The former principal of New Hampshire's White Mountain Regional High School has been named to take the helm as Gloucester High's principal, concluding the search to fill the job held for the past four years by William Goodwin.
Superintendent Richard Safier confirmed Monday the hiring of Erik Anderson of White Mountain Regional High School in Whitefield, N.H.
Parents and school officials said Monday they're excited about Anderson's acceptance of the job, and hope he'll be an advocate for excellence at the high school.
"I hope he'll be a staunch advocate for excellence at the high school," said Sarah Grow, school district parent and search committee member.
She said she's excited about the future of the high school and hopes Anderson will make further strides for students in the school.
Safier chose Anderson over Manny Lopes, the assistant principal of Manchester West High School in Manchester, N.H., for the Gloucester High job. The two were publicly interviewed by Safier on June 21.
Safier said Anderson had served as both principal and assistant principal at White Mountain Regional and as principal at a Bethlehem, N.H., elementary school.
"The people that work for him raved about him," Safier said. "Site visits are usually positive, but over and above people felt that he made a very significant difference to morale, quality of instruction and discipline with in the building. They gave him a lot of credit with turning their building around."
He said he hired Anderson because he had the experience necessary to be a stabilizing factor in the high school. Safier said the district's administration is going through a period of change, and that stabilization is necessary.
Anderson has spent 10 years as a principal and three as an assistant principal.
Anderson could not be reached for comment Monday for this story.
Anderson takes the reins from Goodwin, who took over as Gloucester High's principal in 2008 upon the sudden departure of Joseph Sullivan and the media storm surrounding an alleged — and never confirmed — "pregnancy pact" among a group of students.
Goodwin had said he retired to pursue the next step in his life after finishing out the school year. He had said that would probably be selling real estate.
Anderson started on the job Monday with Carol Bratt, who has been named East Gloucester elementary school's new principal. Safier hired Bratt for the East Gloucester job late last week.
Bratt, he said, served as an educator in the Hamilton Wenham School District for around 15 years. She's also the elementary math coach for the elementary schools and served for a time as an interim principal in that district. She takes the helm from Greg Bach, whop has newly taken the post of assistant superintendent.
"East Gloucester's a relatively high preforming school, and we're going to be looking to continue the efforts that have made that school a relative success," Safier said.
Doing that, along with integrating the Bay State Reading Institute program, will be Bratt's challenge as the next principal.
As those searches closed, the search for a West Parish principal is wrapping up, Safier said. That search's only finalist, Amesbury Public Schools curriculum director Telina Imel, will have a public interview on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the West Parish School auditorium.
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
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