For Emily Zotto, leadership in the Swampscott School District means supporting students and families while also “making the staff and teachers’ jobs easier.”

Zotto will step into her new role as principal of the Swampscott High School on July 1, following Principal Dennis Kohut’s March announcement that he would not seek to renew his contract.

“Swampscott High School is a place where anyone can truly grow and learn and achieve what they set out to achieve,” Zotto said. “It feels like a boutique public school when you’re there, and I think it’s because of the staff that make it feel that way and are able to help our students succeed and get to where they want to go.”

Zotto has served as the assistant principal of the Swampscott Middle School for the past three years. Previously, she was the director of guidance at the Swampscott High School from 2009 to 2022 “helping to support the department in a leadership role.”

She joined the district after a career in sports and entertainment marketing in Colorado. Zotto moved back to the East Coast for her master’s degree in counseling and education from Boston University. 

“For me, going through COVID and even leading up to that, there were opportunities that I was excited about in terms of larger systems and programs and experiences that we could bring to the high school for our students to help grow and expand their learning experiences,” Zotto said. “I discovered that some of my interests really were in those larger, big picture system stuff.”

After transitioning to the more administrative role as assistant principal at the middle school, Zotto said that there are a lot of similarities within the two schools.

“One of the biggest things that jumped out at me in being an administrator is you are in the classrooms every day and all of the awesome learning and teaching that’s happening across grade levels is pretty exciting,” Zotto said.  

Zotto commended the hands-on experiences the high school provides students, including within the Innovation Pathways Program. Swampscott offers a series of courses focused on manufacturing, design and engineering that allows students to work on a variety of projects and become more career ready. 

“It’s really understanding that what we teach affects our labor markets in Massachusetts,” Zotto said. “It’s obviously so important that we pay attention to those trends so what we’re offering in school is connected, whether it’s manufacturing or it’s communications and media or business and finance.”

In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, Zotto said this mindset is even more integral because “teacher and staff and schools function in a lot of different ways that go beyond the tradition.”

“We truly share the responsibility of helping students learn,” Zotto said, adding that teachers are support systems in the homeroom but also driving forces for career interests.

Within the middle school, students are able to explore “specialist courses” in health, digital literacy, robotics, technology and fine arts that are able to lead to them taking specific deeper learning courses in high school, Zotto said. 

“They are in an awesome position to then select what’s really helpful and meaningful to them, and all students have that opportunity to be able to choose something,” Zotto said. “I think the students have the resources they need to be able to (look deeper into careers)…There’s truly something for everyone at the high school. You just have to kind of figure out which pathway you want to take.”

Going into the new school year, Zotto said she wants to continue to have a sense of “strong school spirit and pride.”

“We are so lucky, and the students are so lucky to be where they are and have their resources and opportunities as they do, and I think that’s a big goal of mine to continue to support pride and just spirit in our school community and culture,” Zotto said. 

She mentioned the rival Thanksgiving football game between Swampscott and Marblehead, this past year taking place at Fenway Park. 

“Something I believe strongly is that when one of us on our team, the larger Swampscott team, the rest of us wins,” Zotto said. “Community events like that where we can be with the families and with the students, I think is what I’m most looking forward to.”

Over the summer, Zotto and the high school will host a “freshman academy” for the new students. She called it a “mini orientation” to get the ninth graders acclimated, walking around the building and meeting with some staff. 

“Year one, I’m excited to get in there and listen,” Zotto said. “I think mostly what I’m excited about is being there. Being visible and being excited and being enthusiastic in the community is something central to who I am.”