A new but familiar face heads back to the classroom

August 12, 2023  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

Tom Drake speaks as principal at his last Crossett Brook Middle School eighth-grade graduation in June. Photo by Gordon Miller

In a move that no one could have seen coming, circumstances recently fell into place to land Waitsfield Elementary School a new but familiar face to be one of its two 5th- and 6th-grade teachers for the upcoming school year.

Tom Drake, who in June wrapped up 14 years as principal at Crossett Brook Middle School, is headed back to the classroom at the end of this month. The opening came about when a previously hired teacher for the position recently changed their mind about moving from Oregon. 

“Alex Stengel, whom we had hired to this position in early April, decided over the summer not to relocate to Vermont,” explained Waitsfield Elementary School Principal Kaiya Korb in a note to fifth- and sixth-grade parents. “While this change of plans was unexpected, I am thrilled to have a dynamic educator like Tom joining Waitsfield School and confident he will support the growth of the students in this classroom.”

The veteran educator announced in January that he would step down at the end of the year and admittedly was looking for a change. After several months of searching, he said none of the opportunities he’d explored were the right fit, especially given his desire to stay in Waterbury where he and his family have lived for more than a decade. 

Now Drake says he welcomes the prospect of continuing to work in the school district he knows very well. Korb agreed that Drake’s experience and his familiarity with the district made him an ideal candidate.

“Anyone who has met Tom before knows that he is all about middle school students. Tom’s 9 years of classroom teaching, along with his work as a school administrator, were almost all with this age group,” she said in her note to parents. “He is very much looking forward to getting back to the classroom setting and the direct focus on teaching and learning.”   

Drake will be one of two grade 5-6 teachers, working alongside Torrey Smith whom he has known both as a parent who had students at Crossett Brook and as a school board member from Duxbury until 2022. 

“I’m really excited to work with Tom,” Smith said in an email to Waterbury Roundabout. “His experience working with this age group and his enthusiasm for learning will be great for his students, and will be a terrific addition to our school.”

Korb said Drake and Smith “will be a great team.”

The move means Drake will be doing some juggling as he recently has been involved with flood recovery in Waterbury, first at his own home on Randall Street and then with the community response. He’s been helping organize and deploy volunteers assisting property owners with cleanup and the myriad of tasks a disaster brings. The Waterbury Select Board on July 31 appointed Drake as Flood Recovery Coordinator, a role expected to run through the end of August. 

“It will be an extra level of busy,” for the next few weeks, Drake said with a laugh. The flood recovery role is intended to taper off as hands-on projects are completed, he noted. 

Waterbury Municipal Manager Tom Leitz agreed that the role is expected to become less busy. “His work is slowing. We can make it work!” he said.

Meanwhile, there’s just a short time for Drake to prepare to head to the classroom where he will have 16 fifth- and sixth-grade students to meet soon. The first day of school is Monday, Aug. 28. 

Drake said he will be ready although some of the details might take a little time to fall into place – like all of the trappings teachers collect to set up and decorate their classroom.

“I know I can work with kids,” he said. “I have no teaching materials though. I’ll just have to put kids’ work up on the walls.”