Arthur T Cummings Principal Ryan Heraty Accepts New Position in Vermont

After five years as the principal of the Arthur T. Cummings School, Ryan Heraty will be moving to Vermont where he has accepted a position as principal of Union Elementary School in Montpelier.

During his time as principal in the Winthrop School District, Heraty has pioneered many programs at the Cummings School, and will leave behind many accomplishments.

In 2014, the Cummings School was the first school in the district to launch the Google apps for education petition which provided 60 Chrome books for kids. In response to the program, students had major academic growth and the middle school and high school followed closely behind, starting their own Chromebook programs.

Heraty was also responsible for executing many of the afterschool programs, as well as the writers workshop, the kindness club, and the guided math model, while also facing the challenges associated with the new high school/middle school being built. As the principal, he made sure to empower the teachers with a curriculum framework that allowed them to track and share successful lesson plans which turned out to be beneficial to both experienced teachers and those new to the district.

While he is eager to move on to fulfill a long-time dream of living in the Green Mountain State, Heraty will miss the many friendships he’s built in the Winthrop community, but above all else he will miss the students and their willingness to take care of one another.

“The students in Winthrop will certainly be the thing I miss the most,” he said. “Their energy, community spirit, and willingness to take care of one another is truly special. I have also been very fortunate to have worked with some amazing teachers, talented administrators, and many wonderful families. Former Superintendent John Macero and current Superintendent Lisa Howard have been incredible leaders to learn from and Mr. Curley and I worked very closely to ensure a smooth transition while the new middle/high school was built. That was a really exciting time.”

Heraty feels strongly about providing students with what they need to thrive both socially, emotionally, and academically, and believes that the rise in test scores is a result of educating the whole child.

“From our top performers to our students that have needed a high level of support, we have worked really hard to ensure every child is getting what is needed to make significant progress while building a life-long love of learning. From the Google initiative we launched in 2014 to the numerous after-school enrichment programs, we have focused on educating the whole child and our raised test scores have been a byproduct of building this strong foundation. I am confident with the team in place now, the momentum will carry forward and there are many exciting years ahead for the students of Winthrop.”

Heraty will take on his new role on July 1, leading a similar school size as the Cummings School. While he is sad to leave his hometown of Marblehead, he is eager to raise his three children in the open space of Vermont.

“During his time as the principal of the Arthur T. Cummings School, Mr. Heraty instituted new initiatives in math, reading, writing, science, and Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems (PBIS),” said third grade teacher, Kristen Reynolds. “Through these initiatives he paved the way for teachers and students to develop a deeper understanding of the standards and to grow as a community. The Cummings School students show growth in all areas due to his never-ending encouragement and commitment to rigor.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.