SAD 1 honors several retirees
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
SAD 1 RECOGNIZED many retiring employees last Wednesday night at the district’s monthly board meeting. Pictured are, from left, front row: Enola Boyce, Elaine Hendrickson, Nancy Donovan, Ellen Helstrom, Peggy Kelley, Fran Madore and Alan Curtis. Back row: Eric Hendrickson, Susan Blanchard, Lyn Edgecomb, Robertine Morrow, Carolyn Watson, Carole Doody and Carmen Underwood. Absent when the photo was taken were Bill Ferland, Pat Palm and Marion Carlow.
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE — Seventeen retiring SAD 1 employees with a combined 540 years of professional experience were recognized last Wednesday night at the district’s monthly board meeting.
“This is the largest number of employees retiring in the same year that I can remember,” said Superintendent Gehrig Johnson. “In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, a large number of beginning teachers started their careers in SAD 1, and those veterans are now reaching retirement. We’re losing a number of veteran employees and they all will be difficult to replace.”
Honored were Peggy Kelley, sixth grade English/social studies teacher at Presque Isle Middle School, who leaves with 10 years of service to the district; Carolyn Watson, payroll, 31 years; Lyn Edgecomb, teacher and director of the early childhood education program at the Presque Isle Regional Career and Technical Center (25 years); Fran Madore, math teacher at Presque Isle High School (13 years), Carmen Underwood, first grade at Pine Street Elementary School (25 years), Enola Boyce, pre-kindergarten teacher (15 years), Elaine Hendrickson, seventh grade English/social studies teacher at PIMS (18 years); and Susan Blanchard, speech therapist at Pine Street (28 years).
Also, Carole Doody (36 years) and Robertine Morrow (25 years), both third grade teachers at Zippel Elementary School; Ellen Helstrom, sixth grade English/social studies teacher at PIMS (36 years), Nancy Donovan, special education at PIMS (37 years), Eric Hendrickson, science teacher at PIHS (39 years), Alan Curtis, business technology instructor at PIRCTC (24 years), Bill Ferland, bus driver (13 years), Pat Palm, adult education teacher (30 years) and Marion Carlow, ed tech at Zippel (41 years).
The retirees were each recognized with a plaque and a gift certificate.
Also at the meeting, directors accepted the resignations of Alison Ireland, districtwide school nurse; Mindy Bell, math teacher at PIHS; and Edgecomb.
Four transfers were announced for next year. Trudy Gorneault will move from special education at the high school to teach early childhood education at PIRCTC; Amy Spinning will go from fourth grade at Zippel to sixth grade math/science at PIMS; Doreen Archer will transfer from grade two at Pine Street to half-time pre-kindergarten teacher at Mapleton Elementary School; and Marianne Dyer will switch from grade 7 English/social studies at the middle school to teach special education at the high school.
Five new hires were approved at the meeting. Teaching at the middle school will be Joel Hall (seventh grade English/social studies), Shannon Blake (sixth grade English/social studies) and Lisa Davis (sixth grade math/science). In addition, Lisa McKenna was hired as a districtwide school nurse and John Hoffses was named manager of the school farm.
Recognizing there has been a large number of staff relocations within the district, Johnson said there are still two teaching positions that need to be filled.
“One is a math position at the high school and one is a grade 7 English/social studies position at the middle school,” he said. “We have a number of other support positions that are open, as well.
“We had 12 eliminated positions in the district this year, and as of right now, we have 11 of those employees relocated within the district,” said Johnson. “We are pleased that we were able to prevent that many layoffs, and we’re not done yet.”
The next regular SAD 1 board meeting will be held Wednesday, July 18 at 5 p.m. at the board conference room at PIHS.
