HODGDON, Maine — Lacey McQuarrie may be starting the Hodgdon Middle High School academic year as the new principal, but the Hodgdon native is not new to the MSAD 70 school.
“I have spent 25 of my 29 years of life in the school district,” she said.
McQuarrie attended the Hodgdon school as a student, returned for student teaching and then in professional roles as special education teacher, then assistant principal before being appointed the school’s principal this year.
McQuarrie replaces former principal Tyler Putnam, who was the district’s superintendent and high school principal last year. For this academic year, the school board eliminated the assistant principal position and split the superintendent and building principal roles into two separate jobs, McQuarrie said.
Putnam remains the MSAD 70 superintendent.
Unlike Maine’s larger high schools like Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln with a student population nearing 1,500, Hodgdon Middle High School has 209 students for grades 7 through 12 combined. There are approximately 35 employees — 25 teachers and education techs — and because it is such a small school, the students benefit from one-on-one relationships with staff and the family atmosphere, she said.
“Being here for so long, I have a deep appreciation and care,” McQuarrie said. “This is my school, my community.”
According to McQuarrie, many of the school’s staff also graduated from Hodgdon high school and she is considering highlighting the staff who also graduated from the school and other alumni successes on a Wall of Honor, reflecting the quality of education students receive.
As an example, McQuarrie said district’s superintendent Tyler Putnam graduated from the high school and she pointed to two other graduates, one who is now working in San Francisco as a news anchor and another who illustrates for Marvel.
Attendance is at the top of McQuarrie’s priority list this year, she said, adding that students can’t get the best education the school can offer if they are not present.
The COVID-19 pandemic created a different culture with students attending school from home via Zoom and it seems some have had a hard time transitioning back, she said.
Last year the administration started working toward creating a culture that make students want to be at the school and looking at individual practices that will cultivate that environment.
Building relationships and giving students a voice helps students feel welcomed and supported from all levels, she said.
“Students want to have a voice and when they have an active voice in a school setting it comes with a sense of investment in education and they want to be a part of it,” McQuarrie said. And when students make a suggestion or ask for an additional offering, she encourages the student to write her an argumentative essay about why it is important and how it will benefit the school.
McQuarrie holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from University of Maine at Farmington and has started on a second Master’s Degree in Special Education.
As a Hodgdon high school student, her favorite course was social studies because her teacher, Brian Fitzpatrick, who retired last year, made learning fun and engaging. She continued her connection with Fitzpatrick as a student teacher in his classroom.
McQuarrie said that she encourages parental involvement in the school, which recently started a newsletter seeking parental input because the school wants parents to be active participants.
Despite the school’s close community, school leaders must also be prepared for emergencies and active shooter situations, she said. Staff receive ALICE active shooter training and the school is working closely with Adam Bell, a Maine state trooper regarding evacuation planning to make sure everyone knows what to do.
McQuarrie lives in Houlton with her two dogs Leo and Jackson and often returns to her high school sports days when playing basketball and soccer with alumni teams.
“I feel extra fortunate to start my career in the school I grew up in,” she said. “And now I have the opportunity to lead Hodgdon High School. It is an honor.”
