Administrators, particularly principals, are often the public face of public schools in our rural area of mostly small districts where teachers and staff are familiar to parents and pupils. In a number of Franklin County schools, some of those familiar faces are about to change.
In the county’s northern towns, two new principals will be taking the reins this summer. Pioneer Valley Regional School has selected Jean Bacon as its new principal. Bacon, who is administrator for teaching and learning in the North Adams Public Schools, is replacing William Wehrli, who resigned earlier this month after eight years at the helm of the middle-high school serving Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield and Warwick.
Meanwhile, Northfield Elementary School is seeking a replacement for Tom King, who has been principal there for the past 13 years. The search landed on Megan Desmarais who is familiar with the county. Desmarais lives in South Deerfield and has been teaching fourth-graders at Deerfield Elementary for the past 18 years.
In the southern part of the county, the Frontier/Union 38 administration is undergoing a change at the top with Superintendent Martha Barrett retiring after three years in that job and many more as Frontier principal. Lynn M. Carey, the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the Monadnock Regional School District in Swanzey, N.H., has been chosen to lead the district that comprises Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately.
And Carey will be working with a new principal at Conway Grammar School. Kristen Gordon comes from Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, where she was superintendent. Gordon is replacing Judith Siciliano, who is retiring after 17 years.
While the departing educational leaders will likely be missed by many, it won’t be long before their replacements also become familiar to students, families and others in the communities they serve.
Transitions will begin in earnest after the school year ends in June, with a changing of the guard, and as new principals and superintendents begin to acclimate and plan for their first year in new jobs. They will bring experiences that we hope will enrich and advance education at our local schools even if it means adjustments for them and their constituencies. We hope they will also bring an enthusiasm for their new jobs that will energize their staffs and flow to the students and their families.
In taking a new job in a new district, there will undoubtedly be some unknowns and some awkward moments. But we think these administrators will find plenty of friendly faces in Franklin County who will help them see what their predecessors did — that they’re working in a special place where their contributions can mean a lot.