Dear Newton South Community,

It has been a great pleasure to work with various stakeholders in the South community on the principal search process. The Selection Advisory Committee did a terrific job throughout the entire search and I am grateful for their commitment to ensuring that the school would find a highly capable leader. I am also thankful to the students, faculty, administrators and parents/guardians who asked such thoughtful questions of our finalist candidate. 

I am delighted to announce that Haverhill High School Assistant Principal Tamara (Tamii) Stras will be the next principal at Newton South High School. Tamii did an excellent job during the entire interview process and demonstrated that she is prepared to work with the community to lead Newton South to new heights following this most challenging year. During her lengthy finalist day, which included in-depth interviews with faculty and administrators, parents/guardians and students, she clearly articulated her vision and goals for the future of Newton South.   

Throughout the search, Tamii impressed us with her outstanding record as an assistant high school principal, her experience in meeting the needs of a diverse range of students, and her ability to work successfully in a collaborative manner. In addition, she has demonstrated a capacity for leadership that is characterized by thoughtfulness and fairness. Tamii is not afraid to tackle complicated challenges and is a skilled problem solver. She is also deeply committed to her own learning and is skilled at receiving and acting on the feedback she receives.  

Tamii is a highly knowledgeable instructional leader with a keen understanding of teaching and learning. At the same time, she is deeply committed to the social and emotional well-being of students and fully understands the importance of the nature of this work right now. She is also passionate about educational equity and racial justice and is excited to join a school community that is deeply committed to making progress during this historic time.

Previously, Tamii was the science department head at Lawrence High School where she also served as acting assistant principal. She was also a science teacher in Lawrence where she taught AP and other levels of Biology and Chemistry. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Zoology from St. Xavier’s College (Mumbai, India), and a master’s degree from Boston College in secondary education with a concentration in Biology. Tamii is currently a fellow at the Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College.

I do want to recognize the outstanding leadership that Mark Aronson has provided to South over the past year. His thoughtfulness and compassion has been most appreciated and we are so fortunate to have him as the interim principal. 

I am very much looking forward to having Tamii join our leadership team. She will officially begin her position on July 1, 2021. I know that Mark will work closely with Tamii to make the transition seamless.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

Superintendent of Schools