The Chatham Board of Education has appointed John Thorsen to serve as Chatham Middle School’s interim assistant principal. Mr. Thorsen is a familiar face to most of us here at Chatham, having served as Chatham High School’s principal for many years. He retired from the District in 2024. Thorsen will officially step in on January 20 to provide continuity, leadership, and support for our students through the end of June, 2025.
Mike Stead, who served as the building’s assistant principal for the last five years, has accepted a principal position in a nearby school district and departs us January 16. We thank Mr. Stead for his more than two decades of service here at Chatham as a teacher and leader, and wish him all the best as he takes this big step in his career.
The District will be reorganizing Chatham Middle School’s administrative structure at the end of this school year. Due to the number of students in the building continuing to drop, the assistant principal position will be discontinued and school officials will hire a part-time dean of students to replace it, starting with the 2026-27 school year.