Chilmark School Principal Susan Stevens announced she will be retiring after this school year. The announcement was made during the Up-Island Regional School Committee meeting on Monday, Oct. 16.
Stevens has been the Chilmark School principal since 2009, and led the up-Island school through the COVID pandemic.
The principal told The Times she spent 33 years of her 49-year education career in Florida before coming to the Vineyard. She started off teaching “emotionally disturbed” middle school boys, and held various other educational positions, including teaching in an alternative education program, teaching fourth graders, guidance counselor, and special education coordinator for an arts-focused middle school.
Stevens told The Times on Tuesday she had not thought a lot about retiring until last year. “It’s not that I don’t like it here or want to leave, but it’s time,” she said.
While there wasn’t a single pivotal moment that determined Stevens’ decision to retire, she decided she would stay at the helm while Chilmark School’s HVAC is under construction — particularly since a new principal might have difficulties with taking on an ongoing project. “I’ve been working on that HVAC project for many, many years, and I wanted to see it come to fruition,” she said.
When asked about her time leading Chilmark School, Stevens said the community has been great, and she felt she grew alongside the school. Chilmark School had 30 students when Stevens came aboard as the principal. Now there are 73 students.
“I just really enjoyed it,” Stevens told The Times.
Stevens also said that her former experience pushed her to support the arts at Chilmark School; the arts-focused middle school in Florida she previously worked in had some of the best test scores in the state. She said this taught her that it benefits students academically when they have positive experiences in school, particularly artistic activities.
“That’s why I really pushed for the arts here,” Stevens said. “You kind of have to build them both.”
Stevens’ early retirement announcement gives the Up-Island Regional School District additional time to look for a new principal. A discussion around preparing for Stevens’ vacancy and Chilmark School’s administrative structure was also held during the committee meeting, which will continue during future sessions.
“This is a good time to talk about what may be the most beneficial to the Up-Island School District as a whole,” Martha’s Vineyard Superintendent Richie Smith said during the meeting.
During the meeting, Stevens also recommended a potential five-year plan for necessary building renovations, and getting potential project cost estimates for the future.
When Stevens first started as the Chilmark School principal, she came on in July, and the previous principal had already left. “It was just me and the building,” she said.
While this was not a big issue for Stevens, a guideline would have been helpful. She hopes developing a plan will help make a smoother transition process for her successor.
Retirement is on Stevens’ horizon, but what lies ahead is a bit less certain. She told The Times she wants to see her children more, and travel, although the latter will depend on a discussion with her husband, who is not retiring. “I don’t really want to travel across the country alone,” she said.
