Assistant supt. set to join district Administrator will join Holmdel in July at $138,000 salary BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer HOLMDEL - For the past six years, Mary Beth Currie has made the approximately 45-minute commute from her home in Lawrenceville over to Bret Harte Elementary School in Cherry Hill, where she is the principal. She said she has a great relationship with the people affiliated with the school and has enjoyed her time there. But starting on July 1, Cherry Hill's loss will be Holmdel's gain, as Currie will start her new position as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Currie will be paid an annual salary of $138,000 for the position, which is currently being held on an interim basis by Judith Landis. Currie described a number of items that factored into her decision to leave her current job. "I wanted to be in a small enough district where I could make a difference, working very closely with principals and students. Really, I wanted to be involved in as many facets of a school district that I could, and Holmdel offers that," Currie said. Admittedly, Currie was picky when choosing her next destination, because of the relationship she has with the people in Cherry Hill. In addition to being the principal at Bret Harte, she has also been a principal in Upper Darby, Pa., and has taught at the high school level in Philadelphia. Everywhere she has worked in the education field, she's had plenty of support from those around her. At her next stop, she'll have it from the person that matters most. "I'm very pleased that Mrs. Currie is coming to Holmdel to work with us," Schools Superintendent Barbara Duncan said. "She has a lot of background in professional development and in addressing children's needs. She has exhibited a great success level everywhere she has been and we look forward to having her here starting in July." Currie said besides the support she has received from staff members and teachers in Cherry Hill, there's at least one other person who will miss her greatly. "I had a third-grader come up to me and say that he was going to miss me, but that it was okay for me to leave because it was a promotion," Currie said. "Coming from an 8-year-old, that made it very comical. As much of an impact that I have had on them, they have impacted me as well. I do realize that I'm fortunate to work in a district that has been good to me and vice versa. I'm definitely looking forward to my time in Holmdel so I can hopefully have a big impact there as well."