The Board of Education has appointed Miles Wheat as Chatham High School’s next principal. His appointment was made effective July 1, 2024 to replace outgoing CHS principal John Thorsen, who is retiring. Mr. Wheat is an experienced, progressive administrator who currently works as the principal of W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington, MA.
“My philosophy is that school should level the playing field upward. I want to provide students with as many opportunities as I can and make sure that when they leave high school they are on a path of their choosing that will serve them well their whole lives.”
Wheat lives in Great Barrington with his wife, who is a music teacher, their three school-age children, and the family’s German Shepherd-Poodle mix. In his free time he enjoys growing his own food in his garden, kayaking and canoeing, folk dancing, and taking the kids camping.
“We often find ourselves driving over to Chatham to find fun things to do and it seems to be a great community to be a part of,” he said.
Wheat holds a master’s degree in environmental education from Lesley University and a bachelor’s in environmental geology from Susquehanna University. He has 17 years’ experience as an educator, working for the past eight years at W.E.B. Du Bois, seven of which as the school’s assistant principal. Prior to that, he was the assistant principal for grades 6-12 at BART Charter School in Adams, MA. He started his career as a seventh-grade math and science teacher at Christa McAuliffe Charter Public School in Framingham, MA, before becoming a high school science teacher for BART.
Looking forward to next school year, Wheat says, “Priority one for me is getting to know Chatham High School, both the school itself and all of the communities that make up the school district. I plan to have a lot of conversations and meet a lot of people.”