10 principals appointed to Boston schools

Phineas Bates Elementary School, Roslindale

Kelly Hung, Principal
Kelly Hung became principal of the Bates in 2008. Prior to that, she was interim principal of the Manning Elementary School. She was a 2008 Boston Principal Fellow and was based at the Sumner Elementary School, where she helped write the school’s improvement plan, analyzed and implemented instructional improvements, and led professional development initiatives. Hung previously served as a principal intern and senior Boston Connects coordinator at the Hamilton Elementary School. She began her teaching career in the Boston public schools at the Jackson-Mann School. Hung holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a master’s degree from Boston College.

David Ellis Elementary School, Roxbury

Patricia Niles-Randolph, Principal
Patricia Niles-Randolph has been principal of the Stone Elementary School since 2006. She began her Boston public schools career in 1979 as an elementary and middle school teacher. She has also served as a guidance counselor, student support coordinator, and assistant principal. For two years, Niles-Randolph was the assistant principal of the James F. Condon Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College, a master’s degree from Boston College, and a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts. Niles-Randolph also is a licensed social worker.

David G. Farragut Elementary School, Fenway

Yolanda Burnett, Principal
Yolanda Burnett is an experienced school leader, having served as the principal of the Hamilton and Lee elementary schools as well as the Orchard Gardens K-8. Prior to assuming school leadership positions, Burnett was a reading and special education teacher at the Timilty Middle School and the Umana Middle School Academy. She received a bachelor’s degree at Framingham State College and a master’s degree from Eastern Nazarene College. Burnett earned her doctorate degree from the Leadership in Urban Schools Program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Curtis Guild Elementary School, East Boston

Cynthia Paris-Jeffries, Principal
Cynthia Paris Jeffries is a Boston Principal Fellow currently working with the John F. Kennedy Elementary School, where she facilitates and mobilizes the Instructional Leadership Team, Data Team, Spanish-speaking parent group and School Site Council. Prior to the fellowship, Paris Jeffries was a bilingual speech-language pathologist, project leader, kindergarten teacher, lead teacher, and Language Assessment Team facilitator at the Tobin K-8. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Worcester State College and two master’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and Massachusetts General Hospital-Institute of Health Professions.

Washington Irving Middle School, Roslindale

Arthur Unobskey, Principal
Arthur Unobskey is currently the principal of the Concord Middle School, but has a long career with the Boston public schools. Before arriving in Concord, Unobskey worked at the Dearborn Middle School as the director of instruction and at English High School as the Humanities Program director, school-wide writing coordinator and teacher. Unobskey holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree from Brown University.

Ellis Mendell Elementary School, Roxbury

Karen Cahill, Principal
Karen Cahill is the current principal of the Mendell where she has served for the last year. Cahill has spent the majority of her career with the Boston public schools in a variety of school-based positions, which include teacher, assistant principal, and acting principal. She has also served in central office as a math coach, lead teacher, and director of recruitment. Cahill holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University and a master’s degree from Bridgewater State College.

Patrick O’Hearn Elementary School, Dorchester

Patricia Lampron, Principal
Patricia Lampron has served as the principal intern at the O’Hearn Elementary School since August 2008 where she facilitated monthly Instructional Leadership Team meetings and coordinated parent workshops among other things. Prior to working at the O’Hearn, Lampron taught second grade at the Murphy K-8 for six years. She also was a site coordinator for the Boston Teacher Residency, where she supervised a cohort of teacher residents and served as a mentor teacher. Lampron holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and master’s degrees from both Emmanuel College and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Chinatown

Simon Ho, Principal
Simon Ho has served as principal of the Guild Elementary School since 1991, where he evaluated all faculty and staff, built partnerships with local community groups, and oversaw all operations of the school. Previously, he served as assistant principal of the Harvard-Kent Elementary School for a year. Fluent in Cantonese, Ho was a bilingual Chinese teacher at the Harvard-Kent and at the Edwards Middle School as well. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern University.

F. Lyman Winship Elementary School, Brighton

Louise Kuhlman, Principal
Louise Kuhlman is principal of the Garfield Elementary School, where she has taught since 1987. She has served in a variety of positions at the Garfield, including summer school coordinator, lead teacher, third-grade teacher, and inclusion teacher. Kuhlman also sat on the School Site Council and the Instructional Leadership Team, where she participated in developing the Whole School Improvement Plan and developed curriculum calendars for various subjects. She also has taught education courses at Boston College, supervised student teachers, and co-facilitated the Boston Writing Project at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Kuhlman holds a bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State College and a master’s degree from Bridgewater State College.

John Winthrop Elementary School, Dorchester

Walter Henderson, Principal
Walter Henderson is currently serving as the interim principal of the Bates Elementary School. He is a Boston Principal Fellow who worked at the Mattahunt Elementary School, where he has been an active participant on the Instructional Leadership Team and was involved in building management functions such as school budgeting and staff recruiting. He has been a teacher at several Boston public schools including roles as a mentor and teacher leader. Henderson earned his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.