Middle school names new interim principal
Caryl Brayton Toole will begin work next month
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT WRITER
Caryl Brayton Toole, a teacher, principal and former school superintendent, has been named interim principal at the Cyrus Peirce School. Toole will start in mid-January and work with current interim principal Barbara White, who is contracted through Jan. 31, to ensure a smooth transition for students and staff.

Toole currently works at the state Department of Education as project director for leadership development, with a focus on mentoring and training aspiring superintendents, principals and teacher leaders. She also works with schools and districts identified as underperforming to help improve student performance.

Previously, she held the position of superintendent of the Pan American School of Porto Alegre, Brazil, an American International school for students in pre-kindergarten through high school; she remains a consultant for American Schools in Latin America. She has taught in the elementary grades in the Hingham and Weymouth public schools and also served as a school counselor in Weymouth. Subjects she has taught include math, science, language arts, social studies, music, drama and dance. She is a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at Lesley University in Cambridge.

Toole is also certified as a school superintendent and principal. She has expressed interest in a permanent position at either the Cyrus Peirce School or Nantucket Elementary School, which is also in need of a full-time principal. "I'm delighted that such a highly qualified professional as Caryl Toole will be joining us to fill the important interim principal position at Cyrus Peirce Middle School," said schools superintendent Dr. Robert Pellicone in a press release. "Though the interim position ends at the conclusion of the 2007-2008 school year on June 30, it will give the district an opportunity to see if either principal position is a good fit for her and the district, based on her on-the-job performance in this interim role.

"While we look forward to having Caryl on board at the middle school, we also want to acknowledge the dedication and experience that interim CPS principal Barbara White brought to this position over the first part of the 2007-2008 school year," Dr. Pellicone added. "Her leadership and cooperation are deeply appreciated by everyone here at NPS."

Toole, who moves to the island from Hull, applied for the position last month. Her name and experience were brought to Dr. Pellicone's attention by Future Management Systems, the Beverly-based search firm in charge of finding qualified candidates to fill the

two principal openings. I