BIDDEFORD — Biddeford Middle School will have a new principal for the upcoming school year, school officials announced last week.

Biddeford School Superintendent Jeremy Ray said at the School Committee meeting on May 8 that Scott Descoteaux — a former Biddeford football coach and current dean of students at Noble High School in North Berwick — will take the helm as principal of BMS, as outgoing Principal Kyle Keenan will become principal of Mildred L. Day School in Arundel.

“I think Scott’s the perfect candidate to come in and pick up where Kyle is leaving off,” Ray said Friday. “Kyle has done an extraordinary job for us, and we were excited we were able to get a candidate with the qualities and passion Scott will bring to Biddeford and for the kids of Biddeford.”

According to a memo from Ray, presented at the May 8 meeting, there were 17 applicants for the job, for which the hiring process included first- and second-round interviews, site visits and 28 individuals from the Biddeford School Department and the community involved in endorsing the final candidate.

“(Descoteaux) is a Biddeford native and is very well known in the community and is a tremendous addition to us,” Ray said Friday.

Descoteaux said by phone on Monday that his passion and love of Biddeford drew him back to work in his hometown.

“That community has just always meant an awful lot me. From the time I was small it was said I had the entire world to move to, but it’s always been Biddeford I’ve chosen to settle in and raise my family,” he said. “It’s always been a chase of mine to come home to Biddeford.”

Keenan said Monday it’s “bittersweet” to be leaving BMS, which he has led for the past three years, but that he’s excited to start a new position at the Regional School District 21 school, which serves Arundel students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Keenan said this new position in RSU 21, which serves the communities of Arundel, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, will allow him to take a more active role in his children’s education, since they attend school in the district.

“It’s become more and more of a challenge as they get older balancing the demands of BMS and being a dad … this move will allow me to be a bit more available for them,” he said. “I’ll have a little bit of an effect and play a part in their education as an administrator in that district.

“It’s a good move from a family perspective,” he said.

Keenan said in his time as principal, he’s most proud of the welcoming environment cultivated at BMS.

“From when I started three years ago to where we are now, I feel like the climate of the building and the culture of the building is one that is more welcoming for students,” he said. “I think kids feel safer here — and by that I mean both physically and emotionally safe. I feel like kids maybe feel more connected to their school than perhaps they did before I got here.”

He attributed that success not to himself, but his staff.

“That’s really a credit to the staff for the work they’ve done to empower students to have a voice in their school and provide kids some choice and say in their education,” he humbly said. “The initiatives we’ve led around student leadership has played a big role in kids feeling like they have some ownership over their school.”

Keenan also said he’s proud of the school’s work to improve education in science, technology, engineering and math — the field collectively known as STEM — having implemented a STEM Academy for middle school students this past year.

“To see the way that has come together and the success we’ve had with that program, and hearing from students and parents — what (students’) experiences have been in terms of what it’s done for them about getting excited about school and feeling passionate about learning — is very personally satisfying,” he said.

But although he’s sad to leave Biddeford behind, Keenan said BMS will be in good hands with Descoteaux as principal.

“When I think of Scott, I think of the characters of integrity and honesty, and the biggest thing with Scott is his passion for working with kids and making sure kids have a great experience when they walk through that school door,” he said. “He’s got a real, true, genuine personal passion and interest in making sure this community, this school, these students are successful.”

Descoteaux had only kind words to say about Keenan, as well.

“Kyle Keenan is an absolute class act; I’ve known Kyle both personally and professionally and I think everything that man does top to bottom is first class,” he said. “To follow in his footsteps I think is no small task.”

As part of his new role at BMS, Descoteaux said he wants to continue fostering a respectful community founded upon strong relationships between staff and staff, staff and students and between students and students.

“It’s important for kids at the middle school age to find ways of celebrating their successes and highlight them in positive ways; to teach them about citizenship; how to be a quality person in this world,” he said. “I think sometimes for kids in middle school it’s a time of transition and it can be hard … I want the experience at that middle school to be one where relationships are built, where people care about one another.”

He also said he wants to continue Keenan’s work in personalized learning, and see the continued development of the STEM Academy — and, potentially, others.

“Personalized learning is fundamental, to meet kids where they’re at and provide an ample and quality education,” he said. “The future of Biddeford is looking at some new academies, finding new ways for kids to learn. What are some different interventions we can build to motivate kids?”

Descoteaux will assume his duties as BMS principal on July 1.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.