In Good Hands: BHSEC’s New Leadership

Clementine Kline ’25

Back to school can be an exciting time for many reasons. Maybe you get to reconnect with friends, maybe you just can’t wait for the weather to cool down, or maybe you’re a BHSEC Manhattan student, anxiously awaiting the news of the mystery principal. We were certainly kept on the edge of our seats, but we have to look no further, as on Wednesday, September 4, it was announced that Dr. Valeri Thomson would be leading the administrative team for the foreseeable future. She is enjoying working with the leadership team, which includes Christina Canty, named by the DOE as the Interim Acting Principal until the official hiring process (known as “C-30”) is conducted in early October. 

Dr. Thomson is no stranger to Bard. In fact, she has spent an impressive amount of time with the school in many capacities, making her not only well-versed in all things Bard but also in the uniquely difficult job of early college principal. After attending Bard College, she became the founding principal of BHSEC Queens and held that position for 14 years, leaving two years ago to return to Bard College and a lab at Harvard as a biology professor. 

Though all of her time as principal was spent at BHSEC Queens, she got her start in the very office that she is now occupying again, 17 years later. Dr. Thomson speaks on her experience: “In 2007, I taught math and had my desk in the principal’s office of the 2nd floor at 525 E Houston Street. There I observed the BHSEC founding principal, Ray Peterson, and had time to think about the ways in which he helped to shape and support the students’ learning experience.” 

Mr. Peterson, beloved by all at BHSEC Manhattan (and, with his oft-worn bow tie and 6’6” frame, the style inspiration for the Bardvark) praises her work at BHSEC Queens, saying “it turned out to be a terrific school in large part because of Val’s success in working with students, faculty, and a diverse parent community. These are experiences and skills that will now come with her as she returns to Bard’s flagship campus, the school we all love best.” 

Dr. Thomson joined the administrative team just days before the school year began. As the DOE bureaucratic gears to formally appoint a principal move slowly, it may be some time before her position becomes official. But based on her deep connections both with Bard and the New York City Public Schools, and her welcoming words for us on Thursday morning, the community seems relieved to see that this school “we all love best” is landing in good hands.