11 Worcester Schools to Begin 2026-27 With New, Acting or Interim Principals

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By Jerry Filmore

WORCESTER, MA — As Worcester families prepare for the start of another school year, students at 11 schools will return to buildings led by new, acting or interim principals, with many of those administrators already having years of experience inside Worcester Public Schools.

The district announced the leadership appointments Friday, Aug. 7, covering schools across Worcester from North High and South High to elementary school communities in Main South and other parts of the city.

The appointments include educators moving from assistant principal positions into school leadership, principals transferring between Worcester schools and administrators returning to schools where their careers began.

For families, the changes come just weeks before the 2026-27 school year begins. According to the district’s official school calendar, teachers and staff report Aug. 27 and 28, with the first day of school scheduled for Aug. 31. Pre-K and kindergarten students begin Sept. 3.

North High School: Edward Walker

Edward Walker has been named principal of North High School after most recently serving as Grade 9 administrator and dean of students at Worcester Technical High School.

Walker has more than two decades of educational experience spanning K-12 administration, counseling and higher education admissions. His previous positions include dean of students at Thurston Middle School in Westwood and guidance counselor at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge.

WPS said Walker will focus on academic and social-emotional outcomes for North High students while working with staff and families.

South High Community School: Olga Papadopoulos

Olga Papadopoulos will move from acting principal to permanent principal at South High Community School after serving in the acting role during the 2025-26 school year.

Her connection to the school extends beyond her current position. Papadopoulos is a Worcester Public Schools graduate and member of South High’s Class of 2000.

She has spent 20 years working in the district and will now continue leading the school she once attended as a student.

Nelson Place School: Ellen Moynihan

Ellen Moynihan will serve as interim principal at Nelson Place School.

Moynihan brings nearly four decades of experience in education and has worked within Worcester Public Schools since 2001. Her district roles have included teacher, lead mathematics support specialist, instructional coach and principal.

She previously spent eight years leading West Tatnuck Elementary School. Moynihan has also lived in Worcester for 30 years and raised two children who attended Worcester Public Schools from kindergarten through high school.

The district describes Moynihan’s Nelson Place appointment specifically as an interim position. The press release does not state how long she is expected to serve in that role or provide a timeline for selecting a permanent principal.

Belmont Street Community School: Emily Kokansky

For Emily Kokansky, becoming principal of Belmont Street Community School represents a return to the school where her education career began.

Kokansky previously spent nine years at Belmont Street as a sixth-grade English teacher and instructional coach.

During the 2025-26 school year, she served as acting principal at Francis J. McGrath Elementary School. She will now return to Belmont Street as principal for 2026-27.

Francis J. McGrath Elementary School: Erin Derr

Erin Derr will become principal of Francis J. McGrath Elementary School after serving as principal of City View Discovery School.

Derr has spent her entire 25-year education career with Worcester Public Schools. She began as a teacher at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School and Heard Street Discovery Academy before moving into leadership at City View, first serving four years as assistant principal and then three years as principal.

Derr is also a lifelong Worcester resident and has three daughters who are Worcester Public Schools students or graduates.

City View Discovery School: John Donahue

John Donahue will return to City View Discovery School as acting principal.

Donahue has served as assistant principal at Quinsigamond Elementary School for the past three years, but his connection to City View began earlier in his career.

He started there as a special education paraprofessional and later spent more than nine years teaching special education in STEP programs at City View and Quinsigamond.

Donahue is also a lifelong Worcester resident and has children within the Worcester Public Schools community.

Burncoat Street Preparatory School: Christine Lloyd

Christine Lloyd will serve as acting principal at Burncoat Street Preparatory School after most recently serving as the school’s assistant principal.

Lloyd began working for Worcester Public Schools in 2005 as a science teacher at Dr. Arthur F. Sullivan Middle School after relocating from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she participated in Teach For America.

Her 21-year education career has also included teaching biology at Worcester Technical High School and fifth-grade math and science at Tatnuck Magnet Elementary School.

