Behnke to lead Wildwood Elementary

By Mary Carey
Staff Writer

Published on May 02, 2008

Matthew Behnke will be the new principal at Wildwood Elementary School, Superintendent Jere Hochman says.

Behnke, an Amherst College graduate and current principal of Granville Village School in Granville, begins the job July 1.

"Of note through the interview process was Mr. Behnke's collaborative style of leadership and inclusion of all voices in decision making," Hochman wrote in an email to parents.

Hochman said interviewers and Behnke's references praised his "listening, visibility in classrooms, and skills in learning aspects of his school and curriculum."

2nd round pick

Behnke's selection comes after a second round of applications and interviews. The first, earlier this year, resulted in principal appointments at Fort River and Crocker Farm elementary schools and at the middle school but not at Wildwood.

Parents there expressed a strong desire to be welcomed into the school, which they said they are not now. They also said they want a principal versed in differentiated teaching.

Behnke has been a special education teacher in Chicopee and a classroom teacher in Oakland, Calif. He has a master's degree in education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in School Leadership and is certified in general education for grades one through six and as a principal and assistant principal in kindergarten through fifth grade and grades six through eight.

Two other finalists were interviewed in the same round as Behnke, Anna-Stina Ohlson and Thomas McGuire.

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net