Steve Gagne named Crooked River Elementary Principal

Steve Gagne

By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

This fall, Steve Gagne’s commute to work will certainly be a shorter drive.

Currently, Gagne is the principal of North Elementary School and Margaret Chase Smith School, both located in Skowhegan and part of SAD 54.

Monday night, the SAD 61 School Board approved Gagne’s nomination as the new principal at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco.

There were 24 applicants for the position, with SAD 61 officials interviewing four candidates.

“Steve has developed a great relationship with his students, staff and community while at MSAD 54 and during his time as a teacher,” SAD 61 Superintendent Al Smith said. “He currently lives in Auburn, on the Poland town line.  Given his background, I believe he will be a very nice fit for our District.”

Smith estimates there will be 220 students when SAD 61 opens the Crooked River doors. 

Gagne earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in psychology from Saint Joseph’s College (SJC) in 1990, and received his master’s degree in Literacy Education from the University of Southern Maine in 1997. He earned his master’s degree in Teaching and Learning from SJC in 2004.

He is certified as a building administrator grades K-12 and literacy specialist grades K-12.

Gagne’s educational career started as a classroom teacher in the Lewiston Public School system from 1993-2014, while serving as an instructional coach for one year. He worked as a fourth-grade teacher for four years in Lewiston, then becoming an elementary school principal in July 2018 in SAD 54 — which includes Skowhegan, Mercer, Norridgewock, Canaan, Smithfield and Cornville.

Gagne oversees two schools — North Elementary School and Margaret Chase Smith School. North Elementary is home to pre-kindergarten (75 students) and kindergarten (100 students), overseeing six teachers and three ed techs. Margaret Chase Smith School serves students in Grades 4-5, overseeing nine teachers.

Smith noted at Monday’s board meeting that teachers and staff headed to CRES this fall will tour the renovated/expanded school this Friday.

In other school board news:

• District budget voteis set for Tuesday, May 11; budget validation referendum vote (in three district towns) on Tuesday, May 25. Budget presentation ($31,978,310, a 2.6% increase) available at school district website, www.lakeregionschools.org

• Personnel approvals:Kimberly Guptill as Academic Leader at Stevens Brook Elementary School (8 in-house candidates); Danielle Arn as Academic Leader at Songo Locks Elementary School (8 in-house candidates); Rachel Sirios as Kindergarten teacher at Stevens Brook replacing Barbara Beeson, who is retiring (19 candidates, 4 interviewed, Sirios is presently as Grade 1 teacher in Lewiston); Rebecca Lagoda as a Learning Lab ed tech III at Lake Region High School for 2021-22 (1 applicant, currently a customer service specialist of UNUM); Paul Hoyt as a permanent substitute at Stevens Brook effective April 6 (8 applicants, 2 interviewed, has served as a SAD 61 substitute teacher since October 2014); Michaela Tripp as a permanent substitute at Lake Region High School effective April 12 (2 applicants, 1 interviewed, served as a substitute teacher in SAD 61 since March 2021).

• Tranfers:Elizabeth Shane as Academic Leader at Stevens Brook Elementary to Academic Leader at Crooked River Elementary for the 2021-22 school year; Tricia LaFontaine as administrative secretary at Adult Ed to administrative secretary at Lake Region Vocational Center for 2021-22, replacing Lega Medcalf, who is retiring.

• Resignations:Lisa Caron as director of Special Services at the end of the school year; Angela Greene, a Spanish teacher at Lake Region Middle School, is resigning at the end of the school year; Amie Girard as a bus driver effective May 1.

• Leave: Megan McDonald, a first-grade teacher at Songo Locks Elementary School, requested a childcare leave for the 2021-2022 school year.

• Donations accepted:Stevens Brook Elementary received an anonymous donation of $250 for the Backpack Program; Lake Region H.S. received 1,000 masks from the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club.

• Stipends approved: Directors approved these stipends: $2,198 for Anne Gregory as Grade 7 girls’ lacrosse coach and $2,198 for Ryan Connors as Grade 7 boys’ lacrosse coach; $2,198 for Laura Pulito as MS track and field coach; $2,308 (includes longevity) for Jeff Porter as MS track and field coach; $2,198 for Glenn Ross as Grade 8 baseball coach; $2,198 for Chris Jordan as Grade 8 girls’ lacrosse coach; $3,170 for Nicole Toomey as JV girls’ lacrosse coach (replacing Anne Gregory, who was appointed on Feb. 25).