Finalists for Waltham High School principal-in-residence job emphasize collaboration and community

The finalists for the Waltham High School principal-in-residence position answered questions about their visions and plans for the school Tuesday night at a virtual forum for staff and caregivers.

The principal-in-residence position was created by Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa in June after an initial search for a new principal for the school failed to find a winning candidate.

When announcing the change, Mendonsa said this new model would allow the district to offer more support to the potential principal, allowing the district to choose someone less experienced but a better fit for the school in general.

The candidates for the position are John Barnes, the assistant principal for Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston, and Fabienne Pierre-Maxwell, principal of the Gibbs School in Arlington.

Darrell Braggs, the former principal, stepped down at the end of the school year, a move he announced last December. No reason was given for his departure, and neither Braggs nor Mendonsa responded to questions from The Waltham Times.

Katherine Peretz, administrator of human resources for Waltham Public Schools and head of the principal search committee, moderated the virtual forum, which suffered from technical difficulties. According to Peretz, not everyone who wanted to attend was able to get into the forum due to these issues. An email with the recording of the meeting was sent to parents and staff on Wednesday evening.

The tech issues did not interrupt the forum, however, and the candidates were brought into a breakout room one at a time and asked the same questions by Peretz.

The questions centered around the candidates’ experience and how they would address ongoing issues at the high school. The questions appeared to be similar to the ones asked at another forum for the principal position earlier this year.

During her time, Pierre-Maxwell highlighted how her passion for the values and mission of Waltham High School made her an ideal candidate while also explaining how her experience as both a middle and high school principal has prepared her for the role.

Most of her focus, however, was on transparency and collaboration, and how they were essential to improving the school.

“I truly believe in a collaborative culture and working with others to really get all these great ideas together to support students and understand that they all have something to offer and they all can succeed,” she said. “I believe we can prioritize our students. So every day I wake up, I trust in that and I’m not losing faith that we can do it, when as a community, we put our heads together.”

Barnes took a slightly different approach, mentioning his achievements at Madison Park and his experience managing career technical education programs, which is relevant given Waltham High School’s own robust CTE programs.

He also talked briefly about his experience as a Waltham resident and how that allows him to understand the community better. 

Barnes also outlined several plans and strategies for improving the school, emphasizing his desire to be a “hands-on” principal.

“I want the school community to know that I’m not afraid to do the heavy lifting,” he said. “I lead with sleeves rolled up. That’s who I am. I believe [the high school] deserves a leader who is both strategic and hands-on, who leads with both the head and the heart.”

Both candidates agreed that the principal-in-residence program was a good idea, with both saying that the district support that the role offers will allow more freedom for the school to change, grow and improve. 

Due to the technical difficulties, Mendonsa extended her final decision date from July 11 to July 14. Staff and student caregivers have until that new date to submit feedback on the two candidates.