Lloyd has served as a focused instructional coach and district-wide science liaison and has managed the Worcester Public Schools VEX robotics program since 2011.

Flagg Street School: Colleen Dyer

Colleen Dyer will become principal of Flagg Street School, bringing more than 20 years of education experience to the position.

Dyer joined Worcester Public Schools in 2013 as a sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Worcester Arts Magnet School.

She became the district-wide English Language Arts liaison in 2018 and has served as assistant principal at Thorndyke Road School since 2021.

Goddard School of Science and Technology: Kara Schichilone

Kara Schichilone will serve as acting principal at Goddard School of Science and Technology, continuing a career at the Main South school that has spanned decades.

The 2026-27 school year will mark Schichilone’s 26th year with Worcester Public Schools at Goddard.

She began as a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, serving for eight years before spending another eight years as a focused instructional coach. She has been Goddard’s assistant principal for the past nine years.

WPS said Schichilone has worked with multiple generations of families during her time in the Main South neighborhood.

Lake View School: Angie LaRose

Angie LaRose will become permanent principal of Lake View School after serving as acting principal during the 2025-26 school year.

LaRose began her WPS career as a SAIL teacher at Gates Lane School of International Studies and later worked as an inclusion teacher at Thorndyke Road and Roosevelt Elementary schools.

She has also served as a school-based instructional coach, district-wide math and special education coach and Lake View assistant principal before moving into the acting principal position last year.

Woodland Academy: Mary Sealey

Mary Sealey has been appointed principal of Woodland Academy.

Sealey has spent three decades with Worcester Public Schools and has 13 years of experience as a principal, including 12 years leading Canterbury Street School.

Her other district roles have included assistant principal and curriculum specialist, along with work managing special education programs including STEP and Transitional Life Skills.

The Woodland Academy appointment brings Sealey back into a leadership role in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood and on the shared Claremont Academy campus.

A Mix of Permanent and Temporary Leadership Changes

The district’s announcement distinguishes between permanent principals and administrators serving in acting or interim capacities.

The permanent principal appointments are Emily Kokansky at Belmont Street, Colleen Dyer at Flagg Street, Erin Derr at McGrath, Angie LaRose at Lake View, Edward Walker at North High, Olga Papadopoulos at South High and Mary Sealey at Woodland Academy.

Christine Lloyd at Burncoat Street Preparatory, John Donahue at City View and Kara Schichilone at Goddard will serve as acting principals. Ellen Moynihan will serve as interim principal at Nelson Place.

WPS did not provide timelines in the Aug. 7 announcement for when permanent principal searches may occur at the schools currently led by acting or interim administrators.

The leadership changes will begin taking shape later this month as school employees return Aug. 27 and students begin the new academic year Aug. 31. Families can review dates and other school-year information through the district’s 2026-27 Worcester Public Schools calendar.

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🔎 W.U.W. Verification Box

• Project / Topic: Worcester Public Schools principal appointments for the 2026-27 school year.

• Current Status: Worcester Public Schools has announced new leadership at 11 schools. Seven administrators were identified as principals, three as acting principals and one as an interim principal.

• Key Dates or Decisions: The appointments were announced Aug. 7, 2026. WPS staff report Aug. 27 and 28. The first day of school is Aug. 31, with Pre-K and kindergarten beginning Sept. 3.

• Estimated Cost: The WPS announcement does not provide salary information or additional costs associated with the leadership changes.

• Timeline: The administrators are scheduled to lead their respective schools during the 2026-27 academic year. The announcement does not provide end dates for the acting or interim appointments.

• Immediate Next Steps: The newly appointed administrators will begin the school year with their respective students, staff and families as WPS prepares for students to return Aug. 31.

• Primary Sources: Worcester Public Schools Aug. 7, 2026 principal announcement and the official Worcester Public Schools 2026-27 calendar.

• What We Do Not Yet Know: WPS has not provided timelines for permanent principal selections at Burncoat Street Preparatory School, City View Discovery School, Goddard School of Science and Technology or Nelson Place School.

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