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Date: 11/29/2022
HATFIELD – Melissa Pitrat, incoming principal at Hatfield Elementary School (HES), completes a learning loop in her new job.
“I’m excited to be here as principal and feel full circle, having had my kids come through here,” Pitrat said. “Now I get to be the educational leader in the building and support students in that same trajectory that my own children were able to experience.”
Pitrat is a familiar face. She moved to town with her husband 25 years ago. They raised two children here, Moira and Liam, who attended HES and Smith Academy. Moira also returned to town last year, professionally speaking, and now teaches science at Smith Academy.
Asked what challenges children face in the post-coronavirus pandemic era, Pitrat reflected on the double-edged sword of the internet. Surfing time can be beneficial, but also excessive, and kids don’t come with built-in timers and guardrails. She also mentioned a student who learned on the internet to french braid her own hair, a small victory, but important for a little girl’s self confidence.
“Technology, in a way, has definitely helped the educational system because kids can access things they were never able to access before,” Pitrat said. “The flip side of it is, there’s also kids, between the video games and other social media platforms, they’re not as helpful for them to be more interactive with peers.”
A new initiative Pitrat put into place this fall was a student council, which should increase student involvement in decision making at the school. When students have a voice they feel empowered. Kids also get to function in a public position, a preparation for adult roles of greater responsibility.
“I have classroom representatives from grades five and six who meet with me weekly,” Pitrat said. “We’re going to begin working on … procedures for bigger spaces in our building, like our cafeteria, our hallways, our recess. Being able to incorporate more leadership roles is definitely something I’m wanting to expand upon.”
Another new goal Pitrat looks to build into the HES experience is a stronger link with Smith Academy. Children graduating to the middle school levels can be anxious before moving to a new building. Pitrat hopes to make the transition smooth and less traumatic.
“I’m looking to make sure there are more bridges between our schools so that our students have more access to Smith Academy,” Pitrat said. “Dr. Driscoll and I are working really hard at trying to encourage and invite, and find opportunities for our students to go up there, and Smith Academy students to come here.”
The new principal also recognizes an old problem: enrollments. Her ambition is to retain more school choice students in the district who make the transition to the middle school. Currently, many school choice students return to their home district after the elementary grades. Pitrat and Superintendent Driscoll anticipate that children making the transition will have less anxiety, and feel more welcomed, if they have more familiarity with Smith Academy.
“I don’t know if they just think it’s going to be a bigger, scarier place,” Pitrat said, “but trying to encourage more connections between us and Smith Academy, more frequently, these last two years they are here, is definitely a priority for Dr. Driscoll and myself.”
Pitrat also sees the good and bad in small class sizes. HES has a few classrooms with ten or eleven students, about 25 percent smaller than ideal. Smaller class sizes are equated with better educational outcomes, in general – but a class of 15 to 16 students offers somewhat better opportunities for social learning.
Another big challenge, MCAS standardized test scores, have taken a bit of a hit during the educational cataclysm of the coronavirus pandemic. Pitrat noted that HES scores last year were near state averages. That’s not good enough to equal past achievement levels, but the new principal praised the dedication of the staff at HES during COVID-19.
Staff members are looking at related data. Problems in subject areas are being addressed through small group reading instruction. A math interventionist meets with groups of students in need of extra help. Pitrat suggested that the district is well on its way back to more normal operations. Still, she relishes her chance to make school in Hatfield a safe and homey experience, mirroring the town as a whole.
“We moved into Hatfield because we used to ride our bikes through here,” Pitrat said. “It was like a Norman Rockwell scene where people were getting out in their bathrobes and picking up their paper and waving at us…It’s been a welcoming place for us and our family and I’m excited to be here as principal.”