By Stephen Seitz
LUDLOW— Ludlow Elementary School principal Karen Trimboli has taken over from Shannon Martin as principal of Black River Middle and High School.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to provide positive leadership for the school and the children,” Trimboli said.
Martin, who was on maternity leave, resigned to take over as principal at Newport Junior-Senior High in New Hampshire.
“I was an interim principal while she was out,” said Trimboli. “She had many, many things going.”
Trimboli has been the principal at Ludlow Elementary for about 13 years. John Davis, she said, would serve both schools as assistant principal. Davis had been dean of students at Black River.
“I plan to bring stability to the schools,” Trimboli said. “It’s been a stressful year. “There is still a lot of stress from Act 46.”
Meg Powden, the superintendent of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, said the school board made the decision to appoint Trimboli at its regular July meeting.
“We are saving some money,” she said, “about $50,000 for the two school districts.”
Both Trimboli and Powden said they would pursue what educators call proficiency-based learning.
“Essentially,” Powden said, “that means the students will have to establish their learning in a variety of ways. Rather than pass tests or write research papers, they’ll be asked to express their learning through projects and presentations…I’m really trying to create a vertical alignment from pre-K through 12th grade,” she said. “I’d like to make it one single entity, not elementary, middle and high school. I hope that might help with Act 46.”