Release Date: August 6, 2024
SOUTHBRIDGE, MA — Southbridge Public Schools has named Stefania Doucette as principal at Southbridge High School, beginning on August 6. Ms. Doucette has worked in Southbridge Public Schools for the past five years.
Ms. Doucette will be stepping into the role previously held by Dr. Jose Ortiz. Dr. Ortiz will be returning to the role of Special Assistant to the Receiver, the role he previously held before serving as high school principal.
Ms. Doucette joined Southbridge Public Schools in 2019 as a science teacher at Southbridge Middle School. During her time at the middle school, Ms. Doucette served in various teacher leadership roles and was recognized as one of our district’s Advanced Teachers, a distinct recognition of exemplary teaching and teacher leadership in our school district.
Ms. Doucette has most recently served as the Associate Principal at Southbridge High School, in which she worked to implement systems to increase school safety, improve teacher professional development, and create schoolwide programming to close academic gaps in math and english proficiency.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from College of the Holy Cross, a master's in education with a focus on teaching and curriculum from Harvard University, and also graduated from the Massachusetts School Administrators' Association's Leadership & Licensure Program (LLP).
“When I started my career as a teacher at Southbridge Middle School five years ago, I knew early on that our students were not only resilient, but they were also capable of achieving great things,” Ms. Doucette said.
“From that point forward, it has been my goal as an educator to foster an environment in which our students can thrive. I am excited to lead the important work of making our high school a place in which all students can learn, grow, and be prepared to live a life of their choosing. We have made significant progress at the high school over the last year and I look forward to building on this momentum in the upcoming school year.”