Thomson Principal Will Be Assistant Superintendent

Principal Gregg Gilligan had a good 2011 professionally, and 2012 is shaping up to be even better.

Gilligan will be appointed assistant sperintendent when the town's current assistant superintendent, Kevin Hutchinson, becomes superintendent later this year, with superintendent Chris Hottel retiring July 1.

“I’m thrilled, and I’m really excited to continue my work at the district-wide level,” Gilligan said. “And I am particularly honored and privileged to continue to serve in the community of North Andover.”

During Gilligan's four-year tenure as principal, Thomson has been somewhat of a rising star among schools. A couple years ago, test scores were low and the school was putinto accountability status -- a strict path to improve test scores for schools that do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress two years in a row.

Then in 2010, the elementary school stunned the district by having demonstrated dramatic improvement in its test scores scores and The school had not reached AYP in either the year before.

And in 2011, the students and the school was taken out of accountability status.

“The teachers have done the hard work, Gilligan said. “And the teachers working collaboratively to look at student work and look at data has made all the difference in impacting student achievement.”

Gilligan, who earned his master's degree and certificate of advanced studies at Salem State College, has served North Andover schools for 14 years. Before taking the reins at Thomson, Gilligan was a teacher and later assistant principal at North Andover High School.

“With my 10 years in the high school and four years in the elementary school, those are two opposite perspectives," he said.