McAuliffe Gets New Principal

The earlier this week approved the hiring of a new principal for the .

Kristen Gallo, the current principal of the Mast Way Elementary School in Lee, will take on the role later this year.

, president of the , said that it was “very difficult to lose such a great and beloved principal like ,” who will soon be . However, she added, that she and others “could not be more happy and excited … I am very pleased to have her on the team.”

“We hit the jackpot,” Ardinger said.

, the director of Human Resources, said Gallo “survived a very arduous interview with the search committee and came out with flying colors.” He said she would be paid a salary of $98,148 annually.

School Board member , a former principal at , a school that has merged with Kimball and will later attend McAuliffe, was also part of the hiring committee. He called the process “grueling” adding, “There was a lot of charm out there.”

School Superintendent stated that the real reason Gallo received the job was because “her cellphone went off twice during the interview and she handled it with great poise.”

“We know she can handle anything,” she joked. “For the second interview, she didn’t bring it … which shows great judgment.”

Gallo, who lives in Hooksett, attended college at University of New Hampshire, UMass/Amherst, and Lafayette College. Before becoming the principal of Mast Way, she was the dean of faculty at Souhegan High School in Amherst for three years and was also a math teacher there for 14 years.

Prince said that there were 51 applications for the position, the majority, 44, coming from New Hampshire. Applicants from Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Vermont also applied for the job.