HATFIELD — Principals at two elementary schools in Franklin County are finalists to become the next principal at Hatfield Elementary School beginning July 1.
Conor Driscoll, principal at Gill Elementary School in Gill since 2015, and Lindsay Rodriguez, principal at Hawlemont Elementary School in Charlemont since 2018, were selected from 31 applicants for the position.
Rodriguez and Driscoll were chosen from eight semifinalists by the preliminary search committee, made up of parents and guardians, school staff, a School Committee member and a community member.
Prior to becoming principal, Driscoll taught sixth grade humanities in the Gill-Montague School District, and was a sixth grade English Language Arts teacher in the Springfield public schools.
Before her tenure as principal, Rodriguez taught in schools in Enfield, Connecticut, and in the Mohawk Regional School District.
The hiring of the new principal is expected in early April.
Finalists interviews are expected to be completed by Hatfield Superintendent John Robert in the next
two weeks, even with the COVID-19 pandemic presenting logistical challenges.
“We are looking into the possibility of taping interviews and making them available for public viewing and feedback,” said interim Principal Tim Luce, who led the search committee.
Luce has been the interim principal since last July following the departure of Jennifer Chapin, the school’s principal for more than a decade before becoming the assistant principal of Westfield Intermediate School.