Thursday, March 15, 2007 Older Editions

Three candidates finalists at Sanborn

By April Guilmet

When Christopher Raymond visited Sanborn Elementary School on Tuesday, what struck him most was the staff's commitment to the children, he said.

"But there were a lot of things that appealed to me there," he quickly added.

The Salem, N.H., resident and Westford assistant principal is one of three final candidates for the principal vacancy at the school.

Andover resident and former Andover teacher and swim coach Patricia Barrett, and Pamela Lathrop, principal of Franklin Elementary School in North Andover are also finalists and were expected to tour the school this week.

A fourth finalist, Shawn Maguire, withdrew from the race earlier this week, after accepting a principal position in Rockport.

In June, Sanborn principal Stephen Jankauskas will retire, after working in the district for nearly four decades. The finalists were announced late last week.

Parents and teachers attended focus groups with the acting search committee to help determine finalists.

A total of 26 candidates applied for the job, which has a reported salary of $107,000.

In his current role as assistant principal of Col. John Robinson and John A. Crisafulli Elementary School in Westford, Raymond said he appreciates the high level of parental involvement there. That Andover's community appears similar is a definite plus.

"There seems to be a lot of support available," said Raymond, who relishes his current position but desires to move up to principal. He's also worked as a guidance counselor in other local districts.

A self-described "product of Andover schools," Patricia Barrett still lives in town, though she's been principal of Dolbeare Elementary School in Wakefield since 1994. "Oh, to be working and living in the same place again," Barrett said.

You could say it's in her blood: the Bryan Lane resident remembers when her aunt served as principal of the former Central Elementary School.

As a teenager, Barrett once worked summers at Indian Ridge Country Club, in the same neighborhood as Sanborn.

"Having taught in Andover schools for 12 years, I'd love the chance to return as principal," said Barrett, who taught at Andover High from 1982 to 1984, and also coached the swimming and diving teams.

Pamela Lathrop of Haverhill said she'd welcome the chance to begin fresh in a new environment. Currently serving as principal of Franklin Elementary School in North Andover, Lathrop's philosophy is that change leads to professional development,

"I think you can always grow professionally in a new environment," Lathrop said. "Andover has strong leadership in place and I want to be part of that. Hopefully, we can compliment each other."

Like Sanborn, Lathrop said her current school is a supportive community boasting many parent volunteers. She said she expects she'd be quite comfortable there.

"I work well with multiple groups of people and I feel I have something to offer them," Lathrop said.

Superintendent Claudia Bach said she expects to make her final decision by month's end.