New principal at Fairmont Park Elementary

‘I am impressed by incoming Principal Anne Caparaso’s understanding of the nexus between elementary, middle and high school,’ said Dr. Goliath Davis.

Goliath J. Davis, III, Ph.D. | Contributor

ST. PETERSBURG — Like outgoing Principal Andrew Akapnitis, with whom I share experience as a former firefighter, incoming Principal Anne Caparaso and I share a common passion: love and adoration for St. Pete’s own hard-hitting, two-time Super Bowl Safety, Glen Edwards and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I made an unannounced visit to Fairmont Park Elementary and engaged the new leader on her first day.

Glen Edwards, two-time Super Bowl Champ

Principal Caparaso, a die-hard Steeler fan, pointed me to her framed Steeler collage, and we reminisced about the four-time Super Bowl team and legends, Mel Blount, Glen Edwards, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert, Mean Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and others.

The Steeler legacy epitomizes Principal Caparaso’s expressed philosophy of education. We both stress proficiency rather than school grades. Her goal is 100 percent proficiency for her scholars, and while striving for that goal, she said she will not settle for anything less than 50 percent. With approximately nine years of administrative experience as a school administrator at both the elementary and middle school levels, Principal Caparaso has a thorough understanding of how to implement change. She told me she is quite comfortable with what she has observed of her teachers and staff and stated, “I am not looking to make wholesale changes right away. I am trying to get the lay of the land.”

Principal Caparaso is a graduate of Old Dominion and worked previously in the mental health field. She is uniquely qualified to address the various social and emotional dysfunctions that students may sometimes display. She strives to ensure that all students have every opportunity possible. Her mission is to lead her team in a manner that ensures everyone believes in the students as people and, more importantly, their academic potential.

I am impressed by her understanding of the nexus between elementary, middle and high school. She indicated that she is coming to Fairmont from Skycrest Elementary, a school with a high Hispanic population. She emphasized the importance of preparing her scholars for the middle school experience, as they will encounter at Fairmont Park, noting that preparation involves much more than academics. The middle school experience, which involves scholars being assigned to multiple teachers, changing classes, and contact with older students, can be overwhelming to scholars entering for the first time. Social adjustment is critical to academic success.

District data clearly show that middle schools account for a disproportionate amount of disciplinary and academic disparities, which complicate the ability of high school principals to educate and graduate students from their middle school feeder schools. The district must address the current structure and operations at the middle school level if we are to retain the gains made at the elementary level. 

I am looking forward to witnessing Fairmont Park’s transformation under Principal Caparaso’s leadership. She and her team will undoubtedly face some challenges, but they appear to be ready for the task. I appeal to parents and the community. Let’s help Principal Caparaso and her team help your kids. We all win as a result.

Dr. Goliath Davis, a former St. Petersburg police chief and deputy mayor, advocates for education in Pinellas County, with a focus on improving Black student achievement.