The search for Concord High School’s next principal entered a new phase this week.
The committee tasked with vetting applicants welcomed Rebecca Noe, the current Oyster River High School principal, for a day-long visit, which included meetings with students, staff, classroom visits and a tour of the building.
Noe was the only candidate invited for a visit at this stage of the process, but the committee has not yet decided on whether to recommend her for the role, said vice principal Kaileen Chilauskas, who is facilitating the search.
“Out of the candidates we interviewed, she was someone that the committee felt they wanted to bring back to learn about,” Chilauskas said.
The district is looking to fill the role vacated by Tim Herbert, who was hired as Concord’s superintendent earlier this year. Kristen Gallo, the longtime Christa McAuliffe School principal, is serving as the interim high school principal this year.
Chilauskas said the search committee will review feedback from Noe’s Wednesday visit before deciding whether to move forward with her as their recommended candidate or consider other applicants. She said the district received between 10 and 15 applications for the role, though some contenders didn’t have the required qualifications. The committee interviewed between three and five of them last week.
There is no timetable for when the committee will make a decision, Chilauskas said.
“We’re going to take our time,” she said. “I think it’s really important that we find the right person, so we don’t want to rush this.”
The committee is composed of a district-level administrator, a school board member, teachers, parents, students and other high school staff, according to Chilauskas.
Prior to becoming Oyster River’s principal in 2021, Noe served as an assistant principal in Bedford and as a teacher at Pinkerton Academy, according to her LinkedIn profile. The profile also indicates that she worked at Concord High for one year.