School Year Begins in Peabody With 4 New Principals

As students returned to school Tuesday, they were greeted in some cases by a few new faces, or at least different roles for those people.

Longtime high school teacher and administrator Eric Buckley was promoted this past February to permanently take over as principal of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School and three different elementary school principals were hired or promoted as well.

Buckley has spent more than 20 years at PVMHS, most recently as Assistant Principal under now doubly retired principal Ed Sapienza who agreed to stay on for another year in an interim role after his initial retirement.

At the Carroll School, Tracy Smith is the new principal. She was a housemaster at Higgins Middle School previously. Longtime Higgins teacher Deb Gigante was promoted to take her place.

Katelin Kennedy is embarking on her first full year as principal of the South School, although she did get several months under her belt this past winter and spring. Kennedy was officially promoted from Assistant Principal to Principal in March after a month in an interim role to replace retired principal Maryellen McGrath.

And then Jacqui Orphanos was hired in July to return to her hometown to become Principal of the Center School, replacing retired principal Katherine St. Peter.

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