Schools

Two Finalists Selected for New GMS Principal

Two finalists have been identified in the search for a new principal at Galvin Middle School.

Two finalists have been selected for the job of principal at Galvin Middle School, according to an announcement released by Superintendent Joan Landers on Feb. 3.

Dr. Richard Cowdell and Mr. Mark Bedrosian, who both currently work for other school districts in Massachusetts, have made it to the final part of the selection process.

Dr. Richard Codwell
The first candidate, Dr. Richard Cowdell is currently the Principal of Thurgood Marshall School in Lynn, MA. Dr. Cowdell has twenty-two years of experience in education, with fifteen of those years working with middle school students.

Beginning his career as a classroom teacher, he then became a school adjustment counselor and a school psychologist. He was later appointed as chief school adjustment counselor in Lynn, where he oversaw the city’s clinical services.

In addition to the regular school day, Dr. Codwell has been an Adjunct Professor at Salem State College, where he teaches a graduate-level class middle school theory. For the past twenty summers, he has successfully directed Camp Rotary, a resident camp for children ages 7-15.

Dr. Cowdell holds a doctorate in Leadership in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Certificate of Advanced Studies in School Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Master’s degree in School Counseling from Salem State and a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from Salem State College. Dr. Cowdell is a fluent Spanish speaker.

Mr. Mark Bedrosian
The second candidate, Mr. Mark Bedrosian, is presently the Dean of Academics at Gloucester High School, a postion he's held since 2010. Prior to this role, he has been an Assistant Principal at both Gloucester High School and Ralph B. O’Maley Middle School. Beginning his teaching career in 1996, Mr. Bedrosian taught both at the middle school and high school level until his first administrative appointment.

Mr. Bedrosian has experience with aligning instruction and assessment with Common Core standards and the integration of 21st Century Skills. He spearheaded the district’s work to meet New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) recommendations and authored the two year NEASC
report this past October. Mr. Bedrosian has a strong history of building capacity for teachers to lead through professional learning communities. Through Mr. Bedrosian’s efforts, Gloucester High School is expanding its at-risk programs. He supervises and evaluates the school’s program leaders and classroom
teachers.

Mr. Bedrosian holds administration licensure from Northeastern University, a Masters of Education in Professional Studies – Secondary from Salem State College and a Bachelors of Science in Public Administration, Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts.

Who picked the finalists
The selection process was lead by Dr. Kim Smith, Chair of the Search Committee, Therese Jarmusik, Interim Principal of the Galvin Middle School and Superintendent Landers. The group has begun site visits to the candidate’s schools.

An additonal search committee included Kevin Piskadlo, Wakefield School Committee, Adam Colantuoni, Galvin Assistant Principal, teachers Susan Langlois, Amy Sweeney, Christopher Gorski, Erin Bailey, Andrew Tetrault, Tom Fratto, Beverly Elcewicz, Sharon Yandell, and parents Beth Hendricks, Jane O’Neill Smith, and Laurie Hunt.

The two candidates will be visiting the Galvin School next week to meet staff, parents and community members.

The schedule for the site visits is as follows:

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  • Dr. Richard Cowdell Tuesday, February 7, 2012


10:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. - Staff meet and greet.

12:30 p.m. through 1:00 p.m. - Parents and community meet and greet.

  • Mr. Mark Bedrosian Thursday, February 9, 2012


12:30 p.m. through 1:00 p.m. - Parents and community meet and greet.

1:00 p.m. through 3:00 p.m. - Staff meet and greet.

Find out what's happening in Wakefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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