Burd School to welcome new principal

By Laurie Gordon
ANDOVER — Teachers, staff, children and parents from throughout the Andover school district came to the Florence M. Burd School library on Tuesday, December 8th, to meet the incoming principal, Cynthia Mizelle.

“This is a very welcoming place and I appreciate how receptive everyone has been to my coming in as principal,” Mizelle said.

Mizelle, who replaces Monica Heinze, will start on January 1 as the principal at the kindergarten through fourth grade school. She has been given a six month contract through June 30th at an annual pro-rated salary of $107,000. Mizelle said she was pleased to take a promotion from a vice principal in Randolph to principal in Andover and looks forward to embracing the school and its community.

Mizelle earned her bachelor's degree, and master's degree, in special education from Central Washington University in Washington State and went on to receive a school administration endorsement from George Mason University, Virginia.

She spent 10 years working for the United States Department of Defense teaching military kids in Germany and Japan. She met her husband through the military and she said, “So we have moved quite a bit around the United States.” She has had various teaching jobs in Virginia, Arkansas and Washington. Now, with her husband retired from the military, the Mizelles have been in New Jersey for the past six years and here is where they plan to stay, calling Rockaway home.

When she steps up on January 1, Mizelle said, “I look forward to immersing myself into the community and the school culture and just getting to know everyone.” Thus far, she has been extremely appreciative of e-mails from various teachers in the school inviting her to such events as a school Thanksgiving feast and holiday concert. “I'm looking forward to working with the teachers and the students and supporting the great programs that are already going on here,” she said.