Maggie Harrington-Esko, assistant principal at Pittsfield High School, will take over as principal in September | Central Berkshires

PITTSFIELD — Maggie Harrington-Esko, the assistant principal of teaching and learning at Pittsfield High School, has been named as new principal at the school.

Pittsfield schools Superintendent Joseph Curtis announced the move in a brief message to the school community on Thursday afternoon.

“Please join me in expressing my gratitude to Ms. Harrington-Esko for accepting this new career challenge as well as to a wonderful principal search committee comprised of staff, students, and parents that assisted me in making the final decision,” Curtis wrote in an email. 

Esko will succeed Henry Duval, who announced last February that he would be retiring in September as leader of the district’s second-largest school.

Leading the school will not be new to Esko; she served as interim principal in 2020-21 while Duval was serving as interim assistant superintendent.

She began her PHS tenure in 2006 as a social studies teacher, and in her 11 years in the classroom, she served as a teacher leader, mentor and class adviser, according to a post on the PHS Facebook page.

She joined the administrative team in 2017, serving as serving as dean of students, vice principal, assistant principal of teaching and learning as well as interim principal.