Patricia Riley
By THOR JOURGENSEN
LYNN — With Shoemaker School Principal Patricia Riley eying a March 1 retirement date, School Superintendent Catherine Latham plans to pick the veteran principal’s successor as soon as possible.
A 40-year Lynn public schools veteran, Riley grew up in West Lynn and worked in her first school job as a speech therapist.
“One of my first schools was Shoemaker,” she said.
Her career also took her to Harrington, Ingalls and Callahan schools. Riley was named Connery School principal 11 years ago and became Shoemaker principal six years ago. She called Shoemaker a community school with parents and children welcoming special needs students who attend the school.
“It’s a building with so much empathy for others. The families are great. I love watching kids grow and master skills and seeing new teachers hone their craft,” Riley said.
Interviews for a new Shoemaker principal began last Tuesday and stretched into Monday. Latham has hiring authority on school principalships and it is a responsibility she has exercised at least once a year in the last three years.
Former Drewicz School educator Mary Panagopoulos succeeded retiring Sewell-Anderson Principal Patricia Mallett last July and longtime Lynn Vocational Technical Institute faculty member Robert Buontempo Jr., was named Tech’s new director by Latham last February, succeeding outgoing Principal Diane Paradis.
Molly Cohen took over as Marshall Middle School’s principal just over a year ago. In April, she will lead her students and coworkers over to the brand-new Marshall Middle School, which is currently under construction on Brookline Street.
Riley plans to travel in retirement and start doing “the things I can’t do now” as the leader of a school who starts her workday early and also spends evenings and weekends on the job.
“It’s all-encompassing: To do a good job you have to dedicate time,” she said.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].