By JANET STOICA

She really did rise through the ranks, she did.  Monique Pierangeli has been with the Webster school system for twenty-three years. When she began her association with the local schools as a parent/volunteer in 2000 at the Park Avenue Elementary School, she probably didn’t realize where her life journey would progress to in 2023. Having been recently appointed as Webster’s new school superintendent, Ms. Pierangeli is a success story that demonstrates refinement, experience, and strength. She knows the ins and outs of just about every nook and cranny in the school system’s accounting, curriculum, staffing, and planning departments.

She substitute taught when called upon, worked in the central office area as a Medicaid clerk and data collection clerk. She was taught how schools receive their revenue and the state reporting and information behind it all. In the business office she learned the payroll system and became the assistant to the business manager, became recording secretary for the building committee while also completing her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. In 2018 she became the school system’s business manager. 

“I really feel that I lived and breathed everything about our school system,” said Ms. Pierangeli. “This job is for the community and being with our students. It all starts with our bus drivers as we build student relationships. It’s a nice warm welcoming breakfast for our learners. It’s not just one person, it’s all of us. We try to go to as many town events as possible. At the high school level we have a hands-on curriculum project called ‘Lead the Way;’ our students are building robotic cars; doing blood draws; participating in forensic science through the use of hypothetical crime scenes; we have a great engineering program as well as a good focus on health and human services to name a few.”

She stated that she applied for the superintendent’s position because she was aware of the school staff’s efforts and didn’t want to see all the hard work go to the wayside. She felt she could help the school system continue to move forward. Her main goal is improving academic performance. “Community engagement and parent involvement are key. I hope we can have more Family Meals events where we are all together as a group moving forward as one much like our Empty Bowls program. We have to reach out to our families more. I’ve begun making phonecalls to our parents when new children enroll in our school system. Following up is vital. We have hired a District Family Liaison and will hire another liaison next year to bridge gaps between our schools and home. I’m hoping to reach out to the Webster Library and collaborate with them as well.”

Superintendent Pierangeli elaborated on the Bartlett High School building and renovation project. They are currently in the 60% design phase and are submitting designs to the Mass. School Building Authority and are meeting with architects discussing traffic flow, hardware, furniture, and ultimate designs. She mentioned that there will be fourteen modular school classroom buildings in front of the school while renovations are taking place inside. The modulars will be delivered in June 2023, set up over the summer, and be ready for students when they return to school in August 2023. The project will be done in phases with an expected completion date in 2026.

“I’m not your typical superintendent,” said Ms. Pierangeli, “as I’ve focused on the business area but I’m confident in our staff being successful at what their strengths are. Our teachers are so very classroom-experienced. You have to listen to be successful. There’s no one person who can walk in here and change everything for Webster. Our central office leadership is outstanding from our principals to our teachers to our support staff. Everyone’s in this and we all play a role in our students’ successes. Our team here is absolutely wonderful and we’re continuing to change the dynamics to a higher level. We have steady leadership in our schools now and we all share the same vision. Having more community involvement is our goal. This is a safe environment for our students. I might have to make some hard decisions going forward but it’s important that we all connect and speak with each other.”

She stressed the importance of the supportive Webster School Committee. “Webster has my heart,” said Superintendent Pierangeli. “I’m just proud and very excited to be representing our Webster students and our staff.”      

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." –Nelson Mandela