By SANDY McGEE

BLACKSTONE — Blackstone and Millville residents will see both new and familiar faces leading the regional school district starting this summer.

The Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee officially and unanimously appointed the district’s next superintendent and assistant superintendent at Thursday night’s meeting.
Christine D. Tyrie, a veteran educator from New Hampshire, was named superintendent.
The committee also unanimously approved a recommendation to appoint Kimberly Shaver-Hood, current principal of Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School, as assistant superintendent.
“She (Tyrie) is an excellent candidate for BMR,” said Toni M. Harvey, chairwoman of the Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee. “She’s a veteran superintendent. She has all the required qualities and we have no doubt that she will surpass the expectations we have for her.”
Tyrie has served for five years as superintendent of School Administrative Union (SAU) 24 in Henniker, N.H. SAU 24 represents the combination of four school districts in the Granite State, serving more than 3,000 students.
She previously served as an assistant superintendent for school districts in Plymouth, Mass., and Franklin, N.H. She also has worked as a teacher in both public and private schools in New Hampshire, and taught overseas in Kuwait and Italy.
Tyrie holds a doctorate in education from the University of Sarasota (Fla.).
The School Committee approved a three-year contract for Tyrie on Thursday night, setting her salary at $130,000.
The School Committee will set district goals for the superintendent at a later date. “We haven’t set the superintendent’s goals, but they will be discussed soon,” Harvey said.
Tyrie’s application was one of 22 resumes received by the district’s 13-member superintendent search committee, which consisted of parents, teachers, a student, a principal, an administrator and four School Committee members.
The interim superintendent, Herbert Levine, was hired to serve for one year until a replacement was found. The previous superintendent, Everett B. Campbell, stepped down last year to become principal of John F. Kennedy and Augustine F. Maloney elementary schools.
Levine’s contract expires June 30. He said he plans to take this summer off and spend time with his three grandchildren.
Levine recently recommended that the School Committee appoint Shaver-Hood as assistant superintendent.
The district’s previous assistant superintendent, Dr. Kathleen Montagano, recently announced she was leaving the district to accept the superintendent’s job for the Dighton-Rehoboth school district. Montagano served as assistant superintendent in Blackstone and Millville for three years.
Shaver-Hood, who had first applied for the superintendent position, was one of the School Committee’s final two candidates for the top slot. She recently withdrew her application for superintendent, leaving the School Committee with Tyrie as its final candidate.
“She was a finalist for superintendent,” Harvey said. “When she applied for assistant superintendent, we were thrilled.
“She opened the middle school. She created a strong educational community that is wonderful. She did a wonderful job on making the middle school what it is. Whoever takes her spot at the middle school, they have some big shoes to fill.”
Shaver-Hood was principal at Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School when its doors opened in August 2003. She worked in the district for six years, coming aboard a bit before the new school’s debut.
She previously served as assistant principal for the Perkiomen Valley school district in West Chester, Pa., for several years.
Shaver-Hood is a graduate of Franklin College in Franklin, Ind.; Indiana University, where she received a master’s degree in secondary education; Butler University, with a master’s degree in guidance; and Widener University in West Chester, where she earned a master’s in administration.
“My goal is to do and promote services that provide our students with what they need,” Shaver-Hood said. “We have a wonderful school district and we’re working in the best interest of our kids.”
“She’s been very successful as a middle school principal,” Levine said. “She has showed her ability to lead and can get people to work together toward a common goal. She’s a good decision-maker. I think (Shaver-Hood and Tyrie) will work well together.”
Both superintendent and assistant superintendent will take over on July 1.
One of their first responsibilities will be selecting the next middle school principal. That position at Hartnett, which has an enrollment of nearly 600 students, was advertised on the district’s Web site Friday.
The Blackstone-Millville Regional School District consists of one elementary school in Millville, two elementary schools in Blackstone, one regional middle school and one regional high school. The district has a projected enrollment for 2009 of 2,045 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.