Patch Chats with Alison Coubrough Argentieri

welcomed a new administrator this spring, and though Assistant Principal Alison Coubrough Argentieri has been busy getting to know the school and the community over the summer, her first big introduction to the students was last Thursday, Sept. 8 with the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

Coubrough Argentieri joins fellow NHS administrators Principal Jonathan Pizzi and Assistant Principal Jonathan Bourn and is replacing former Assistant Principal Tamatha Bibbo, who recently moved to London with her family. 

Patch sat down with Coubrough Argentieri recently to talk about her previous experience, why she went into education and her favorite thing about a fresh school year.

Where did you work before coming to Needham? Last school year, I was the dean of curriculum, instruction, operations, professional development and athletics at Swampscott High School—basically, it was an assistant principal. I had the 10th and 12th grades last year as well as being the athletic director. The year before that, I taught English at Swampscott High, and the four years prior to that I taught English at Millbury High School. This is my second year as an administrator.

How are the duties divided between the two assistant principals at Needham High School? I have the ninth and 11th grades for discipline and any caseload management of those students, so anything that comes up in terms of academic issues, social and emotional issues, special education issues, etc. I’m not solely responsible for that, but within the team I’m responsible for those students. Jonathan [Bourn] has the 10th and 12th grades.

The other roles and responsibilities for an assistant principal like daily operations, scheduling, teacher evaluations and curriculum/instructional leadership, we pretty much split. We pretty much share those roles, along with the cabinet members, who are the department heads. The cabinet is really a close-knit team that works together.

How have you been getting acquainted with NHS and the Needham community? I am in the middle to nearing wrapping up my entry plan process. I started that in mid-July, early August, a few weeks after I was hired, and just put the word out to all the stakeholders—central office, teachers and staff within the school, leaders from throughout the district at the different schools, parents, students and different community members that we work with, like Needham Youth Services. I’ve had probably more than 20 or 30 entry meetings, which have been great. I feel like I’m getting to know people and how things work.

How did you get your start in education? I didn’t know in high school that I wanted to go into teaching. I went to Boston University and started in the business school, the School of Management, basically because that’s what my brothers did. In my sophomore year, I started to think that I wanted to go into education. I transferred into the College of Arts and Sciences and ended up getting an English degree.

Later, I had time to reflect and think about my upbringing and the community that I grew up in—it was wholesome, it was supportive. There were a lot of adults that I could turn to and that I knew genuinely wanted me to succeed, from my teachers to my athletic director, who I had a good relationship with, my principal and even the community organizations like the YMCA. Sports and school were always an extension of my home. I was very involved, and I think it really carries over to why I got into education and why I love it, and it relates to what everyone is trying to do here at Needham High School in terms of building those values around community and citizenship.

Where did you grow up? I’m from western New York, a town called Hornell, about 60 miles south of Rochester. It’s a small town, working class, and just a fantastic community of people. It was a great school system to be part of; I think it has a lot to do with the values that I have.

What inspired you to take the step from teaching to administration? When I first started teaching, I think I knew that I wanted to go in this direction. I like to look at the big picture. Although I’m not a really loud, sort of boisterous leader, I’ve always, through athletics, felt that I have some leadership qualities, and I wanted to pursue that from early on.

In my third year, when I was in Millbury, Worcester State offered a cohort program. The classes met at Millbury High School, which is where I was teaching, and I did a licensure program, got my license as an assistant principal/principal. Then I went on and finished my master’s.

How would you describe your leadership style? Collaborative. I think it’s really about relationships and listening to people and trying to figure out where the strengths lie and who’s good at what and organizing and facilitating the group around those things.

What’s your favorite thing about starting a new school year? It’s interesting, because for the past three years it’s been different. First I was preparing to teach, then my second year at Swampscott it was about athletics. This year, I’m excited—not that it hasn’t been wonderful to work with adults for the summer—but I’m excited to meet the students and to get to know the student culture here and what their interests are and any way that I can help to build on what’s already in place.