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Berwick Academy Announces Dr. Mary Jo Carabatsos as Next Director of Upper School
Berwick Academy Head of School Jim Hamilton has announced Mary Jo Carabatsos, Ph.D. accepted an offer to become the next director of upper school, leading Grades 9-12 of the school’s Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 12 community.
Following a national search that generated a highly qualified applicant pool, Dr. Carabatsos emerged as the candidate whose strengths and experience will best support Berwick Academy’s mission and vision. She is set to begin her duties on July 1.
“I couldn't be more excited about all Dr. Carabatsos will bring to the Upper School at Berwick,” Hamilton said. “Mary Jo is not only an expert educator, but she also brings deep leadership experience, which will serve the school well. As we continue to prepare students for the future of education and what the future of work will look like, Mary Jo Carabatsos is just the right person to be leading our Upper School.”
Berwick’s innovative and student-centered approach to its curriculum and classroom instruction was appealing to Carabatsos, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Boston College and Ph.D. in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology from the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University. She also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
"I keep thinking how lucky and honored I feel to join this community doing this good and innovative work for and with students," Carabatsos said. “The idea of moving to a school where I can work directly with teachers and impact the student experience brings me back to my real passion, which is teaching and learning."
After spending time as a science teacher and department chair in the Andover, MA public school system and at Brooks School in North Andover, where she held titles of science department chair and director of teaching and learning, Carabatsos most recently moved to Masconomet Regional High School in Boxford, where she currently serves as principal and is responsible for the instructional needs of 1,100 students.
Carabatsos will take over for Ted Smith, who’s career at Berwick Academy has spanned 25 years, beginning in 1998 as a French teacher and soccer coach. During his time on the Hilltop, he served as assistant director of upper school, dean of students, and finally as director of upper school for the past seven years. Smith has been named head of school of the Jackson Hole Community School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and will begin that role in July.
Berwick Academy
31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 550 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Post-Graduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.
