7 Candidates for Principal to Visit Hastings School This Week

The search for a new principal has narrowed to seven candidates. With the help of a search committee, superintendent Marianne O’Connor hopes to announce a selection in March. The new principal will take the position in August.

Patricia Berkey, principal of for the past ten years, announced her retirement in mid January. She will continue to serve as principal until her contract expires at the end of the school year.

A 10 member search committee was formed to find the best-suited candidate for the job. In addition to the superintendent, members include: Hastings Elementary School teachers, parents, the Assistant Superintendent, principal Maryann Stannard and School Committee chair Ilyse Levine-Kanji.

“It is hard to determine an excellent candidate,” Kanji said. Interviewees have had to go through an intensive application process, she said, and the committee narrowed the search down from thirty-five to seven possible contenders. O’Connor will make the final decision with consideration from search committee input.

“The ideal candidate for the job will be an individual who has the ability to build relationships, can be trusted by the faculty and parents of Hastings, serves as a voice to the entire Westborough community and is a contributing member to the district-wide leadership team,” said O’Connor.

Ideally, she added, Hastings is seeking a principal who can maintain the school’s current values without making any sweeping changes. She said that the next principal should continue the positive progress Berkey has established and enrich both Hastings and the greater community of Westborough.

The committee looked for candidates experienced with early childhood education and familiar with early intervention and integrated learning for the school’s preschool program. Hastings is rich in culture, O’Connor said, so the candidate must have a keen sense of understanding for a culturally diverse environment.

“What I am truly looking for is a really positive person who can really fit the culture of the Westborough District Schools and embodies the town’s overall ideals and goals. The next principal becomes a part of Westborough and our town’s history,” she said.

Applicants are scheduled to be at Hastings School this week. In addition, members of the search committee plan to conduct site visits at the candidates’ respective schools to see the finalists in their current work environment.