Ashland native takes helm
of Washburn Elementary School
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
MELANIE S. COTE, originally from Ashland, is the new principal at the David J. Lyon Washburn District Elementary School. Previously a fourth-grade teacher in both Ashland and most recently at the Blue Hill Consolidated School, Cote said she is happy to be back in Aroostook County and is looking forward to a long career in SAD 45.
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
WASHBURN — Melanie S. Cote is settling in quite nicely as the new principal at the David J. Lyon Washburn District Elementary School.
“Our first day of school was last Tuesday and things have been fabulous,” she said. “The teachers are full of energy and the kids are glad to be here. They’re excited and so am I.”
The daughter of Tom Bushey and Susan McHatten, Cote was born and raised in Ashland. She graduated from Ashland Community High School in 1992, and then attended the University of Maine at Presque Isle where she received her bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 2005.
“I had a long-term sub position in Fort Fairfield at the elementary school as a Title I teacher, and then I went to work in Ashland in 2006 as a fourth-grade teacher,” said Cote. “I taught there for six years and loved it. I loved teaching math, but I have more education in language arts and literacy.
“Last year I taught fourth grade at Blue Hill Consolidated School,” she said. “I really enjoy fourth grade. That’s when you teach Maine studies, which I love. I had wanted to teach since I was a very little girl. I do not come from a family of teachers — though my Mom was a bus driver — but I did have some fabulous teachers in Ashland who I looked up to, and that helped inspire me to become a teacher.”
Cote said it was after her “second or third year of teaching” that she started thinking about one day becoming an administrator.
“I decided that I wanted to be able to have more of an impact in a school than just my classroom,” she said. Cote then served on various committees and attended professional development workshops as a way to learn various facets of administrative life. “I received my master of science in educational leadership from the University of New England in 2009, but I wasn’t ready to give up my classroom until recently.”
While she was living in Liberty and teaching at Blue Hill last school year, Cote said one of her contacts in Aroostook County told her about the opening in Washburn.
“When I heard that I thought, ‘Oh my goodness. How could this have fallen into my lap like this?’” she said. “This is a pre-K-8 school which is what I’m used to, it’s similar in size to the schools in Ashland and Blue Hill, and I was looking to move back anyway because my roots and my family are here. It all fit together and felt right, so I applied and was officially hired July 16 and moved back to The County July 22.”
Cote replaces Rick Bragg who resigned at the end of the 2012-13 school year. She said her first objective is to get acquainted with everyone at the school.
“My first priority is to get to know the staff, students, parents and community members,” she said. “That’s my primary goal right now, and familiarizing myself with the school, traditions, policies and so forth. That’s part of my entry plan in this role.
“From there, I’m really not one who’s going to come in and try to change everything and turn the school upside down,” said Cote. “I respect the great traditions of the past that have been here, and really — just moving forward with the teachers — I want to make sure that the lines of communication are open. Another goal is to continue to set forth the same high level of education that the kids have had here, and align our curriculum with the Common Core standards.”
Cote said she’s happy to be back in Aroostook County.
“I might not be from Washburn, but it does feel like coming home,” she said. “I’m looking forward to a long career with SAD 45.”
Cote, who resides in Mapleton with her daughters Megan, 13, and Abigail, 8, enjoys golfing, reading and is an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox.
