The West Tisbury School has a new principal, Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss announced Wednesday.
Donna Lowell-Bettencourt, interim director of student support services at Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools, will take over the role before the start of the school year, Mr. Weiss said.
“We have chosen Donna Lowell-Bettencourt and she has agreed. We will work out the details of her moving from the present position to that one in the next week or so,” he said.
The 33 eighth graders at the West Tisbury School aren’t the only ones moving on to high school. Their principal, Michael Halt, an Island educator and administrator since 1997, is gearing up for a major transition of his own. Mr. Halt’s last day is June 28. Then he will pack up his truck and head for California, where, in the fall, he will start as principal of the San Clemente High School.
At a meeting Tuesday Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said he would like to avoid appointing an interim principal to replace outgoing principal Michael Halt, and hire a permanent principal in time for the start of the school year next September.
West Tisbury school principal Michael Halt will leave the Vineyard at the end of the school year to take a job as a high school principal in California.
Mr. Halt, who has served as principal at the West Tisbury school since 2004, has accepted a job as principal of San Clemente High School in San Clemente, Calif., superintendent of schools James H. Weiss confirmed Thursday.
He said Mr. Halt planned to announce his departure to his staff at the end of the day Thursday.
Six Island educators are among the nine finalists now vying for the
interim principal jobs in both the West Tisbury and Chilmark schools.
The high-speed search for school leaders comes less than a month
after two principals in the Up-Island district - Elaine Pace and
Carlos Colley - handed in their resignations after each serving
three years on the job.
Retired Edgartown School principal Edward J. Jerome will take over
on Tuesday as interim principal of West Tisbury School, superintendent
of schools Dr. James H. Weiss announced this week. West Tisbury School
principal Michael Halt, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine
Corps Reserves, leaves this weekend for active duty in California and
Iraq.
West Tisbury School principal Michael A. Halt, a lieutenant colonel
in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, was called back to active
duty this week and will leave for training in just over a week to
prepare for a tour of duty in Iraq.
Mr. Halt received the official letter on Wednesday and has known
with near certainty that he would be leaving for a little more than two
weeks. He must report for duty by Jan. 15.
January tears were replaced by October smiles welcoming U.S. Marine Lieut. Col. Michael Halt back to West Tisbury on Monday.
Better known as school principal Mr. Halt to 283 students at the school, Mr. Halt was welcomed home with simple heartfelt words by his peers and was serenaded by the student body and by the faculty after an eight-month tour of active duty, including seven and a half months based in Seleucia, Iraq.
Passed over for an administration job, a science teacher at the West Tisbury School whose students scored highest in this year’s state MCAS exams, has angrily and publicly appealed for an explanation, saying without one he would be forced to leave the Vineyard school system.
An impassioned Karl Nelson aired his grievance at a meeting of the up-Island school committee on Monday, arguing that he had been unfairly denied the job of interim assistant principal at the West Tisbury School this summer. An out-of-state candidate was selected.
