Medfield High School Principal Says Retiring 'Exciting, But Scary At the Same Time'

Midway through February vacation and Medfield High School was nearly empty, save for the custodial staff and one dedicated educator, who made good use of the “quiet time” to “get some things done.”

Getting things done is nothing new to Medfield High School principal, Judy Noble, who, after serving as a valued member of the Medfield school system for the past 37 years, is retiring at the end of the current school year.

During a long and distinguished career, Noble has held positions as chemistry teacher, sports coach, Dean of Academics, Interim Principal and finally, Medfield High School Principal.

“It was a family tradition, I guess,” Noble said. “My mother was a teacher and one of my aunts taught for 40 years. It’s a great profession.”

In making her decision to enter the teaching profession, Noble set her sights squarely on the upper grade levels.

“I’ve always wanted to teach high school students,” she said. “High school students have the ability to think and process. You can sit down and have a meaningful conversation with them.”

After serving for a number of years as a full-time chemistry teacher, Noble was named as one of Medfield High School’s Dean of Academics. At the time, she was also afforded the opportunity to continue working with students in the classroom. However, “when I recognized that the position was going to full-time administration,” she recalled, “I went back to [full-time] teaching. “

She was called upon, once again, to join the school’s administration following the departure of former principal, Andrew Keough.

“They conducted a search [for Keough’s replacement] but the search didn’t produce a viable candidate,” Noble said. “I became Interim Principal for a year.” When a new search was about to be conducted, Noble made the decision to apply for the job and was named permanently to the position.

After serving as principal for the past five years, Noble came to the decision that the time was right to consider retirement.

“I want to be able to enjoy time with my spouse [Pat],” she said. “Family is very important to me and this position is very time consuming.”

When asked if she’s detected major differences in the students of today versus those she’s taught over the past 37 years, Noble took a moment to reflect on the question.

“As much as there might be some differences, there are many more similarities,” she said. “Kids are always going to be kids.”

Noble, as an example, noted, with a chuckle, that “a kid will do something and think that it’s the first time anybody has ever seen it.”

She admitted, however, that the students of today probably do face more pressure than those of years ago.

“Kids’ free time is much more structured,” she said. “They’re involved in so many things. Sometimes they have a hard time saying ‘no’ [to involvement in numerous activities]. Also, there are more kids going on to college now than before and there’s more pressure on them to get into a good school.”

Reflecting on her 37 years of service to the community, Noble struggled to settle on any one cherished memory.

“There are lots of them,” she said. When pressed for examples, she responded, “I am always proud when former students come back and tell me that I made a difference. And when I see the kids that I used to coach [in various sports] and they remember games or years or the experiences we had together. When kids don’t just say that ‘you taught me chemistry’, but say that 'you taught me a little about life.’"

As to the what happens next, Noble is uncertain.

“I haven’t fully decided, yet. Pat and I are talking about a trip to Ireland next fall. I also enjoy playing golf and will probably do more of that and there are crafts that I haven’t done in awhile.”

She emphasized, however, that her new-found free time will not be entirely devoted to crafting and days spent on the golf links. “I can’t just do nothing,” she reasoned. “I might do some tutoring or maybe something in the private sector.”

Noble, noted that along with her own retirement, two other Medfield High educators will also be saying goodbye to the classroom this year. “English teacher, Janet McDermott (40 years in teaching) and Social Studies teacher, Richard DeSorgher (35 years) are also retiring this year.”

When asked for final thoughts on her pending retirement, Noble felt the need to “thank the Medfield community for 37 wonderful years” before admitting that her voyage into the uncharted waters of retirement is “exciting, but scary at the same time.”