Waitsfield Man Tapped

As New Asst. Principal at RUHS

By Sandy Cooch

Merradee Lyons of Brookfield was one of four community members who on Jan. 29 interviewed the three finalists for the job of Randolph Union High School assistant principal, to start July 1.

Yesterday morning, Lyons pronounced herself "totally ecstatic" to learn that the group’s clear favorite for the job—38-year-old David Barnett of Waitsfield—had been selected.

Superlative language also came from Supt. Brent Kay, who said he was "thrilled, jumping for joy," at Barnett’s selection, and from the new hire himself, who told The Herald yesterday that he is "ecstatic" about his new job.

Barnett, a former middle school teacher who currently works at the Vermont Department of Education, will replace Judy Hynes, who is moving to New York and a new job.

Lyons, who heads the RUHS CSO (Community School Organization), said Barnett impressed her as an educator who is attuned not only to the needs of students, but also to those of the community, the administration, and state and federal "regulatory standards."

Barnett and two other candidates spent Jan. 29 at RUHS, moving through a series of interviews, tours by "student ambassadors," and informal discussions with students, staff, and community members. He said yesterday, in a phone interview, that he sensed something special in Randolph as well.

Barnett’s current job at the state Department of Education has had him traveling to schools throughout the state. Many are impressive, he said, but he found RUHS to be a school with "a sense of community that is really palpable."

Sessions with various groups, he said, conveyed "a sense of we’re in this together; we understand the importance of education; we’re here to support each other and to move along, continuing to offer the best education possible."

Barnett grew up in Reading, Penna. He moved in his 20s to Maryland, where he was an eighth-grade language arts teacher for seven years, and where he earned a master’s degree in public school administration.

He and his family—wife Chatham, son Jack, 10, and daughter Mallie, 8—moved to Vermont in the summer of 2005.

Since then, Barnett has worked for the state, as a "middle level consultant." His main responsibility has been "to coordinate a vision for middle-level education."

Although Barnett gained administrative certification in Maryland, this is the first time he has applied for a school administrator post.

He has loved his work at the state level, but is impatient to be back in a school, he said.

"I really miss the day-to-day interaction with teachers and students," Barnett said. "There is a certain energy that emanates from a school."

Barnett said personal interests include travel, hiking, and other sports. He is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in educational leadership and policy studies at UVM.

Planned Departure

Judy Hynes was hired four years ago as the RUHS assistant principal, at the same time John Holmes was hired as principal. The two are credited with working with faculty, students, and the community to effect numerous positive changes at the school.

This year, Hynes was promoted to co-principal, with the RUHS middle school her focus. She has enjoyed her tenure here, Hynes said, and the decision to leave Randolph was a tough one.

This week, Supt. Kay noted that one of his goals has been to restructure the interview process, so that candidates may ask their own questions and determine, for their part, if they want to come here.

Adding that component, he commented, reduces turnover.

Prior to 2002, Kay noted, OSSU saw eight of its 11 upper-level administrators leave and had five superintendents in seven years.

"We’ve had two changes in the past five years, and both were planned," he said.

This year, because Hynes’ departure was announced early, RUHS was able conduct a search for a replacement early in the year, before other schools launched their searches and while the candidate pool was still untapped.

"I think we struck gold," Kay said of Barnett’s selection.

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