Hathorn named to interim post at Springfield High

Belinda “Bindy” Hathorn planned all along to return to Springfield High School to resume her old job as assistant principal, but the Springfield School Board gave her a promotion Monday night to be interim principal.

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Published June 9, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Hathorn named to interim post at Springfield High By Susan Smallheer SPRINGFIELD — Belinda “Bindy” Hathorn planned all along to return to Springfield High School to resume her old job as assistant principal, but the Springfield School Board gave her a promotion Monday night to be interim principal. The School Board voted 3-0 to tap Hathorn for the interim principal’s post, replacing departing Principal Bob Thibault, who resigned last month to take the principal’s job at Leland and Gray Union High School, where he had previously taught. Hathorn, 43, has been the interim principal for the past year at Union Street School, one of the town’s elementary schools, and she had planned on returning to the high school even before Thibault’s resignation, said Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin. Hathorn said Wednesday that she loved her year at Union Street, but that her “passion” was with older kids. In fact, she wasn’t at Monday night’s meeting, because she was escorting the Springfield High School senior class trip to Lake George, N.Y. “We all have a passion for working with a specific age group and mine is high school,” she said. “I missed that age level.” Hathorn was assistant principal at Springfield High for 3½ years before she decided to try the elementary grades. Before that, she had taught science at the high school for 16 years. “It’s my second home,” she said, adding that she probably would apply for the full-time position next year, but that she would see “how it goes” before making an absolute commitment. She said she had no immediate plans for changes at the high school, but that she would be involved in hiring the interim assistant principal’s spot. While the assistant principal’s job has been focused on discipline in the school, Hathorn said she planned on being involved in that still. “I want to be part of that,” she said. She praised Thibault and his seven years of continuity at the high school, saying he brought the stability the school had craved and needed. “Consistency is huge and what we needed,” she said. Students and staff both need consistent “expectations, leadership and focus,” she said. Last summer, when she was the top choice for Union Street, she only wanted a one-year contract to see whether the elementary grades were a good fit. Hathorn has a degree in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont, and worked at the Vermont Institute of Science before becoming a teacher. She returned to UVM later to get her post-baccalaureate teaching certificate, along with a master’s degree. She taught one year in the Montpelier school system before coming to Springfield High. A native of Hartland Four Corners, she now lives in the White River Junction area. McLaughlin said Thibault’s resignation toward the end of the school year put the search process at a disadvantage and that is why he offered the principal’s post on an interim basis. Hathorn will be free to apply for the full-time job once the school starts its search next January, McLaughlin said. To start a principal’s search this late in the year would not work to the school’s advantage, he said. 2016-06-07 / Front Page Bindy Hathorn named new interim high school principal By Tory Jones Bonenfant toryb@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School District Board of School Directors voted unanimously on Monday, June 6 to name Belinda "Bindy" Hathorn as the new interim Springfield High School principal. “I am looking forward to this new opportunity and to be able to return back where I started and continue making positive changes with the incredible staff at SHS,” Hathorn said in an email on Monday evening. District Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin recommended Hathorn to the board as a replacement for Robert Thibault, who is departing after seven years with the district to take a position at Leland and Gray High School, closer to his home. McLaughlin said that Hathorn was going to return to the high school this year as assistant principal, and said it made sense to recommend her to the interim principal position for the upcoming school year. “I really enjoyed my time at Union Street School. The students and staff are amazing. I learned a lot, worked with talented and dedicated professionals, and have some great memories that I will carry with me always,” she said. Hathorn began her career in the Springfield School District first as a high school science teacher before becoming assistant principal in 2011. She was appointed on July 2, 2015 as interim principal of Union Street School. She received her bachelor's degree in wildlife biology in 1996 and a Masters in education in 2003 from the University of Vermont. She completed a principal certification from Antioch in 2009. Before working in Springfield, she held a variety of substitute teacher positions in New Hampshire and Vermont. This fall, Hathorn will begin her 18th year working in the district, according to McLaughlin. She was chaperoning a senior class trip, and could not attend Monday evening’s meeting. The school board will launch a search for a permanent principal this winter, starting the process by March, McLaughlin said. Board members Ed Caron, Michael Griffin, and Stephen Karaffa voted unanimously to make the appointment.