School Administration Anticipates Upcoming School Year

’ leadership recently announced they are ready to start the 2011/12 school year. 

 “It’s an exciting time to be a Marlborough schools’ student, parent, staff member or community member” said Superintendent Anthony Pope. “We are taking another huge step toward making Marlborough a world-class school district. We’ve identified core values, focused on our instructional core and reconfigured our buildings to be more developmentally appropriate. We are developing a preK-12 curriculum framework. And we have put in place building leadership that is committed to the district’s vision. 

At , a new team of veteran educators will greet students the first day of school. Former Assistant Principal Maria Silletti has been named Richer principal, bringing six years’ administrative experience to the position. She has served on many curriculum committees, and she was a third-grade teacher for nine years before becoming an administrator. Marlborough teacher Robert J. Skaza has been named Richer assistant principal. Skaza, who most recently taught eighth-grade English, has 10 years’ teaching experience in Marlborough and at one time was a staff member at Richer. He also has served as the Academic Support Grant coordinator for the high school.

Taking Silletti’s place at Kane Elementary is Assistant Principal Magaly Sanchez, a former Fall River assistant principal and Providence, RI schools’ district office administrator. Sanchez brings with her a wealth of experience including program planning and implementation, cross-cultural community relations, and performance assessment.

kindergarten/first-grade teacher Kalliope Pantazopoulos has been named assistant principal at . A 10-year veteran of Marlborough Public Schools, Pantazopoulos completed her student teaching at Jaworek and her field study and administrative practicum at Richer. She currently serves on the district’s curriculum alignment committee.

Whitcomb Reading Specialist Rebecca Zieminski has been named director of the . A district staff member since 2004, Zieminski has served on multiple curriculum and professional development committees and partnered with the ECC on its “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program.

Wayne Labbe is transitioning from Marlborough Alternative director to assistant principal at Whitcomb Middle School. Labbe, a 14-year Marlborough schools staffer, served as a teacher for 12 years and a department coordinator for four years before becoming director of the Alternative High School.

Former Jaworek Elementary principal Mary Murphy, who has served as , now has the position officially. Former Richer Elementary Assistant Principal Cheryl Piccirelli, who has been Jaworek’s interim principal for several months, also has her position permanently.

The Marlborough Public School leadership teams for the 2011-12 school year are:

• High School (grades 9-12): Principal Deb Roy, Assistant Principals Adam Bakr and Dan Riley.

• Whitcomb Middle School (grades 5-8): Principal Mary Murphy, Assistant Principals Richard Lacina, Bethany Pritchard, Wayne Labbe and Kalliope Pantazopoulos.

• Jaworek Elementary (grades K-4): Principal Cheryl Piccirelli, Assistant Principal Alyssa Tully.

• Kane Elementary (grades K-4): Principal Kirk Gibbons, Assistant Principal Magaly Sanchez.

• Richer Elementary (grades K-4): Principal Maria Silletti, Assistant Principal Robert Skaza.

• Early Childhood Center: Director Rebecca Zieminski.

Additionally, the district has three new instructional leadership directors (ILDs) to help oversee the schools’ instructional programs and provide consistency and continuity with preK-12 curriculum and administration. Maureen Greulich (a former Marlborough High School assistant principal) will serve as the ILD for the high school; Gabrielle Abrams will serve as the ILD for middle school; and Ronit Carter will serve as ILD for the Early Childhood Center and the elementary schools. Tina Betley, former Early Childhood Center director, has been named Marlborough special education director. 

“Our district has identified four districtwide goals and objectives: student achievement, operational effectiveness and efficiency, family involvement and community engagement, and a culture that supports high expectations,” said Pope. “These committed administrative staff members, as well as others who are part of the central office and supportive network, are positioned well to lead us toward achieving these goals and making Marlborough a world-class school district.”

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