Sarah Houle Named MSAA Middle School Principal of the Year

Sarah Houle, Principal of Southbridge Middle School, has been named the 2026 MSAA Middle School Principal of the Year. She has served at Southbridge Middle School for the past seven years. Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree from Boston University and holds Master’s degrees from UMass Boston and Endicott College. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. at Clark University in Transformative Education.

Prior to her work in Southbridge, Sarah was a high school social studies teacher with a passion for developing critical thinkers and active citizens who can chart their own course. She started her career at Cathedral High School in Boston, teaching a diverse population of often first generation high school graduates. After spending a few years in a suburban district, Sarah followed her heart back to urban education and has been in Southbridge working with stakeholders to improve the Middle School. Sarah is most proud of the team of committed, passionate, and pragmatic educators she works with. They pour so much into the work, and persevere together to find ways to overcome the obstacles that often impede progress in urban settings.

A teacher and an administrator provided the following statements in Sarah’s Principal of the Year application:

“Sarah has shaped Southbridge Middle School's culture to foster the emotional and physical well-being and the safety for both staff and students by leading by example. Ms. Houle is warm, fair, and consistent in her approach to all people within our school. She has a clear understanding of the developmental needs of the students and is committed to providing a balance of rigorous learning opportunities that are complemented by structured time daily to foster community building for students. Likewise, Ms. Houle understands how to manage and relate to staff members in effective and supportive ways. Her skill set, combined with her warmth and ability to lead by example have resulted in a positive school culture, one in which all people in the building feel both emotionally and physically safe at all times.

“Sarah ensured the pathway for any staff who want to be involved in making decisions and giving feedback to the administration leadership team through the Instruction Leadership Team or ILT. This team focused initially on tracking data and homework habits, to now being involved in instructional rounds that help colleagues collect data that pushes teaching and learning forward. By creating collaboration, we, as teachers, can bring these ideas to a space that allows for staff ideas to be fleshed out.”

Sarah grew up in Massachusetts and currently lives on a farm in Douglas with her husband and best friend, Eric, and their three children: Emalie, Trevor, and Tucker.  

In her free time, Sarah most enjoys doing anything with her family, but especially camping in their vintage Airstream (named Peggy). She also enjoys reading, watching her kids play sports, and volunteering at her church.