All set for a successful school year
VIEWPOINT
Robert Pellicone

This week, as students and teachers return for the first day of school, I'd like to share my enthusiasm for the opportunities that lie ahead as we work collaboratively to make this an outstanding school year.

We have a great administrative team in place from day one. Our new Nantucket High School principal John Buckey is a proven high school principal, based on his experience as both principal and assistant principal at Littleton High School. Since coming to Nantucket in July, he has worked closely with former NHS principal and new director of student services George Kelly. Together, they've laid a solid foundation for a smooth transition as George assumes his new responsibilities for student services for the entire school district, coordinating vital services for the student population and serving as a liaison with outside agencies, including Family and Children's Services of Nantucket. Experienced assistant principal John Lucchini will continue in his important role at NHS.

Also providing strong leadership on our administrative team this year are interim Nantucket Elementary School principal John Miller and interim assistant principal Nina Slade. John replaces Dr. Carlos Colley, who has served as NES interim principal since August 2007 and who will return to his critical position in my office as assistant superintendent. Together, John and Nina bring a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge of NES that will greatly benefit everyone involved in the elementary education process. We also look forward to calling upon John's breadth of experience to assist the district in finding a permanent replacement for the NES principalship.

Rounding out the roster of new members of the administrative team are Caryl Brayton-Toole, principal of Cyrus Peirce Middle School, and new director of athletics Chris Maury. Caryl came to Nantucket in January as interim principal and then moved into the permanent position as principal before the end of the 2007-2008 school year. She has already displayed her innovative leadership skills with new initiatives based on her considerable experience as a long-time educator both regionally and internationally. Chris Maury brings sincere dedication to Nantucket High School and its athletic program with his many years of service as a coach and community leader to build upon the legacy of his predecessor Nancy Larrabee, who retired in June.

This great administrative team, along with our talented and dedicated staff and a tremendous student body with supportive parents, provides a winning combination that will ensure success for Nantucket Public Schools this year. I am indeed fortunate to serve as Superintendent.

In closing, I invite you to provide us with your input and feedback about our performance throughout the year. In addition to Superintendent's coffee events, starting in October, we are instituting a new series of individual Principal's coffee meetings for Nantucket High School, Cyrus Peirce Middle School and Nantucket Elementary School beginning in mid- September and continuing through May. These informal gatherings offer you and your neighbors and friends from the community to interact directly with our principals and myself to offer your ideas and opinions. To find out the dates of these events and all other happenings throughout the school year, please visit the NPS Web site. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Robert Pellicone, Ph.D
Superintendent of Schools
Nantucket Public Schools I