Mr. Hay

Like Mr. Morey, Mr. Hay graduated high school having no firm grasp on what career to pursue. Like Hydea, he was preternaturally shy. To no one’s surprise, he chose the nearest college, Fitchburg State, ten miles from his home. He majored in education because Fitchburg was known as a fine teachers college. He chose elementary school because it was the easiest path to land a teaching position. And yet, haphazard as it seemed, he had pursued the perfect career for himself. Almost immediately, he fell in love with his job. Shy among peers, he blossomed around children. For 18 years he taught fifth and sixth graders in and around his hometown. Eventually, he became a principal. When he arrived at Brookside in 2003, he found a troubled and divided building. Academically, it ranked last among Norwalk’s 12 elementary schools. Schisms had riven the faculty. It didn’t help that the building was undergoing a major reconstruction. Mr. Hay proved the calming force that reset Brookside on a positive track. But would he be able to lift it enough to pass?