Assistant Principal Suzanne Pyszka will replace retiring Principal Marc Boyd at Maple Avenue Elementary School.

Stacy Buckley, Superintendent of Schools for School Administrative Unit 19, announced the appointment at the April 20 Goffstown School Board meeting.

“Suzanne brings a wealth of knowledge, great ideas and a strong motivation to meet the educational needs of all of our students,” Buckley said. “We are very excited to have Suzanne join our team of school principals.”

Pyszka will take over the position July 1.

She has been at Maple Avenue for 12 years and is currently completing her third year as assistant principal.

Prior to that, she was a literacy coordinator for five years and a first-grade teacher.

Pyszka said she has many academic goals for her new role.

“The district itself is working on a number of academic goals,” she said. “One is to have more commonality between the two elementary schools.”

Pyszka said she will be working closely with Bartlett Elementary School Principal David Bousquet on that goal.

Pyszka said she has learned a lot from Boyd, who’s been principal for the last two decades. He is well-known at school and in the community as a fun-loving, entertaining guy, and Pyszka saw the benefits that brought to his job as principal.

“I see that having fun, how it connects us closer to the students,” she said.

It makes an impression on students, too. Pyszka said she received some congratulations cards from students, and one read, “It’s OK to have fun as a principal.”

Pyszka received a master’s of education degree in educational leadership from Plymouth State University and a bachelor of science degree in education from Keene State College.

According to Buckley, the principal search process included a review and analysis of a wide pool of candidates from a number of different states.

After first-round interviews, the search committee narrowed the field to semifinalists. The final interview process included in-depth reference checks, along with final interviews with each candidate.