Ben Niles, new Franklin County Technical School assistant principal, said upon first meeting Principal Brian Spadafino that he knew immediately he wanted to become part of the school community.
“This was an opportunity to join a mission-driven school that serves the community with a clear purpose,” he said. “We help kids build the skills that they can use to contribute to the community. That mission speaks to me strongly.”
Niles’ career in education goes back more than 20 years when he taught guitar in the Rock and Roll department and managed a staff of 10 counselors at the Performing Arts Camp at French Woods, a summer camp in upstate New York where he worked for four years.
“At that point in time I was looking to start a career,” Niles said. “Teaching made me feel fulfilled, gave me a sense of joy and was a constant challenge.”
At the same time Niles was working in retail and doing environmental grant work at Patagonia in New York City.
Niles is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he majored in history. He also has a masters degree in Educational Leadership from Excelsior University.
In 2003, Niles became a founding faculty member of the New Design High School in New York City, where he taught history. He met his wife Jean, a special education teacher at the school, there and stayed at New Design High School until 2014.
Niles and Jean moved with their two children Beatrice, now 14, and Otis, now 13, to Beacon, New York, located upstate on the Hudson River. Niles was hired as head of school at the Randolph School, a progressive pre-kindergarten to 5th grade school in Wappingers Falls, New York.
“It was a magical place,” Niles said of the Randolph School. “The science room was a creek behind the school. It was the first place where I fully realized the importance of building a community at the school.”
After four years at the Randolph School, Niles and his family moved to Arlington, Mass. to be closer to family. He landed a job as head of school at the Tremont School in Concord, where he led the development of a post-graduate program and oversaw the school’s transition to a brand new campus.
Two years later, Niles was offered and accepted a job as head of school at the Community Day Charter Public School in Lawrence. A middle school, its mission was to build the necessary skills so students could have greater choices moving into high school.
US News & World Report recently ranked Community Day Charter Public School #4 in charter middle schools in Massachusetts.
“They were very mission driven,” Niles said of the school. “They were there to serve the community, and I loved that commitment.”
Niles grew up in Vermont and his family still lives there. His wife Jean went to UMass Amherst and the couple have longed to move back to this area. Besides spending time with his family, Niles enjoys playing guitar and has been a member of a number of bands. He’s also a songwriter, photographer and home gardener.