Saugus embraces principal selection

SAUGUS – New Saugus High School Principal Michael Hashem said taking the reins at his alma mater is “absolutely” a dream job and he’s thrilled to have been chosen.”It’s a thrill to come back to your own high school and teach, and now be the principal,” said Hashem. “It’s really an honor and I look forward to the position.”Hashem, a graduate of Saugus High who has been teaching math there for 21 years, said he always aspired to be a teacher in Saugus when he was growing up and is looking forward to a “smooth transition” now that he was named principal.”I’m not looking to make any waves,” he said. “I’d like the students to feel welcomed in the fall. I’d like the parents to feel welcome to talk to me in the fall. I have an open-door policy.”Superintendent Michael Tempesta announced Hashem’s appointment at Thursday night’s School Committee meeting and said he was the unanimous choice of six applicants.On Friday, Tempesta said Hashem is an “incredible educator” and a “very intelligent man” who is committed long-term to the growth of Saugus High.”From the feedback I’ve had, last night and today, from staff, is that they just can’t wait to work with him and get back in the classroom,” he said. “It’s just incredibly positive.”Tempesta said Acting Principal Jason Merrill will be moving on after taking a job at another district, and noted he’ll look to fill that vacant assistant principal position once it’s clear there are enough turnover savings to do so.As he looks toward the fall, Hashem said he wants to form a collaborative relationship between faculty members and the administration, and focus on promoting student learning while improving MCAS and other test scores.”It’s the students first and I look at myself as an instructional leader,” he said. “I’m hoping we get a real educational culture going at the high school ? You’d like to try and educate the whole child ? As we’re looking forward, we’re talking about exams and testing that are going to be performance-based. So it’s a situation where (students) have to learn the facts, but demonstrate the skills. It’s a whole different teacher mentality. That’s the direction we’re heading.”Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Geoff Bruno called Hashem a perfect fit for the position.”I think it was clear in the interview and it was clear in all the work I’ve done with Mr. Hashem in my four years ?” he said.Humanities teacher Richard Lavoie noted that Hashem was his freshman year algebra 1 teacher and said when he first started teaching at Saugus High himself, Hashem took him under his wing.”Now his career is moving forward and he’s taking the helm of the flagship school of the district,” said Lavoie. “I can’t be more proud of him and I can’t be more pleased to start the year.”Lavoie said “he already knows” students will be happy in the fall, and if the Twitter response is any indication, he may be right as residents took to the social media site Thursday and Friday to praise the decision.”Thank god Mr. Hashem is our new principal,” said one user.”I’m so excited that hashem is gunna be the principal,” said another user.While yet another fan of the decision said, “Mr. Hashem is principal now. I’ll take it,”Saugus resident Melissa Martin’s son just graduated from Saugus High and said Hashem’s appointment is “great news.””What I know of him is that he is widely respected, and thought of highly across the board by students and faculty,” she said. “All you need to do is search twitter for ‘Hashem’ to see the town-wide excitement. It’s nice to have a positive thing happen here.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].