Norwood Public Schools Welcomes Three New Principals for 2022-2023 School Year

For immediate release

NORWOOD — Superintendent David Thomson is pleased to announce that Norwood Public Schools will welcome Michael Baulier, Scarlett Grandt and Kerry Hutchins as new principals within the district. 

“We are very excited to be welcoming Michael, Scarlett and Kerry to the Norwood Public Schools and look forward to seeing them continue the great work going on at each respective school,” Superintendent Thomson said. “They were selected following a thorough and detailed review process, and we are confident that they will each be an asset to the Norwood Public Schools leadership team. I would also like to thank Search Committee members for their time and effort throughout the process, ensuring the selected individuals would be a good fit for their school and the Norwood community as a whole.”

Michael Baulier

Michael Baulier comes to the Willett Early Childhood Center and Little Mustangs Preschool from Boston Public Schools where he was an elementary school principal for five years. In his leadership role, he collaborated with staff, students and families to prioritize racial equity and apply an antiracist lens to teaching, learning and decision-making. He also led the school’s transition from serving students on IEPs in largely separate classrooms to full inclusion classrooms.

Baulier taught English Language Arts to grades 9-12 for eight years and became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2014. While a student at Northeastern University, he was a Jumpstart Team Leader and AE Spirit of Service Award finalist. He is in the process of earning his doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston.  

Baulier lives in Norwood with his wife, Katie, and their two children, Bailey and Milo. 

He is thrilled to be joining the Norwood Public Schools team. 

Scarlett Grandt

Scarlett Grandt comes to the Callahan Elementary School from the Horace Mann Laboratory School in Salem where she serves as the interim principal. She served as assistant principal at the same school for three years. Grandt has additionally been an assistant principal in the Everett Public Schools and the Hartford Public Schools. Prior to her administrative career, Grandt was the teacher-in-charge and a fourth grade teacher for seven years.

Grandt believes in building meaningful relationships with students and families and wants to serve as a role model for all. She is an advocate for social justice and educational equity and believes in working with all stakeholders to create a positive and inclusive school culture. She will aim to work in collaboration with teachers, support staff and coaches to strengthen instructional practices and engage families in the education process. 

Grandt received her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Connecticut. She is currently working on completing her doctoral studies.

She has a nine-month-old son and, along with her husband, resides in Dedham.  Scarlett was born in Hong Kong and came to the United States at age 13 knowing limited English.  

Kerry Hutchins

Kerry Hutchins will join the Cleveland Elementary School. For the past four years, she has served as assistant principal at Martin Elementary School in Seekonk. Hutchins previously worked in schools in Attleboro and Fall River in roles such as paraprofessional, teacher, math coach and head teacher. Hutchins received her degree in Elementary Education from Lasell University and Masters in Teaching in Elementary Math from Lesley University.

Hutchins believes relationships are a core value in education, and that to work with staff, students, families and the community, you need to first build strong working relationships. She believes that building relationships develops trust and that trust allows everyone to work through problems together and focus on what is best for students. She believes in an open-door policy and in the importance of being available for staff throughout the school day. 

Hutchins and her husband have two boys, AJ, 15 and Lucas, 12, as well as a dog, Brody. They enjoy spending time outside and on the water during the summer. They love to run, and Hutchins and her husband run a lot of local 5K races and some occasional half-marathons. Hutchins is excited to be joining the Cleveland School community and to meet the students and families.

The new principals were selected following a comprehensive process that included interviews with a Search Committee made up of district and school leadership and parents and teachers, forums in front of parents and staff at each school, visits to their respective schools, and then a final interview with Superintendent Thomson and Assistant Superintendent Alec Wyeth. They will each start in their new roles on July 1.

Baulier, Grandt and Hutchins replace current Principals Donna Brown at Callahan Elementary and Nancy Coppola at Cleveland Elementary, who are retiring at the end of the school year, and Principal Stephen Billhardt at the Willet and Little Mustangs, who is moving out of the area.

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