I sat down with Principal Boynton last week to get to know her better. I really enjoyed our conversation and found her very interested in students and easy to talk to. Here is what I learned…
Q. Do you live locally?
A. I live in Groton, which is about a 35-minute drive for me. The North Shore is new to me and my husband, as we used to live on the South Shore. Fortunately, the commute has not been too bad.
Q. Were you ever a principal before this job?
A. I was an Assistant Principal in Bedford High School for six years, and before that I was a history teacher in both Brockton and Brookline high school districts for 18 years.
Q. What makes you a great Principal?
A. Well…the jury is still out since I am fairly new at it! But what is important to me is to communicate early and often, to be visible in classrooms, to be accessible to teachers and students. To really have a listening ear is important.
Q. What made you go into education?
A. My undergraduate degree is from American University and it is in international relations. I thought about foreign service and peace corps, but then worked at a global 6-week international workshop of teachers. When I participated in the cool stuff they were doing, a light bulb clicked. Everything begins with education---healthy societies and healthy democracies—all begin with education. I never looked back since I changed to education and I consider it a calling.
Q. What is your favorite book and why?
A. All the Light You Cannot See, about a blind French girl and her connection through the radio with a Nazi German soldier who was a young boy. And I also love How to Raise an Adult, a nonfiction book that gives guidance to parents and educators about how to avoid helicopter parenting and raise responsible adults.
Q. What is your favorite movie and why?
A. I’m a Game of Thrones fan and I love the Harry Potter movies and Lord of the Rings. Fantastic!
Q. What is your favorite place to go and why?
A. My happy place is the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I belong to Appalachian Mountain Club. And then another wonderful place I have been three or four times is Cambodia, and it is a country that speaks to me due to its rebuilding after tragedy. I worked with another teacher and a student group to open a school there. It has a special place in my heart.
Q. What is Your idea of a perfect day?
A. There are so many! I love coming to work every morning and hanging out on Main Street. I love to greet kids as they come in, see them at lunch, and get into classrooms to see the teaching and learning that is going on. A perfect weekend is being with my family, driving my daughter around, while my son, who is a senior, can drive himself. Being with my kids and my dog, often up in New Hampshire.
Q. Pick three adjectives that describe you?
A. Kind, empathetic and curious.
Q. Did you play any sports in high school or do any activities?
A. I was on the Year Book Group. I ran track and cross-country, but not well because I injured my ankle in 8th grade which derailed me from soccer. I did a little bit of background drama too.
Q. What has surprised you about your job so far?
A. It’s just really fun…I’m having such a great time! I am not as stressed as I thought maybe I would be. Because I just really loving the community of Reading and RMHS. This feels like where I am supposed to be.
Q. What is your number one most important goal for this year?
A. Hopefully you saw that on the first day of school---to build community. Really push out our core values and answer who we are as a school.
Q. What do you students at RMHS to most know about you?
A. I am approachable, and I want to hear them. I want to shadow three students, hopefully one from each grade, so if anyone wants to volunteer for that I will sign them up for the job.