AMHERST — Wildwood Elementary School Principal Nick Yaffe will retire at the end of the school year, bringing to close a more than 30-year educational career in Amherst that included teaching in and leading a school that closed more than a decade ago.
Using his YouTube channel, Yaffe made the announcement to students, families and staff in a video posted Thursday in which he interacts with a Kermit the Frog puppet.
“I made the decision to retire at the end of this year from being your principal at Wildwood,” Yaffe says in the video. “This was a really, really hard decision, because I absolutely love my job as principal.”
But he said making the announcement will give those in the Wildwood community seven more months to prepare for his departure, and the district time to determine a succession plan.
Debbie Westmoreland, director of communications and operations for the school district, wrote in an email that plans will get underway to find Yaffe’s replacement.
“With regard to his successor, we will follow the usual hiring process, which includes posting the position, going through the interview process, and having opportunities for the community to meet and provide feedback on finalists,” Westmoreland wrote.
In the video, Yaffe, 69, expressed his feelings about having the best job in the world, and sadness that he will be leaving the school he has led since fall 2010. For six years, he was principal at the former Mark’s Meadow Elementary School, the town’s fourth elementary school that was long located in a University of Massachusetts-owned building at the northern edge of campus. Mark’s Meadow closed in spring 2010. Yaffee was also a classroom teacher from 1990 to 2004, including teaching kindergarten at Mark’s Meadow.
An Amherst resident, Yaffe said he is at a stage in his life when he wants to spend more time with his family.
The video takes viewers to the rainbow front doors at Wildwood where he greets students as they come in, and also shows other staff welcoming children as they get off the buses.
Yaffe praised the students who bring joy to the hearts of those in the building, that they come from across the globe and speak numerous languages, and offer multiple perspectives on learning.
“One thing that won’t change is how amazing our children are,” Yaffe said.
He also thanked families. “We say love makes a family,” Yaffe said. And finally he mentioned the staff who has supported student creativity.
“I am so fortunate to have worked with such a dedicated staff here at Wildwood, who cares about every child and works to make sure that every child learns and grows every day,” Yaffe said.