It was an eventful 2022 for Mansfield [The Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn.]

Dec. 29—MANSFIELD — 2022 was an eventful year in Mansfield.

The University of Connecticut named Radenka Maric its 17th president following a unanimous vote at the UConn Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 28. Her five-year term as president began immediately upon the board's vote.

Maric had led the university as interim president since Feb. 1. She was appointed after the departure of Interim President Andrew Agwunobi, who served in the position after Thomas Katsouleas, UConn's 16th president, stepped down in the summer of 2021.

Agwunobi left his position as UConn's interim president to become head of the home solutions business for Humana Inc., a for-profit health insurance company based in Louisville, Kentucky.

At the UConn Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 28, Chairman Dan Toscano said Maric rose to the top of a highly competitive pool of candidates during the national search for a permanent president of the university.

"In our discussions following the interview process, it was clear that the unanimous choice was our own Interim President Radenka Maric," Toscano said. "I've come to know her very well, particularly in the last nine months during her time as interim president. She is a force of nature, deeply committed to UConn, determined to get results and all in when it comes to leading this institution into a future that will be defined by success and achievement."

An ongoing storyline in Mansfield throughout 2022 was the construction of the new Mansfield Elementary School.

The school, which is located at 134 Warrenville Road in Mansfield Center, was expected to be completed in time for the start of the new school year on Sept. 6. However, delays in the delivery of essential mechanical and electrical equipment have pushed back the new school's completion date. Although construction of the new MES building is not complete, the MES title is already in use.

Children in grades pre- kindergarten, kindergarten and first have been attending MES at the current Annie E. Vinton Elementary School location. Students in grades 2, 3 and 4 have been attending MES at the current Dorothy C. Goodwin School location.

All elementary school students in the Mansfield Public School District will attend school at the new MES building once it is complete.

Now, with 2022 drawing to a close, Mansfield Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said in the town's December/ January e-newsletter that MES will open to students in early 2023. Members of the Mansfield community are excited for the new school.

" This state- of- the- art 'net-zero' facility will exemplify the town's deep commitment to the principles of sustainability while offering our students and educators an exceptional physical environment to learn and grow," Aylesworth said.

EVENTFUL, Page 4

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