We join the entire community in extending our congratulations to Lisa (Gill) Howard on her appointment as the new superintendent of the Winthrop schools.
Lisa has excelled in her role as the interim superintendent and well-deserved the opportunity to continue to lead the Winthrop school system. Her previous work experiences as a special education teacher, director of special education, director of pupil personnel services, and assistant superintendent of schools have established a great foundation to be the administrative leader of our schools.
Lisa has seen firsthand from a parent’s perspective the excellent results that can be achieved by students in the Winthrop schools. Her son, Christian, and daughters, Ashlyn and Gretchen, are proud graduates of Winthrop High, with Gretchen currently carrying on the esteemed Gill/Howard tradition in sports as the goaltender for the Salve Regina women’s hockey team. Her son, Declan, is a student in the Winthrop schools.
We at the Sun-Transcript go way back with Lisa Howard, to her days when she was the incredibly gifted second-baseman for the 1984 WHS state championship softball team. (Has it really been 34 years ago that coach Ron Spinney, with a bevy of stars such as Lisa Howard, Christine Bruce, Lisa Stanevicz, and the incredible pitcher, Lisa Monteleone Ferrara, took his Vikings to faraway Whitinsville and returned home with a state championship trophy?)
A true scholar-athlete, Lisa used her storied athletic career and academic achievements to earn admission to Boston College, where she played for years for the Division 1 B.C. Eagles.
And we couldn’t pay tribute to Lisa’s success without noting the support, encouragement, and guidance she has received from her parents, Peter and Maureen, who were also graduates of Winthrop High (in 1961 and 1962) respectively. Mr. Gill began his career in public service as a Town Meeting member when he was 21 years old and stayed very active in town government, culminating with his election to the town’s highest position, Town Council president, serving four years with distinction and honor. He continues to this day to contribute to the betterment of his community as a member of the Winthrop Housing Authority.
We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention Lisa’s brother, Brian, who served admirably as the principal of the Cummings School.
The School Committee showed its confidence in Lisa’s leadership and the improvements that have been made to the school system by appointing her to this prestigious position as the leader of our schools. Lisa assumes the role of superintendent at an exciting time in our town’s history. The new, state-of-the-art middle/high school and the newly renovated Miller Field give our students every opportunity to excel.
Our dedicated teachers, who work so hard each day to help our students advance and take a step closer toward college, also deserve credit for their efforts.
Lisa Howard has been a credit to our town for a long time. We know we join with all of our fellow residents in offering Lisa our congratulations and wishing her the very best in her position as the Winthrop Superintendent of Schools in the years to come.