The Region 4 Board of Education has selected its new principal for John Winthrop Middle School: Matthew Espinosa, the current principal at Tuttle Elementary School in East Haven, will start on July 1.

“I am excited beyond belief,” said Espinosa. “I was not looking for a new job. This all just kind of fell in my lap. I heard about the position, asked a few questions, and then this wild journey began.

“I knew an opportunity like this one doesn’t come along often,” continued Espinosa, who has been the principal of Tuttle Elementary School for the past five years.

Espinosa said the Region 4 School District’s fantastic reputation preceded it.

“It’s such a great district and I am so happy that I am going to be a part of it, however, leaving Tuttle is going to be bittersweet. After five years, the students and staff here have really become like my extended family,” said Espinosa, a Guilford resident.

After an interview process that began after former principal William Duffy announced his resignation in the fall, Region 4 BOE unanimously decided upon Espinosa as the first choice for the position.

In a press release, the board said it was impressed with Espinosa’s leadership experience, commitment to excellence, collaborative leadership style, and enthusiasm for working with middle school students.

“Our search process for our educational leaders for the Region 4 district is a multi-stage process with participation from a variety of individuals. The Region 4 BOE is very grateful to all who participated. Mr. Matthew Espinosa comes to us with excellent credentials and dynamic enthusiasm. We are excited about the future at John Winthrop Middle School,” said Region 4 BOE Chair Jennifer Clark.

“We could not be more excited to have Mr. Espinosa coming to our district,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Levy. “He is amazing! Beyond his academic accolades, he develops positive relations quickly with students, staff, families, and the community at large and his engaging personality coupled with his sense of humor make him the perfect match for our school and our community.”

Espinosa also has experience as a middle school principal. He was the principal at Joseph Melillo Middle School in East Haven for two years. In addition, he also served as assistant principal at Hale-Ray High School in East Haddam for four years. He began his career as an 8th grade English language arts teacher at Haddam-Killingworth Middle School.

“At heart, I will also be a teacher,” said Espinosa, who said he still gets into the classroom as often as possible. “I need to make sure that what I think is working, is actually working in application. I can’t ask my teachers to apply practices unless I see that they are successful.”

From his time spent in the Haddam-Killingworth School system as a teacher and a football coach, Espinosa joked about how Valley was always HK’s rival.

“It’s kind of funny that now I will be working there,” said Espinosa, who was named 2006 Haddam-Killingworth Middle School Teacher.

Espinosa earned his B.A. in English from the University of Connecticut and his secondary teaching certification from Eastern Connecticut State University. In addition, he received his master of arts in humanities and literature degree from Wesleyan University. He earned an additional advanced graduate certification in Educational Leadership and Administration from Sacred Heart University.

“Beyond Mr. Espinosa’s academic accolades, His overall positivity and love for and of middle school students was apparent across the interview process,” said Levy.

The board said in a press release, “We are confident that Mr. Espinosa will provide exceptional leadership in continuing the mission of John Winthrop Middle School and Region 4 Schools. We are looking forward to Mr. Espinosa becoming an integral part of our leadership team and our school communities in his new role as principal at John Winthrop Middle School.”