Jeff Rodman was approved as the Interim Principal at Young School in Saco during a Saco School Board virtual meeting on Aug. 19. He takes over for Dr. Peter Harrison, who served as principal of Young School for over 20 years. Courtesy photo/Jeff Rodman
SACO — For school districts across Maine, the start of the school year can be one of the toughest and hardest parts of the job. Throw in a pandemic, which presents challenges that haven’t been faced in over a century, and it complicates the start of the year further. Now, add in a new principal several weeks before school is scheduled to begin.
That is the situation at Young School in Saco, when Dr. Peter Harrison announced in early August that he would be leaving his long-time position as principal to take the same position in the Eliot school district. This set off a fast-paced search for an interim principal at Young, which serves students in grades K-2. A search committee, made up of a group of administrators, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders, recommended to the full school board the appointment of Jeff Rodman, a longtime educator and school administrator. His nomination was accepted at the Aug. 19 school board meeting, held remotely.
Rodman brings decades of experience to the Saco community, having served in a variety of roles over the years. Starting out as a teacher at Old Rochester Regional High School in Massachusetts, Rodman began his administrative path in 1994 in Vermont, and moved to Maine in 1995 to accept the principal position at Well Junior High School, where he spent nine years. He has held leadership positions ever since, including stops as principal at Falmouth Middle School for four years and the Middle School of the Kennebunks for 10 years. After retiring from education in 2018, Rodman took on the role of executive director of the New England League of Middle Schools, a position he held until his interim appointment at Young School.
For Rodman, what led him back to his roots as a building principal was the realization during the COVID-19 pandemic that he missed running a school. “As a result of the pandemic, things really slowed down for me, and I realized all during this time that I missed the day-to-day interactions, being in the hallways, talking to students, having conversations with the staff members. I missed that,” said Rodman.
The interim tag associated with the position fit his situation and desire to get back into schools. “I thought that this was a good opportunity. It was really appropriate timing (for me), and I said ‘let me give this a shot.’ I haven’t worked in a K-2 building, but I’ve worked in schools, and I think I build really positive relationships with students and staff that I work with,” said Rodman.
Despite the logistical challenges that schooling during a pandemic has presented to schools, Rodman feels optimistic about the future of Young School, and this school year in particular. “I really feel comfortable being in this role, and just in the short period of time I’ve been here, the energy of the staff is so positive. Knowing that there are hurdles to get over and bumps in the road, they are ready to face them and we will work to make this as positive of a school year as possible for the students,” said Rodman.
Rodman resides in Kittery with his wife, Ellen, who is a health teacher at Wells Junior High School. His stepson, Jordan, works in the insurance industry, and his other stepson, Jon, is a health and physical education teacher at Somersworth High School in New Hampshire.
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