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Date: 5/27/2021
LONGMEADOW – The wolf pack has a new leader. Jared Materas has been named as the new principal of Wolf Swamp Elementary School in Longmeadow.
Materas, a graduate of Springfield College and American International College (AIC), is coming to Longmeadow Public Schools from Egremont Elementary School in Pittsfield, where he has been principal for five years and dean of students for a year prior to that.
Materas said that he is relocating after he and his wife found their “forever home” in Somers, CT. As father to a 2-year-old and a 1-month-old, Materas said he wanted to be close to home and able to spend time with his family.
Of his administrative philosophy, Materas said, “I think it all starts with [being] student-centered – making sure they’re safe and have the best education possible, and building communications with staff and families.”
Materas told Reminder Publishing about the hardest challenge he has faced as an administrator and how it made him a better principal.
“In my first year as principal, we had a fifth-grade student pass away suddenly in December. That was the toughest thing,” he said, adding that the girl had a twin brother in the same class. “It helped me grow as a principal. I had to do what was best for the school [and] comfort the other student,” he said. The school worked with the family and community to begin an anti-bullying program in the student’s name, as well as plant a tree and install a “buddy bench” in her honor.
At Wolf Swamp School, Materas is most excited about getting to know the students and families. He said, “I’ve always been close with students here at Egremont and I’m looking forward to building those relationships and letting the community know I plan to be here for a long time.”