EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral and Assistant Superintendent Christine Pruitt are pleased to announce three finalists for the Oliver Ames High School principal position, which will be vacated by Principal Wes Paul upon his retirement at the end of the school year.
The finalists are North Attleboro High School Assistant Principal Russ Booth, Canton High School Assistant Principal Kelly Cavanaugh and Medfield High School Assistant Principal Jeff Sperling.
A total of 31 people applied for the position. The first round of interviews was conducted virtually with 10 candidates and five candidates were selected for an in-person interview. Booth, Cavanaugh and Sperling were chosen as the three finalists following both rounds of interviews.
“We are committed to finding the best possible candidate to serve our Oliver Ames staff, students and families,” Assistant Superintendent Pruitt said. “Each of these finalists is well-qualified for the position with administrative experience in various school settings, as well as unique backgrounds in education that would serve our high school and district well.”
Booth has served as the assistant principal at North Attleboro High School since July 2017. He previously worked at King Philip Regional High School as the head of the mathematics department and was a classroom teacher within the Norwood Public Schools for 10 years. He began his career as a teacher at the Foxborough Regional Charter School in 2004 before attending graduate school at Bridgewater State University, where he also worked as a graduate assistant in the athletics department.
Booth holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a Master of Education in educational leadership from Bridgewater State University.
Cavanaugh has served as the assistant principal at Canton High School since 2019, and served as Dean from 2018-2019. She previously worked at the Lexington Public Schools as Dean of Students and at Westwood High School as a special education teacher before being promoted to interim assistant principal. She began her career at the League School of Greater Boston as a special education teacher in 2001. She also served in administrative roles at the school including as admissions director, assistant director of education and director of education.
Cavanaugh received a bachelor’s degree in theater and arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also holds a Master of Education in special education and a postgraduate certificate in special education administration from Bridgewater State University.
Sperling has worked as assistant principal at Medfield High School since 2005. He also currently serves as program supervisor and mentor with the Massachusetts School Administrators Association Leadership License Program, a role he has held since 2006. Prior to his role at Medfield High School, Sperling worked as a guidance/adjustment counselor at Hopkinton High School from 2001-2005. He began his career as clinical coordinator at Community Care Services in Taunton.
Sperling received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bridgewater State University. He also holds a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley College and a Master of Education in education and organizational management from Endicott College.
As the next step in the process, site visits will be conducted for each finalist in their respective districts over the next week. Each candidate will then spend a day at Oliver Ames High School where staff, students and families will have the opportunity to meet the candidates and ask questions. Booth will be available at Oliver Ames on Friday, March 19; Cavanaugh on Monday, March 22; and Sperling on Tuesday, March 23.
Parents will be able to meet with the candidates for Q & A via Google Meet. Parents who wish to ask a question are asked to email the question to [email protected] by Wednesday, March 17. The Google Meet link for each parent meeting will then be shared at a later date.
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