01:00 AM EDT on Friday, July 15, 2005

PROVIDENCE -- The School Board has appointed five administrators -- two principals, two assistant principals and a supervisor of elementary education -- on the recommendations of Tomas Ramirez, interim superintendent.

They are:

Thomas Bacon Jr., principal of Pleasant View Elementary School. Bacon joined the district in 1995 as an art instructor at the Robert F. Kennedy Elementary school, where he taught for six years.

He was assistant principal at Harry Kizirian and George J. West elementary schools. Bacon has served as a coordinator of art and literacy programs. Most recently, he was acting principal at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School.

Bacon holds a master's degree in educational administration from Providence College and a bachelor of science in art from Rhode Island College. He has earned graduate credits in American Sign Language and in English as a Second Language.

Andrea Riquetti, principal of the Fortes/Lima Elementary School Annex. Riquetti has worked for the School Department since 1991. She is a native speaker of Spanish.

Riquetti earned her bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Stonehill College in 1986 and her Spanish bilingual endorsement in 1993 from Rhode Island College. She has a master's in education from the University of Rhode Island.

She spent 11 years as a first grade bilingual teacher at Windmill Elementary. In 2001, Riquetti became elementary literacy coach at Windmill. She completed the district's aspiring principal program in 2005.

Denise Carpenter, supervisor of elementary education. Carpenter was most recently the principal at Robert L. Bailey Elementary School, where she served for five years. She has worked for theschool department for the 18 years.

Besides classroom experience at the elementary level, Carpenter has been an assistant principal and a curriculum coordinator at Veazie Street Elementary School. She received her bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Rhode Island College and a master's degree in education from Lesley University Graduate School.

Donna Gregoire, assistant principal at Hope High School's Information Technology Academy. Gregoire has been a foreign language teacher in the district since 1990. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian. She has an extensive background in site-based managed schools, having taught at Feinstein and Cooley high schools. Gregoire has experience helping students create senior projects and portfolios.

Geraldine Pirri, assistant principal at Hope High School's Arts Academy. Pirri has worked for the School Department for 25 years. Besides teaching in middle and high schools, Pirri has been an assistant principal at Roger Williams and Nathanael Greene middle schools for 10 years.

She holds a bachelor's of science degree in business education from Bryant College, a master of arts degree in secondary administration, and is a graduate of Mount Pleasant High School.