Cowdell: Exit was a hard choice

LYNN – Marshall Middle School Principal Richard Cowdell said his decision to resign and apply for a job teaching in Peabody?s middle school did not occur without “very candid” discussions with Superintendent Catherine Latham.?The decision was not an easy one. In the final meeting, I thanked her for making every effort to change my mind. It was a very difficult decision,” Cowdell said.Peabody Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola on Thursday confirmed Cowdell has been interviewed and recommended for a Spanish language teaching job at Higgins Middle School. He said Higgins Principal Todd Bucey spoke highly of Cowdell.?It?s not been finalized – there is paperwork to be done,” Mastrocola said.Cowdell said he is looking forward to returning to a classroom after 20 years as “a new challenge.”?It?s going to be fun. The reputation of the Peabody schools is very good,” he said.Cowdell has worked in Lynn schools for 26 years and has been Marshall?s principal since 2007. He said he resigned the principalship on Aug. 14 in a letter that stated no reasons for his decision.?I said I was appreciative of having the honor of leading Marshall Middle School,” he said.His resignation shocked School Committee members and Latham, who made a last-ditch effort on Wednesday to talk Cowdell into staying in Lynn.Committee members said they were not aware of any reason for Cowdell to resign.Middle school principals shoulder a complicated workload as they try to guide students over the academic bridge connecting elementary school and high school, said Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators? Association spokesman Paul Wetzel.?When you put middle school into the equation, you have MCAS (state comprehensive testing) in the eighth grade as a benchmark. They also juggle graduation, dropout and reading statistics, and then you factor in limited English learners, special needs and students with free and reduced lunch,” Wetzel said.Cowdell on Thursday said he is confident Marshall “is on an upward swing” and said he weighed heavily the consequences of leaving Marshall?s 1,000 students in making his resignation decision.?They were always in the forefront of my thinking,” he said.Latham on Wednesday stated she will make an announcement within days about an interim principal for Marshall. Cowdell hopes his successor continues building on the work he feels he accomplished in the school and parent, teacher and student efforts to build a “unified culture” in Marshall.