Amherst Central High School Names New Principal, Assistant Principal
AMHERST — Amherst Central High School heads into the new school year under new leadership, with Patrick Kapperman named principal and Adam Wierbinski named assistant principal, as Town Hall also pushes ahead on the long-planned Bangs Community Center renovation.
TOWN HALL The Bangs Community Center renovation project is moving forward, with planned upgrades to health and safety systems, accessibility, the Senior Center and the area near Room 101, according to the town's website. The building will stay open throughout construction, with completion expected in early 2027.
Town Hall is also inviting residents to weigh in on a cable television survey, open through Friday, Aug. 7, and is encouraging residents to use cooling centers and outdoor facilities as extreme heat continues this summer.
SCHOOLS Amherst Central High School has a new principal, Patrick Kapperman, and a new assistant principal, Adam Wierbinski, according to Amherst Public Schools. The district also announced that Zoe Simonson has been selected as ex-officio student member of the Board of Education for a one-year term that began July 1.
Music teacher Julie Furlong was named the 2026 General Music Educator of the Year, and the district was recognized as one of the 2026 Best Communities for Music Education for the tenth consecutive year. Separately, the district said 74 students presented at its Seal of Civic Readiness Civics Fair, earning medals to be worn at graduation.
COMMUNITY & ARTS The Amherst Town Library's summer reading program, "Plant a Seed, Read!," continues through Friday, Aug. 7, with prizes and events for all ages. The library's summer schedule also includes Jay and Leslie's juggling show Thursday, an author talk on Revolutionary-era painter Gilbert Stuart on July 30, and an Andy's Playhouse kids' performance July 31, building toward a summer reading finale ice cream social Aug. 7.
Downtown, the town's Summer Concert Series continues Friday evening.
COMING UP The library hosts Nature Storytime and Story Makers Studio today, Tots & Tunes and open-play pickleball at Mill River on Thursday, and Bubbly Babies on Friday. The Zoning Board of Appeals and Community Resources Committee both meet Thursday, and the Amherst Farmers Market runs Saturday. The library's ATL Reads fiction book club meets July 28, and its Mahjong group starts Aug. 6.