School openings drawing interest

Applications coming in for MHS principal, assistant superintendent

BY LEIGH BLANDER AND WILLIAM J. DOWD

The searches for a new Marblehead High School principal and assistant superintendent for teaching and learning shift into high gear this week. Superintendent John Buckey has already 26 applications for the assistant superintendent job and eight for the principal position. Current principal Dan Bauer and assistant superintendent Nan Murphy are both leaving at the end of the school year to become superintendents in other districts.

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

A snowy owl roosting among the dried-out driftwood and grass of Devereux Beach. A coyote keeping low to the ground as it stalks prey. A deer foraging for food on a forest floor. The Milky Way’s stars littering the night sky.

Rick Cuzner’s photographs lift the curtain on a natural wood seemingly hidden in plain sight. But with enough arTS patience and interest, one can lift this veil, too, he says. For the past 15 years, Cuzner has taken thousands of nature photographs that have captured the wild animals who call Marblehead home.

“It’s a good stress relief running around in the woods,” Cuzner said. “I love hiking. I love nature. I love the wildlife.”

The Marblehead native’s family lives in a home near Steer Swamp, where

Cuzner often escapes during what photographers call the golden hours when the light is just right.

“My family loves to sleep in, and I love to get up early,” he said. “I’ll get a coffee just before sunup, and I’ll make my way into the woods.” Cuzner will retreat back into the woods when he finds “pockets of time here and there.”

For both positions, Buckey said he is “looking for someone to build upon the good work of those who have preceded them. Both Dan and Nan have big shoes to fill. Education is about relationships. I want someone who will prioritize getting to know our students and staff first.”

Job descriptions have been posted for both the assistant superintendent and principal