Woburn names new Malcolm White principal and assistant principal

WOBURN — The Woburn School Committee welcomed the new administrative team for Malcolm White School, introducing Ki Chen as principal and Nicole Mondello as assistant principal.

Ki Chen (S14) described an upbringing split between China and the U.S., a career transition from finance to education via Teach For America, and experience raising achievement at schools with low proficiency. "I believe, if you can measure something, you can improve it," Chen said, describing a focus on disaggregating assessment data to identify gaps in writing and target grade-level support.

Nicole Mondello (S15) outlined her experience as a reading specialist, instructional coach and educator who has worked with multilingual learners and refugee families; she emphasized an asset-based approach to instruction and said she looks forward to scaling school-level successes across the district. "Learning from life changes the game," Mondello said, recounting early-career work in Chelsea and subsequent roles that expanded her instructional leadership.

Superintendent Dr. Crowley (S4) told the committee the two administrators had already begun transition work and called their addition a "windfall" for the district. Committee members praised the hires and offered support as the team settles into the school community. Several members highlighted the district’s focus on literacy and data-driven intervention as alignment with Chen and Mondello’s strengths.

What’s next: Chen and Mondello will continue onboarding and planning for the coming school year; the committee plans follow-up conversations about implementation and coordination with district-level literacy initiatives.