MANCHESTER – On Monday night, the Board of School Committee approved the hiring of two current district administrators as principals at Webster Elementary School and Southside Middle School. Kelly Espinola, the current principal at Parker-Varney Elementary, will be the next principal at Southside. Jenny Lynch, the current assistant principal at Green Acres Elementary, will be the next principal at Webster.
Superintendent Jenn Gillis congratulated Espinola and Lynch on their new positions.
“We are fortunate to have tremendous depth in leadership at our schools that allowed us to fill these positions from within,” Gills said. “Kelly and Jenny have extensive experience and connections in our community and will bring a fresh perspective to their new roles. I’m very excited for them as they take this next step in their careers.”
Espinola has served the district 20 years, serving as a classroom teacher before spending the last 7 years as an administrator. She was an assistant principal at Beech Street and Green Acres Elementary Schools before she was named principal at Parker-Varney in 2019. In her time at Parker-Varney, Espinola has worked with staff across her school to implement learning progressions that support individualized student learning. She replaces Jess Milligan, who is leaving Southside for a principal position outside of the district.
“I’m a proud product of Manchester schools, and I’ve been fortunate to spend my career building relationships with our students, staff and families across the city,” Espinola said. “I’ve greatly appreciated my time and Parker-Varney, and I’m looking forward to this next chapter in my career. I’m eager to get to know the people who make the Southside community great.”
Lynch is also a graduate of Manchester schools, who first joined the district 3 years ago when she was named assistant principal at Green Acres. Prior to that, Lynch spent most of her career teaching in Brookline. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rivier College and her certificate of advanced graduate studies at New England College. Lynch replaces Nicole Doherty, who is leaving Webster to serve as the district’s new executive director of teaching and learning.
“I am excited and honored to have this opportunity,” Lynch said. “When taking a tour with two student representatives, I immediately felt part of the school community. Webster has done some wonderful things that show how connected the staff and students are, such as the Morning Show, the recent science fair, the new mural and the Launch Pad. I look forward to working with the staff, students and the community on future endeavors.”
The School District will begin a search immediately to fill the principal position at Parker-Varney and the assistant principal position at Green Acres. You can find all Manchester School District job postings at https://bit.ly/MSDjobs.
