Stony Brook Elementary Welcomes New Principal

BREWSTER – With the beginning of school right around the corner, new Stony Brook Elementary Principal Carolan Kasper said she can’t wait for the halls to be filled and the classrooms to be lively.

But as the school year progresses, she’ll be working on a larger goal: weaving her students into the fabric of the Brewster community through cross-functional partnerships around town. 

Kasper, born and raised in Worcester, comes from a rich background in education. After a 15-year career in business, she was ready to pivot and entered the Worcester public school system as a fifth grade teacher. 

About a month after she started her educational career, her elementary school was labeled a Level Four school, meaning the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education had identified the school as underperforming which required intervention and a three-year turn-around plan. 

Kasper was immediately inspired by her student population, which had been identified as high-poverty. She took on a leadership role over the three years and helped elevate the school to Level One.

Kasper continued to serve as a fifth grade teacher at the school for the next 15 years. Due to her leadership and dedication to the community, administrators suggested she take on a front office role. 

She became the assistant principal and held that position for the next several years in Worcester. 

“I really enjoyed the administrative role because I could go into the classrooms every day,” she said. “I could see, each year, the same kids growing up, as opposed to not knowing what happened [after they left fifth grade].”

With hopes of becoming a principal, Kasper applied to be principal of Mayo Elementary School in Holden. There the student population was a much different demographic with different needs. Supporting different communities with different needs helped shape her mentality as an administrator, she said. 

Kasper said she loved every minute of her experience as principal at Mayo, where she created a holistic approach to her role.

In 2019, she and her husband purchased a fixer-upper in Harwich as a summer home. After five years of renovations and construction, the house was a perfect place to settle year-round. 

She had spent a lot of time on the Cape, specifically staying in Brewster as a child, and knew she wanted to be in the area full-time at some point. After her husband sold his business, it felt like the perfect time for them to make the move. 

Now, as the new principal of Stony Brook Elementary, Kasper says she gets the best of both worlds: a chance to establish herself in two communities on Cape Cod: Brewster and her new hometown of Harwich. 

As the school year begins, Kasper already has a few things in place to connect students with the outside community. Her student body will be participating in the new civics academy led by town manager Peter Lombardi. She’s reached out to the council on aging to develop a penpal program that will promote intergenerational connections. And she’s excited for the school to be participating in the Brewster in Bloom parade next spring. 

“I think it’s important [to curate community building efforts] because the school population isn’t as big a piece of the community as in, like Worcester,” she said. “There are some people here that don’t have any kids, so to make it feel like a community and let the students know you’re a part of this community is going to help them in the long run.” 

At her old school, she would send out a morning message — a video of herself sometimes featuring students. She is planning on continuing this practice. The messages include birthday announcements using photos of pets to create animated videos. 

“It’s silly, but parents understand that I care about each kid,” she said. 

Her message to parents? 

“My door is always open if there’s any concerns or anything they want to know,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting them involved in the whole process, too.” 

Kasper holds a bachelor’s degree from Framingham State University, a master of education degree from Anna Maria College and a master of school administration degree from Worcester State University.