At the Board of Education Meeting on March 19, the EUFSD chose its next Eastchester High School Principal, appointing Chris Welsh to the position after a months-long interview process.
Welsh—who spent the last six years in the Scarsdale School District, serving as the SHS Assistant Principal for Academics and Operation—previously worked in the Pleasantville district, where he was a teacher, coach, curriculum coordinator and coordinator of student services.
He will succeed longtime EHS Principal Dr. Jeff Capuano, who will retire at the end of the school year after more than 20 years of service to the district.
In welcoming Welsh to the Eastchester team, EUFSD Superintendent Dr. Ronald Valenti noted that out of over 100 candidates who applied for the position, Welsh’s experience and educational background made him an ideal fit for the position.
“For the past six years, Chris has served Scarsdale High School’s students and faculty in broad areas of curriculum development, instruction, professional training, grading and assessment,” said Dr. Valenti. “He is well leveraged to become Eastchester’s next high school principal.”
Of his time in Scarsdale, Welsh pointed to numerous initiatives that he helped to launch aimed at helping students chart a course through their educational journeys.
“We dove into Scarsdale High School’s profile of a graduate, which identified a series of 21st century competencies that we want to see in our students through a really collaborative process involving teachers, administrators, and students,” said Welsh. “We sought to answer three questions: what we want our students to know, what we want our students to be able to do and who we want our students to be upon graduating from Scarsdale.”
Welsh, who grew up in the area, said he is coming into his new post with a fondness and a familiarity with the Eastchester community, but added that he is also looking forward to learning more about the community—meeting with faculty, students and community members—before he officially steps into the principal’s office on July 1, 2024.
Prior to July 1, Welsh will spend five consultant days in-district getting a better sense of the lay of the land while making connections with the people and groups he will be working alongside next year.
“These five days are really going to be a representation of what my first year will be like; it’s going to be about listening and learning about the community,” he said. “I think that in order to be an effective leader, you have to form positive relationships, and that’s something that’s going to start right from the beginning.
“I’m humbled by this opportunity to serve as your principal, where my vision will be to foster a culture of excellence, inclusion and innovation in Eastchester High School,” he added. “I’m committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure that every student receives a high-quality education.”
