Interim MHS, Winthrop Principals Named

The sudden and late departures in June of former Principal Dan Richards and former Principal Mary Alise Herrera have been addressed for the coming school year with the appointment of two new interim principals, along with interim assistant principals at the high school—one of whom is a familiar face.

Superintendent Cyndy Taymore announced in a press release that Marianne Farrell, the assistant principal at Melrose High School previously named acting principal for the summer, will serve as the interim principal for the 2012-2013 school year.

At the Winthrop School, Robert Arsenault will serve as the interim principal for the coming year. Arsenault previously worked as the principal of the Woburn Street-Wildwood Schools in Wilmington, retiring in 2009. He subsequently served as the interim principal for the Vinson Owen School in Winchester during the 2010-2011 school year and last year as the interim principal at his former school in Wilmington.

"Mr. Arsenault comes to us highly recommended as an educator who loves what he does and is a 'tireless advocate for children,'" Taymore said in the press release.

Finally, Melrose High School Assistant Principal Jeff Carovillano has left the district, and Farrell moving up to the interim principal position has left two open assistant principals positions at the school.

To fill those positions, Taymore has appointed MHS physical education and health teacher Stephen Fogarty to serve as one of the interim assistant principals.

The second interim assistant principal is a well-known to Melrose: Bob Savarino, who retired as MHS assistant principal in 2010 after 35 years in Melrose as a teacher and administrator.

Taymore said in the press release that Farrell will be supported by a new leadership team comprised of people "knowledgeable" about the school and the city and "have proven to be committed, caring, and hardworking members of the school community."

"Marianne Farrell has been doing an outstanding job this summer not only in regard to her usual responsibilities, but also in filling the leadership void at the high school," Taymore said. "She is obviously dedicated to Melrose, knows the strengths and needs of the high school, and has the best interest of our students and district at heart."

Asked about the departure of Carovillano from the high school, Taymore told Melrose Patch "that was between him, Dan Richards and Joe (Casey, retired superintendent). I really and truly do not know background on it."

Taymore previously said that to find a long-term Melrose High School principal, she's proposing to conduct a survey of Melrose High School staff and the community as a whole to see what they would want in a new principal; in the fall, hold focus groups to have small group conversation and feedback; and use the survey results and group feedback to re-write the high school principal's job description, with the tentative goal to post that position by Dec. 1 and hopefully, tentatively, hire a new Melrose High School principal by March 1.

Similarly, work will begin this fall on a months-long process to search for a new Winthrop School principal.