District Hires New Principals, Administrators
The Portland School Committee has approved the appointment of several principals, assistant principals and other administrators.
Steve Nolan, formerly the assistant principal of Lincoln Middle School, has been named principal. He replaces Kathleen Rossi, who retired in June. Before joining Lincoln in 2004, Nolan taught math at the secondary level in Topsham, Lewiston, Farmingdale and California. While at Lewiston High School, he received the Golden Apple for Excellence in Teaching and he was nominated for a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics.
Cynthia Loring is the new principal at Presumpscot Elementary School. Loring replaces Carole Clark, who retired recently. Loring has served since 2000 as the assistant principal of Lyman Moore School. She previously taught for 15 years at Reiche and Lyseth elementary schools in Portland.
Joseph Makley has been hired the district’s computer technology coordinator. He previously worked as the curriculum and information technology director for the Jay school department. Makley also has worked as an English teacher, technology leader and curriculum director for School Administrative Districts 36, 39 and 75 in central and western Maine.
Ron Adams is the district’s new food service director. He replaces William Verrill, who retired earlier in the summer. Adams held similar positions for the school districts in Gorham and Yarmouth for the past 12 years. He previously directed East End Kids Katering. He was president of the Maine School Food Service Association in 2007-2008.
Suellyn Rumery Santiago, a math teacher at Lincoln for the past 10 years, has been appointed as the school’s vice principal. Last year, she interned with then-Principal Rossi. Santiago taught briefly at Presumpscot Elementary School and she worked as an educational technician at Lyman Moore Middle School before joining Lincoln’s staff in 1998.
Sandra Gorsuch-Plummer was hired as assistant principal at Lyseth Elementary School. She replaces Phoebe Russell, who retired in June. Gorsuch-Plummer worked in the Scarborough schools for the past 14 years, starting as a substitute teacher and most recently serving as interim principal at Eight Corners School.
Philip Darasz will serve during the coming year as Moore’s assistant principal. A physical education teacher at Moore for the past seven years, he previously taught physical education in the New Haven, Ct. public schools. Last year, Darasz completed the Leadership for Tomorrow’s Schools program.
