North Reading High School Principal Made Finalist for Rockport Superintendent

Principal Jon Bernard is one of three finalists for the superintendent position in Rockport. The other finalists are Superintendent of Chittenden East Supervisory Union in Vermont John Alberghini and Superintendent of Mount Desert Island Regional School System in Maine Robert Liebow.

According to Bernard, applications for the position were due in February and there were originally 47 applicants. Bernard participated in a public interview in Rockport Monday evening and will spend part of Wednesday in the district.

Bernard is seeking the new position for professional growth, he said. He has been principal of North Reading High School for nine years, which he referred to as nine outstanding years.

“I enjoy the work in North Reading. I work in a terrific place,” he said.

He went on to say that he is feeling excitement mixed with nostalgia, as there is always a sense of mixed emotion when it comes to moving on to a new role.

“We have great students. They are the reason I do what I do,” Bernard said.

Bernard spoke highly of the support shown by North Reading residents this past weekend when the community voted in favor of the school building project. He felt very invested in the project, he said, and wanted to see it through. Bernard withdrew his candidacy for the Amesbury superintendent position last year, due largely to the school building project.

He chose Rockport because it is a smaller district and believes that allows one to get to know people better than if you were working in a larger district. Rockport has two schools, an elementary school and a combined middle and high school.

“You have a greater ability to affect change,” he said of the smaller district.

Bernard noted that the size of the North Reading school district attracted him when he applied for his current role. He has seen several children from one family pass through his school, which allowed him to get to know families as well as students.

Bernard is unsure of when the final decision for the Rockport superintendent will be made, but he is excited about where he is in the process and “looking forward to a new challenge.”