ST. AGATHA, Maine – After an education career spanning over three decades, Dr. Levesque Elementary School and Wisdom Middle/High School Principal Cheryl Hallowell officially retired on Oct. 2.
Hallowell began her education career in 1992 at Damon Elementary School, where she taught third grade. The school was located on the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.
She said she couldn’t pinpoint one event that inspired her to get into the teaching profession, but said it was something she always wanted to do. She added that she had good educational experiences throughout her life.
Before working at Damon Elementary, Hallowell was a stay-at-home mom, and she also worked at a bank for about a year. She then obtained a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. She would later obtain a master’s degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Maine at Orono.
And in 1993, Hallowell taught kindergarten, first and second grade in a combined classroom in Stockholm. She later went to New Sweden to teach fourth and fifth grade.
In 1998, she moved to Woodland where she taught second grade until 2012.
“That was the school that I went to, and my kids went to, and my mother went to,” Hallowell said. “I even had a grandchild go there for one year.”
Hallowell then taught second grade in Caribou for four years, after which she worked as principal in Hilltop and Teague Park Elementary schools. And in 2021, she began work in her current position at Dr. Levesque Elementary School.
She said one of the more memorable moments in her career involved seeing Dr. Levesque Elementary School through a fire that occurred in late July of 2021.
“That was pretty horrendous,” she said.
The fire displaced 130 students and over 20 staff, and required Hallowell and administrators to quickly come up with a plan to relocate the elementary students. Students did not miss a single day of school, according to Superintendent Ben Sirois. PreK and Kindergarten students were temporarily relocated to the basement of the St. Agatha Church, and then later moved to a modular classroom.
Now, PreK-12 are all in the elementary wing of the Wisdom Middle/High School building in St. Agatha.
Sirois spoke highly of his time working with Hallowell.
“Ms. Hallowell has demonstrated her ability to lead by example and take on new challenges,” Sirois said. “Through COVID, a school fire, and administrative changes, Ms. Hallowell has embraced every challenge as an opportunity to grow as an educator and to put her students and staff first. We will miss having Cheryl as part of our team.”
Hallowell said one of the more memorable people she met in her career was Rose Harris, who taught with her at Damon Elementary School. Hallowell said Harris taught a class across the hall.
“She was a mentor to me,” Hallowell said. “She taught me a lot.”
She still keeps in touch with Harris. She said Harris reached out after the Dr. Levesque fire, and they send Christmas cards every year.
“I had a chance to speak with her the other day,” she said, “which was very nice.”
On the administrative side, Hallowell said her biggest influence is Jane McCall, who is now the RSU 39 Superintendent in Caribou. She said they both went to high school together, but they were a few grades apart and didn’t really get to know each other until later.
“She hired me as a teacher in Caribou, and then she was part of the hiring team that hired me as an administrator,” Hallowell said.
Hallowell said that McCall is an excellent administrator, and that she values everything she learned from her.
“I think a lot of it is just being available, and, even as an administrator, keeping your teacher hat on pretty strong, Hallowell said of what she learned from McCall.
Throughout her career, she said technology has by far created the most changes in the field, from what kids and teachers use to how lessons are prepared and taught in the classroom.
“It really enhances education,” she said of technology. “If you do it right, it’s a big plus. It can make life a lot easier.”
In the meantime, former Fort Kent Community High School Principal John Kaleta will serve as interim principal as the administration seeks a permanent replacement. Kaleta was officially appointed on Sept. 26. He begins on Oct. 15.
“John is stepping in three days a week, and they’re moving some things around and still looking for that candidate,” Hallowell said.
Sirois said that Hallowell has agreed to help during the transition, and that he will be covering when Kaleta is not in the building.
The superintendent said the board has already received several applications and inquiries, but that they want to give the process some time since it is still early in the school year.
Hallowell said that one of the biggest barriers in finding a new principal for the school will likely be its remote location. But aside from this, she said MSAD 33 is an outstanding place to work.
“The staff is wonderful. The superintendent is great. The school board is supportive, and they are very student-centered,” she said. “I feel fortunate that this is the system I can retire from, because that’s my last taste of education and it was a very positive one,” she said.
Looking ahead, Hallowell hopes to relax and spend time with her husband, children and grandchildren. She said it’s an odd feeling no longer being in the field, but that she’s looking forward to more time with family.
“I have enjoyed education more than I can say,” she said. “It’s a wonderful career.”
