The Hampton Falls School Board voted last week to appoint Beth Raucci (MEd '99) as the interim principal of Lincoln Akerman School. Raucci will replace outgoing Principal Mark Deblois, who resigned in early May to accept an administrative position in Maine after his contract with the school was not renewed. According to Mark Lane, chairman of the School Board, Raucci came to the attention of the board after being recommended by SAU 2l's incoming Superintendent Bill Lupini. "Bill has a lot of experience working with interim principals," Lane said. "I think this was an excellent recommendation on his part. Beth has worked in other communities similar to ours and she has a lot of experience supervising building projects, and of course we're about to build our school expansion." A Haverhill, Massachusetts resident, Raucci, 59, is a 37-year veteran educator. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master's degree from Cambridge College in educational administration. She began her career as a physical education and social studies teacher, spending 16 years teaching at the former Essex Agricultural and Technical High School in Danvers, Massachusetts. "Essex Aggie was a great place to start my teaching career," Raucci said. "I loved teaching there." After leaving Essex Aggie, Raucci took on a new challenge assuming the position of assistant principal at Groton Dunstable Middle School in Groton, Massachusetts for five years, before moving up to become the school's principal for another five years. Raucci moved on to become the first principal at Manchester Essex Middle School in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, where she also oversaw the elementary school for a time. After spending five years at Manchester Essex, Raucci left to take over as the principal at Newburyport's Nock Middle School, where she spent four years before retiring in 2016. But after two years of retirement, Raucci got a little antsy, she said. "The first year of retirement was new and exciting," she said. "I did a lot of photography, and I love photography. And my second grandson was born. But, I've got the rest I needed, and now, I'm ready to go." One of the things that made taking over the principal position at LAS exciting for Raucci is the construction project to add a new classroom expansion on the south side of the current building. Raucci said, while at Groton Dunstable, Manchester Essex and Nock middle schools, she oversaw four building projects. Meeting daily with contractors will be nothing new, she said. Lane said the board was impressed with Raucci's past history and her demeanor. "She's been very successful in her past jobs," Lane said. "She exudes confidence, and she's very welcoming." Although she officially takes over on July 1, Raucci is planning on visiting the school beforehand in hopes of meeting the teachers and staff before summer break. She's also hoping to have a meeting with parents.
