RFH principal — Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect

On the heels of new Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Superintendent Darren Groh official taking his seat in the high school office, the vice principal has been called to the principal’s office.

With his appointment approved by the Board of Education in May, Stephen Sarles has now officially heeded the call and taken his seat in the principal’s office. As he takes on this new position, Sarles will draw on his 28 years of experience in education, more than 11 of which have been spent at RFH.

With a master’s degree in Classical Archaeology and a bachelor’s degree in both Latin and the Classical Archaeology, Sarles began his teaching career at the university level before becoming a shared Latin teacher at RFH and neighboring Red Bank Regional High School (RBR) in 1998.

He spent the next 12 years as a Latin and Advanced Placement Art History teacher at RBR, where he was honored as Teacher of Year in 2005 and became the school’s first International Baccalaureate Coordinator.

From there, Sarles became an administrator, assuming the role of supervisor of World Cultures in the Ocean Township School District. There, he also oversaw the World Language Department for grades 1 through 12 and the Social Studies Department for grades 6 through 12.

In December of 2013, Sarles became RFH’s vice principal, the role he has held until now. Sarles has been a Monmouth County resident for the past 24 years and currently lives in Oceanport with his wife and three sons.

Sarles’ appointment concludes a principal search process that began upon notice by Kevin Pfister of his resignation last spring.

After reviewing dozens of applications and fielding many candidates in a comprehensive multi-round interview process, the in-house Sarles emerged as the standout.

“I’m delighted to continue to grow and make an impact here at RFH, a school that truly has the best kids. They look out for each other, they have fun together and they love to learn. The sense of community here at RFH is like no other and I look forward to continuing to foster such in the years ahead.”
RFH Principal Stephen Sarles

Sarles’ previous role as vice principal will be filled by Meredith Brow in mid-August. Brow will be joining RFH from the Brick Township Public School System, where she has served as high school vice principal and elementary school principal.

Brow’s prior teaching experience was in fine arts, graphic design, and digital photography. “I’m very excited to be working with Meredith,” Sarles said. “Her varied experiences and perspectives will be welcome and valuable additions to all of the wonderful things we are already doing here at RFH.”

In all of his previous roles, Sarles has modeled the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and ethics for all students and has demonstrated his knowledge and passion as an instructional leader, school officials said in a released statement.

— Edited press release from RFH