TOPSHAM

Principal Joshua Ottow and Assistant Principal Megan Hayes- Teague are the new leadership team at Mt. Ararat Middle School. They were recently appointed by the school administrative district board of directors to fill positions created with the retirement of Assistant Principal Don Baker and former Principal Bill Zima’s departure to serve as superintendent of Regional School Unit 2.

Ottow, 36, is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but spent his high school and college years in Wisconsin. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin — Eau Claire and a master’s degree in education from the University of Southern Maine. He has also earned a Certificate of Advanced Studies and is near completion of a doctoral degree from the University of Maine.

Ottow has worked for 15 years in education and nine of those as an administrator. He spent the last four years as an administrator in Yarmouth, but before that he worked at Mt. Ararat High School for eight years, first as a history teacher and then as an assistant principal. He is most proud of creating a Chinese Language program at Mt. Ararat High School that grew to the largest in the state. He is also proud of the work done by the committee he led to create the Capstone Program at the high school.

Hayes-Teague, 36, grew up in Kittery, moved to the Midcoast area to attend college and never left. Also, like Ottow, she has been involved in the education field for 15 years. It is her third year in an administrative role and she is a newcomer to SAD 75. In her short time in the district, she is most proud she’s been able to handle unexpected changes in the middle school office and learn several jobs on the fly.

Hayes-Teague has her bachelor’s degree in classics/archaeology and education from Bowdoin College. She earned her master’s degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire and completed her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of New England.

They recently answered questions from The Times Record about their background, and what they look forward to the most at Mt. Ararat Middle School. Times Record: What inspired you to become an educator and what has the experience been like for you?

Joshua Ottow: I started my teaching career at a middle school in inner-city San Jose, California. In that setting, I saw that engagement in education could be a way to transcend a young person to whatever future they wanted, regardless of their past. I believe this especially true at the middle school level, where adolescents are learning how to be a person in this world and learning about themselves as learners in order to maximize their potential.

Megan Hayes-Teague: I took my first education class during the spring semester of my sophomore year. This was the same time that the horrible situation occurred at Columbine High School in Colorado. We had many discussions around students’ needs for connections with adults, and the protective factor that those connections can foster. I felt strongly that I could be effective in that role, so I committed to becoming a certified teacher and never looked back.

TR: Why did you move into the realm of administration and what has been the benefit of that role versus teaching?

JO: I choose to lead because I enjoy the challenge of discovering where my actions and influence can have the greatest impact on student success. As a classroom teacher, I was able to affect students on a micro-level, while as a principal, my role is to maintain a big-picture approach in providing students with the best-possible educational experience.

MHT: I loved my role in the classroom and the connections that I was able to make with my students. When I moved into administration, I did so with the goal of having the potential for reaching more students and for developing more positive relationships.

TR: There are many open positions every year around the state and nation, so what made you decide to return/come to SAD 75?

JO: SAD 75 is a phenomenal school district rooted in the strong sense of pride and community that exists in Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell and Topsham. Mt. Ararat Middle School has a strong reputation in the state for having a hard-working, forward-thinking faculty and a positive school culture. While I have spent most of my teaching and administrative career in high school, I was always interested in returning to middle school since I began my teaching career at this level. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I am very excited to be back in SAD 75 and to be the principal of Mt. Ararat Middle School.

MHT: I was very happy in my previous district, and in my previous role. However, after two years of working as a K-12 assistant principal, I knew that I wanted to focus my efforts on the middle school age. SAD 75 was an obvious choice for me, as they were working on many similar initiatives involving student-centered learning and proficiency based education. This was the only job for which I applied.

TR: What do you see as the biggest challenge right now for Mt. Ararat Middle School — its students, teachers and administration?

JO: The biggest challenge is to maintain the high-degree of excellence and innovation that exists at our school, while simultaneously looking for ways to continually improve. In particular, we are looking for ways to improve attendance for our students. We are also examining how we, as a school, effectively deliver information to parents, students and our communities.

MHT: I see improving communication between the school and our communities as one of our biggest challenges. When sixth grade families enter the middle school, they are joining together as one larger community for the first time. We need to find more opportunities to bring those parents into the school so that they feel comfortable and welcomed so that partnership can be established from the very beginning.

TR: What do you look forward to most in your role now at the helm of Mt. Ararat Middle School?

JO: I look forward to building positive relationships with all our awesome students and empowering them to be positive members of our school community.

MHT: I look forward to supporting the faculty’s continued efforts toward student-centered learning and to fostering relationships with students, staff and community members.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

The team

JOSHUA OTTOW, 36, is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but spent his high school and college years in Wisconsin. MEGAN HAYES-TEAGUE, 36, grew up in Kittery and moved to the Midcoast area to attend college and never left.