all of her graduate and post-graduate degrees from UConn: Human Development and Family Studies and Psychology, a Master’s in Educational Psychology and a school counseling certification, followed by a Sixth Year Certificate in Educational Leadership.
She began her career as a school counselor at Watertown High, followed by Windsor High as lead school counselor. She was awarded Windsor’s Teacher of the Year and Connecticut’s School
Counselor of the Year. After serving as Naugatuck High’s Associate Principal, she finally arrived in the Avon school system.
Originally from South Windsor, Wallace, 38, lives in West Hartford “with my four-legged friend, Teddy,” she said, adding that the dog is named after Teddy Roosevelt because she got him on President’s Day, but she acknowledged that unlike the former president, her dog “doesn’t speak soft or carry a large stick.”
Her parents, John and Marlene Wallace, are still in South Windsor, while her sister Kelly is married to Steve Tarascio. They have a daughter, Sophia, and also live in West Hartford.
Family clearly influenced many aspects of Wallace’s life. Her father, a former Director of Communications at Bradley Airport, affected her own communication skills. Her mom instilled in her and Kelly to remember people by name. And her Nana, as a nursing supervisor in her school district as well as mayor of Mt. Kisco, NY, made Wallace “very much a systems thinker.”
These influences impacted Wallace’s own core principals and goals she plans to bring to AHS. First is her commitment to safety, or “Maslow before Bloom,” as the saying in education goes. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs surpasses Bloom’s Taxonomy of Education, in that Maslow’s main focus is on safety.
This means “the physical and emotional safety of all members of the school community,” Wallace explained. Before you take students “to the challenges of the rigor in higher learning – before they can perform – they need to be safe, seen, and secure.”
The next core principle is high expectations and support. “In order for students to perform as their best selves – in the classroom, athletic field, stage – high expectations and standards [lead to] student success. They can achieve anything they set their minds to,” Wallace said, while they can additionally “seek out support when needed. Equally important is that students are empowered to ask for support, and what those supports look like. We rarely do things in isolation.”
Regarding the third principle, clear communication, Wallace recalled when growing up, her father would have her and her sister stand and read their school papers to him five or six times. That early lesson taught her “the thoughtfulness that goes into writing,” she said, and the message you’re trying to convey to a specific audience. “That’s been a driver in my career – communicating to various audiences I collaborate with.” Wallace added that being “clear and to the point helps folks know what to expect, how to plan and prepare.”
Finally, with the principle of emphasizing our humanity, Wallace acknowledged that “the high school years for children and families can be stressful with the push-pull in the present and what lies ahead.” She said the school wants to create a place “where everybody knows your name.” And this is what her mom instilled in her and her sister at a young age.
“When you remember something as basic as a name, you see them as a person. We continue to create that in the school culture,” Wallace explained. “They’re seen and heard; they know they matter. We know we’ve done something right…when students are valued, supported and seen by teachers. It’s an exciting place to be.”
Wallace bases her own professional goals around the district’s goals: student learning, personal relationships and growth, family/community partnerships, and systems. This forms a “blueprint for excellence,” she explained. “Each of us at the buildings set goals to align to that work.”
“High expectations of student learning are measured through SATs and PSATs. With that, we continue to expand opportunities for students,” she said. Examples include the Achieve Internship Program, Advisory Program, Developmental School Counseling Program, Capstone Program, and course offerings at AHS. “We make sure every student is seen, valued, challenged and supported,” said Wallace.
She focused on the Achieve Internship Program as an example of “the wealth of partnerships with Avon schools and community at large.” Operated by Internship Coordinator Maria Mascoli, the program currently has 40 interns in-state and beyond this summer, according to Wallace. One of the first things she did as new principal was to reach out to the students to “share highlights, and the students went on and on. The students had explicit connections [to their class work].”
Another aspect of communications and partnerships includes “my continued commitment to communication with families as partners,” said Wallace, who emphasizes “family partnership over engagement. Families know their students best, and we’re part of the journey for a time.”
Regarding goals in systems, Wallace said, “I’m very much a systems thinker. I credit my Nana.”
Wallace compared the former Mt. Kisco Mayor’s overseeing of myriad departments to that of a principal overseeing the largeness of an organization like a high school. The mayor brings together Public Works, Police and Fire Departments, etc. Wallace said, “For any organization to function, you have to see how all the pieces fit; you capitalize on assets and bring out the best. You see people as humans – relationships come first,” and systems have to support people.
Wallace sees the role of principal as “lead learner: Someone who’s modeling listening to hear others, being open to trying new things, meeting learners where they are, and ensuring systems in place in school are designed and implemented for learning and growth to operate to its full potential.”
One of her professors at UConn illustrated any form of communication, whether in a counseling session or talking to someone at Walgreen’s: 90% of people listen to respond; a small percentage listen to hear. “Sometimes you have to respond,” Wallace acknowledged, otherwise you need to “hear and understand.” That’s her commitment: to hear and understand students, teachers and families.
One of Wallace’s top challenges focuses on ubiquitous AI. She credits Superintendent Carnemolla and Director of Educational Technology Elizabeth Ferry partnering to put together a Pre-K – 12 Technology Committee for a district-wide, grade level-specific future vision of the use of technology in learning, “partially in response to the nationwide conversation on technology in schools, AI devices, etc. What’s the balance and role of technology in learning, specifically with sending learners in a world of AI.”
While most of the workforce uses electronics, Wallace hopes to prepare students with “tools to support thinking, not replace thinking.”
Finally, another challenge for Wallace is both personal and professional. Admitting she’s a “work horse” who is “very passionate about work” and “a people person,” she plans to strive to “make sure I stay grounded and balanced so Teddy doesn’t give me the cold shoulder,” she said with a chuckle.
In all seriousness, Wallace noted, “I have to make sure I leave space and time to step away to be my best self here and in other areas in life.” VL