NEW LONDON, N.H. — The Kearsarge Regional School District is proud to share Superintendent Winfried Feneberg served as a distinguished lecturer at the annual conference for the New Hampshire School Administrators Association, which previously named him its 2021 Superintendent of the Year.
Superintendent Feneberg was selected due to his strengths as a communicator, the positive influence he has on staff, and the spirit of inclusion he’s fostered throughout the district — ensuring that student, staff and community voices are heard and considered on a variety of issues.
As the distinguished lecturer, Feneberg spoke June 28 to superintendents and administrators across the state on the topic “Leadership in Times of Crisis.”
Feneberg recounted the myriad challenges superintendents and districts faced across the state from the first days of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020: Providing a safe, high-quality education; communicating with the public; remaining flexible when new information became available; ensuring all students were treated equitably by helping secure access to the internet and healthy food at home.
“School systems that struggled financially before COVID found themselves at an even greater disadvantage when faced with many needs arising from this immediate health crisis,” Feneberg said. “By now we know that the same dynamic has played out — and continues to play out — in many places across our whole nation. Let’s use this crisis to intensify our efforts to achieve equity and equal educational opportunity for all students here in our State and across the land.”
Feneberg thanked teachers, specialists, para-educators, and administrators who have transformed practices to provide quality education to students during the pandemic.
“I am not sure how many of you were able to keep your schools open all year long, but I am amazed and proud of the incredible amount of work our staff performed to provide a high quality learning environment under the most difficult circumstances,” Superintendent Feneberg said of Kearsarge.
Superintendent Feneberg has led Kearsarge since July 2015, after serving as the superintendent in the Windham School District and Assistant Superintendent in the Timberlane and Hampstead School Districts. He also served in a variety of roles in SAU 55, including as a school psychologist and director of special education.
Superintendent Feneberg thanked Dr. Lorraine Tacconi-Moore, former Superintendent of SAU 24 based in Henniker, who nominated him, and the NHSAA Nominating Committee for its work on the Superintendent of the Year process.
“I also want to thank Michael Bessette, my talented assistant superintendent, and the whole leadership team at SAU 65 for their support and tireless efforts on behalf of the students in our district,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “And last but not least, my family, my wife, and my daughter, both exceptional educators themselves, for their compassion and understanding for what it takes to do the job of superintendent.”
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