LYNN — Former Thurgood Marshall Vice Principal Stephanie Doucette will take the helm as interim principal for the 2022-2023 school year — and possibly beyond.
Doucette, who started her education career almost 30 years ago as a special education teacher at Lynn English High School, has served as Thurgood Marshall’s vice principal for the last 10 years. She said that she wants to stabilize, heal, and transform the middle school to former Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler’s vision.
“I’m going to go along with the lines of what Dr. Tutwiler has started. My first goal is just to stabilize the school by keeping things clear, and routines the same so that the new staff and the new students can stabilize with us. And you know, we still have some healing to do, we’re getting better. Last year was a tough year with students and staff getting used to being social again after we’d all been in our homes,” Doucette said.
Doucette said that the school’s six newly-acquired social workers will help with the process of stabilizing a school that is still adapting to post-pandemic education. She also said that she would like to help “transform” her school for the better by continuing the work of her predecessor, Molly Cohen, in race and equity training.
“I’d like to continue the healing process through using all of our new social workers at the building. We’re going to have a staff of six social workers with the clinical director, and they’ll be able, with their guidance, to help stabilize the staff and the students,” she said. “And then transform, we’ve been transforming for a while. The big transform is I would like to get better at race and equity training. And continue with that work. That was something my principal was really good at.”
Doucette said that with the guidance of Cohen and the support of a strong community within Thurgood Marshall, she is eager to serve her school and her district.
“I’m looking forward to working with the school and the district to provide equitable access and rigorous learning to all of the school,” Doucette said. “When asked if I wanted this position, I was eager to do it. I’ve been well prepared by Molly Cohen. And she will continue to be my mentor. And I have to say, the staff here is wonderful. They’re flexible, they’re supportive. We are a strong community, and that’s a good feeling, knowing that this is such a big change. And there’s a lot that we’re going to be up against, but I know the staff will be very supportive and helpful. It’s a great team over here. That’s why I’ve never lost love for Marshall Middle School.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected].
