Meet Jay Richard, Lindsay Nye and Graeme Crowther— Concord’s newest school leaders

By JACQUELINE COLE

Monitor Staff

Published: 06-08-2023 4:51 PM

The upcoming school year will see new leaders in the administration, some familiar, and some brand new to Concord. Meet the newest faces of the Concord School District.

Jay Richard, Principal of RMS

Rundlett Middle School principal Paulette Fitzgerald will retire at the end of this school year, giving way to new leadership: Jay Richard.

“I’m not scared of anything, but it’s a tough job,” Richard told the Monitor.

Richard (pronounced rih-shard) was named middle school Principal of the Year by the New Hampshire Association of School Principals for his service at Oyster River Middle School. He taught special education for five years, was assistant principal for five years, and was principal for 14.

Now, he will take his leadership expertise to Concord’s school district.

“To be a school leader in the state’s capital, that’s a big deal,” Richard told the Monitor.

Lindsay Nye, Assistant Principal at CMS

Lindsay Nye will bring her energy and approachability to her role as assistant principal at Christa McAuliffe School next fall.

Nye has had a versatile career as an educator, jumping from 8th graders to 3-year-olds in the Henniker school district before she moved to North Carolina and taught Kindergarten.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

They had a “very different philosophy in teaching and approaches so I learned quite a bit,” said Nye of her experience in North Carolina. “But I missed New England, I missed the snow,” she said. So she went back to Henniker where she taught first grade until 2018.

In 2019, when she asked to teach 5th grade, her principal suggested she be a special education administrator for Henniker instead. Though she had her masters in special education, she was not yet certified for that position.

“I am constantly pushing myself to try new things and take new classes,” Nye said. So she got her certification while starting her job as the student services coordinator at the Henniker Community School. “So new job, Covid, and a full-time graduate masters program,” she said. “And I’ve loved every single minute of it.”

Concord appealed to Nye because it is a larger school district with more administrative openings, but shares the same values and ethics of education that she believes in.

“I am here today because I am ready for my next challenge,” Lindsay Nye told the school board.

Graeme Crowther, Assistant Principal at CHS

Michael Reardon will retire from serving as interim principal after leading Concord High School through one of the most difficult periods in education— Covid-19. His assistant principal since 2019, Tim Herbert, will step up to the principal position, leaving an opening for a fresh face.

“This is my first jump into a major leadership role in education,” Crowther, who will be taking this assistant principal position, told the Monitor.

Crowther has been teaching math since 2010. He started as a teacher at Laconia High School, and then taught for eight years at Concord Public Schools before landing at Concord High School as a teacher and later math curriculum facilitator.

Now, he will leave the classroom and join the administration as an assistant principal. This is a bittersweet shift for Crowther, as he loves being around students, but he knows that now he will be able to follow hundreds of kids across four years of their lives, building longer, stronger relationships.

“I have always wanted to continue in a way in which I could impact more kids outside of the classroom,” said Crowther.

]]>