New Healey School Principal, Jill Geiser, announced the hiring of Frederick McClelland as the school’s new Assistant Principal last week. Mr. McClelland joins the Healey School senior leadership team after serving as Assistant Principal and Special Education Department Coordinator at Westport Middle School for one year.  He earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from George Washington University, where he is currently enrolled as a U.S. Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellow.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Education from the University of New Hampshire.

“Fred brings with him a wealth of experience in education as a teacher and administrator and I am excited to have him join the Healey leadership team,” commented Ms. Geiser.  “With a deep understanding of the educational needs of students in diverse, urban environments, Fred brings leadership talent that will help move the school towards its progressive mission, grounded in the core values of excellence, joy, openness, and creativity.”

Mr. McClelland brings more than 10 years of experience in Education to the Healey School, including six years as a school administrator.  He began his teaching career in 2000 at Edison McNair Academy in East Palo Alto, California.  As the English Language Arts Department Head and Master Teacher at the Academy, he was responsible for training ELA and ESL teachers in grades K-8 in complete literacy development, classroom management, and assessment practices.  Utilizing weekly assessment practices and data analysis, he developed a school-wide plan for increasing student ELA achievement and designed a school-wide system for ELA pedagogical support that included model lessons and professional development workshops.  From 2006 to 2007, he served as Assistant Principal and School Operations Manager at Edison McNair Academy.

Mr. McClelland was Assistant Principal and Special Education Department Coordinator at Westport Middle School in Westport, Massachusetts, a position he held for one year before joining the Healey leadership team.  His responsibilities in that position included the design and implementation of disciplinary procedures and policy for the school, creation of a school-wide system for Tier II academic and behavioral intervention, management and evaluation of the school’s Special Education policy and service delivery, evaluation and support of professional and paraprofessional staff, and school-wide professional development to improve methodology in Math, ELA and classroom management.

From 2008 to 2011 Mr. McClelland was a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, serving on an Early Elementary Education Project in Paraguay where he trained Ministry of Education officials for nationwide elementary and middle school teacher preparation in literacy pedagogy.  He also served as a professor of classroom management, literacy and management during his time in Paraguay.

“Mr. McClelland was among a group of excellent internal and external candidates for this position,” commented Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi.  “He brings excellent experience as an educator and leader to the Healey School, as well as a wealth of knowledge in working with a diverse urban student population.  Mr. McClelland will support the instructional team as they continue to build upon the great work that is taking place at the Healey.”

The Somerville Public Schools follows a standard and inclusive recruitment and hiring process for school administrators to ensure community input.  A separate and representative Screening Committee and an Interview Panel are established for each position to determine the pool of applicants who best match the School’s needs.  A slate of final candidates is forwarded to the School Principal, who makes the final hiring decision based on the Interview Panel’s recommendations and a comprehensive personal interview process.