Two Aroostook County principals have been named to the Maine Principals’ Association Board of Directors, a committee that oversees the professional division of the organization.
Leland “Lee” Caron, principal at Caribou Community School, and Ben Lothrop, principal at Limestone Community School were recently notified of their selections by MPA Executive Director Holly Blair. Both will serve four-year terms on the seven-member board, beginning July 1.
Caron, who has been in education for 30 years, has been the principal at Caribou Community School and Caribou Middle School for the past 11, before that serving as principal and assistant principal at Limestone Community School. His teaching career began in Washburn; he has his master’s degree from UMO, and his doctorate in education from the University of New England.
“I am pretty excited for this opportunity to serve on the MPA Board of Directors,” said Caron, who is also on the SAD 45 board of directors. “I hope this new role will not only allow me to support my fellow administrators and educators, but will also provide me a great opportunity to further grow professionally.”
The newly opened Caribou Community School is the largest school in Aroostook County, with 780 students and 120 staff.
Lothrop has been the principal at Limestone for the previous four years after time as an administrator at Van Buren District School and Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln. His teaching career also began in Limestone with a stop in Ashland. His master’s degree in educational administration is from UMO.
“I’m a bit humbled, but am excited to join the leadership group of this amazing organization of educators,” said Lothrop, who has also served on the MPA basketball and eligibility committees on the interscholastic side. “I do believe education is going to experience significant change over the next 20 years or so, and the MPA will be one of the players at the forefront of that change, supporting administrators, teachers, and students across the state. We are all experiencing the same challenges from Aroostook to York counties, we need to work together, statewide, to find the solutions to these issues and challenges.”
Both Lothrop and Caron agree that it is nice to see this kind of representation and voice from Aroostook County. Both principals’ careers have mirrored each other a bit, though their teaching, coaching and administrative paths. “It seems not that long ago that Lee and I were coaching basketball against each other when he was coaching in Washburn and I was in Ashland. I’ll enjoy spending time with him now on this board and giving Aroostook County a strong voice, state-wide,” Lothrop said.
Marty Bouchard, former principal at Houlton High School, was the last Aroostook County principal to serve on this board.
