Overview:
Sarah Mitchell, the director of secondary education at Frontier Regional School, is set to retire at the end of June after 30 years at the school. She is known for her collaborative approach to education and her dedication to professional development, which has helped teachers grow. Her colleagues say her retirement will leave "big shoes to fill."
SOUTH DEERFIELD — After 21 years of ensuring Frontier Regional School keeps up with the changing tides of teaching as its director of secondary education, Sarah Mitchell plans to retire at the end of June, wrapping up a career in education that began in the 1980s.
“It’s going to be a real loss for the school,” said Alison Walters, department chair of high school social studies at Frontier, and Mitchell’s friend of 28 years. “Any time that I had questions or needed to problem-solve, she was always willing to open up her door and talk through stuff.”
When asked about Mitchell, Guidance Director Charlene Allen said, “The first word that comes to mind is ‘collaborative.'”
“She is someone who has the ability to multi-task,” Allen said. “I know that word gets overused, but because she has so many responsibilities, there’s a lot on her plate at any one time.”
Mitchell coordinates Frontier’s Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing, helps teachers craft and expand their curriculum and classes, and hunts for grants to turn ideas into opportunities for students.
When Mitchell began as the director of secondary education in 2005, Frontier students were able to pick from six Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Through state grants, she increased their options to 16 classes.
After hearing students’ interests, Mitchell secured funding for the school’s six Innovation Pathways, which prepare students for career fields like manufacturing, health care, criminal justice and business, with hands-on experience.
“Sarah has a wealth of knowledge that she carries with her humbly and quietly,” said Lynette Varnon, chair of the English Department. “She has mastered, throughout the years, the incredibly difficult balance between giving teachers great autonomy over their courses and curricula, and holding teachers to the crucial and high standards of rigor and inclusivity.”
Mitchell also leads professional development at Frontier. From equity to mental health, the themes of the trainings encourage teachers to grow with the field of education.
“It’s not just two or three times a year, it’s consistent, so that’s really helpful in terms of introducing initiatives and keeping them going,” Principal George Lanides said.
Lanides said Frontier’s commitment to professional development struck him when he took over as principal eight years ago. Beyond providing consistent education, he said Mitchell’s approach to professional development also connects teachers, who often spend their days separated in classrooms.
“You get to come together as a group and you get to hash these things out with your colleagues and connect with your colleagues — that’s really important,” Lanides said. “The relationships that she has with people in this building are really remarkable.”
“Perhaps most importantly, Sarah has always approached her work as a true team player,” Superintendent Darius Modestow wrote in a letter sent to the School Committee for its Feb. 10 meeting. “She has never believed in a top-down leadership model; instead valuing collaboration and shared ownership, and working to bring people along together. Her relationships with staff and administrators reflect that philosophy and have left a lasting impact on our school community.”
‘The job I was looking for’
Reflecting on her role at Frontier, Mitchell explained, “This [job] was really me: curriculum development and professional development and supporting educators in being the best that they can be. … This was the job that I was looking for.”
As an animal science major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, public education was not the field Mitchell first envisioned for her future. After graduating, she looked after horses on a horse farm. A few years into the job, though, she confessed to a friend her doubts about pursuing a career with horses.
The friend replied, “You should be a teacher,” Mitchell remembered. She responded, “I could do that.”
A couple months later, Mitchell returned to UMass Amherst to earn her teaching degree and tried her hand at teaching math and science at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield in 1987, the first of many education roles on her resumé. Five years later, she worked as a research and teaching assistant while earning her doctorate in education policy and research at her alma mater. In 1995, her teaching background took her to the Springfield Science Museum, where she designed exhibits and taught visitors of all ages the science behind displays.
Then, she found Frontier.
“It’s the great equalizer, public education,” Mitchell said. “I think that people can come from all different places in life and with education they can get to where they want to go.”
Before working as the director of secondary education, Mitchell led the Out-of-School Time Program in 1996, creating and running a before-school program, day camps in the summer and vacation camps.
With Mitchell at the helm, the program expanded to include specialized educators and presenters. She kept an eye and ear out for professionals willing to share their talents.
“It allowed me to be creative and allowed me to connect with the community,” Mitchell remembered.
From taekwondo to hula hooping, outdoor animal tracking and field trips, “Kids just had an opportunity to be kids, because there’s a lot of structure during the school day,” Mitchell said. “Then, I flipped to the other side of the equation.”
As the director of secondary education, Mitchell said, “I don’t do it alone. I have the most amazing people that I work with in this district. That’s what’s kept me here so long.”
She described Frontier as having a “caring atmosphere” where students hold the door for teachers when their hands are full and teachers look out for their students.
“People care about kids here,” she said, beginning to tear up at her desk. “I just watch people go above and beyond here on a daily basis to help kids and make things better for them, and I think that’s what keeps people here.”
In retirement, Mitchell will continue completing curriculum audits for schools, but she also plans to hike, travel to her favorite destinations like Guatemala and Ireland with her son, sail in Maine and ride horses.
Although she looks forward to having more free time, Mitchell said the decision to step away from a job she loves was not an easy one. After sitting on the decision since the summer, she decided “it just seemed like the right time.”
“I thought, ‘Better to leave while I still love what I do than wait until I hit a moment when I don’t,'” she said.
Frontier posted the job opening on SimplyHired on Thursday and Glassdoor on Friday. Director of Elementary Curriculum Lara Ramsey will lead the interview process and work with a committee of administrators and teachers to find Mitchell’s replacement, according to Modestow. Mitchell expects the hiring process to last until April.
“She’ll be greatly missed and [will leave] big shoes to fill,” Allen echoed.