BRIGHTON — The Brighton School Board voted Wednesday to hire Mari Goodridge as the next principal of Brighton Elementary School, effective July 1.
Goodridge brings more than two decades of education experience, most recently serving as assistant principal at Spaulding High School since 2022.
A native Vermonter, she spent her childhood between Burlington and the Northeast Kingdom and is returning to the region in this new role. Before entering administration, Goodridge taught high school English for 26 years, specializing in literature analysis and writing instruction.
Throughout her career, she has held numerous leadership roles, including English Department chairperson, interim associate principal, SAT coordinator, and faculty mentor. She also served as chair of the Local Standards Board for the Vermont Agency of Education and contributed to curriculum development for the Vermont Virtual Learning Collaborative, where she also taught online.
Goodridge has a strong background in athletics, having coached multiple sports and served as athletic director at Rice Memorial High School from 2005-2010. She was Rice Memorial’s first National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association-certified athletic director and the first woman to hold the position.
Her administrative experience includes a recent term as interim principal at Spaulding High School in spring 2024.
Goodridge holds a Vermont K-12 principal endorsement and endorsements in English (grades 7-12) and online teaching. She earned a Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in literacy and curriculum development from Johnson State College.
