Framingham: Bergeron settles in as new principal of King Elementary School

FRAMINGHAM — On a recent weekday before the school year ended, the steps of King Elementary School contained a sea of polo shirts.

Staff members crowded the stairs in short sleeves and collars. In the middle was new Principal James Bergeron.

It's Bergeron's uniform: a polo shirt paired with jeans or khakis and sneakers. He's rarely strayed from his fashion choice to the point where even students have noticed, with one asking how many colors he owns.

Bergeron said it reflects what kind of principal he is.

"The beauty of a polo shirt is it has the dress-down look with the dress-up look at the same time. A principal in an elementary school, you have to be the kind of person who can fit every mold," said Bergeron.

Early in his career, he always wore a suit, shirt and tie, before realizing it didn't allow him to be "the administrator (he) wanted to be." Suits got in the way when he had to clean up in the hallway or played basketball with kids.

Seeing his colleagues dressed like him was "100% a surprise," said Bergeron.

When staff posed for a photo, they urged him to wear a gold crown with red trim as a nod to the school's name. At first reluctant, he eventually put it on.

"How do you say 'no' in that moment?" said Bergeron. "To think about what the building's been through and then to see everyone come together — I was like, 'OK, we're moving in the right direction."

High principal turnover

For the past two school years, King has started school in the fall with principals who were no longer around by summer. Most recently, Allison Benabdallah was named to the post for the 2020-21 school year. She went on leave on March 29 for publicly unexplained reasons.

According to a June 11 email from Tremblay to elementary principals, she will retire, with Bergeron replacing her.

The year before (2019-20), Marguerite Simpson-Lackard started as principal but went on leave sometime around November 2019 and did not return. The district never explained why, citing privacy reasons.

She was ultimately reassigned and has been a math teacher at Fuller Middle School since last fall.

In each case, Bergeron was at the school helping to fill gaps in King's administration. He believes that time has helped him build trust with the staff and he's leaned on that while settling into his new permanent role.

"I was everywhere, I was helping at lunches, I was out in the playground," he said. "I say that to bring it back to this year: I already built some relationships."

He'll be the sixth principal at King in its seven years.

Previous coverage: At King Elementary School in Framingham, principals play musical chairs

The school opened in 2014 under the leadership of Lucia Laguarda, who split her time between Hemenway Elementary School and King when the latter opened. The dual appointment was not meant to be permanent, and she eventually returned to Hemenway full time when former Dunning Elementary School Principal Kim Taylor was principal at King from 2015-18.

John Maynard stepped in when Taylor exited to lead the Early Childhood Education Center in Dedham. He served for one year, resigning at the end of the 2018-19 school year.

Bergeron praised King staff as dedicated and "kid-centered."

"The things a staff member would do to make a kid’s day better — it’s amazing, it’s a positive place to be," he said.

Middle school experience

One of Bergeron's employees at King is a familiar face from Fuller.

"I am old enough to have former students as staff members," said Bergeron.

Before the new appointment, Bergeron had been a vice principal at Walsh Middle School since the 2013-14 school year. He started his career in Framingham as a teacher at Fuller Middle School in 2005, where his wife, Magaly Rivera, is a guidance counselor. He was a vice principal there for the 2012-13 school year.

Bergeron said his experience at middle school will be an asset in his current job.

"Having the perspective of what's next, there's definitely times where I talk to fourth- or fifth-graders if they make a poor choice, reminding them that they're on their way to middle school," said Bergeron. "Just so they know it's a little bit different. I do try to give them that middle school perspective."

Digging into STEAM

King was Framingham's first school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). Since then, the district has said all schools will be moving in that direction.

Bergeron said he hopes to dig deeper into that work this summer. He recently took part in a virtual professional development session with other educators with support from the Museum of Science.

More coverage of King School: Framingham schools re-examine the STEAM 'promise' of King School

The biggest takeaway for him: hands-on demonstrations, rather than videos, are more engaging and allow kids a greater chance to ask what-if questions. Teachers can modify experiments as they go to answer student questions.

"That's the type of thinkers we’re creating. We want kids to be creative, thinking, 'Why does this happen,'" said Bergeron. "The days of being able to recite facts and pass them along and pass an assessment are gone. We want kids to be thinkers who challenge."

Zane Razzaq writes about education. Reach her at 508-626-3919 or zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: King Elementary School's new principal James Bergeron settles in