BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham Unified School District has hired former Mary Hogan Elementary School principal Tom Buzzell as interim principal of Bristol Elementary School.
His one-year term begins July 1.
“I’m looking forward to bringing my growth from previous educational experiences to Bristol Elementary,” Buzzell told the Independent.
This past year, he worked as a library media specialist at the Bristol school.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the faculty and students at BES, as well as the larger Bristol community,” Buzzell said.
In a public statement to the school district, MAUSD superintendent Patrick Reen extolled Buzzell’s virtues.
“Tom has quickly become a positive, influential member of the BES community,” Reen said. “His experience as a school leader positions him well to assume the responsibilities of interim principal.”
He replaces Kevin Robinson, who submitted his resignation last month after three years in the job.
“This was not an easy decision as it has certainly required a lot of thought and consideration,” Robinson wrote in his resignation letter. “However, I have decided to move into a new direction that will hopefully allow me to continue my professional growth and career development.”
On April 9 Robinson was hired as the principal of the Integrated Arts Academy (IAA), a magnet school in the Burlington School District. At the time, he had also been a finalist for the principalship of Champlain Elementary School, in the same district.
Robinson did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Buzzell, 55, brings 13 years of administrative experience to the job. Before coming to Bristol, he served as assistant principal, co-principal, and then principal of Middlebury’s Mary Hogan school. Before that he taught science high school science for 10 years and served two stints as a school librarian.
He’s looking forward to using his leadership voice to help the MAUSD implement its Five-year Strategic Plan, he said.
Launched last month, the Strategic Plan sets out a series of goals, objectives and metrics for the district’s six schools, chief among them a district-wide curricular consistency.
Buzzell’s term as interim principal of BES ends on June 30, 2020, at which time he hopes to be considered for the permanent position, he said.
Reach Christopher Ross at [email protected].