District Selects Next Principal To Lead Newton South

NEWTON, MA —Haverhill High School Assistant Principal Tamara "Tamii" Stras will be the next principal at Newton South High School.

Stras will begin her position on July 1, taking over for interim principal Mark Aronson.

"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," said Superintendent David Fleishman in an email to Newton South community members Sunday."She has demonstrated a capacity for leadership that is characterized by thoughtfulness and fairness."

Fleishman described Stras as someone who is passionate about educational equity and racial justice.

For the past three and a half years she's been at Haverhill High School. Before that Stras 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. Stras is a fellow at the Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College.

Principal Joel Stembridge resigned last May after 11 years at South. He took a job as principal of a high school in Charlestown.