Keane chosen as PCSS principal

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — There will be several new faces at School Administrative District 4 this fall including a new principal at Piscataquis Community Secondary School.

    The School Administrative District 4 Board of Directors approved the hiring of five new staff members at their Aug. 12 meeting; and the following day, Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick announced that John Keane of Bradley will succeed Kevin Harrington as PCSS principal.
    Kirkpatrick said she didn’t have all the details of Keane’s hiring ready in time for the board meeting, but said that an “ideal candidate was in the wings” for the position.
    Keane has been principal at J.A. Leonard Middle School for the past 15 years and was previously assistant principal and athletic director at Mount Abram High School and principal of Kingfield Elementary School, both in SAD 58. He is currently president of the Maine Association for Middle Level Education (MAMLE).
    Harrington resigned on July 14 to accept the position as principal of Livermore Elementary School in Regional School Unit 73. He had been with SAD 4 since 2009.
    Other new hires approved by the school board last week are Gail Rowe, a foreign language teacher; Stephanie Powers, a special ed teacher for grades 7-12; Erica Peterson, a special ed teacher for grades K-6; Paavo Carey, a music teacher for PCSS; and Anthony Bitetti, a grade 7-8 English language arts teacher.
    Carey was originally hired as “75 percent staff position” but the job was later upgraded to full time, Kirk explained to the board. So it was re-advertised, he reapplied and the superintendent recommended him once again.
    Carey, a well-known jazz musician, had also taught at Mount Desert High School and School Administrative District 54 in Skowhegan. He succeeded Les Tomlinson who retired after serving as the high school music teacher for 13 years.
    Rowe, who has also been a hospice caregiver, was described as “dynamic and enthusiastic” by Kirkpatrick, noting that the new staff member can teach both Spanish and French.
    Special Services Director Liz Mares said that Peters’ most recent position was at an inner-city school in Chicago where she dealt with “emotionally and behaviorally-challenged kids.” She is also an avid outdoorswoman. She and her husband live in Hallowell, but are looking for a home closer to Guilford.
    Peterson has been with the district as a long-term sub, said Mares, “and did a really good job … She’s finishing up with her master’s degree in special ed this fall. Plus, she knows many of the students in this program.”
    Bitetti, a former Kittery resident, was originally interested in a theater-related career, said Kirkpatrick; but after substitute teaching for a while, “He went back to school and got his degree and teaching certificate.” Bitetti lives in the Orono area currently and is also a singer and guitarist.
    The superintendent also updated the board on the recent move of the pre-K program from the Guilford Community Center to PCES and other changes in the district. “The (pre-K) rooms look fantastic,” she said.
    The offices at PCSS have also been realigned so that the principal will be “at the head of the line” and the principal’s secretary will be in the adjoining office “where they at least have eye contact when they’re sitting at their desk,” Kirkpatrick explained.
    Dr. Elaine Bartley, the director of instruction and curriculum, has moved into the former principal’s office at the end of the hall. “Now I have to take grief for having a bigger office,” she joked.
    The board announced that there will be an open house at PCSS on Aug. 28 from 5-7 p.m. for the public to meet the new staffers.