NORTHFIELD — For the first time in more than a year, Pioneer Valley Regional School has a permanent principal at the helm.

Matt Sullivan, who has been getting his bearings since stepping into his office in early July, is looking forward to being a steady presence in a school district that has seen a lot of administrative turnover over the last few years. He takes over the role from Dean of Students Cathy Hawkins-Harrison, who served as an interim principal following the resignation of previous interim Principal John Carter in December 2022.

Sullivan joins Northfield Elementary School Principal Kristen Schreiber and Bernardston Elementary School Principal Cindy Schultz — who served in an interim capacity last year — to round out a trio of permanent principal hires for the 2023-2024 school year.

“I am incredibly enthusiastic about working with the new principals at Bernardston and in Northfield to really build a cohesive product that is going to be marked by outstanding opportunities for students, but also stability,” Sullivan said. “I think we all have the intention of seeing this through.”

Sullivan brings a wide variety of educational experience to the role. Rather than starting his career in a school, his first educational job was with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, where he worked with incarcerated adults before he transitioned to West Springfield Public Schools to teach social studies for 11 years. Following that, he worked as an assistant principal and then principal at Monson High School.

In moving his career up the Pioneer Valley, Sullivan said this school is “a better opportunity” for him, and the middle- and high-school model provides a “chance to really build a culture, not just for four years, but for six.”

“It’s a school where the values are very closely aligned to what I believe schools should look like,” Sullivan said, adding that the district’s emphasis on restorative practices and heterogeneous learning (teaching students with different learning abilities and skill levels all in one classroom) are what attracted him to Northfield. “I think that is a very good model and I’m excited to work with that.”

The community’s sense of ownership in Pioneer was another aspect that brought him to the school.

“There’s a lot of support from the community and you can feel that. It’s palpable,” Sullivan said. “Schools do not exist in a vacuum. We’re only as strong as the community outside of our front door.”

As he steps into the principal role, Sullivan said his top priorities are expanding the restorative practices the school has already been working on, as well as creating a welcoming atmosphere, which is built on “openness, communication, honesty and transparency.”

On the curriculum side, he said he’s looking to work with district administration on more outdoor and environmental education topics because the school has a vast amount of land that can be used.

Expanding on the culture aspect, he said it also applies to staff and administration because “schools work a heck of a lot better if somebody’s got a smile on their face.”

“Schools need to be joyous places,” Sullivan said. “Not to diminish the fact that it’s hard work because it obviously is, and the stakes are high because we’re dealing with the future generation, but it’s supposed to be fun.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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