Staff Writer
ASHLAND – Though sad to leave the classroom, Ashland native Joel Hall is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve SAD 32 in an administrative role. At a special board of directors meeting held last Wednesday, Hall was appointed dean of students, formerly the assistant principal/activities coordinator position, most recently held by Chris Hallett, who was named principal of Ashland Community Schools Aug. 10. Hallett replaced Robert Hennessey who moved to become the principal of Machias Memorial High School.
“This is a new challenge for me personally. It placed some of my strengths, but it also gives me a chance to build new strengths and maybe shore up some of the weaknesses,” said Hall. “With a new building coming and a new principal starting this year, I think there’s an opportunity to really impact an awful lot of kids – and the community at large – in a positive way. I live in this community, I’ve grown up in this community … it means a lot to me.
“I enjoyed the classroom and I’m never going to regret the time that I spent in the classroom,” he said, “but I think it’s time for me to look forward and learn something else and hopefully make the same impact in an entire school and community as I did in my room.”
Hall is no stranger to the Ashland school system. In addition to being a former student, he has taught high school mathematics and science since 1998. Prior to teaching in Ashland, Hall worked as an office manager for three years.
After graduating from Ashland Community High School in 1989, Hall spent a couple of years at the University of Maine at Orono in an engineering program.
“I really enjoyed some aspects of that, but did not enjoy others,” he said. “I came up here to the University of Maine at Presque Isle and found out that the one thing that I really truly loved was math, so I finished my degree in secondary education in mathematics at UMPI in 1995.
“From there I pretty much continued to take coursework from UMO and UMPI in order to achieve both a math and science certification for high school,” said Hall. “I am now working toward a master’s degree in educational leadership.”
While he has professional goals, Hall said it’s important first to “learn the position.”
“I think at this point, Mr. Hallett and I need some time to learn our positions even more and to grow together and maybe start developing those plans in the future,” he said. “We’ve got some big changes coming as it is with two buildings being merged into one, and there are some opportunities there to make some policies that can really impact kids positively. Accreditation is another big stepping stone for us. We’ve always been accredited and it’s something that’s important to continue.”
Like many, Hall will miss the current schools once everyone moves into the new K-12 building that is presently under construction.
“These schools – Ashland Central School and Ashland Community High School – are part of my personal culture,” he said. “Every brick in this place has a memory. Some of the teachers that I had as a student are still here and became my mentors. There’s a lot of history, but there’s so much anticipation of the new building that it’s overwhelming. To have a brand new building, an auditorium where the community can come in and watch plays and concerts, and to have a gymnasium that’s going to be legal for us to hold playoff games is going to be wonderful. It will be sad to see the old buildings go, but I think we’re OK going into the new place.”
Ironically Hall had no intention of becoming a schoolteacher.
“Both of my parents spent 30-plus years working for the district. My father, Larry, was a music teacher and my mother, Anne, just recently retired after 30 years primarily in the fifth-grade. My uncle, at one point in time, was the superintendent, so education in SAD 32 is part of my upbringing.
“I swore I was never going to become a teacher,” he said, “because that was the culture at my house … that was the conversation at the dinner table. My parents spent a lot of time discussing education, but when I finally got into it, it was a love and I could see why they did the things they did.”
Unsure in high school what he wanted to do professionally, Hall took advantage of a unique opportunity to take college classes while still in high school.
“I had the chance to take a lot of advanced college coursework because the local Air Force had a radar station here in Ashland and professors from UMPI would come and teach courses for the airmen,” said Hall. “Sometimes I would be able to get in on those courses so by the time I left high school, I had already had a full college course in calculus and trigonometry. I knew that I really liked math, and wanted to get into a field that was math-based, so I chose mechanical engineering more at random than anything.
“I think I was fighting myself because my parents were teachers for so long that I wasn’t sure that that’s maybe what I wanted to do,” he said. “After a while I realized, ‘Maybe this is what I want to do,’ and when I got an opportunity, I took it and I haven’t looked back since.”
SAD 32 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said while Hall will be missed in the classroom, he’s happy to have him as an administrator.
“Joel is very well respected, is from the community, knows the community and was raised in the community, which is an important factor in providing leadership for the school system,” said Johnson. “We’re very pleased to have him step into this position. He was an excellent teacher and will be missed in the classroom, but this will afford him an opportunity to touch the lives of an entire school system.”
Hall and his wife, Melissa, have two daughters, Mackenzie, whose in the third grade and Willow, a first-grader.
“I have a vested interest in how this school goes because my kids are here and I want to get the best education we can for them and all the other kids,” said Hall. “Both of my girls are pretty excited about the idea of seeing me more often at school.”
For the last two years, he’s been the boys’ varsity basketball coach.
“Since part of my duties will be as athletic director,” he said, “I’ve got to give up coaching. Ashland has always tried to separate the positions of AD and coaches. I’ve got some disappointed players, but I’m not leaving the district or the building. They’ll still see me on a daily basis.”
Hall, whose first day as dean of students was last Thursday, will pull double duty and continue to teach until a suitable replacement is found.
“I’m glad that I still get to be in the classroom a little bit because that’s part of my job that I really love,” he said. “When I made the decision to think about this new job and throw my hat in the ring, that was one of the things that was difficult for me … the idea of leaving the classroom, but I’m really excited about having the chance to impact even more students. It’s truly an exciting time for me.”
