By Sean Sullivan         

As tradition has it, the transition from summer to autumn this year will make way for a new class of students in schools throughout the community. And this year, Natick High School will welcome a new principal among those fresh faces.  

According to a timeline posted on Natick Public Schools’ website, the job posting for a new NHS Principal was widely circulated on Feb. 11. That was the starting gun that began a multi-stage process that will unfold until early April.

The next step involves meetings including school officials, staff, and families. Natick’s School Superintendant and Human Resources Director were among those in attendance.  Feb. 27 was set as the cut-off date for the submission of resumes.

The beginning of this month would see the start of the resume review process by town officials, and the winnowing down of the candidate pool. The method appeared on paper as a sort of managerial March Madness, where a slate of between eight and twelve applicants would be narrowed down as the month and process progressed.

Following the weekend after the principal position was posted, Anna Nolin said several resumes had already been received. She is Natick’s Superintendant of Schools, and is intimately involved in the process.

Administrators plan by early March to have narrowed the pool of potential principals down to a roster of as many as 12 applicants. Following a morning of virtual interviews, that number of candidates may be as much as halved.

By mid-March, in-person interviews will take place, during which that group of around six candidates will be downsized by half again. Month’s end will see The Final Three (or Four) spend a day at the high school with administrators, staff and students.      

“It’s a really big process,” said Nolin. “It mimics the sheer amount of interaction that a principal goes through in a day.”

The month closes out with an evening forum including parents, caregivers and staff, where candidates are allotted about a half hour to interact with the group. The School Superintendant and Human Resources Director will then meet with NHS staff to choose a finalist.

Brian Harrigan is Natick’s current high school principal, and has served in that role since 2015. He will remain at NHS until July 1, when the baton will be passed to the new principal.

Harrigan has accepted a position as principal of the Francis Parker Charter School in Devens.

“This community is incredible,” Harrigan said of Natick. “I’m really, really sad to leave.”

Harrigan cited his new school’s novel approach to education as the main reason why he chose to transition there. Its class sizes are smaller, and student voice is given a central role, he said. Total enrollment for the Francis Parker Charter School is around 400 students in a given year - about one quarter of Natick High School’s student body. 

“It’s a model of education that I find deeply appealing,” said Harrigan. “Students are able to go very deep into a project.”

Harrigan will see off the NHS class of 2022 before he moves on.  

“I have loved my time here,” he said. “I do feel like I’m graduating with them.”