• Mr. Bell begins his twelfth year as Principal of Meadowbrook School. During his tenure, the staff has had many instructional successes and has supported building projects that prioritized school security, collecting and reflecting on formal and informal student data, continued Google implementation in daily classroom activities guided by the NJ Learning Standards, meaningful character education, SEL and mindfulness lessons, curriculum development within the Balanced Literacy framework, and creating innovative, flexible classroom activities using the Math mindsets approach. Results from those efforts remain evident, with our building being safer, classroom activities being more personalized, improved scores on state standardized assessments, and a continued focus on students becoming leaders within the school and community. The New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development has recognized Meadowbrook’s character education program. The school achieved the status of “New Jersey Emerging School of Character” for the 2013-14 school year and “New Jersey Honorable Mention School of Character” for the 2014-2015 school year.  Recently, the community has strongly rallied behind building projects like re-establishing an active student-led Green Team focusing on sustainability and beautification of the campus. In 2022, Meadowbrook School was named a “Top Elementary School” by US News and World Report, and in 2023 was listed as “One of the Top 30 Schools in New Jersey.” As a strong supporter of school security and keeping students safe, he served as President and Secretary of the Bergen County Association of School Security Professionals from 2018-2023.

    Before coming to Hillsdale, Mr. Bell was the Assistant Principal of Stillwater Township School, located in Sussex County, NJ. His responsibilities focused on the day-to-day operations of a Pre-K to 6th-grade building with approximately 370 students in a rural setting. 

    Previously, Mr. Bell was a Grade 2 Teacher in the Kinnelon Public Schools. He was also an “acting building administrator” during the absence of the building principal in his last year at Kiel Elementary School.  While serving on various district committees, he completed numerous projects on adding technology into the classroom and co-presented at Rutgers University on the importance of implementing a code of conduct at the K-2 level. He served as  Assistant Varsity Girls’ Soccer Coach (2007-2011, 2013 - 2018) and Head Girls’ Middle School Soccer Coach (2007-2008). In 2008, the PRM Middle School team won the Morris County Championship for the first time in 23 years. In 2008 and 2009, the Kinnelon High School team was crowned Morris County Champions. In 2014, the team won the second state championship in the program’s history.

    Mr. Bell began his teaching career in First Grade in Wyckoff, NJ, after completing his third-grade student teaching assignment at Sicomac School.

    Mr. Bell proudly volunteers as an emergency responder in his hometown of Pequannock Township. He has been a volunteer firefighter since August 2001. In 2012, he was sworn in as Fire Chief for the first time and completed his term in 2014. On January 1, 2018, he began his second tenure as the department’s Fire Chief and retired on January 1, 2023. Additionally, he is a Deputy Coordinator of the Office of Emergency Management to assist the town with planning for and managing significant emergencies/incidents. He is also a volunteer Varsity Assistant Girls’ Soccer Coach at Pequannock Township High School.

    As an active lead learner, he is in the Doctor of Arts and Letters (D.Litt.) program at the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Mr. Bell completed his Master’s Degree in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy at Seton Hall University in 2009, graduating with “Summa Cum Laude” honors. Previously, he graduated from William Paterson University in 2001 with a B.A. in History and earned his Teaching Certificate in 2005.

    Mr. Bell and his wife, Kristin, have two children, Braeden and Andrew, and reside in Pompton Plains with their dogs, Rooney and Addie.

    To view Mr. Bell's Google webpage, visit: 

    https://sites.google.com/view/christopherbell

    Current Professional Credentials: NJ School Administrator Certificate, NJ Principal Standard License, NJ Supervisor Standard License, NJ Elementary Teacher License (K-8), and NJ School Safety Specialist Certification.