Five-and-a-half months after Principal John Dodig announced his impending retirement, his successor has yet to be announced.

The search reopened despite the two initial candidates, Frank Costanzo and Louis Moore, meeting with students in early March. Costanzo was not offered the job and Moore, after receiving a favorable impression from the student body and faculty, turned down a job offer from the district for a different job at a school for underprivileged students in Baltimore, resulting in a second round of searching.

According to Marge Cion, Director of Human Resources for Westport Public Schools, upon reopening the search, the district received 20 new applications prior to a deadline of April 19.

Cion, who “coordinate[s] all aspects of the search,” said that after performing an initial screening of the applications with Superintendent Elliott Landon the principal search committee, which consists of administrators, teachers, parents and student, will meet with the remaining candidates.

“Hopefully we can bring any viable candidates to the school to meet with staff, students and parents before we get too close to exams,” Cion said.

If the search committee is unable to find a candidate who they feel suits the position, the option of an interim principal is on the table, according to committee member and guidance counselor Victoria Capozzi.

“It’s important to find the right person that can manage kids, the community and the adults in the building,” she said. “[It’s] quite a tough task.”

According to Cion, Landon has been researching potential interim candidates.

“He has been reaching out to retired administrators who he knows or who have been recommended to him by other superintendents,” she said.

Soon, Dodig will be one of those retired administrators.

Although he admittedly has not had a large role in the search process, he hopes the incoming principal places an emphasis on the student body as well as data mining and the culture at Staples.

“Someone really good would understand that he’s walking into a place that works,” Dodig said. “[He or she would] spend the first year going to everything, getting a feel for the place, learning about the people, the kids, the adults and then making decisions on if it’s working.