Wiscasset Middle High School Principal Chris Hennessey told the school committee Aug. 11, the custodial staff has done an extraordinary job, the student handbook will be broken out into two that are age-appropriate, and to him it feels like the new administrative team and the school department are "turning a really positive corner.”

He’s worked in situations that don’t feel like that, he said. “And it makes a huge, huge difference.”

Hennessey said he loves working with Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Brandon Rogers. The two are in sync "in terms of how we view making school a better place for kids," Hennessey said. A cohesive partnership like that is essential, he said.

He said one focus is making sure students are where they are supposed to be. If they are, there are very few problems with school climate and discipline, Hennessey said. And if they're not, "It doesn't take long for things to start going south."

Committee Vice Chair John Merry agreed with the importance of students' being where they are assigned to be. (That's) a big thing."

As for the handbook, Hennessey said, make that plural, one for middle schoolers, one for high schoolers. In the meeting and his written leadership update, he explained the work underway. "We want to make sure that our written procedures are consistent and true to what we can realistically enforce and actually do! Importantly, we also need to make sure that any systems we have in place are student centered, age appropriate (differentiating between addressing middle and high school issues, for example), go beyond traditionally punitive practices, and are consistent with our shared beliefs and values," he wrote. "This work is essential, and we will be working together over the course of the year to be in a place where our community trusts that their students are safe and being treated fairly and respectfully at all times."

Taxpayer and past school committee member Brycson Grover has been among residents concerned over safety at WMHS and, while on the committee, he had voted in the minority for an independent probe into last May's incident in the gym that led to an aggravated assault charge against D'Antae Dawkins, 18. Grover was in the audience Aug. 11. In a phone interview Aug. 12, Grover said of Hennessey's remarks, "It was encouraging. I think they were all positive things that he was talking about. And I think he was hitting on a couple subjects that were kind of relevant to Wiscasset in the last few months of last school year. 

"So I think he was saying all the right things and I just I hope there's follow through with this, through him and through the board as well."

The school department's new  director of facilities and maintenance, Erik "Buzz" Johnson, said the custodial staff is full, and outstanding. "Just from being in other school districts, I can tell you, many school districts throughout Maine struggle to maintain a full custodial staff, let alone one that has such a level of experience and pride that ours demonstrate every single day," he told the committee.

Rogers told the committee this will be Wiscasset's biggest year for athletics since pre-COVID. Thirty home games are planned this fall. Girls varsity soccer had 22 kids last year and only graduated one; boys varsity soccer has at least 17 players. "That's huge growth," Rogers said. Volleyball has at least 20. And the middle school has 20-plus student-athletes.

He called this year's coaching lineup incredible. "Really good people that care about these kids, (and) hold them accountable." Coaches are James Andretta, girls varsity soccer; Shanon Cotta, boys varsity soccer; Alicia West, volleyball; Phil De Vice and James Hodson, middle school boys soccer; Beth Bluteau and James Hodson, middle school girls soccer; and Jake McCarthy, cross country with Boothbay.

And Rogers praised Hennessey as "unbelievable.  It's a huge gift to have him at our district, so (I'm) very excited about that. We have a ton to do, and we've been knocking it out."

New Special Education Director Amanda Little also talked up the administrative team. "We have a lot of similar beliefs ... One of my biggest platforms is building relationships and working as a team, (and) we've already started that, so I think that will just trickle down as we move forward."

Wiscasset Elementary School Principal Stacy Clements concurred with the others. "It's a really positive vibe," she told the committee. 

Also Aug. 11, after an executive, or closed door, session, the committee ratified a three-year pact with the teachers' union. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson told Wiscasset Newspaper Aug. 12, the contract includes a 3% salary hike each year. And the town will go from paying 95% of health insurance costs to 100% for single coverage; yearly sick leave will go from 12 days to 13; and paid personal leave from three days to four.

There is also "clarifying language around daily prep time and duty-free lunches. The team also rewrote our stipend guidelines for athletics and co-curricular activities," Andersson said. "I am pleased that this contract brings us within range of our competing school districts. Our kids deserve the best and this contract will contribute to our ability to sustain that."

On another front, Andersson told the committee, while Wiscasset has its straw vote on the November ballot, about exploring a possible regional school, Alternative Organizational Structure 98 Superintendent of Schools Robert Kahler, of the Boothbay Region schools, told her exit polling is eyed to gauge interest there.