LONGMEADOW – Blueberry Hill School has a new head blueberry in Principal David Allen.

Allen began work in Longmeadow Public Schools (LPS) on Aug. 15 and has been focusing on making connections during the first few weeks of school. So far, Allen has met with several families at the school’s kindergarten orientation and a Popsicle social. “The first part of the school year is building routines,” and “building classroom communities,” he said.

The principal came to LPS from the American International School Chennai (AISC), a school that educates children of American and international parents on expatriate assignments in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Allen had previously taught English in Japan through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. After that experience, Allen earned a master’s degree in special education from the University of Minnesota.

He said that he and his wife were interested in an overseas experience with their fourth grader and Allen decided to accept the principal position at AISC. “Chennai was amazing. People were very warm,” he said.

When COVID-19 hit, AISC shut down and then went virtual, like many other schools around the world. Allen said that being in India no longer felt as vital because he could teach remotely from anywhere.

“We all grew from our time in India,” Allen said, but after four years, the family decided to move back to the United States and settled in New England, as they have family in upstate New York.

The choice to take a position in Longmeadow was based on the community’s culture. “I want to be a part of a very active, involved community,” Allen told Reminder Publishing. “That’s one of the main drivers of Blueberry [Hill School].” He said he appreciates that LPS focuses on taking care of the whole child, including their social-emotional well-being, rather than purely on academics.

Allen feels he has been able to hit the ground running at Blueberry Hill School because he has had experience with the Bridges elementary math curriculum and the Readers and Writers Workshop framework that the school uses. He added that his background on special education will allow him to “look toward a more inclusive model,” of education.

“I’m here for the students and the teachers,” Allen said. “We’ve got to look forward to the future and how we can fulfill the needs of students while maintaining a balance and not getting burned out,” and “we’ve got to look at ways students are thriving after the [coronavirus] pandemic.”