New Assistant Principals Named At Several Stamford Schools

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero has announced the appointments of several assistant principals. The changes are effective July 1.

• Dr. Alfredo (Freddy) Fuentes from interim to permanent assistant principal at Dolan Middle School
• Jennifer Laughlin from interim to permanent assistant principal at Scofield Magnet Middle School
• Michael Macchio from assistant principal for specialized instruction at Julia A. Stark and Newfield Elementary Schools to assistant principal at Julia A. Stark
• Jonathan Ortiz from interim to permanent assistant principal at Stamford High School
• Angela Plateroti from interim to permanent assistant principal at Northeast Elementary School

Each of these candidates was selected through a competitive hiring process that attracted candidates from within and outside SPS, the school district said.

Committees of teachers, staff, parents, and community members conducted the first two rounds of candidate interviews, and the final candidates interviewed with the Superintendent.

Dr. Alfredo (Freddy) Fuentes was named interim assistant principal at Dolan in July 2025. Fuentes is a bilingual educator with more than 40 years of experience as a mathematics teacher, teacher leader, administrator, and college professor.

Fuentes began his career with Hartford Public Schools, where he spent 15 years as a secondary mathematics teacher and district department chair.

During the next 25 years he worked as a secondary school mathematics teacher and school administrator for Manchester (CT) Public Schools, Bloomfield (CT) Public Schools, Fort Worth (TX) Independent School District, Minnetonka (MN) Christian Academy, Grand Prairie (TX) Independent School District and Dalton (GA) Public Schools, and also was a professor at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. He returned to Connecticut in 2022 as a mathematics teacher at Cloonan Middle School.

Fuentes earned a bachelor's degree in secondary mathematics from the Universidad Adventista de las Antillas in Puerto Rico and both a master's in secondary mathematics and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Hartford.

He is certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education in grades 4-12 mathematics (029), grades 4-12 bilingual mathematics (009), and intermediate administration or supervision (092).

Jennifer Laughlin has been the interim assistant principal at Scofield Magnet Middle School since April 2025.

Laughlin joined Scofield as the multi-tiered system of support specialist in July 2024 and served as interim assistant principal from August 2024 to February 2025. Laughlin began her tenure with SPS as a 9th and 10th grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at Westhill High School from 2008 to 2013. She was the administrative intern at Turn of River (TOR) Middle School from 2013 to 2020 and TOR’s Teacher Leader for Student Support in 2020-21. She was an assistant principal at TOR from 2021-2024.

Prior to joining SPS Laughlin was a middle school ELA teacher for Milford Public Schools and Guilford Public Schools.

A graduate of Westhill High School, Laughlin earned a bachelor's degree in communicative disorders from the University of Connecticut and both a master's in education and a sixth-year diploma in educational administration and supervision from the University of Bridgeport.

She is certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education in Grades 4-12 ELA (015) and K–12 intermediate administration or supervision (092).

Michael Macchio became an assistant principal for specialized instruction in 2025. He has more than 15 years of experience as a special education teacher and teacher leader.

He began his career with Stamford Public Schools as a special education Teacher at TOR, and later served as a special education teacher and teacher leader for student support at Newfield Elementary. He was a special education teacher at Westover Magnet in 2023-24 and served as the multi-tiered system of support specialist at Julia A. Stark Elementary for the 2024-25 school year.

Macchio earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Connecticut, a master's in secondary education from Sacred Heart University, special education certification from Southern Connecticut State University, and a sixth-year diploma in educational administration and supervision from the University of Bridgeport.

He is certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education in grades 7-12 secondary history and social studies (026), preK-grade 12 Comprehensive Special Education (065), and K–12 intermediate administration or supervision (092).

Jonathan Ortiz has been an interim Assistant Principal at Stamford High School since July 2025. He was the Multi-Tiered System of Support Specialist (MTSS) at Westhill High School in 2024-25 and a school counselor at Stamford High from 2016 to 2024. Ortiz was the district’s 504 Team Leader and the Stamford High Advanced Placement Coordinator during the 2023-24 school year. He was a head teacher in the SPS Summer School Program in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

A graduate of Westhill High School, Ortiz earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Bridgeport, a Master of Arts in Bilingual School Counseling from New York University, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from American College of Education.

He is certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education in School Counseling (068) and K–12 Intermediate Administration or Supervision (092).

Angela Plateroti has been the interim assistant principal at Northeast Elementary since 2024.

Plateroti began her tenure with SPS as a K-4 classroom teacher at Westover Magnet Elementary School where she worked from 2004 to 2021. She moved to the central office as a teacher on special assignment (TOSA) for K-5 STEM in 2021-2022 and was the teacher leader for student support at Julia A. Stark Elementary School from 2022 to 2024.

She was named the multi-tiered system of support specialist at Northeast Elementary for the 2024-25 school year and served most of the year as interim assistant principal. Plateroti also has been a head teacher in the SPS Summer School Program since 2019.

A graduate of Westhill High School, Plateroti earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in education from Sacred Heart University and a sixth-year diploma in educational administration and supervision from the University of Bridgeport.

She is certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education in PreK-6 elementary education (013) and intermediate administration or supervision (092).