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Date: 8/18/2021
HUNTINGTON – When Kristen Smidy began on Aug. 2 as the new superintendent of the Gateway Regional School District, her first impressions were positive.
“It was awesome. It was really great. Everyone was super welcoming,” Smidy said at the end of her first week. She said former Gateway Superintendent David B. Hopson has been there so long, almost two decades, that she wasn’t sure “how to fill his big shoes.”
Smidy, who lives in Westfield, was selected by the School Committee in April as the new Gateway superintendent, replacing Hopson, who is retiring after 18 years in the role. Smidy had been serving as principal of Hampshire Regional High School when she was selected.
Hopson isn’t entirely gone. He is around through the month and plans to meet with Smidy a few mornings to answer questions.
“I feel very supported by him,” she said. She said her first week, she was able to move into the office and go through documents, as well spend time at the summer program and speak to staff and administrators.
When asked for her initial impression of the district, Smidy didn’t hesitate. “It seems like everyone really truly cares about the district and does what’s best for the kids. They are looking for someone to take the next steps. I heard a lot about the strengths of the district, and their hopes,” she said. “There are so many great things already going on, and some cool opportunities to grow.”
Smidy said right now the opening of school is a priority, and people in the district have been working hard all summer to tie up loose ends.
Smidy said the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was clear that it will expect districts to provide five days a week of in-person learning. She said they offered some guidance around mask wearing and quarantining if students have to stay at home, although she has questions as to how that will look if remote learning isn’t acceptable anymore.
“They left a lot of the decisions to local leaders moving forward. In one sense, I’m glad we can make the decisions on what’s best for our community, but in another sense, it pits different factions against each other,” Smidy said.
Aside from the fall opening, one of her top goals for the next few weeks include getting a bird’s eye “big picture” view of the district. She said she has a dozen meet-and-greets for staff and families planned before school starts.
Beginning in September, Smidy said she plans to attend select board meetings in the member towns and meet the community. “I was really pleased with the relationships I had with the towns at Hampshire Regional, and I am looking forward to doing it again,” she said.