Veteran school administrator, outstanding communicator set to take on new role in Somerville beginning July 1

Somerville Public Schools Superintendent, Tony Pierantozzi, announced  that Shawn Maguire will be the next Principal at the Benjamin G. Brown School. Mr. Maguire is currently in his eighth year as Principal at the Rockport Elementary School in Rockport, MA. He will take on the leadership position at the Brown School beginning July 1. Mr. Maguire will succeed Kathleen Seward, who is taking over the Principal position at the West Somerville Neighborhood School following the retirement of Mrs. Thelma Davis at the end of this school year.

Mr. Maguire’s success as a school administrator has been guided by his understanding of the essential role that communication plays in creating a positive school climate, and by developing partnerships that enhance student support. An experienced school administrator who began his school leadership experience as a K-8 Assistant Principal, and then Principal at the Lura A. White School in Shirley, MA, Mr. Maguire has built a reputation for being an exceptional leader and staunch advocate for meeting the needs of all students.

“We had a very good pool of candidates vying for this position, and we are thrilled to welcome an outstanding and very well-respected educational leader to our school leadership team,” said Superintendent Pierantozzi. “Mr. Maguire has a reputation for being an excellent communicator and team-builder. I am confident that Mr. Maguire will continue to build on the great work of the Brown School community, and help lead the Brown School toward continued excellence.”

“I am thrilled to be chosen as the next Principal of the Brown School,” stated Mr. Maguire. “I am very excited to meet the Brown School students, staff and parent community. Over the next few weeks, I hope to connect with as many people as possible as I begin transition visits to the school. I look forward to this great opportunity to lead an excellent school.”

Mr. Maguire has spent the past 18 years serving elementary and middle grades students as an Assistant Principal or Principal in Massachusetts, including the last eight as Principal at the Rockport Elementary School, a PK-5 school with a student population of 410. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Principal at the Dr. Elmer S. Bagnall Elementary School in Groveland, MA from 2005 to 2007, and before that served as Assistant Principal at the Francis T. Bresnahan Elementary School in Newburyport, MA from 2002 to 2005.

Among the accomplishments that Mr. Maguire notes during his 18-year tenure as a school administrator are the partnerships that he has helped build to support students at his schools, his dedication to developing effective relationships within the school communities where he has worked, and his commitment to continuous self-improvement. Mr. Maguire is a graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington where he earned a B.S. in Secondary Education with a Minor in English. He earned an M.S. in Educational Administration from California State University-Fullerton.

The Somerville Public Schools follows a standard and inclusive recruitment and hiring process for school administrators to ensure broad community input. The process begins with focus group meetings with parents/guardians, faculty members, and members of the school’s community, that provide input in the development of a candidate profile. A separate and representative Screening Committee and Interview Panel are established for each position to determine the pool of applicants who best match the School and District’s needs. A slate of final candidates is forwarded to the Superintendent of Schools, who makes the final hiring decision based on the Interview Panel’s recommendations, a comprehensive personal interview process, and extensive reference checks.