2021 Recipient of The Paul J. Hunter Assistant Principal of the Year Mrs. Jessica Beattie, Robert Adams Middle School, Holliston

Mrs. Jessica Beattie is presently in her fourth year as Assistant Principal at the Robert Adams Middle School in Holliston.  She began her career in Holliston as an Adjustment Counselor creating a program for students with significant social emotional and behavioral needs, and later transitioned to a Guidance Counselor working with the larger student population.  Mrs. Beattie received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Framingham State University.  Two years later she received a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work from Boston College.  In 2007, she received an Advanced Graduate Degree (CAGS) in School Administration from Fitchburg State University. Mrs. Beattie is a longtime resident of Hopkinton, where she resides with her husband Mike, their two children Ashley age 13 and Tommy age 11, along with their dog Ryder. As a family they enjoy spending time outdoors. Frequenting Maine to hike, bike, and enjoy lake or beach life with her family is what brings her much enjoyment.   

There is little doubt that Mrs. Beattie’s experience in social work and educational counseling has had a profound effect on the Robert Adams Middle School community, as well as the entire Holliston school system.  Through her collaborative leadership style, teachers, parents, and students have shared in creating a culture of which the town of Holliston is extremely proud.  This safe and supportive culture allows for all students to feel empowered to actively construct meaning, apply understandings, develop essential skills and grow as individuals and learners in a dynamic, collaborative and interactive manner under the expert guidance of their team of teachers.

Further collaboration among the students, teachers and parents led to adoption of a 21^st Century learning philosophy entitled; Personal Local Global (PLG).  The goal of PLG is to build each students’ academic, social/emotional and creative skills so they function at a high level in today’s world.  Attention to personal learning is supported by teacher leadership teams who consistently audit curricula so that all material is meaningful and a product of deep reflection  In addition, Student Support Teams and Student Assistance Teams continually monitor individual student growth. One parent offered this on her son’s personal academic growth, “I was so impressed with my son’s Back to School Night last Year.  The entire team of teachers spoke on how they were focusing on allowing our kids to learn from their mistakes and therefore were trying to focus on allowing students to retake assessments and re-do homework. assignments.”

Local learning skills are reinforced through teaching of interpersonal skills, learning about the Holliston Community, understanding the meaning of one’s perspective, learning to think critically, while understanding and practicing empathy.  Activities that frame this local learning include Shark Tank, Community Service Day, Kindness Campaign and designing outdoor learning spaces.

Global learning has been further actualized by the pandemic.  Students have broadened their learning about the World Health Organization, the UN Sustainable Goals, the timeline on the vaccine, Ronald McDonald House, Project 351 and a desire to return to “normalcy.”  As one student said to Mrs. Beattie, “I miss how we used to learn here.”  In addition, thanks to Ms, Beattie’s work as Co-Chair of the district wide Safety Committee, students and staff have gained an understanding that school safety depends on personal, local and global attention and support.

High praise for Mrs. Beattie comes from a colleague, who describes her as “our resident life coach.”  Principal David Jordan offers “Mrs. Beattie is an inspiration who instills trust to take risks, loyalty to our community, is a facilitator vs a fixer, and possesses unflappable integrity and honesty.  She leads with a growth mindset and clarity of purpose.”  One Adams teacher in speaking for her colleagues noted “Jess works tirelessly to treat each person in the school as unique, special and worthy of having a cheerleader on their side.  She does this in a simple but effective way – she listens.”  And from a student, “Bullying and social exclusion are very big problems in schools across the country.  Instead of letting bullying happen and acting on it, Mrs. Beattie has played a vital role in preventing those types of situations from occurring.”

Recognizing the importance of Mrs. Beattie’s influence on the members of the Robert Adams Educational Community, the Massachusetts School Administers’ Association (MSAA) is pleased to present her with the 42^nd Annual Paul J. Hunter Award as the Massachusetts Assistant Principal of the Year.  Mrs. Beattie will represent Massachusetts, along with 53 other winners at the NASSP Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado, July 14-17, 2021.