LYNNFIELD — While the first day of school is always an exciting day for students, families and teachers alike, it will also be a scramble in Lynnfield this year, as the district looks to fill a void created by the sudden departure of Summer Street School Principal Dr. Karen Dwyer.
Dwyer announced she is leaving the district after serving as principal for the last three years. Her last day on the job was Aug. 27.
Dwyer informed parents in a letter last week that she had accepted a position as assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability in the Uxbridge Public Schools. She said is leaving with “mixed feelings.
“Summer Street School has been a wonderful community and I will miss you,” Dwyer said. “However, a terrific opportunity has emerged for me … a position that allows me to focus on the specific areas of my expertise, including teaching and learning and the impact on student achievement.”
“This is (Karen’s) dream job in education as she told me,” Superintendent of Schools Kristen Vogel said Monday. “She has always had a passion and real love with curriculum and instruction and this job allows her to focus all of her time and energy on just that. I am thrilled for her.”
Vogel wasted no time in lining up staff to handle the leadership duties at the school until an interim principal can be hired for the rest of the 2021-22 academic year, appointing Elementary Curriculum Coordinator Christina Perry and Elementary Special Education Team Chair Nicole Hyde-Bradford to fill Dwyer’s shoes. Vogel said the position has been posted.
Dwyer said she was grateful to Summer Street’s parents for their support during her tenure.
“The parents in the Summer Street community have been extraordinarily generous with your time, money and love for the school,” she wrote in the letter. “I have appreciated all of your efforts to create a successful school that focuses on students’ social and academic achievement and I have been proud to work here. Thank you for your support throughout these difficult times.”
Dwyer was hired by former Superintendent of Schools Jane Tremblay in February 2018, succeeding Interim Principal Greg Hurray who presided for about a year and a half following the unexpected departure of Jen DiBiase, who resigned suddenly in December 2016.
“I was happy to hear about Dr. Dwyer’s opportunity to become the assistant superintendent in Uxbridge,” Tremblay said. “Karen has a real talent for curriculum development. Her skills will be put to great use in this new position.”
Prior to working in Lynnfield, Dwyer was the assistant principal at Blanchard Memorial School from 2011-18, a K-6 elementary school in the Acton-Boxborough Regional school district. Before that, Dwyer served as a literary specialist in Chelmsford from 2003-11. From 1996-2003, she was a senior lecturer at Curry College in Milton, which succeeded a stint at the Woodward School for Girls in Quincy, where she served first as a literary specialist from 1994-96, then as dean of academic affairs from 1997-99.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, Dwyer went on to earn two master’s degrees from Tufts and Harvard universities, as well as her doctorate from Boston University.
