NASHUA – Two city elementary schools have new principals.

The Board of Education last week approved the appointments of Kelley Paradis as principal of Main Dunstable Elementary School and Patricia Beaulieu as principal of Charlotte Avenue Elementary School. Both appointments are effective July 1.

Paradis and Beaulieu were each hired at a salary of $87,000.

Paradis has worked in the Nashua School District for 25 years, 21 spent teaching first grade at Fairgrounds Elementary School. She is working this year as the interim assistant principal for two elementary schools.

Beaulieu comes to Nashua from Hudson, where she has been assistant principal at Nottingham West Elementary School since 2007. Prior to that, she worked in the Merrimack school system for 16 years as a language arts coordinator and reading specialist.

The principals at Main Dunstable and Charlotte Avenue – Christopher Gosselin and Thaiadora Katsos – left after the 2009-10 school year, but because both resignations came late into the school year, Superintendent Mark Conrad chose to name interim principals for this year instead of rushing through a search.

Assistant Superintendent Althea Sheaff said a committee of teachers, parents and administrators interviewed the nine candidates for the two jobs. The committee made recommendations, which went before the Board of Education’s human resources committee on April 14. At that meeting, board members met in non-public with the finalists to interview them.

“They bring a lot of energy and knowledge of decision making with data. They have an understanding of elementary curriculum and have a good basis in instruction,” Sheaff said. “Both communities will be very pleased with these new hires.”

Michael Brindley can be reached at 594-6426 or mbrindley@nashuatelegraph.com.

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