As the semester comes to a close at Communications High School (CHS), beloved Spanish teacher Karen Britto Davino will test students one-on-one for their speaking skills and, for the last time, offer each one a piece of candy.
Britto Davino is preparing to leave the classroom for a new role as assistant principal at Middlesex County Magnet School District, bringing an end to her 12 years in the CHS hallways and 17 years of teaching.
Spanish teacher Courtney Van Arsdale, who spends much of her time by Britto Davino’s side during off time and lunch periods, expressed gratitude and excitement about Britto Davino’s next step in her career.
“Karen is a dear friend, mentor, and colleague, and her departure will leave a tremendous void at CHS,” Van Arsdale said. “She welcomed me during my first year and has been a guiding presence ever since, so much so that I rarely make a decision without consulting my ‘Spanish sister.’”
CHS students currently taking Britto Davino’s Spanish class expressed similarly bittersweet feelings. Freshman Ava Tuohy of Ocean Township said Britto Davino was one of her favorite teachers, and that she was going to miss Friday class periods, when students get to play study games to work on their vocabulary.
“I’m going to be really sad when she leaves, but I’m excited for this new opportunity in her life,” Tuohy said.
To Britto Davino, this career opportunity brings a variety of overwhelming emotions. Having earned her principal certification just weeks before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she lost the chance to apply for many jobs at first, and the process after that was a long and arduous one.
“It’s been about five years of applying and going to a lot of interviews — and sometimes second interviews. To be honest, I was getting a little discouraged,” Britto Davino said.
But finally landing the job at Middlesex was a cakewalk for Britto Davino.
“I applied, they called the next day for an interview, and they actually pretty much offered the job at the interview.”
Britto Davino said that what she was going to miss more than anything else is CHS’ tight-knit sense of community and belonging.
To her, the most attractive part of the new role is that it’s within a specialized school district similar to CHS’ Monmouth County Vocational School District, where students are there because they want to be, and because they are interested in career technical education.
She offered three pieces of advice that she hopes to leave students with as she moves on.
“You should definitely learn another language in your life, and it probably should be Spanish; whatever you do, have fun; and be nice to each other.”
