May 21, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams shared with the School Committee last night the timeline for hiring a new Hingham High School principal following Rick Swanson’s resignation announcement last week.
He will remain in his role as principal through August and assist with transitioning the new high school principal.
“We are grateful for his 17 years of service to the Hingham Public Schools [as HHS assistant and then principal],” Adams said.
“We wish him well in his new role and appreciate his support in the upcoming transition.”
Swanson has accepted the position of athletic director and wellness coordinator for the Silver Lake Regional School District.
The open principal position was posted on Monday [May 20]. “At the same time, we have posted an interim high school principal position to identify potential candidates if we cannot identify viable permanent candidates [within this short timeframe],” according to Adams.
The following is a “tentative, approximate schedule” for the recruitment and appointment of the new HHS principal as outlined by Adams:
- preparation of recruiting materials, May 20
- advertising; creation of screening committee comprised of 2 School Committee members; 1 principal/assistant principal; 2 educators; 2 parents/caregivers; 2 students; 1 curriculum director; and 1 special education program representative, May 20-29
- seek feedback on candidate profile from stakeholders, May 27-31
- screening committee training/orientation and resume screening, May 29
- initial interviews with screening team (including reference checks), June 3-6
- finalist site visits to HHS and public interviews, June 10-12
- Central Office interviews and appointment, June 17-21
- new principal induction, July-August 2024
Adams noted Swanson’s focus on global education and awareness and that HHS is known for supporting its students. “We hope to continue that focus under [new] leadership,” she said.