
Superintendent Lisa Carter is retiring at the end of this month after 21 years as an educator and administrator with the Region One school district.
Debra A. Aleksinas
Superintendent Lisa Carter is retiring at the end of this month after 21 years as an educator and administrator with the Region One school district.
NORFOLK — When Lisa Carter joined the Region One school district in 2002 as a social studies teacher at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS,) following her work with the U.S. State Department where she helped write the curriculum for teaching Foreign Service Officers how to speak Mandarin Chinese, she envisioned retiring in that role.
She never imagined her teaching position would serve as a steppingstone toward a 21-year career in education, capped by her appointment as superintendent, with responsibility for leading and managing seven schools and seven boards of education, as well as one regional school board, during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of American education.
In an interview in late May at The Hub in Norfolk, her hometown, Carter reflected on her tenure with the Region One school district, from which she is stepping down at the end of June.
“I’ve done a lot of things, but this has been the most rewarding career that I’ve had in my life. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to learn from so many people, and for me to have impact on the lives of so many people, and to send our students out into the world with big dreams and aspirations, along with the confidence to achieve those dreams,” said Carter.
Prior to becoming superintendent of the Region One school district — which includes, in addition to the regional high school, six elementary schools: Lee H. Kellogg, Cornwall Consolidated, Kent Center, North Canaan Elementary, Salisbury Central and Sharon Center— she held the position of assistant superintendent from 2017 to 2020.
Carter, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mandarin Chinese and a minor in Business from Georgetown University, a master’s in business administration from the University of Southern California and a second Master’s in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University, served as Salisbury Central School Principal from 2011 to 2017, after teaching social studies at HVRHS for nine years, from 2002 to 2011.
The China Connection
Carter, who has two sons, was born in Georgia in 1956. “I lived there for 10 days. My father was in the service and was sent to France for 18 months. Today, at age 91, he still feels bad for missing the first 18 months of my life,” she explained.
She and two younger brothers grew up Pittsburgh, and she eventually went off to college at Georgetown University, where she majored in Chinese and minored in business. Carter spent her junior year in Taiwan. “This was before you could go to Mainland China. It helped me with the fluency of the language,” she recalled.
After graduation, she landed a job with the U.S. State Department. By that time, she noted, Mainland China opened up and people were being assigned there. Carter worked with a team that created curriculum used to train diplomats looking to relocate to Bejing.
“I had always thought I wanted to be in the diplomatic corps,” she explained. So she attended a diplomatic language learning center in Arlington, Va., in preparation for her service exam. “I really wanted to go to Mainland China, which had been closed off to the rest of the world, and wanted to be one of the first people to see what it was like.”
Carter recalled the disappointment of finding out that it was “highly unlikely” that she would be posted in China as a junior member of the Corps, as it was a “plum assignment” reserved for longer tenured staff.
The then 23-year-old received another disappointment upon learning that a job as an office assistant with Dravo Corporation, where she was to assist with opening their office in Beijing, fell through when they did not get the contract.
For the next five years, Carter worked closely with the engineering teams on Union Oil Company in California. “The development was so rapid,” she recalled. “The Chinese people are so friendly and so loving and it was really great to get to know them and see them come alive and open themselves up to industrialization. And I got one of my dreams.”
After meeting her future husband, she moved to New York City, got married and had two sons, now ages 27 and 30. She was hired by real estate maven Barbara Corcoran, selling co-ops and condos. Referring to her new boss, “she was a pistol,” noted Carter. “I liked the people in the business, but I did not like the business.”
The family relocated from the Big Apple to Norfolk, where they had a “big circle of friends.”
“I always wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t think the kids would like me. I was pretty serious as a young woman and didn’t have a lot of confidence and belief in myself.”
Prompted by teachers at the high school, she applied to Salisbury Central and HVRHS as a substitute teacher, hoping to get hired as a history teacher. She obtained her teacher certification and a year later was hired full time when a position opened up at the high school.
‘The ideal leader’ during a volatile period
While at the high school, Carter opened the relationship with the Shandong Experimental School in Jinan, China, and introduced the Civic Life Project, a program that teaches civics through the production of short documentary films.
“I loved teaching there, and I had great colleagues,” she noted. “We were always keeping track of current events and helping kids see the connections between what came before and what’s happening now.”
In many ways, Carter’s background shaped her success as a teacher and administrator.
HVRHS Principal Ian Strever put it this way: “Lisa’s experience prior to becoming a teacher brought a worldly and innovative thinker to Region One. Her creative and flexible problem solving made her the ideal leader during what has been one of the most volatile periods in American education shepherding us through a pandemic, massive societal change, and a wave of legislation that has redefined the purpose of school.”
In 2020, Carter had settled into her role as assistant superintendent, when the superintendent’s job opened up.
