Co-Principals Named for MEMS for Next School Year

MANCHESTER  — The Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union has announced the appointment of two new co-principals to replace outgoing Co-Principals Irene and Martin Nadler.

Debra Fishwick and Betsy Memoe have been named as co-principals of the Manchester Elementary Middle School (MEMS) by the Taconic and Green School Board. They will begin their new assignment on July 1, 2018. The Nadlers, who stepped in to take over the reins at MEMS during the summer of 2016, will be retiring, according to the announcement.

Fishwick will serve as the principal for the elementary grades (Pre-K- 4). Since 2004, she has served as the principal of the Shrewsbury Elementary School. Memoe will oversee the middle school grades (5-8). She has been a member of the staff at MEMS for the past 25 years. For the past 20 she has been the primary counselor to the middle school students.

The appointments continue with having co-principals at MEMS. In addition to the Nadlers, Jackie Wilson, now the BRSU’s school superintendent, served as a co-principal with her colleague Jackie Parks from 2002-06.

“There is a world of difference between educating PK-4 students and kids in middle school,” Wilson said. “The co-principal model allows the school leadership to fine tune their focus to the specific needs of their grades levels with the results being a stronger school for children.”

Fishwick and Memoe share Wilson’s enthusiasm for the CoPrincipal model, they stated in the announcement.

“I know from experience that being a principal can be a lonely job,” Fishwick said. “I was drawn to the Manchester co-principal position because it both allows me to focus on early elementary and have a colleague with whom I can share ideas for education curriculum and teacher development.”

Memoe seconded the comment.

“The co-principal approach is the perfect model for this school,” she said. “During my tenure at MEMS I have seen both models in action. The years of co-principals were the best at MEMS.”