By Jennifer Solis
WEST NEWBURY — Two new educators are on board to help ease difficult transitions for the Pentucket Regional School District.
Last week Superintendent Paul Livingston announced that a new principal, Jack Mara, has been selected to take over the helm at Page Elementary School in West Newbury when longtime Principal Liz Perry retires in June.
And Pentucket Middle School Principal Robin Wilson has found a long-term substitute, Elizabeth Delaney, to teach science to eighth-graders on Team Jefferson for the remainder of the year. The students lost their beloved science teacher, Mark Worrall, in a tragic car accident last month.
Livingston said that Mara was the unanimous choice of both his administrative team and a Page School Principal Screening Committee. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Fairfield University, a master's of arts in English and a master's of arts in teaching from Connecticut College, and a doctorate in educational technology from Nova Southeastern University. Most recently he has served as the principal of Manchester Memorial School in Manchester for seven years and prior to that he was a teacher, coach and principal for MSAD #40 in Waldoboro, Maine, for 6 years and as assistant superintendent/director of technology and superintendent for MSAD #11 in Gardiner, Maine, for 10 years.
"He has served on multiple state and national panels and has a particular expertise in technology leadership," Livingston noted.
Mara will be at Page on Thursday where he will visit classrooms and meet with his new staff and the school council. He will be available to meet parents and other community members that evening from 6:30 to 7:30 in the Page School cafeteria.
Delaney is now teaching science for Team Jefferson at the middle school. "Recently Ms. Delaney has been working in one of our special education programs and knows the culture of our school as well as many of our students. We are impressed with her training as well as classroom comportment," said Wilson. She offered special thanks to June Denault, a retired Pentucket teacher who came back to work at the middle school while the search for a long-term substitute was conducted.
"Her strength, wisdom and experience helped to provide the stability students and staff needed," Wilson said.
