An appendix to The History of Cranston High School East.
Our list of principals comes from yearbooks and newspapers, and it still has gaps. All dates are approximate.1
| Approximate years | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1892–unknown | A. H. Keyes of Westerly (first principal)2 |
| 1912–c. 1917 | John K. Fenner |
| by 1927–at least 1930 | Clarence W. Bosworth (later superintendent) |
| by 1936–at least 1940 | C. Herbert Taylor (later superintendent) |
| 1940s–early 1950s | Not yet identified |
| c. 1954–55 | Maurice S. Bagby |
| by 1957–1963 | Dr. Knute G. Larson |
| 1963–at least 1972 | William J. Kutneski (named August 1963)3 |
| 1972–1986 | Joseph Ventetuolo (acting principal from October 1972, then principal; retired June 1986)3 |
| 1986–1996 | Dr. William L. Paolino (new principal in the 1986–87 school year)3 |
| 1996–at least 2012 | Don Frederick (Rhode Island Principal of the Year, 2002) |
| by 2015–at least 2017 | Sean Kelly (start year not yet confirmed)3 |
| c. 2017–2024 | Unconfirmed |
| 2024–present | Thomas Barbieri |
Many others shaped the school over the decades. Raymond R. Thompson was sub-principal and assistant principal from 1926 to 1936 and athletic director from 1936 to 1957. Vera L. Milliken was dean of girls from 1928 to 1957. Vice-principal Edward P. Sawin had retired by 1960, and Frederic B. Etter was athletic director that year.4
Can you fill a gap? We especially need the principal in the 1940s and early 1950s, the end of A. H. Keyes’s term, and principals from 2017 to 2024. Please contact webmaster@chse1971.com.
Cranstonian 1926, 1927–1930, 1936, 1940, 1955, 1957, 1960; Cranston Herald, Aug. 22, 1963, p. 7; Sept. 14 and Oct. 19, 1972, p. 16; Oct. 24, 1985, p. 1; Aug. 29, 1996, p. 10; Mar. 14, 2002, p. 1; Aug. 30, 2012, p. 3; Cranston Mirror, June 5, 1986; RIDE; Thunderbolt Alumni Association. A 1972 tribute says Kutneski had been principal “for the past ten years.” ↩
Rhode Island State Board of Education, Annual Report (Google Books lists 1894; covers the 1892–93 school year), Commissioner’s report, p. 112, W. A. Briggs, Superintendent, “Establishment of High School,” https://books.google.com/books?id=YXs_AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA112. ↩
Cranston Herald, Aug. 22, 1963, p. 7; Dec. 1, 1966, p. 8; Cranston Today, Apr. 2, 1975; Herald, Oct. 24, 1985, p. 1; Cranston Mirror, June 5, 1986, and Jan. 15, 1987, p. 3 (“Cranston High School East’s new principal”); Herald, June 7, 1990, p. 10; Aug. 29, 1996, p. 10; Nov. 12, 2015, p. 4; Dec. 1, 2016, p. 4; Mar. 16, 2017, p. 5. ↩↩↩↩
Cranstonian, various years, 1926–1960. ↩