Former PI principal receives Education Commissioner

    AUGUSTA, Maine – Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron recently recognized Superintendent Richard A. “Rick” Lyons as the recipient of the 2007 Commissioner’s Award.     Lyons, who worked in the greater Presque Isle area for more than a decade, serves as school superintendent for SAD 22 serving the towns of Hampden, Newburgh, and Winterport. Lyons was recognized at the 96th annual Maine School Superintendents’ Conference Award Banquet and Dinner, which was held in Bar Harbor at the Bar Harbor Regency Hotel.
The Commissioner’s Award is given each year to a deserving school superintendent in recognition of outstanding service and contributions made to Maine’s public education system, its students, and its citizens.
Gendron presented the 2007 Commissioner’s Award to Lyons before an audience of nearly 100 of his colleagues and their guests.
“Rick is a leader in education who is very active and passionate about his work for the children of Maine,” Gendron said.
Lyons, a Fulbright Scholar to Japan, has played an instrumental role as a member of the School Health Leadership Network and has served as a national speaker representing Maine and its work around coordinated school health programs.
“He is an exemplary state role model around school wellness,” Gendron said.
Lyons is an active member and past president of the Maine School Superintendents’ Association, has served on several legislative committees and has been a strong legislative voice for Maine schools contributing his knowledge on various topics including student health and teacher issues.
SAD 22 and its students consistently perform well on the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), and Lyons is currently overseeing a major high school renovation project at Hampden Academy. He is a resident of Hampden.
A 1971 graduate of Ashland Community High School, Lyons was the head teacher at Westfield Elementary School during the 1979-80 school year. From 1980-1984, he was the principal at Gouldville Elementary School, and served as the principal at Zippel Elementary School from 1984 to 1990.