By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

When it comes to hiring new staff, SAD 61 is getting ahead of the curve and finding great success.

Superintendent Al Smith offered five prospective employees’ jobs on Tuesday, and all five accepted. Due to retirements and transfers, SAD 61 faced an active recruiting effort.

“We’ve been fortunate in this hiring season. I commend our administrative staff for their work because if we had procrastinated, we wouldn’t get the candidates that we did,” Smith told the School Board Monday night. “We’ve hired a majority of our staff, but we still have 15 to 18 positions that will be funded by COVIDgrants to assist our students.”

Smith said those positions will fall under a two-year grant, thus the positions are advertised being two-year contracts. However, Smith said some could stay on at SAD 61 beyond that period due to retirements or “other opportunities arise.”

A bulk of Monday’s meeting dealt with hirings, including officially welcoming Carla Gill via Zoom as the district’s new Director of Special Services. Gill replaces Lisa Caron, who after 17 years at the helm is resigning at the conclusion of this school year.

“I love my job and this District, but it is time for me to move on and I am waiting to see what opportunity God presents to me,” Caron told The News.

Four candidates applied for the position. Smith said a two-round interview process by a search group ultimately resulted in a unanimous decision to recommend Gill for the director’s job.

“I am excited to start with you and support students and staff as the new Special Education Director,” Gill said.

Gill is presently the special education administrator/coordinator at York Middle School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Southern Maine, Lewiston in 2006 and a master’s degree in Special Education from USM, Gorham in 2009. She went on to earn an Assistant Principal certificate from USM in 2012 and an Educational Leadership certificate from USM.

Previous work experience included Special Ed teacher leader in the Lewiston Public Schools (2009-2014) and Special Education building based team leader for Portland Public Schools (2014-2019).

Other hirings included:

• Danielle Tardiff as a kindergarten teacher at Songo Locks Elementary. She is presently a long-term remote sub for RSU 14, Windham. Tardiff studied Elementary Education and Special Education at Saint Joseph’s College (bachelor degree pending). There were 18 applicants, 10 were interviewed.

• Renee Leask as a kindergarten teacher at Songo Locks. She is presently a remote learning interventionist at RSU 14, Windham. Leask studied Elementary Education and History at Saint Joseph’s College (bachelor’s degree pending). There were 18 applicants, 10 were interviewed.

• Amity Gottschalk as a 4/5 multi-age teacher at Stevens Brook Elementary. She is currently the director of academic support at Bridgton Academy and formerly a fifth-grade teacher at SBES. Gottschalk earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Mercy College (N.Y.) in 2004. There were 18 applicants, 10 were interviewed.

• Benjamin Allen as a second-grade teacher at Songo Locks Elementary (two-year funded position). He is presently a first-grade teacher at Farwell Elementary in Lewiston. Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management fro Lasell College in 2018, and a master’s degree in Education from USM in 2019. There were 25 applicants, five were interviewed.

• Andrew Young as a fifth-grade teacher at Crooked River Elementary, replacing Francis Foley who resigned. He is presently a Resiliency Coordinator at Biddeford Primary School. Previously, he was a classroom teacher in Biddeford, a special education teacher in Raymond and a teacher at Poland. Young earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Saint Joseph’s College in 2007 and a master’s in School Educator from SJC in 2018. There were 21 applicants, four were interviewed.

• Daphne Demers as a Special Education teacher (resource room) at Stevens Brook Elementary, replacing Kimberly Guptill who transferred to an academic leader position. She is presently a SE technician in Yarmouth. Demers earned her bachelor’s degree in English at USM in 2010, and is undergoing master’s work in Special Education at UMO. There were 21 applicants, six were interviewed.

• Alexandria Hafford as a Special Education teacher (self-contained) at Stevens Brook Elementary, replacing Jillian Cummings who resigned. She is presently a Human Resources Assistant at Oliver Associates Inc. in Winterport. She previously was a SE teacher in Holden and Ellsworth. Hafford earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and minor in Psychology from UMO in 2010, and a master’s in Special Education from UMO in 2016. There were 21 applicants, six were interviewed.

• Katherine Dormady as a Special Education teacher (self-contained) at Songo Locks Elementary. She previously was a student teacher in Windham and intern at SAD 61. Dormady will graduate with a Special Education degree from Saint Joseph College this May.

