Staff Writer
ASHLAND – Chris Hallett has had a busy summer. In addition to enjoying time with his family at their camp on Portage Lake, hiking at Baxter State Park and taking in a few rounds of golf, he also became the principal of Ashland Community Schools.
Chris Hallett
At the Aug. 10 SAD 32 board meeting, directors accepted former principal Robert Hennessey’s resignation and – at the same meeting – unanimously approved Hallett as Hennessey’s successor.
“It all happened pretty quickly,” said Hallett, who had been the assistant principal/activities coordinator in Ashland for the last two years. “We were all caught off guard when Bob announced he was leaving Ashland to become the principal of Machias Memorial High School. He’s from that area, so it was a good opportunity for him, and a great opportunity for me.
“I know the community members, I know the kids, I know the staff … I knew what I was getting into. It’s a smooth transition for all of them knowing me and having worked with me for two years … they know what to expect,” he said. “This year, what we’re really looking forward to is preparing for our move into the new K-12 building which is very exciting, and we’ve got a lot of projects going on to improve what we’re doing educationally. We’ve brought some new staff in to fill spots, and they’re bringing a lot of experience with them. We’re pretty excited about this year. I think we’re going to have a good year.”
After graduating from Washburn District High School in 1994, Hallett received his bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services from the University of Maine at Farmington in 1998. In 2003, he earned his master’s degree in school counseling from the University of Maine at Orono.
“I went to school to become a guidance counselor,” he said. “After receiving my master’s degree, there were no other degrees; it’s all just courses for administration which I took online to get certified. I’m certified as a K-12 principal.”
Hallett was a guidance director at Washburn District High School for three years, and before that was at Messalonskee High School in central Maine as a guidance counselor. He was in that position for five years. Before getting into education, Hallett also worked as a social worker and counselor.
“A lot of principals come out of the classroom; I came out of the guidance office,” said Hallett. “I think that will help me a lot. Any time you’re working with students, any counseling background is certainly helpful. In this role, it’s not like being in the classroom where you have large groups; you’re often meeting with smaller groups of kids and working through issues and doing some problem solving. It comes in handy.”
Hallett said while he’s looking forward to being inside the new K-12 building that is presently under construction, he’s honored to be the last principal in the existing facility.
“There’s a rich tradition here in Ashland, and even though these old buildings are falling down around us and the new building is definitely needed, there’s a lot of memories here,” he said. “We just hired a new staff member that’s a former student here and they were sharing memories with me recently. This is a 60-year-old building, so for me to have the opportunity to sit here the last year that Ashland Community High School and the Ashland Central School are open, that means something to me because I know it means something to the community.”
While Hallett has goals for the 2009-10 school year, his first order of business is facilitating a smooth transition for all involved.
“I’m not going to come in and change things,” he said. “We know what we have to work on, we have a lot of things to do with accreditation and moving into the new building, and fine-tuning what we’re doing as far as our educational product, and those are some of the goals that we all share.
“I want the kids to have a great year. We have a great relationship. I enjoyed working with them for the past two years in the other job, and I’m even more excited about working with them in my new role. I’ve got a great staff here, too. We’re a close group and morale is off the charts. I think everybody’s feeling good and we’re all close with the community,” said Hallett. “This community doesn’t just come out and support the athletics; they come out and support everything. We have kindergarten graduation, and you can’t find a place to sit in that gymnasium. It’s unbelievable. It’s a close group and that’s why I’m here because I enjoy and respect that.”
SAD 32 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said he knows Hallett will do well in his new role.
“Chris has done an excellent job in the last few years in his position as assistant principal. There’s a small management team in Ashland and he’s been an integral part of the team for the last couple of years,” he said. “He is well suited and certainly ready to take over the principalship. He has the confidence of the faculty, the community, and he has my confidence, as well. The board and I are confident he can step in and do that job and do it well.”
The position of assistant principal/activities coordinator is currently being advertised.
Hallett’s wife, Andrea, is a guidance counselor at Washburn District High School. They celebrated their 10th anniversary in July, and have two children, Jack, 4, and Emily, 10 months old.