“They chose me and believed in me in a very difficult time, supported by every single board member and a 50-person transition team,” Carter recalled. The group met weekly and was tasked with “making decisions on how to open up the schools when very few schools were doing that. As stressful as that was, it was so much better for the students than to be at home and on the computer.”
From nurses to bus drivers, paralegals and teachers, town and state health and education officials, as well as the Litchfield County superintendents’ group, “everyone leaned in and every person touched my life and I touched theirs in a really meaningful collaboration.”
Patricia Mechare, chair of the Region One Board and the Lee H. Kellogg Board of Education, praised Carter’s leadership and flexibility during that tumultuous time. She described Carter as a “wonderful partner to all our schools and a very effective superintendent.”
As for what comes next for Carter, she is looking forward to the next chapter in her career as Assistant Executive Director with EdAdvance in Litchfield, which is a full-time position, “but will not demand as much of my time.”
Charlie Castellanos, left, and Allegra Ferri, right, sitting in the HVRHS library to talk about their experiences in the U.S.
“I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things...” —Charlie Castellanos
Every year, Housatonic Valley Regional High School welcomes foreign exchange students to attend classes through the AFS Intercultural Programs. This school year, two students traveled to Northwest Connecticut to immerse themselves in American life and culture. Allegra Ferri, a 17-year-old from Italy, and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia sat down to reflect on their experience at HVRHS. As the academic year is coming to an end, they shared a few highlights of their time in the U.S. and offered advice to prospective exchange students.
Allegra: “My favorite part of this exchange year was coming here and experiencing an American high school.”
Charlie: “My favorite part is coming to high school and living the American dream and probably going to ski [for the first time].”
Allegra: “I played volleyball in the fall and I really liked it because everyone was so nice. Then during the winter, I was part of the crew for the musical and now I’m doing tennis. I really enjoy it because it’s a good team. I love how American high school has sports and activities after school.”
Charlie: “I did soccer in the fall, which was my favorite. I did the play in the winter and right now I’m doing track and field. We don’t have school sports in Colombia. This is one of the things I’m going to miss the most.”
Allegra: “I would say do it because living in another country is a great experience to grow and improve another language. It improves your skills of being by yourself.”
Charlie: “I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things like culture, language and it’s just a completely new experience. It will stay with you your entire life.”
Students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School wrote and produced the inaugural edition of HVRHS Today, a new publication by and for students in the Northwest Corner.
This inaugural issue of HVRHS Today marks the first student-led journalism effort at the high school in several years. The program is a collaboration between the Lakeville Journal, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the 21st Century Fund.
Anna Gillette, Mia DiRocco, Shanaya Duprey, Madelyn Johnson and Ibby Sadeh volunteered to form the first group of students comprising the staff of the HVRHS Today.
The five girls got to work just before spring break, meeting as a group of reporters for the first time at the Lakeville Journal office in Falls Village on Wednesday, April 9. That night, the team hit the ground running throwing out ideas for their first reporting projects and discussing the basics of gathering news and reporting facts.
In the following weeks, the students gathered weekly every Thursday at the Lakeville Journal office to discuss interviewing, writing and reporting and plan their coverage for the paper. The students took the lead at every turn, choosing which topics they would like to cover and deciding what sources were best for each story.
Anna Gillette, of Lakeville, joined the program out of a passion for research writing and a desire to learn about a potential career path. “I don’t really know what I want to do in the future and I don’t know what career I want to pursue,” Gillette said. “So I think that this is a good opportunity to, kind of, test the waters to see if this is something I would be interested in.”
Gillette contributed reporting on the latest production of the high school’s Unwritten Show, a completely student-led annual production written this year by Sara Huber and co-directed by Huber and Alex Wilbur. Gillette also reported on and profiled the winner of this year’s “Next Top Mountaineer” pageant, a senior named Manny Matsudaira.
Madelyn Johnson, of North Canaan, said she joined the program to hone her writing skills. “My English teacher calls me a ‘stupendously boring writer,’” Johnson said. “There’s not much emotion or anything in my writing. It’s pretty much just fact, fact, fact.” This is a good thing, Johnson said, for Advanced Placement tests, but not necessarily for more creative assignments.
The program pushed Madelyn Johnson out of her comfort zone, something she said her mother has spent her whole life teaching her to appreciate. “My mom has always had me facing my fears,” Johnson said. “Even if I didn’t always like them, I was always sort of forced to try new things. So I’m trying to continue that with the new independence I get as I grow up.”
Johnson profiled the seniors of the HVRHS track team that will be going on to run for their collegiate teams after graduation, and Richie Crane, who won a Sondheim Award for his performance of Old Man Strong in this year’s production of “Urinetown.”
