By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

A few fresh faces will greet students at three elementary schools in RSU 21 next year.
Katherine Pence at Kennebunkport Consolidated School and Thomas Parker at Arundel’s Mildred L. Day School have announced they will resign their positions as principals at the end of the school year.
Dr. Kevin Crowley, the current principal of Sea Road School, will replace Parker as the new principal of M.L. Day, but two openings remain for top administrators.
The RSU school board approved Crowley’s application Feb. 1 to replace Parker after a nomination from Superintendent Andrew Dolloff.
“He will be an excellent fit,” Dolloff said.
Crowley has been the principal of Sea Road School for six years. He said he quietly approached Dollof about the M.L. Day position after hearing earlier this year that Parker would retire.
 “It poses an exciting opportunity to go over there,” Crowley said.
 But he’s still quick to defend his current school: “I have loved every minute of my time at Sea Road.”
Crowley said the change will be good for him and the district, and says M.L. Day has always been a pleasant school to visit.
“I’m a believer that when you walk in the building, the first two to three minutes you get a sense what that building is about. I walked in M.L. Day for the first time three years ago, and then again a couple of times last year with Tom [Parker] and I got a great feeling every time I walked through that door,” Crowley said.
M.L. Day will pose new challenges for the principal. Sea Road and Consolidated schools scored above average on the New England Common Assessment Program test, but M.L. Day’s test scores did not fair as well on the 80-point test.
At M.L. Day, third-grade math scores were the only tests to score above the state average. They exceeded the state average of 42 by one point.  Other scores in the school ranged from one to four points below the state averages in every grade and subject.
Parker, current principal at M.L. Day, said challenges of the job are part of what he’ll miss in retirement.
“The job is never boring. Every day brings a new adventure. In many respects it keeps people in education young,” Parker said.
He said he looks forward to spending more time on his boat fishing and not putting together a budget “where dwindling resources are available.”
Parker offered some friendly advice to Crowley about the school’s curriculum.
“We’ve upgraded the curriculum in every major content area, but it probably needs to be done again to bring it in sync with the RSU,” Parker said.
Both Parker and Pence, Consolidated School’s current principal, said they invested years into what they feel is best for students in the district.
“I walked down the hall one day and a second-grader came out into the hall with a little scrap of paper. It said ‘I love you Mrs. Pence.’ What other job can you get like that?” asked Pence, who will retire from the school after 32 years in the district.
Pence has worked as an educator, special education teacher and – for the past 20 years – principal.
“It’s not an easy school to leave. It’s a great place to work, it’s been a lot of fun, but I think it’s time. I think it will be good for the school to have a new set of eyes to see things a little different,” Pence said. “Change is always tough but in the long run it moves the school to a different place.”
Both Parker and Pence began the retirement process last year, Dolloff said. State law allows individuals to work after retirement age and still collect retirement benefits.
Assistant Superintendent Patrick Manuel is leading the search process for two new principals. The district has advertised the openings on www.servingschools.com, an education employment Web site for jobs in Maine, the RSU Web site and other locations.
“At this point in time there are no other administrators in house,” Dolloff said.
Once Manuel and the district find suitable candidates, an interview team of administrators, teachers and community members will begin the selection process.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233