WARWICK — Jen Smith, assistant principal at Crocker Farm Elementary School in Amherst, has been hired as Warwick Community School’s new principal.

Warwick School District Superintendent Carole Learned-Miller, who worked alongside Smith as her supervisor about a decade ago, said Smith was “by far the most qualified” out of the roughly 30 candidates considered for a combined principal-teacher role at Warwick Community School, which will open as an independent elementary school in the fall. The Conway resident has spent more than two decades as an educator, carving out a strong niche as a reading specialist.

Learned-Miller labeled Smith as “a gifted educator and leader” when introducing her to the community in the district’s weekly newsletter. Summarizing her resumé, Learned-Miller noted that Smith bears a certificate in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a master’s degree in the teaching of reading at Columbia University’s Teachers College. She also highlighted Smith’s extensive work related to professional development for teachers, family engagement, social justice, student well-being and instruction styles.

“We are super, super lucky,” Learned-Miller said of hiring Smith.

Smith will be supplementing the school’s three classroom teachers across seven grades during their reading blocks, in addition to serving as the school’s principal, Learned-Miller said. She explained that the school intends to “offer a systematic approach to the teaching of reading skills” that focuses on the “phonemics and sonics” of the activity. Attention to these aspects of reading, she said, was once prioritized nationally, but has since been decentralized. Smith, she said, has the savvy and desire to embrace reading as a science.

“She’s a really gifted reading specialist, so we have really ambitious plans to have a ‘science of reading’ approach to our program,” Learned-Miller said. “We really wanted someone as a leader who also really understands reading.”

Warwick Community School is slated to reopen this fall for the first time since its closure in 2020. According to the Rural School Redesign website, the next chapter for the school will be place-based, meaning studies will be socially and environmentally relevant to Warwick.

Smith said she is excited to bring Warwick residents’ “vision and their love to fruition” while creating something new that centers around joy.

“Your community’s passionate belief in the power of rural, small-town schools and commitment to project- and place-based instruction with a focus on nature truly inspired me to become your principal,” Smith wrote in her message to the community. “I share in this school community’s commitment to caring for your children each and every day while providing them with a joyful learning environment.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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