Superintendent Debra Livingston has announced that two candidates have been selected as finalists for the principal position at Manchester High School Central. Cheri Towle, Principal of Mount View High School in Thorndike, Maine; and John Vaccarezza, Associate Dean of Students at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, will be at Central High School from 6:00 to 7:30 PM on Wednesday, April 16, to meet and talk with students, teachers, staff, parents, and members of the community. The public is encouraged to attend the event and provide feedback on the candidates.
John Vaccarezza has been a member of the Pinkerton Academy administration since 2010. As an Associate Dean of Students, he assists with a wide variety of functions, including teacher evaluations, graduation exercises, intervention and instructional strategies, SAT coordination, and many other administrative responsibilities. His educational philosophy is that student success is fostered through a variety of educational techniques and supported by a staff that values each and every student. Prior to entering into his role as an administrator, Vaccarezza was a social studies teacher and coached freshman and junior varsity boys’ soccer teams for ten years. He earned his Masters in Education from Rivier University in Nashua and a BA in History from Elon University in North Carolina.
Cheri Towle earned a BS in education and biology from the University of Maine, a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of New England, and she has recently been accepted into UNE’s doctoral program in education. Towle is a National Board Certified Teacher in Physical Science and has taught and served in leadership positions at the middle and high school levels for the past 21 years. As the principal at Mount View High School for the past three years, she has led staff, students and the community in developing a proficiency-based education system, focused on promoting a student-centered classroom approach, developed dual enrollment courses with area universities, and initiated exploratory classes that allow students to try new ideas and professional pathways.
The search for Central’s new principal began with a 12-member interview panel and more than 20 students providing tours to eight candidates chosen from an original pool of 33 applicants. The panel, made up of students, teachers, parents, staff and community agency representatives, reviewed the candidates’ writing samples and feedback from school staff and students before selecting four to move on to an interview with the superintendent. Now that two finalists have been selected, site visits to each of their campuses will take place early next week. Dr. Livingston intends to recommend a final candidate to the Board of School Committee in the next few weeks.
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