High School Principal Field Narrows from 37 to 10

The field of candidates to become the new principal at the Regional was narrowed down from the initial 37 candidates to 10 this week.

There field of applicants to become the next permanent principal at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School has been winnowed down to 10 people, according to Superintendent Dr. Michale Harvey. All of those candidates are from Massachusetts and currently work as either a high school principal or assistant principal, Harvey said. All of them will be invited in for an interview. Harvey will make the final decision on who will take over at the school starting on July 1, but he has assembled as advisory committee that will help interview the candidates. He said previously he plans to make a decision by early February. Harvey met on Wednesday with the advisory committee's co-chairmen, Jennifer Clifford, principal of Cutler Elementary School and …

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New Permanent High School Principal to be Hired by February

There will be a permanent principal on the job next school year at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School.

A new, permanent principal at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School could be hired by Feb. 1, according to Superintendent Michael Harvey. John Hughes has been the school’s interim principal for the past two school years, since former principal Matt Fox left to become principal at Veterans Middle School in Marblehead. But Hughes, the retired principal from Natick High School, never intended to permanently be the principal. “I fully intend to have someone hired by the beginning of February,” Harvey said. The deadline to apply is Dec. 17. No specific salary is listed, only that it will be "commensurate with training and experience." Since the job is posted to School Spring, a job website for teachers and educators where many have their resume …

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UPDATED: Broken Pipe Evacuates School, Interrupts Class Wednesday Morning

A burst heating pipe evacuated Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School on Wednesday morning while water was mopped up from two classrooms and the hallway.

Students at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School missed about 70 minutes of class time on Wednesday morning after a water line serving the heating system burst. Nobody was injured. It happened about 9:15 a.m. in room 102. Principal John Hughes said the water leaking from the pipe damaged the suspended ceiling below the broken pipe. The room where the leak occurred remained closed off on Wednesday afternoon, but everything else was back to normal before noon. “(Students and staff) were outside for a few minutes,” Hughes said, before they were moved back inside to the auditorium and cafeteria. “They were never in any danger.” On Twitter, several students provided updates on the situation, including one who said that water was running down …

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'Concerning' Facebook Posts by Former Student Under Investigation

The high school and community were safe on Thursday after concerning statements by a former high school students were found posted on Facebook.

Hamilton police say they are investigating “concerning statements” that were posted to Facebook by a Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School graduate on Thursday. “They were very general,” said Hamilton Police Lt. Scott Janes. “They were not specific to anyone.” The statements were first reported to high school administrators, according to a phone and e-mail message sent to high school parents by Assistant High School Principal Bryan Menegoni at about noon on Thursday. “As a precautionary step, the high school and middle school administration, in conjunction with the Hamilton police department, immediately ensured the safety of the students on campus,” Menegoni said in his message. Menegoni also said that the former student is safe and “and …

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Hughes to Remain as Regional Principal for Another Year

John Hughes will remain as the interim principal at the high school for one more year so the right candidate can be found to permanently fill the position.

John Hughes will remain as the interim principal at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School for one more year. Hughes, who retired last year as principal at Natick High School, took over an interim principal at the Regional to start the 2011-12 school year. “John has brought some stability,” said Interim School Superintendent Peter Gray. Gray announced to the School Committee when it met last Thursday that the school district received a waiver – since Hughes is retired from another Massachusetts school district - from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to allow Hughes to work another year. Gray said he made the announcement after hearing “issues, rumors and innuendos” about the future of the position. “It would be …

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Memo: More Operational Audit Follow-up Results Expected by Sept. 30

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee has set Sept. 30 as a key date for coming up with some responses to some of the recommendations from the operational audit.

Future school budgets will take into account concerns raised by the operational audit, School Committee Chairman Alexa McCloughan said in the committee’s latest response as part of the audit follow-up. “We agree that explaining our revenues and expenditures in a clear way and continuing to search for efficiencies within our District will help garner public support for our upcoming budget,” McCloughan said in 2-1/2-page letter to the Operational Audit Committee dated July 25. The letter was made public on Tuesday. Last year, Evergreen Solutions was hired to conduct an operational audit of the school district. The audit came after a citizens petition seeking the audit garnered support from Town Meeting voters in both towns. It cost $90,000 …

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Jay Burnham

4:23 pm on Saturday, August 6, 2011

Well stated Bruce. I concur.   more ›

Week in Review

Top Local Stories From the Past Week

A look back at the past week of local news stories in Hamilton and Wenham.

Last week was a very busy week - newswise - in Hamilton and Wenham. Here's a look at the top five stories: 1. Blanchard Resigns from Wenham War Memorial Committee One of the co-chairman of the Wenham War Memorial Committee resigned on Friday, the latest development in the years-running debate about constructing a war memorial in the town center. Bruce Blanchard said it may have been him that was getting in the way of a compromise on the design. Three town committees have been involved in coming up with the design and there has not been agreement on its shape, size and look. 2. Two Interim Principals Named for Both Middle School and High School Two key positions in the school system were filled in the past week. Interim principals were …

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Beverly Man Named Middle School Interim Principal

John Driscoll was named Thursday as the interim principal at Miles River Middle School for the coming year.

An assistant principal at a Revere middle school has been named the interim principal at Miles River Middle School for the coming school year. John Driscoll of Beverly will start on Aug. 1 and says he is interested in permanently becoming the school principal if this year goes well for him, students and staff. Driscoll was one of three finalists for the permanent job earlier this month, said Interim Schools Superintendent Peter Gray. But Driscoll withdrew his name before the finalists were announced. And soon afterward the other two finalists were out of the running – Elizabeth Raucci of Manchester-by-the-Sea withdrew her name from consideration and Nancy Croy of Green Bay, Wisc. took a job in Des Moines, Iowa. That’s when Gray began a …

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Retired Natick Principal is Interim Pick at the Regional

John Hughes, the retired principal of Natick High School, has been named the interim principal at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School for the 2011-12 school year.

The former principal at Natick High School, who retired in 2010, will be the interim principal at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School for the coming school year. John Hughes worked for the Natick public schools for more than 40 years – the last eight as principal. Peter Gray, interim superintendent of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District, made the announcement on Tuesday. Hughes takes over for Matt Fox, who left to become principal at Veterans Middle School in Marblehead. For the past few years, Fox served as both the principal at the high school and Miles River Middle School. Hughes will lead just the high school. Gray said during the interview process, Hughes said “he has missed the challenges of school administration and is …

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