NEW YEAR, NEW SCHOOL!

BACK TO SCHOOL: Kristen Campito takes over as principal of Catholic Central School under new model

Kristen Campito takes over as principal of Catholic Central School under new model. (Emily Benson photo)

New year, new students, new start. It’s true for every school in September, but especially for Kristen Campito at Catholic Central School (CCS) in Latham. 

After serving as assistant principal of Catholic Central since 2025, Campito will take the reins as the school’s new leader — and as its first new principal since the high school merged with Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady. 

“I’m very much looking forward to being able to focus on a smaller age range,” she said. “Now we’re able to focus more on (students’) needs.”

In early spring, the Diocese of Albany announced that high school students at Catholic Central School will be moved to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, and the two programs will merge. The middle-school programs will continue individually on each campus, and a new president, Kaitlyn Dean, will serve as a guide over both campuses. (See story on page 5.)

“Kristen Campito brings a strong commitment to Catholic education and a deep understanding of what it takes to create a school environment where students can grow in faith and achieve academically,” said Dr. Christopher Bott, Superintendent of Schools. “Her leadership at Catholic Central will complement Kaitlyn Dean’s role well, with Kristen providing important leadership in the day-to-day management of the school, faith formation and academic leadership. Together, they bring a wonderful combination of experience, energy and vision as Catholic Central continues to build an exciting future for its students and families.”

It’s exciting and challenging; bittersweet and innovative. The merger follows instruction from Bishop Mark O’Connell, who saw that going into the 2026-27 school year, Catholic Central would have around 20 students total at the high school level.  “A high school with 20-something students is not sustainable,” Bishop Mark said in an announcement video in March. 

Campito agreed: “It was not the high school experience that these kids deserved.”

Catholic Central High School first moved to Latham in 2021, merging into what was St. Ambrose School, located next to the parish. Now, CCS will continue its operations as a pre-K-through-Grade 8 model.

With the new changes came new questions: What will Catholic Central School look like under the new operations? Campito said a major focus of the school’s direction is on the arts and music. 

“So many students do well with academics, many students do well with athletics, but we can’t forget about the arts as well,” she said. “When we’re looking at a lot of the schools in the area, art and music are the first ones to get cut for budgetary reasons. And there are so many kids that really need the art and music time if nothing else is an outlet.”

Since the high school program has moved out of the campus building, the school will turn the freed-up space into dedicated rooms for its special courses, rather than having teachers travel from classroom to classroom, as in previous years.

“We now have a dedicated art room once again. We have a dedicated religion room. We have a dedicated Spanish room,” Campito said. “We also have more flex spaces that can be used, maybe as a conference room, an overflow workspace for a special ed provider, or somebody who’s looking for a space to work one-on-one. We’ve got some spaces that we’re working with to make them flexible to meet the needs of the kids.”

Despite new changes, some things will stay the same. The Catholic Central High School Crusader spirit that is beloved by students and alumni alike is still being baked into the day-to-day.

Campito — a 2004 graduate of Catholic High — wanted to ensure that. 

“We’ve actually talked a lot about carrying down some traditions,” she said. For the school’s eighth-grade graduations, CCS will incorporate the CCHS tradition of girls wearing white dresses, boys wearing suits or white dinner jackets, and a graduation ceremony or dance. 

“We want to carry those kinds of traditions over,” Campito said. “While our model has changed drastically in the last five years, there are still things that we want to hold on to and past experiences that meant so much to the alumni community that we don’t want them to go away. We don’t want them forgotten.”

Growing up in Clifton Park, Campito started off in Shenendehowa public schools. By the end of fifth grade, the district started remodeling the schools, which would have required moving students from building to building. Not wanting to be shuffled, Campito’s friend switched to St. Mary’s School in Waterford. She mentioned it to her mom and they booked a tour: “I remember turning to my mom and saying, I want this,” she said. “This feels like something special.”

That love for Catholic education never stopped. Campito went on to obtain her bachelor’s in childhood education with a concentration in math and her master’s in literacy, both from The College of Saint Rose. Since joining CCS (then St. Ambrose School) in 2008, Campito has been a kindergarten teacher, an academic intervention specialist, a second-grade teacher, the director of teaching and learning and vice principal. 

“Stepping up into a leadership role within a community I have been a part of in different capacities has brought my career in a direction I never thought it would go,” Campito said. “I am excited to help shape and grow this community I call family in the coming years. With the support of a great staff and the dedication of many families who have chosen Catholic education for their children, the future looks bright.”

More Back to School: 

‘A GREAT FIT’: http://evangelist.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2026/sep/23/a-great-fit/ 

MAKING HISTORY: http://evangelist.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2026/sep/23/making-history/ 

‘DID YOU GO TO CATHOLIC HIGH?’: http://evangelist.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2026/sep/23/did-you-go-to-catholic-high/ 

THE SISTERS ARE BACK: http://evangelist.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2026/sep/23/the-sisters-are-back/ 

AN ANCHOR IN LIFE: http://evangelist.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2026/sep/23/back-to-school-an-anchor-in-my-life-and-for-many-others/ 

A VALUED PROCESS: http://evangelist.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2026/sep/23/a-valued-process/