Mia DiRocco, of Cornwall, said she wants to pursue a career in journalism after graduation. “I’m really passionate about politics, and now is a great time for that,” DiRocco said. “And I’m really interested in international relations, linguistics — and I love writing — so, it’s a career that I think encompasses all my interests in one.”
DiRocco focused her reporting on the no-longer-imperiled tennis team and sports involvement at HVRHS in general. Her reporting dug into the benefits of the brand new tennis courts and the efforts required to bring back previously dissolved groups — like the recently reformed cheerleading team.
Ibby Sadeh, of Falls Village, said she expected the program to help her with her social skills. “From the first meeting I definitely thought it could be fun and valuable to learn new skills and build on my social skills,” Sadeh said. “And also help with my writing skills. I’ve only done essays and reflections for class. I haven’t actually written in this form before.”
Sadeh contributed the inaugural reporter’s notebook report, reflecting on this year’s trip to Europe. Sadeh also worked with DiRocco to recap the first year behind the scenes with the Bias Education and Response Team, and with Gillette to produce a Q&A with this year’s foreign exchange students — 17-year-old Allegra Ferri from Italy and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia.
Shanaya Duprey, of North Canaan, like many of her compatriots in the program, wanted to seize an opportunity to improve her writing, but for a career in marine biology. “I’ve always been really interested in animals,” Duprey said. “I’ve found a new passion for the ocean. There’s not a lot of attention on marine conservation so I’d like to do that.” Duprey said style of researched, journalistic work she produced for HVRHS Today could help her in a future career as a scientist writing and submitting grant proposals and research papers.
Duprey focused her reporting over the past six weeks on the 21st Century Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides funding for educational opportunities and scholarships to HVRHS students. Her reporting focused on Silas Tripp, a student at HVRHS that could attend multiple educational engineering camps thanks to money from the 21st Century Fund.
HVRHS Today can be found online at www.lakevillejournal.com/hvrhs-today.
WATERTOWN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls lacrosse played Watertown High School for the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Conference championship Wednesday, May 28.
The cold, rainy game went back and forth with three ties and three lead changes. Watertown was ahead when it counted and earned a 6-4 victory to claim the league title.
Under the lights in Watertown, both sides displayed defensive discipline in a hard-fought match. It was the third meeting between these two teams this season and Watertown completed the sweep in the title game.
Watertown scored first in the opening minute. Housatonic quickly evened the score when freshman Annabelle Carden tucked a shot past the goalie on a fast break. The first quarter ended 1-1.
Freshman Annabelle Carden, no. 9, scored the first two goals for HVRHS in the title game May 28.Photo by Riley Klein
HVRHS pulled ahead with another goal from Carden in the second quarter. A few minutes before half time, Watertown tied it up again at 2-2 going into intermission.
Watertown regained the lead in the second half before HVRHS answered with a goal by senior Tessa Dekker. With seconds left in the third quarter, the Warriors went up 4-3.
As the sky darkened and rain intensified in the fourth quarter, Watertown built a lead. They scored twice in a row to start the final period and entered clock-management mode to drain time. Senior Lola Clayton scored once more before time was out and the game ended 6-4.
Housatonic's defense held Watertown to six points in the championship game. Watertown, the number one team in the WCLC, averaged more than 12 goals per game this season.Photo by Riley Klein
The championship’s most valuable player award went to Malia Arline of Watertown. HVRHS had five players chosen to the 2025 all-league team: Lola Clayton, Lou Haemmerle, Mollie Ford, Neve Kline and Georgie Clayton.
“Incredible finals. Incredible game to watch,” said HVRHS Coach Laura Bushey to her team post-game. “You should all be very proud of yourselves.”
“Holding a team to six points is something to be really, really proud of. Especially a team that’s as good as these guys,” said assistant coach Erin Bushey.
HVRHS qualified for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S lacrosse tournament. The Mountaineers got matched against Wolcott High School in round one May 30. HVRHS won 13-6 and advanced to the second round to play top ranked Lauralton Hall June 3 in Milford.
Lou Haemmerle created offensive opportunities for HVRHS in the league final.Photo by Riley Klein
“Some I prefer are the grilled cheese. Pizza’s okay with some sauce. Hamburger too, I guess. The least favorite that I’ve tried is probably the hot ham and cheese. I don’t like that. I’ve started to see that they’re doing French fries, which I kind of like. They should probably start doing more of that.”
“My favorite lunch is probably the mac and cheese and popcorn chicken. I’d like to see it more frequently. Grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, french toasts sticks, and chicken fajita
can all go.”
“My favorite is beef nacho grande. My least favorite is probably the fajitas.
I wish we had chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes more often.”
“General Tsou’s chicken is my favorite lunch. Also, the popcorn chicken and mac and cheese.
I really don’t like the French toast sticks or that we have pizza every Friday. We need some more variation.”
Photos by Ibby Sadeh and Mia DiRocco