New Winthrop School Principal Named

Editor's note: This article was updated on Wednesday, June 8 at 1:50 p.m. with comments from Superintendent Joe Casey.

Mary Alise Herrera has been named the new principal for the in Melrose, Superintendent Joe Casey announced in a press release on Wednesday morning.

Herrera is currently the assistant principal for preschool through Grade 2 at Tyngsborough Elementary School, where she also served as a fifth grade teacher, Casey said in the press release.

She will take over for current Winthrop Principal Bryna Davis, currently in her sixth year at the school, who is to become the director of the Community Service Network, a non-profit advocacy agency that works on preventing homelessness and works with people on topics such as buying a first-home and self-sufficiency.

According to Herrera's blog, she has been at Tyngsborough Elementary School for nine years—six years as a fifth grade teacher and three years as assistant principal. Casey said that her experience both in primary grades and upper elementary grades made Herrera stand out, adding that Tyngsborough Elementary School has close to 950 students, unlike the neighborhood elementary schools of Melrose.

"The piece that stood about her was that she was someone who had really done her homework on Melrose," Casey said. "She knew who we were and wanted to come here. When we went for a visit to her school, it was obvious people regarded her as a master teacher. They felt she was a go-to person if there was a problem."

Casey added that Herrera has kept up to speed on new developments and research in education, and how "she can blend that into the classroom for the benefit of the students."

Herrera holds a master's of education with a major in elementary education and is enrolled in a CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies) program.

Over seventy applicants applied for the position, according to the press release, and Herrera was chosen out of 10 candidates identified by the Winthrop Principal Search Committee for interviews.

Check back for further updates to this article.