LEARN has hired principals to lead two of its magnet schools in southeastern Connecticut: the Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton and the Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London.

Tara Amatrudo, the current principal at LEARN’s Connecticut River Academy at Goodwin University, has been tapped to lead the marine sciences school. She is filling the role left vacant by Nicholas Spera when he resigned earlier this year to take a job as executive director and principal at the Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication in New London.

Mariana Reyes of Waterford, who has served as the interim principal at RMMS for the past year, was named the permanent principal there.

LEARN Executive Director Kate Ericson, in a statement, said Reyes has shown strong leadership at the school over the past year and called her a “talented educator who has earned the respect and admiration of the entire RMMS community.”

“We are fortunate to have her as our permanent leader at RMMS. The students will reach their greatest potential with her as their principal,” Ericson said.

Reyes acknowledged challenging times for all schools with the institution of distance learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of schools but said the school, its teachers and families have learned to adapt.

“We’re finally getting to a place where things are feeling a bit more stable,” Reyes said Wednesday.

Like other schools, RMMS has been evolving and adjusting its approach to education based in part on feedback from families and educators. It helps, she said, to have LEARN guiding a districtwide approach. Old-Lyme-based LEARN is a public educational agency governed by a board of directors and is one of the six Regional Educational Service Centers in the state.

Reyes, a native of Costa Rica, previously served as a bilingual instructor with LEARN, was a teaching fellow in an East Harlem, N.Y., school district and later worked as the assistant principal at RMMS, where Ericson said she was integral in the school’s transition into an International Baccalaureate school.

Amatrudo, who will start in Groton in July, is credited with helping the Connecticut River Academy gain accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The school, which serves students in grades 11 and 12 and offers college-level courses, was named a Magnet School of Excellence in 2019.

In addition to her education at Southern Connecticut State University and University of Connecticut, Amatrudo is trained in racial integration through Harvard Graduate School of Education’s RIDES program, the Reimagining Education Institute at Columbia Teachers College and the Connecticut Center for School Change’s Equity Institute. She resides in Killingworth.

In a statement, Amatrudo said she “believes that it is the responsibility of a magnet school to provide a diverse and challenging educational experience, where everyone comes together to focus on the best outcome for each student.”

“Tara’s exemplary accomplishments in the areas of equity, innovation, and student outcomes make her a natural choice to lead MSMHS. She is excited to work with all in the MSMHS community, and I look forward to what she, along with all MSMHS staff, students, families, and partners will accomplish together,” Ericson said in the statement.

LEARN Associate Executive Director Ryan Donlon has been serving as the school’s interim principal since Spera left.

g.smith@theday.com