WHATELY — Lynn M. Carey, new superintendent of the Frontier Regional School District, sits inside her new office in the administration building on Christian Lane, behind a freshly inscribed name plate which sits on the edge of a mahogany desk.
“The priority is always student achievement,” she said. “Education is always evolving, kids’ minds are changing, and we need to reach them where they are.”
Afternoon sunlight streams in from large windows behind her and washes the inside of the white room, which stands in contrast against the blue suit Carey is wearing.
“I’m proud to be here,” she continued. “This is an excellent school district. I was so thrilled that Union No. 38 and Frontier Regional chose me.”
The new superintendent stepped into the office for the first time a few weeks ago following the retirement of longtime school district educator and superintendent Martha Barrett. The School Committee unanimously voted to appoint Carey to the position earlier this year.
Carey, who grew up in Chicopee, has been married for almost 40 years and has two daughters and a son — whom she says influenced her to change careers, into education.
After earning an associate degree from Holyoke Community College in the late 1980s, the superintendent worked as a paraprofessional, but changed careers after an influential teacher helped her son learn to read.
“He had this great teacher,” she explained. “He had a different learning profile from other kids. She was able to diagnose that.”
Carey said because of that teacher, she went back to school for a degree in psychology at the State University of New York at Potsdam and entered education.
Since then, the superintendent has worked in a number of education-related jobs, including as a guidance counselor, principal, and assistant superintendent over curriculum.
She has a master’s degree in education from Keene State College and a doctorate in education leadership from Walden University.
As far as the direction in which she’d like to see the school district go, Carey said she intends to continue doing what the previous superintendent started, by maintaining the level of education within the district, which she said is higher than average. To do so, she said she’s interviewing as many Union No. 38 teachers and stakeholders as she can.
“This information gathering is gonna inform where I’m gonna go,” she said. “What (the educators) value and their culture has been most enlightening.”
Aside from her job as an educator, Carey said she loves to travel and wants to eventually see every major city in North America. So far, she said she has been to about 20 states in the United States and most of the major cities in Canada.
Her love for travel isn’t limited to North America. Last year, Carey said, she went to Europe where she traveled through seven countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and Italy.
As a result of travel, Carey said she values experiences, and hopes to create an environment where students can develop critical thinking skills through experiential learning.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” she added, “critical thinking and problem solving.”
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