Principal Courtney Sheppeck from the Murphy School is leaving for the Blackstone Elementary School in the South End

Dorchester’s loss is the South End’s gain.

For more than 20 years, Courtney Sheppeck has been part of the Richard J. Murphy School family. Ten years as the principal and thirteen years in the classroom teaching sixth and seventh grade! Sheppeck, a South Boston native and BLS graduate, will be leaving the school and taking on a new leadership position as principal at the Blackstone Elementary School in the South End.

“For me professionally, I want to work in a transformation school and see if I can transfer the solid school attributes we’ve created here to the Blackstone,” she continued. “It’s definitely a bittersweet decision, but at the Murphy, families can be guaranteed they’ll get strong instruction across all classrooms. We have very good bones here,” Sheppeck told the Dorchester Reporter last month.

Superintendent Mary Skipper will select an interim principal who will start on July 1st. A selection process for a permanent leader will start soon – most likely in January 2025, with a new principal chosen by July 1, 2025.

We wish Mrs. Sheppeck the best of luck in her new endeavors and know she will be a valuable addition to the Blackstone school!

Here’s a little background on Courtney Sheppeck via BPS:

Courtney Sheppeck is deeply committed to the Boston Public Schools. She graduated from Boston Latin School and then earned a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont. Ms. Sheppeck began her career teaching 6, 7 and 8th grade Spanish and Latin at the Willauer School, a private school for boys on Thompson Island in Boston Harbor. She earned her Master’s degree in Urban Education at Simmons College. She then began teaching sixth grade at the Richard J. Murphy School in 2002 during its first expansion year to a K-8. Ms. Sheppeck has been an active member and head of the Instructional Leadership Team. She has been trained as an intermediate Literacy Coach at Lesley University’s Literacy Collaborative program. Mrs. Sheppeck has also been a BPS middle school E/LA leader for many years and has worked with the Literacy department to write district wide literacy curriculum. Mrs. Sheppeck created the Murphy School’s Academic Learning Night, which has now become a well- attended annual event. She has supported teacher –interns as part of the Boston Teacher Residency program and Teach Next Year.  For the past four years, Ms. Sheppeck has been the Principal of the Murphy School and has demonstrated a strong willingness to work with families, strengthen the School Site Council and increase both academic and social opportunities for all students. She is a mother of three and has been an active leader of her children’s Boston Public School’s Parent Council.

Editor’s note – I am the proud big sister of Courtney Sheppeck! As she does with everything in her life, she will do an amazing job in her new role!