Lincoln-Sudbury High principal to retire

John Ritchie, principal and superintendent of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, announced yesterday that he will retire from his post at the end of the school year.

In an interview yesterday, Ritchie said that by June he would reach the maximum point in his retirement plan and that he felt it was a natural time to move on.

"It's one of these things where you hit a certain point in the Massachusetts retirement system where you have a certain amount of years of service and are at a certain age," he said. "You hit the point where your pension is at a max. I started mulling things over in the summertime."

Officials and students expressed appreciation yesterday for Ritchie's 13 years of service. His tenure is the longest of a superintendent and principal in the district's history, said Jack Ryan, a member of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee.

"We understand why he is leaving, and we appreciate why he is leaving, but we are certainly very sad to see him go," Ryan said.

"I can't imagine Lincoln-Sudbury without him," said senior Rebekah Glickman-Simon. "The thought that L-S could exist without him as our principal is unimaginable."

Ritchie began at Lincoln-Sudbury in 1996 and served through a near doubling of the school's enrollment, to 1,650 students, and the construction of a new facility that opened in 2004.

In perhaps the most difficult challenges as an administrator, 15-year-old student James Alenson was fatally stabbed by another student at the school in January 2007.

"I think he handled that situation extremely well," Ryan said, "He understood the emotional needs of the students, the L-S community, and the community as a whole during what was a very difficult time."

Regarding the challenges, Ritchie said: "Of course, there were difficulties and tragedies, but that's what happens in life. I just can't imagine working at a better place."

While he's not sure what he will do next, Ritchie said he's planning to keep working.

"I'd like to do some writing, consulting, maybe some kind of teaching, but definitely working," he said. "This isn't a 'trips to Florida and playing golf every day' kind of retirement."

John Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.