New Principals Complete Residency; Prepare for Work
KEENE, N.H. 6/10/05 - Reflecting on her principal internship at Emerson Elementary School in Fitzwilliam, N.H., Adrienne Noel recalled the words of educator Dr. James Cormer: “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship.”
The role of a principal, Noel said, is to find and nurture connections with children, teachers, families, and the community - to create a positive learning environment with a basis in trust.
Noel, who recently was appointed principal of Cornish Elementary School in Cornish, N.H., is among the six most recent graduates of Keene State College’s Principals Residency Network (PRN) program.
The PRN, now in its third year and the only program of its type offered by a college in the U.S., pairs aspiring principals with mentor principals for a 12-month, in-school internship. Each aspiring principal finishes with a master’s degree and certification in educational leadership.
During the internship, the aspiring principals take on many of the tasks of running a school, including developing curricula with teachers, running fund raising events, dealing with parents and other community members, organizing the bus schedule, and creating extra curricula activities.
The 2004-05 graduates and mentor principals are:
Aspiring principal Dave Backler of Ely, Minn., and mentor Rick Nanicelli, principal of Great Brook School in Antrim, N.H.
Jon Ingram of Bennington, N.H., and Susan Dell, principal of Conval High School in Peterborough, N.H.
David Lesser of Keene, N.H., and mentor Sue Leach, principal of Marlborough Elementary School in Marlborough, N.H.
Earl McGraw of Northfield, Mass., and Rob Morrill, principal of Turners Fall High School in Turners Falls, Mass.
Kim Nace of Brattleboro, Vt., and Mike Friel, principal of Oak Grove Elementary School in Brattleboro.
Adrienne Noel, of Hillsboro, N.H., and Karen Craig, principal of Emerson Elementary School in Fitzwilliam, N.H.
Three of the graduates have recently accepted positions at schools in the region: McGraw as dean of students at Turners Falls High School, Nace as principal of Bellows Falls Elementary School, and Noel as principal of Cornish Elementary School. Lesser, who is currently principal at Wells Memorial School in Harrisville, N.H., will be a mentor principal in 2005-06.
Seven aspiring principals are enrolled in the 2005-06 internship, which begins this summer.
For more information, contact PRN co-directors Tom McGuire at 603-358-2304 or Mark Taft at 603-358-2350.
