South Royalton — A longtime New Hampshire educator has been tapped to serve as interim principal of the South Royalton School.

Joanne Melanson, the former principal of Littleton (N.H.) High School, was named to the top post in an email to parents on Wednesday.

Melanson was principal of both Littleton High School and the Daisy Bronson Middle School from 2014 to 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also served as principal of Colebrook Academy in New Hampshire’s North Country for six years, and was a business education teacher at Woodsville High School for more than two decades.

Melanson will replace former Principal Dean Stearns, who was placed on administrative leave and later resigned after police charged him with secretly recording video of a teenage girl in her bedroom and bathroom while she was a guest at his Sharon home.

Stearns, 55, pleaded not guilty in November to a felony charge of promoting a sexual recording and a misdemeanor charge of voyeurism. He was released on a $15,000 unsecured appearance bond and is not allowed to have contact with minors under the age of 18, except for his grandchildren.

The South Royalton School is planning a meet and greet with Melanson that will be scheduled soon, according to the email to parents.

Correction

Former South Royalton School Principal Dean Stearns resigned his position in early December. An earlier version of this story misstated Stearns’ employment status.