Seven years ago Dr. Lawrence Filippelli arrived with big plans for Lincoln, a school system over twice the size of the one he was departing. Seven years and many improvements later, he is now moving on to serve as Head of School at Woodstock Academy in Connecticut. Having overseen massive improvements to the facilities, a restructuring of learning at the schools, and dealing with a global pandemic, he has certainly left his mark on Lincoln.
Dr. Filippelli had many reasons for taking the Lincoln job, such as the district’s success in education.
“The focus on Lincoln’s excellence in education definitely drew me to Lincoln back in 2018 when I applied for the position,” he said. “I saw Lincoln as both an outstanding district, but also a growth opportunity for me.”
Once Dr. Filippelli took over Lincoln Schools, his focus was on improving teaching and learning. One key focus of his has been the Vision of a Graduate program. The Vision of the Graduate program is a student’s journey from kindergarten to senior year. The program is the aligning of all the grades in the Lincoln School District that displays a student’s path of learning, skills, and proficiency through a student’s journey in the Lincoln School System, to prepare them for post graduation.
“Our Pre-K through 12 Vision of a Graduate curriculum alignment was definitely one of our key focal points when I took over,” Dr. Filippelli said. “I saw this as an opportunity to directly link our curricular upgrades to our facilities upgrades, which at the time was the new construction on the high school renovation project. Once those two components were in place, the last piece was the branding of our Lincoln Lions and keeping that brand consistent from Pre-K to grade 12.”
The most obvious change during Dr. Filippelli’s tenure has been the building and upgrading of facilities. Lincoln has seen many groundbreaking facility improvements under Dr. Filippelli, such as the Lincoln High School Renovation Project and the newly built physical education center. There have been further upgrades at the elementary schools, adding new gymnasiums, STEM rooms, HVAC systems, and cafeterias.
All of these have had a significant positive impact on not only the school department, but the community of Lincoln.
“Lincoln is a destination district and is only one of four towns in the state where student enrollment is increasing rather than decreasing,” Dr. Filippelli said. “The reason for this is the excellent school system we have built where parents want to buy homes here due to the schools.”
Dr. Filippelli, who was named Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year in 2023 has many accomplishments to remember but highlighted leading Lincoln through the pandemic as a favorite.
“[One] of my favorite memories, believe it or not, was leading Lincoln through a global pandemic,” Dr. Filippelli said. “It was a time in our history that none of us will likely see again. While it was stressful at times, I saw the Lincoln community come together and help each other get through the pandemic. It also forced all of us to think differently about education and some really great technology for learning came out of that time.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. McNamara credits Dr. Filippelli’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that it was one of his biggest testaments to his skills as a leader of the district.
“I think Dr. Filippelli’s leadership during COVID-19 was remarkable,” Dr. McNamara said. “Managing the unprecedented circumstances while still moving the district forward in so many areas is a testament to his skills as a district leader.”
“Dr. Filippelli and I have a wonderful working relationship and I will miss him very much,” Dr. McNamara said. “He’s been so supportive and is a wealth of information and expertise.”
As Dr. Filippelli starts his 28th year as a public educator, he will bring the skills he has learned along the way to his new job, thankful for the Lincoln colleagues he has met along the way.
“I look forward to continuing to be an educational leader,” Dr. Filippelli said. “I have spent the last 27 years as a public educator with 22 of those in school and district administration. I am taking those skills to the private/independent school sector and hope to continue to learn and grow. I got to work with some really amazing people both in the schools and the town. I will always be grateful for those friendships and professional relationships.”
