School district honors two staff, announces new TBPS co-principals
March 26, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti In dual announcements this week, the Harwood Unified Union School District introduced new co-principals for Thatcher Brook Primary School for next school year and nominated two local school staffers for a statewide honor next month at a UVM ceremony.
New primary school co-principals
Thatcher Brook Principal Denise Goodnow will retire at the end of this school year and a search committee recently chose a new leadership model for next fall that will have co-principals leading the school.
Thatcher Brook Primary School Assistant Principal Sarah Schoolcraft will become co-principal for the 2021-22 school year. Courtesy photo
Current Assistant Principal Sarah Schoolcraft will be joined by new hire Chris Neville from Colorado to be co-principals starting in the 2021-22 school year. The district’s announcement shared details on each of the administrators’ experience and interests.
Sarah Schoolcraft has been in her current role at Thatcher Brook for the past two years. “Thatcher Brook is a place I truly enjoy coming to each and every day. When Ms. Goodnow announced her upcoming retirement, I knew that I wanted to continue to be part of the leadership of Thatcher Brook,” Schoolcraft said.
Her previous experience has been as a classroom teacher, special educator and instructional coach in both Vermont and Massachusetts, working with students in grades Pre-K through 6. Her most recent teaching experience was at Williston Central School as a grade 3-4 teacher for nine years before joining the staff at Thatcher Brook.
Schoolcraft is a UVM graduate with a degree in elementary education; she received a master’s in education from Lesley University in Curriculum and Instruction. She is also a licensed special educator and an adjunct faculty with the Vermont Higher Education Collaborative.
The announcement notes that Schoolcraft values relationships as the foundation for students’ learning and that she is particularly passionate about classroom and behavior management and curriculum including social justice and antiracist education, and working to meet students’ needs in inclusive settings. She is a co-chair of the school district’s Task Force for Anti-Racism.
Originally from Niskayuna, N.Y., Schoolcraft lives in Duxbury with her wife, their three children ages 5, 9 and 14, one dog and two cats. Their family enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, swimming, boating and paddling.
Outside of education, Schoolcraft has worked as a swim instructor, lifeguard, florist and rowing and swimming coach. Among her favorite things are coffee and cookies, summer concerts at Shelburne Museum and Rusty Parker Park, reading memoirs, Jazzercise and a new hobby since the pandemic, cross stitch.
Chris Neville currently is the principal at Maple Grove Elementary School in Golden, Colo. He has spent the last seven years serving two different school communities as principal. Before that, he was an assistant principal and a special education teacher. The Harwood Union announcement shared a statement from him:
Chris Neville will be co-principal at Thatcher Brook Primary School starting in the 2021-22 school year. Courtesy photo
“I am so honored to serve as one of Thatcher Brook Primary School’s co-principals for the 2021/2022 school year. I believe strongly that being an educator provides me with a unique opportunity to inspire students to be the best versions of themselves. It is important to me that we guide children’s development academically and social/emotionally. We must foster their creativity, support their natural curiosity, and show students that they can truly be leaders of their own learning. I am excited to join a talented team of educators at Thatcher Brook and continue the strong tradition of doing great things for kids. I look forward to meeting you in the coming months.”
Neville has a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies and master’s degrees in Special Education from Simmons College and in Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado, Denver. His wife, Becca, is a speech-language pathologist working with elementary students.
Neville has lived in Colorado for 14 years but grew up in the Northeast where they still have family. He was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. His wife is from Goffstown, N.H. They have two children ages 1 and 4. During college, Neville said he and his wife volunteered at Mount Snow’s adaptive ski program. They enjoy many outdoor activities including skiing, hiking, camping, stand-up paddle boarding and swimming.
Conyers, Hempey: Outstanding Teachers Day nominees
Thatcher Brook Primary School Nurse Allison Conyers is nominated by Harwood Union for this year’s Outstanding Teacher Day. Courtesy photo
The University of Vermont’s College of Education and Social Services each year honors educators from school districts around the state of Vermont in a ceremony hosted along with Vermont supervisory unions and school districts, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Vermont NEA.
This year’s Outstanding Teachers Day event honoring more than 60 school staff members from around the state will be broadcast live online on April 7. Each school district may nominate one elementary and one middle/high school staff member. Harwood Union has nominated Thatcher Brook Primary School Nurse Allison Conyers and Crossett Brook Middle School Counselor Jennifer Hempey.
In the announcement, the school district noted that Conyers has been the acting COVID-19 Coordinator for the district since last June. She is recognized for being highly respected by her peers in both education and nursing and for collaborating with teachers, staff and administration to integrate health and wellness knowledge and practices with students and staff.
Middle School Counselor Jen Hempey is nominated by Harwood Union for this year’s Outstanding Teacher Day. Courtesy photo
“Allison can be seen delivering swabs for school staff surveillance testing this year, distributing PPE, contact tracing, drafting guidance for students and staff, screening students or meeting with parents, children, and colleagues either in person, via Zoom, or over the phone,” wrote Superintendent Brigid Nease in nominating Conyers.
Hempey in her role focuses on the social and emotional health of adolescents in middle school. At Crossett Brook since 1995, Hempey’s commitment to this vital facet of middle school is apparent, Nease wrote, commending Hempey’s work with students as outstanding.
“The pandemic has brought a significant twist to the face-to-face role of a school counselor, and Jen has gotten creative and reached deep, pivoted like a champion, and continued the total support of social and emotional safety from a remote vantage point,” Nease wrote. “Jen Hempey is a vital part of the backbone that is Crossett Brook Middle School.”