Golden Brook Principal Leaving the District

Golden Brook School Principal Debra Armfield is making the leap to a new district in the fall, leaving Windham after six years.

Armfield called the move "professional growth" for her career. She will migrate to the Timberlane Regional School District, where she will serve as Director of Professional Learning.

"My role will be to work with the development of their teaching force," she said.

The position was newly created in the Timberlane District, and Armfield was informed of the opening by Timberlane Superintendent Richard La Salle.

Some of Armfield's tasks will include managing Timberlane's Title II money as well as tracking and monitoring professional development.

"It's just a very different kind of a job," Armfield said.

Unlike Windham, Timberlane's SAU 55 is actually a collaboration of four towns – Plaistow, Atkinson, Danville and Sandown. According to Armfield, the district also has five elementary schools.

Much like Windham, Timberlane is also searching for a new superintendent, seeking to replace La Salle.

During her time in Windham, Armfield worked at Windham Center School for two years before moving to Golden Brook School for the last four years.

"I will tell you that it's been a pleasure to work here just because of the overall support certainly of parents," she said. "(GBS) has such an amazing professional staff."

She added that she loved the forward thinking and innovative efforts in the Windham School District.

Since Armfield's arrival, the community has seen a herd of growth. In her first year, she didn't have an assistant principal. There were 500 students at GBS at that time. Now there are 728.

Her first year also saw the planning for the kindergarten project, with year two bringing in the kindergarten program for the first time.

Armfield said that she is pleased to be leaving with the kindergarten addition almost ready to go.

So far, she has not had the time to learn a lot about the Timberlane District.

She has spent time talking with some of the members of their school board, as well as the administrative team.

Armfield, a Hollis, N.H. native, has been involved with education in the state for 16 years. Before she became an administrator, she was a teacher in Nashua.

She also spent three years teaching in Illinois and Iowa.

Armfield was also named to the state's Early Childhood Advisory Council last fall. Despite the move, she said that she will continue to serve on the panel. The Eagle Tribune reported on her appointment in October, explaining that the council was established as a way to better early childcare service programs. 

According to Superintendent Henry LaBranche, it has not yet been determined who will replace Armfield in Windham.

He did name one possibility, saying that the district has a very strong candidate in Christi Michaud, GBS' current vice principal.