NAHANT — A new school committee member will finish out former chairman Michael Quigley’s term.
Lauren Sherlock, 37, will serve on the board until the April 2018 election. The panel will meet on Aug. 8 to determine who will serve as chairperson, vice-chair, and secretary of the five-person committee.
Sherlock was chosen to fill the seat vacated by Quigley, who stepped down on July 1, at a joint meeting with School Committee members and selectmen last week.
Quigley moved to Swampscott and is no longer eligible to serve as an elected official in Nahant, although he told The Item he plans to return to town and public service as quickly as possible.
“I think she is the best choice,” said Selectman Enzo Barile. “She’s wonderful and I’m very excited about having her as a part of the school committee.”
Sherlock is a nurse practitioner at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She moved to Nahant from Beverly four years ago. Her two children, Ashley, 8, and Ryan, 4, attend the Johnson Elementary School and have both had positive experiences, she said.
Sherlock said she has been impressed with the direction the school district has been going and wants to get involved.
“I’m excited about the new leadership,” she said. “I’m excited about the motivation that I’ve seen from the superintendent and the principal and their level of engagement with the school, and I want to be a part of it.”
Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi and Principal Kevin Andrews joined the district in 2016. Since, they’ve focused on incorporating the town’s natural resources into the curriculum with lessons involving the town’s community garden, and partnerships with the Northeastern University Marine Science Center.
“I’m interested in enhancing the relationship between the school and the community at the school committee level,” she said.
Sherlock has been involved with the Johnson School Council and the Health Advisory Council, which is intended to promote health, nutrition, and exercise through curriculum, she said.
She hopes to encourage programs similar to the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program, which is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation with funds from the Federal Highway Administration. The program promotes safer routes for students to get to school by fostering partnerships between advocacy groups, law enforcement, education leaders, and public health departments. The Johnson School was honored at the State House last month for maintaining about a 90 percent walking rate throughout the year.
“I find she is extremely well spoken,” said school committee member Lori Ballantine. “I have seen her speak at public meetings in the past. She’s lovely. We’re all pleased. It’s a big commitment to make, especially when you have a full time job and you have a family. To ask anyone to dedicate that much time — I’m grateful that she is willing to step up and I think she’ll do a great job.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
