Principal Welch

The 2021-22 school year will be Thomas Welch’s 11th year as the Principal of East Street School. His career in education began as a 6th grade teacher at Becker Middle School in MN.  After moving back to Western MA he continued teaching both 6th grade at Williams Middle School in Longmeadow, MA and 5th grade at Somers ElementarySchool in Somers. CT.  In 2007 he accepted the Asst. Principal position at Chestnut Hill School in Belchertown, MA where he remained until 2011 accepting his current position.

Welch began his higher education in 1978 at STCC earning an Associates Degree in Business Administration, his Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with a certificate in U.S. History was earned in 1999 from St. Cloud State University and his Masters of Education in School Administration was earned at Westfield State College in 2007.

Welch is a member of the MA School Administrators Association, is a proud Soul of Leadership Alumni and currently is an active ‘Playmaker’ with the Life Is Good Kids Foundation.

His educational philosophy, “When we teach the whole child every child will succeed”, reminds him to always make administrative decisions with students’ best interest in mind.

In his free time he enjoys picking up a good book to read, teeing up on the golf course and strumming some tunes on his guitar. Welch is a breast cancer survivor who strongly advocates for breast cancer awareness.

Welch is married with six adult children ages 21 to 32 and recently began a wonderful new chapter in his life enjoying the role of grandfather to his first born grandchild, Liam.