Schneider
takes downstate superintendent’s position
Photo courtesy of SAD 1
ELLEN SCHNEIDER, SAD 1’s curriculum director/assistant superintendent, will be leaving her current position at the end of the month to become the new superintendent of Wells-Ogunquit Community School District. The Presque Isle native has not only attended SAD 1 schools but has worked in the district for 26 years.
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Now that her two children, Benjamin and Katy, have left the nest, Ellen Schneider said it’s time to spread her own wings and fly.
Schneider will be leaving her current position as SAD 1 curriculum director/assistant superintendent to become the new superintendent of Wells-Ogunquit Community School District.
“I saw that Wells was advertising for the position, and I knew a little bit about the area,” Schneider said. “It’s very comparable to SAD 1 … they’re about 450 students smaller than SAD 1, but they have the same type of reputation as we do. They have a lot of community support, their students do well academically and in extracurricular activities, and it just sounded like a good fit, so I thought I would apply.
“A few years ago I had stopped in Wells to get gas and, as an educator, you always scope out the schools,” she said. “As we drove by the elementary and high schools, I remember telling my daughter, ‘I could see myself here. I could work here,’ and I never thought about it again until the position became open.”
Schneider said accepting the job was a difficult decision.
“I’ve worked in SAD 1 for 26 years and I’ve literally grown up in SAD 1 having attended these schools from kindergarten through high school,” she said. “With the exception of four years of undergraduate work, I’ve spent my whole life in SAD 1, so there was a part of me that felt like I haven’t ever experienced education outside the district. Gehrig [Johnson] has been a great mentor and friend and I have learned tremendously as I’ve worked with him, but he’s not ready to retire and everything just aligned.
“My kids are not going to be in this area because their career paths don’t provide something for them back here, so this gave me an opportunity to be closer to them,” said Schneider.
Benjamin is a chemical engineer residing outside of Atlanta, while Katy will be a junior in the fall at the University of Maine at Orono studying biological engineering.
After graduating from Presque Isle High School, Schneider attended the University of Maine at Farmington where she received degrees in elementary education and special education. She also received her master’s in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine, and is presently working on her doctorate from Walden University.
Schneider started working for SAD 1 in 1987 as a special ed teacher at Gouldville Elementary School.
“I taught there for about 11 years. When the district started testing for special education, I was a special education consulting teacher and I did evaluations districtwide,” she said. “At the same time, I worked as the assistant principal at Zippel Elementary School for three years.”
Through the years Schneider also has been SAD 1’s special education director, pre-Kindergarten director, curriculum director and assistant superintendent. She has also been the principal and special ed director for the Bridgewater School System, and the assistant superintendent/curriculum director for SAD 32 in Ashland.
“I think all of those experiences — every one of them — has given me a big picture view so that when I’m confronted with an issue, I can look at it from various vantage points,” she said. “I have sat in so many different seats, and I think that helps me provide a balanced approach to whatever I’m doing. My special ed background is very helpful, having been a teacher and been in the classrooms and being a principal, all helps me see things from different views.”
Schneider, who begins her new position July 1, said she won’t be a stranger to the Star City.
“My parents live here and I’ve got two brothers who are here, plus lots of colleagues and friends, so I’ll be back as much as I can,” she said. “SAD 1 is like a family to me. I know every administrator’s and teacher’s face in the hallway, but they’re not just a face, I know them. It’s the same with the community and I’ll miss that.
“Leaving is bittersweet, but I enjoy a challenge and I enjoy change and this new position is providing both of those to a large degree. However, I feel like I’ve been very, very well prepared for the position with my tenure here in SAD 1,” said Schneider. “While I’m going to where they’re the Wells Warriors, I’ll always be a Wildcat.”
