MAVA Colleagues,
Westfield Technical Academy will have a new principal as Bruce Hastings will be retiring. We thank Bruce for his many years of dedicated service to the students and staff and exceptional leadership and dedication.
We extend our sincere congratulations to the incoming Principal Daniel Paquette. He has served as assistant principal at the school for the past two-and-a-half years. When asked what he is most excited about, he said “working with both the academic teachers and the shop teachers, bridging that gap between them, and finding what’s best for the students.”
David
New Principal chosen for Westfield Technical Academy
- Published: Feb. 18, 2026, 8:57 a.m.
Daniel Paquette, assistant principal at Westfield Technical Academy, has been selected as the school’s new principal.
Amy Porter | The Westfield News | aporter@thereminder.com
WESTFIELD – Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski has announced the appointment of Daniel Paquette as the new principal of Westfield Technical Academy, replacing Bruce Hastings, who will be retiring at the end of the school year. Paquette has served as assistant principal at the school for the past two-and-a-half years. He will begin his new role on July 1.
Paquette received his bachelor’s in history from Fitchburg State College, his master’s in education from Our Lady of the Elms and his master’s in school administration from Westfield State University.
Before joining WTA, Paquette served as an assistant principal at Westfield High School for six years and as an assistant principal in Palmer for one year. Before entering administration, he spent thirteen years as a social studies teacher at Chicopee Comprehensive. He has also served as a head tennis coach and assistant football coach.
“I’m very excited to start. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’m very prepared to lead the school,” Paquette said.
Asked what he is most excited about, he said working with both the academic teachers and the shop teachers, “bridging that gap between them, and finding what’s best for the students.”
Regarding the School Committee’s plans to submit a proposal for Westfield Technical Academy to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, Paquette said a beautiful new building would be fantastic. “It comes with a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s never going to change what’s inside the school already — the culture and the environment.”
“The students want to be there,” Paquette said.
Czaporowski said the appointment follows an intensive and comprehensive search process led by a dedicated 12-member interview committee. The committee included representation from WTA staff, students, parents/guardians, district office administrators, and a School Committee member who devoted many hours to reviewing applications, selecting semifinalists, and conducting formal interviews with four candidates.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to all who served on the committee for their time, professionalism, and commitment to the future of WTA,” Czaporowski said.
Following the initial round of interviews, two semifinalists elected to withdraw from the process for personal or professional reasons. “After careful consideration of the remaining candidates, the committee’s feedback was clear and decisive,” he said, adding that Daniel Paquette received unanimous support from the 10 committee members present at the meeting to move forward as a finalist, with less support for the other remaining candidate.
Czaporowski said given the overwhelming consensus, along with Paquette’s demonstrated leadership and experience, they elected to offer him the appointment as principal without convening a public forum for a single finalist.
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