Waltham Names 2 Finalists For Whittemore School Principal Job

WALTHAM, MA — Whittemore Elementary School is a step closer to having a permanent principal, the superintendent said Monday.

Waltham Superintendent Brian Reagan announced two finalists in the search for principal, including one that is a familiar face around Waltham.

Between Jan. 25 and Feb. 12, some 20 people applied for the position. Four of those made it through to the interview round and two made it to the final round.

The position has been influx since 2019, when Emma Hertzog stepped away for maternity leave. Andrew Ahmadi served as Whittemore's acting principal for several months. Then this year, the district appointed Alexander Mathews, as interim principal.

● Dr. Ricardo Dobles: Dobles has been one of two vice principals of the Barbieri Elementary School in Framingham, a two-way Spanish immersion school with almost 700 students in grades K-5 since 2015. Before that, Dobles was a wraparound coordinator for the Worcester Public Schools. In his reference materials, Dobles was described as an "astute observer" of classroom instruction, as a leader open to new ideas, and as an advocate for all students who promotes and supports high quality instruction. Dobles earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in Comparative Literature and a Master of Education degree and a Doctor of Education degree from the Harvard University Graduate College of Education.

● David Sweder: Sweder is one of two assistant principals at the Kennedy Middle School in Waltham. He has been in this role since 2018. His prior experience includes working as a principal intern within the Boston Public Schools and teaching English in Waltham at the McDevitt Middle School, Kennedy Middle School and at Waltham High School. Sweder is a member of Waltham's Discipline Disproportionality Committee and has participated in the Leading and Learning for Equity Network. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University with a double major in English and philosophy, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts, and a Master of Education in School Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Both will participate in virtual site visits to Whittemore scheduled for March 11. These
virtual site visits will include meetings with faculty, staff and administrators, as well as an evening community/family forum.

The evening forum will be held at 6:30pm and will. include live translation. Each candidate will be given 30 minutes to provide a brief introduction and to answer questions. To access the community forum, visit https://stream.lexikeet.com/waltham.

The Superintendent of Schools expects to make an appointment by March 22 with a start date of
July 1.