Cavanaugh Named High School Assistant Principal

The School Committee appointed Carol Cavanaugh to the position of Assistant Principal to at last night's meeting. Cavanaugh has been the acting interim Assistant Principal.

"Carol came to us from Auburn about six years ago," Superintendent Marianne O'Connor said. "Actually we stole her from them as we had heard such good things about her. She began with us as an English teacher and within two years she was head of the department. That didn't last long before it was clear that she would be a great fit administratively. Carol has a true understanding of curriculum, she is very successfully involved in professional development and her classes were always well-attended or over-booked. Carol is organized, highly detail-oriented and curriculum based. She will be an asset to our school's leadership team."

Cavanaugh thanked the committee and noted that she is very happy for the opportunity to continue to serve Westborough.

In other news, the committee appointed Karen Henderson as Chairman and Stephen Doret as Vice Chairman/Secretary. They held off on appointing various committees as Doret was away on business.

The committee also met with Judith Martin about the Pathways study survey. Pathways is a survey that follows Westborough High School graduates for five years to determine how well prepared they are for life after high school. The study began with the class of 2009.

"On a scaled question, 86 percent of the respondents indicated they were 'extremely prepared' or 'very prepared' academically for college; 12 percent indicated they were 'prepared' academically for college," Martin told Westborough Patch. 

The survey was available online from May to September. A total of 136 kids from the 2009 class responded.

"Overwhelmingly, they all wish they had studied more and focused more on school while here," Martin told the School Committee. "Time management is the thing they are struggling with most."

The school committee and John Smith, Westborough High School principal, spoke highly about the study. 

"Judy's willingness to speak to each department to find out what they need, as well as her tireless effort in making sure she's asking the right questions is key," Smith said. "I would like to take the time to publicly thank Judy for all of her hard work."

O'Connor hopes to get a grant in place shortly so that Martin can continue her work.

Newly appointed school committee chairperson Karen Henderson asked Westborough Patch to remind all that the town meeting is Saturday, May 14, at 1 p.m. at the high school.

"Since we voted out the need for a quorum, the meeting will start right at 1 p.m.," she said.