• Savannah Wright as a music teacher at Songo Locks Elementary, replacing Linda McVety who retired. She is a music teacher at Cobb County School District in Georgia. Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Bob Jones University (Greenville, S.C.) in 2016. There were 14 applicants, five were interviewed.

• Kayla Dow as a school nurse at Songo Locks Elementary, replacing Nicole Furlong who is transferring to Crooked River Elementary. She is presently a registered nurse at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway. She earned an associate degree in Nursing from the University of New England in 2011. There were 25 applicants, five were interviewed.

• Susan Hodge as a Special Education technician at Lake Region Middle School, replacing Robin Kimball who retired. She is presently a science teacher in Penfield, N.Y. Hodge earned a master’s degree in Teaching at Rhode Island College in 2006. There were three applicants, two were interviewed.

• Alexandria Grondin as an educational technician at Lake Region Middle School, replacing Sandra Hamlin who resigned. She is presently a strength & conditioning coach in Auburn, and a basketball coach at St. Dominic Academy. There were five applicants, two were interviewed.

• Patricia Griffin as an administrative secretary at Crooked River Elementary. She previously worked as a Traffic Coordinator at IDEXX Labs in Westbrook. Griffin earned a bachelor’s degree in English from USM in 1986. There were 21 applicants, seven were interviewed.

• Nikki Stuart as office clerk at Crooked River Elementary. She previously worked as a senior personal banker at Northeast Bank in Harrison and administrative assistant at SAD 55 in Hiram. There were 49 applicants, seven were interviewed.

• Samantha Edwards as a custodian/food service worker at Songo Locks. She is presently a food service/custodial substitute at SAD 61. There were three applicants, three were interviewed.

• David Curley as a school bus driver, replacing Barbara Mastroianni. He is presently a substitute driver for SAD 61. Curley was the lone applicant.

Other school board notes

Transfers: Kathleen DeVoe from Special Ed Title 1/Literacy Coach to SE Instructional Coach/IEP Coordinator at Songo Locks, replacing Anne St. Pierre, who resigned.

Paul Harmon as a custodian/maintenance tech position to head custodian at Crooked River Elementary.

Caroline Brown from a food service worker at Songo Locks to kitchen manager at Crooked River Elementary.

Laurene Delano and Lori Andrews from custodian positions at Songo Locks to custodian positions at Crooked River.

Regina Pendexter from a custodian split-shift position at Stevens Brook to custodian/food service at Crooked River.

Tammy Wright as a bus monitor to school bus driver, effective this past Monday.

Resigning, Daniel Brangwynne as a psychologist effective June 30.

Donationaccepted, $500 from William Weese Jr., Lake Region Security, to the Lake Region Girls’ Softball team.

Reading resurgenceis what high school Librarian Leanne Oren has found as she continues to restructure her department in Year 2. Book checkouts were over 2,000 from a year ago. When asked why she thought interest was up, Oren noted that she started work in SAD 61 as a middle school teacher and developed relationships with students. Now, when those students enter the library, they tell Oren “you know what I like” as far as book genre, and Oren manages to pair student with the right book. “The first pairing had them come back for another book,” she told directors.

The library also continues to evolve both from a book collection standpoint to new technology to development of new ideas such as creating a space to display artwork created by LRHS students. “It gives them (students) more ownership of space in the library,” she added.

Oren is also checking with other schools to see what services or programming they may be offering that Lake Region H.S. may not be.

Smooth transitionsto four-day in-person instruction at elementary schools were reported by Stevens Brook Principal Cheryl Turpin and Songo Locks Principal Bridgette DelPrete. Schools welcomed students back with upbeat music upon their arrival and during morning announcements (SLS played “Happy”).

Both principals hope parent-teacher conference attendance figures climb past initial returns of 90% at SBES and 85% at SLS. The same is true for kindergarten screenings — SBES has 29 registered, SLS has 40 anticipated appointments this past Tuesday and Wednesday. SE Director Lisa Caron chimed in, updating the SLS number at 48.

“The numbers are lower than expected,” said Caron, noting a short screening session might be held in June to capture those who failed to sign up.