BHS gets interim principal to serve out the year following Beaupre's resignation

Burlington Free Press

Sabrina Westdijk has been named interim principal of Burlington High School.

She is being promoted from acting principal to interim and will serve out the remainder of the school year. An acting designation only requires instatement by the superintendent. The interim title is conferred after an approval process that includes a vote from the Board of School Commissioners, which approved the appointment unanimously at Tuesday night's meeting.

Westdijk has worked her way up in leadership roles within the Burlington School District since 2020. From 2020 to 2021 she was a vice principal at Edmunds Middle School and then served as principal there for the '21-'22 and '22-'23 school years. This summer she began her role as assistant principal at Burlington High School until she was made acting principal around Oct. 23 when the principal at the time, Debra Beaupre, was put on administrative leave.

Sabrina Westdijk, left, was named interim principal of Burlington High School on Dec. 5, 2023. Previously she was principal at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, and was when this picture was taken in August of 2021.

Beaupre was still on leave from the school district when she resigned, which was announced on Nov. 21. Beaupre's leave followed an incident in which she pulled the fire alarm to break up an altercation between students. Beaupre was less than two months into her first school semester with students at BHS when she was put on leave.

Superintendent Tom Flanagan said Westdijk has done an impressive job stepping into the principal role.

"She has quickly built trust with staff and built new relationships with students while fostering previous relationships formed at EMS," he said in a letter to families. "In addition, she has been quick to respond to staff, students, and families in a thoughtful manner and has great vision on how to finish the year strong."

Flanagan said Westdijk is deeply invested in the school district and BHS students.

Next, the district will fill the assistant principal position Westdijk is vacating and will work with Human Resources to begin the process of hiring a principal, who would begin July 1.

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.