Wiscasset school committee

Tue, 06/09/2020 - 7:15pm

SUSAN JOHNS

Laura Mewa responds to Wiscasset School Committee’s welcome on Zoom Tuesday night, June 9. Zoom screenshot

Wiscasset School Committee named a Wiscasset woman as sixth-tenths’ time counselor and four-tenths’ assistant principal for Wiscasset Elementary School June 9. Laura Mewa thanked the committee for welcoming her.

“I’m just really excited to be a part of the community and get to work on everything (Superintendent of Schools Terry Wood) has planned, and what the committee has done so far, just to see where I can help, and aid where I can,” Mewa told the Zoom meeting.

In a phone interview Monday, June 15, Mewa said she is leaving her job as school counselor at Medomak Middle School in Waldoboro. She has worked there five years. The fiancée of Wiscasset Police Chief Larry Hesseltine grew up in Old Town and has lived in Wiscasset since last August. She has a master’s in education, with a concentration in counselor education, from University of Maine and is completing a second from UMaine in educational leadership.

Wood, also acting principal for WES, told the meeting she looks forward to including Mewa in the department’s “great administrative team.” In describing the two-part job, Wood noted Wiscasset has done this before. Warren Cossette is athletic director and is assistant principal at Wiscasset Middle High School.

Also June 9, Wood asked committee members to email her with which committees they would prefer to join to work on the scenarios for reopening next fall: Wellness, facilities, technology, school operations, instruction and governance.

“We have a lot of major decisions that need to be made” and communicated to the public, she said. The department’s small size may give it more choice than some districts, and committees will work with Centers for Disease Control guidelines to make plans that work best for Wiscasset, Wood said.

Director of Transportation and Maintenance John Merry said the State Police inspection of the bus garage went very well. Bus mechanic Randy Rinow puts safety first, Merry said.

And he said, with students not in the schools, the custodial staff has done a lot of painting and touch up work. “I see a lot of pride in what they’re doing. And I’ve had a little bit of an attitude change, being able to spend time with them. So if there’s any good that’s coming out of all of this, I think probably for me personally it’s me having time to be spending with (them), so I’m pretty thankful about that.”

Chair Michael Dunn said, “At least there’s something good, right?”

“Absolutely,” Merry said.

Wood has also seen staff going above and beyond. “None of us were prepared for this, none of us got trained on this, none of us had any experience in this whatsoever. But we’ve done the best that we could and we’re going to get through it (and) the focus has been the kids.”

Officials honored four retiring staff: teacher Mary Ellen Bell and librarian Cynthia Carter, with 33 years each; bus driver Edward Bleile, with 15 years; educational technicians Joe Hovance with 28 years and Jeanne Hovance with four years. Wood showed necklaces Bell and Carter will receive, clocks for Bleile and Joe Hovance, and a compact for Jeanne Hovance.

“Very nice. That’s a lot of years, right there,” Dunn said about their service.