Swampscott Middle School Principal Jessica Minter has completed her first year in the role, which she called “ a big success.”

“Part of me taking on this big role knew that I could do it because of the staff who are here, and they proved me right,” Minter said. “Looking back on the year, I couldn’t have done it without them, and I would say overall this year was – for my first year – a big success because of everybody involved.”

Minter stepped into the principal role July 1, 2025, after serving as a special education teacher at the school for almost a decade. Originally from Peabody, Minter was at a cookout with her aunt, Attendant of Student Services Martha Raymond, who encouraged Minter to come to Swampscott. Minter has been at Swampscott Middle School since graduating college.

She worked as an ADA tutor while she was deciding what to pursue for her master’s degree. After getting her master’s degree from Salem State University, Minter then returned to Swampscott and became the teacher of the classroom she had tutored in. 

Minter has now gone on to become middle school principal, replacing Jason Calichman, who became the district’s new superintendent.

“Being here for nine years, right out of college, has helped me with the relationships with the staff and even the students,” Minter said. “I didn’t have to learn everybody. It took a lot off my plate.”

Minter also added that the special education background has allowed her to approach being a principal in a very similar way. 

“What people need isn’t all the same,” Minter said. “It’s just making sure everybody is represented and everybody has a fair shot at different things, regardless of grade, ethnicity, gender – everybody gets a fair chance at an education.”

Within the past year, Minter said she is most proud that her team implemented targeted instruction for students in sixth grade. The additional support system allows for groups of students who need help in specific areas to receive it. 

“The staff didn’t blink twice,” Minter said. “Everybody kind of just hit the ground running, putting the students first and ensuring they’re getting what they need.”

Minter said the adaptive diagnostic i-Ready program’s scores have shown “a lot of growth.”

“That’s that immediate response that we get to see if it’s working,” Minter said. “We always look at the whole child socially and emotionally. I do think the kids like it because we actually cross teams. So if you’re on Team A, you could be in the (targeted instruction class) with Team B. Whereas other classes, they aren’t able to really mix up too much.”

In the upcoming school year, seventh graders “will have a completely new system for students to access the targeted instruction.”

“I think it’s a good opportunity for certain students to get,” Minter said. “They’re familiar with it, so hopefully we can keep moving forward into eighth grade eventually and then everybody at the middle school knows what targeted instruction is.”

Looking into the next year, Minter also said she is “excited to take more leaps and take a couple more risks.”

“This year was meant for me to observe and kind of take things in and listen to other people,” Minter said. “Next year, I’m excited to do different things, try different things. One big initiative is to hopefully lessen technology.”

Minter wants students to “return” to paper and pencil. While she acknowledged the value of technology, she said it has its time and place within the school.

“I would say the best part about this year was being able to meet all the students, having conversations with all the grades, kids in different classes, kids with different experiences, kids with different stories,” Minter said.