HOULTON, Maine — The Shiretown will have an even greater voice in the Maine Principals’ Association now that Houlton High School Principal Marty Bouchard has been named President-Elect of the group.
Bouchard was voted to the position by his peers in the organization last month. He has certainly paid his dues in terms of service to the group. There are 800 members of the MPA, so to be chosen out of that many for this honor was humbling, he said.
Marty Bouchard
Houlton Middle/High School Principal
“It is always great to be honored by your peers,” Bouchard said. “This isn’t a role that is forced. While it is an honor, it is a big responsibility. I’m flattered that the work that I have done is being recognized by my colleagues.”
Bouchard said his selection is also a testament to the staff and students at Houlton High School.
“The things we are able to accomplish could not happen without the great work of the people here in our school district,” he said.
Bouchard has been in administration for 14 years — 11 as principal at HHS and three years as assistant principal at Hodgdon High School.
“I have served on numerous committees of the MPA over the years,” Bouchard said. “I’ve been on the board of directors of the Interscholastic Committee for the last four years.”
Bouchard said the MPA changed its structure this year to create a seven-member board of directors, rather than a 26-member group as it has had in past years. He was one of those named to the board and at their first meeting, Bouchard was named president-elect by the group for the next year.
He will serve as president for the MPA at the start of the 2015-16 school year. Kim Buckheit of Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast is the current MPA president. Don Reiter of Waterville is the immediate past president.
“There are a lot of things the MPA does that a lot of people don’t understand,” Bouchard said. “First off, they govern all interscholastic activities for students. While on the professional side of things, they are involved in professional development for teachers and administrators centered around the changes in education.”
As president-elect, Bouchard will be involved with a number of events throughout the course of the year and will be required to attend multiple meetings.
“You have to represent the association at regional principals’ meetings all over the state,” he said.
Bouchard said one criticism that the MPA hears each year is how much it costs for admission to sporting events.
“It costs a lot of money to run all the tournaments, not just basketball,” Bouchard said. “The basketball tourney and cheerleading are the major money-makers for the MPA. But those funds have to cover the expenses for all of the other tournaments, like golf, cross-country.”
Some of the conferences he is invited to attend include the National Association of Secondary School Principals annual conference in San Diego; the NASSP Region I meeting in Concord, N.. and the National Association or Elementary School Principals in Longbeach, Calif.
