When the renovated Whittemore Elementary School opens on Parmenter Road this fall it will come with a new leader.
Principal Patricia Vasquezi plans to retire on June 30 and parents and school officials have formed a search committee to find a replacement.
"Whittemore has a very long history of traditions and is a very dedicated community of staff and parents," Vasquezi said. "I'd like to see the whole community work together for the best interest of the students. I think it's a very caring community and I'd like to see that remain long after I'm gone."
Parents and school officials met Wednesday in the media lab of the school's temporary location, the old South Middle School on Moody Street, to discuss what they would like to see in a new principal.
"It was basically a forum for parents to come and voice their questions and concerns and comments. It was just for the parents ... basically what we're looking for in a new principal," Whittemore PTO co-president Lori Cotoni said. "The superintendent and the screening committee can take what we said in the session and apply it as we move forward in the search."
Cotoni said a search committee was formed on May 9. The committee will soon begin screening candidates for the position.
The committee is made up of three parents, Cotoni, Lisa Limonciello and Giovanna Abeiga, three Whittemore teachers, Jennifer Tagarelis, Lynn Hubacheck, Christine Clarke, Superintendent Susan Parrella, Assistant Superintendent Alec Wyeth and a Waltham public school principal that has yet to be named, Cotoni said.
Cotoni said members of the group applied to be on the screening committee a few weeks ago and Parrella released the list last week.
Parrella said the purpose Wednesday's meeting was to gather feedback from parents. Parrella said she also met with Whittemore teachers earlier that day.
Cotoni said parents, who attended Wednesday's meeting, said they are looking for a principal who is open minded, open to new ideas, motivated and technologically inclined to deal with new computers and other technologies that will be installed in the school in the coming months.
"From what I understand once the process starts we cannot divulge information on the candidates," Cotoni said. "Once we officially get into the process and we have names and resumes, it can not be discussed publicly."
Parrella said an exact date for the screening committee's first meeting has not yet been set, but the committee will soon begin screening candidates.
"Her position was internally posted. It's going in the newspaper and various Web sites with in the coming days," Parrella said yesterday.
Cotoni said she would like to see the new principal start on July 1.
"It's a very exciting time for our school. I know it's quite a task a ahead of us, but were excited to move into a brand new school," she said. "I kind of just look forward to writing a new chapter."
Whittemore is the eighth and final public school building the city has worked to renovate or replace since 2001.
The school can hold 516 students and is expected to open with 300 to 350 students in September. School Building committee chairman David King said the renovation cost $25 million.
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com
