Janet Sheehan Returns to Collicot as New Principal

This school year, Milton welcomed two new principals, Janet Sheehan at the , and at . Both Sheehan and Arangio had worked in the Milton Public School system before: Sheehan as a teacher and assistant principal at Collicot from 1994 to 2001 and Arangio as principal of the High School from 1997-2002.

In the decade between her two terms in Milton, Sheehan was the principal of the Joseph Osgood elementary school in Cohasset.  When she learned of the vacancy at Collicot, Sheehan was thrilled.  “The timing was perfect.  My administrative team and I had accomplished our instructional goals in Cohasset; a new superintendant was coming; and I was eager to return to a school system with a world languages curriculum, which is so important for these times.  A global perspective is even more meaningful now than when I was first here in Milton,” says Sheehan.

Sheehan’s goals for her first year at Collicot are to “get to know the teachers, children and families; observe the school routines and procedures; honor traditions; and develop relationships with established partnerships such as the PTO, MFE {Milton Foundation for Education}, and School Site Council.”  Striking a loftier note, Sheehan quotes the district’s vision statement:  “Our focus is to prepare students to be good citizens and to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to adapt and contribute to a changing world.”

Sheehan’s own career has not taken her too far from the South Shore; in fact, she currently lives only a few doors down from her childhood home in Scituate.  The middle child of seven children--six daughters and one son--Sheehan recalls an idyllic childhood.  “My parents had traditional values,” says Sheehan.  “My dad had a high level management position in Boston, and my mother stayed home.”  They both valued education--three of Sheehan’s siblings are teachers.  Sheehan inherited their passion for education, and was influenced by excellent English and Latin teachers in her private high school.

After graduating from Westfield State College with a degree in education, Sheehan taught in the Randolph public school system and worked part-time as a real estate agent until her second daughter was born.   But being an entrepreneur was something that Sheehan had always wanted to try.  She and her sister, also first a teacher, often brainstormed ideas for starting their own businesses Sheehan opened a successful interior landscaping business on the South Shore, similar to the one her sister had on Cape Cod.  When her second daughter started school, Sheehan was faced with the dilemma:  should she expand her business or go back into education full-time?

Through volunteering in her daughters’ school, Sheehan had continued her involvement in education, and she realized that education was indeed her calling. Sheehan sold her business, and was hired as a third and fourth grade teacher at the Collicot School in 1994.  In 1998 she became an assistant principal at Collicot, when Prncipal Richard Gillogly asked if she was interested in assuming some administrative responsibilities. “He must have seen that I had some leadership skills,” says Sheehan. 

Sheehan enrolled part-time at Lesley University in Cambridge and earned her master’s degree in educational leadership in 2000.   “There are more similarities than differences between teachers and principals.  The role of principal has evolved, and principals are now instructional leaders.  They need to have deep understanding of teaching and learning in order to effectively supervise teachers in the classroom, “says Sheehan.

Now back at the helm at Collicot, one of Sheehan’s many roles is hiring teachers.  When making hiring decisions, Sheehan evaluates an applicant’s transcripts, looking for strength in content areas, such as math and science; and also asks for a writing sample.  “Interpersonal skills are very important – if candidates present themselves in a professional way.  I have had great success in hiring when I can pull together an interview team – including parents and/or School Council members.  Education is very collaborative,” says Sheehan. 

Sheehan suggests that teachers who are looking for work register on the web site, www.schoolspring.com.  Districts post openings on this site, and applicants can upload their licensure, letters of reference, transcripts and resumes directly onto the site.