This past week, two finalist candidates for principal, Dennis Mahoney and Bryan Lombardi, each visited Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) for a day to meet with students and staff, visit classrooms, and field questions from both the student body and the broader Island community.
Both applicants have experience as principals. Mr. Lombardi has been the principal of Stoneham High School since 2019, and was previously principal of North Hampton High School. Mr. Mahoney is coming back from a yearlong leave and, most recently, was the principal of Winchester High School from 2016 to 2025.
The principal search committee is made up of a cross-section of students, staff, and community members who conducted interviews and narrowed down the applicant pool from 13 initial applicants down to seven who were interviewed, and eventually down to the two finalists. Sophomore Nora Duncheva, a member of the committee, explained the specific questions the candidates were asked in the meetings.
“[The questions] were about how they are going to deal with the building project, how they want to interact with kids, how they feel about Yondr [phone storage] pouches, how they are going to treat the special education department and the school, and how they plan to act as principal,” she said.
Louis Hall, another member of the search committee and science department chair at MVRHS, helped lead Mr. Mahoney around the building during his tour of classrooms.
“He engaged in dialogue, asked questions, and had some really honest answers about his experience as an educator and a principal,” Mr. Hall said.
Sophomore Lillian Claussen sat in on the flex meeting with Mr. Mahoney, and appreciated his deep interest in MVRHS.
“What stood out to me is how much he wants to connect with the kids who go here, and how he really wants to try to bring the school together and wants to be an active participant. Like, he read up on the school, and he wore a purple tie,” she said. Lilli also engaged in a conversation with the candidate and fellow students from the Performing Arts Department (PAD) after the meeting, in which Mr. Mahoney expressed his interest in theater courses.
“He told us that he took tap for a few years, had done walk-ons for previous schools, and doesn’t mind being laughed at onstage. He was very willing to be a part of that sort of stuff,” Lilli said.
Mr. Lombardi, the other finalist candidate, started his career in 1991 as an adjustment counselor before transitioning to administration. His diverse experience in multiple roles in education stood out to representatives from the Best Buddies Club and the Gender Sexuality Alliance during the flex Q and A session.
Sophomore Pietro Amaral was in Ms. Scapelli’s geometry class when Mr. Lombardi visited during his tour of classrooms. After Mr. Lombardi received a drawing from a student, Pietro noted his interest: “He was excited to talk about how he wants to be involved in a lot of [extracurricular] stuff. He was big on expressing yourself.”
Both candidates met with members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe during their visits. Senior Soraya Randolph attended the meeting with Mr. Lombardi, and appreciated the way he created spaces for a diverse student body to feel accepted and welcomed. “In his past school, he allowed for Muslim students to pray in his room if need be,” said Soraya.
Assistant Principal Justine DeOliviera played a key role in organizing the principal candidate visits. She worked with Superintendent Richie Smith to organize rounds of interviews, served on the search committee, and is spearheading the next steps in the interview process. “I feel like both of them are really strong and really good fits, and could really bring a positive experience and a fresh lens to our school,” Ms. DeOliviera said.
After two successful visits, the principal search committee will now be conducting interviews with the candidates’ references before making their final decision in the coming weeks.