BRUNSWICK — Brunswick Junior High School Principal Walter Wallace has resigned, saying in a letter to the School Board that he was “eager to take the next steps” in his career.

Wallace’s last day will be Friday, April 5. Superintendent of Schools Paul Perzanoski appointed BJHS Assistant Principal Mandy Lewis to the role of interim principal, effective April 8.

In a letter to the community dated March 25, Perzanoski said, “we are pleased and thankful that she is willing to bring her skill set and expertise to that level.” He also said retired Assistant Principal Lisa Cushman has “graciously agreed to return to her former role until the end of the school year.”

Perzanoski during a phone interview Friday that he was “not at all surprised” by Wallace’s resignation.

“We’ve been talking about this for a while and I know he wants to do other things professionally and he has been with us a long time,” the superintendent said.

When asked about Wallace’s specific plans, Perzanoski said Wallace told the board in a March 22 letter that he recently obtained his credentials to work as a superintendent.

Wallace served as the principal of the junior high school for more than a decade and in 2015 was named Principal of the Year by the Maine Principals’ Association. Before taking over the role at BJHS, Wallace served as the principal of Coffin Elementary School.

Perzanoski said a district search committee will be formed to conduct a nationwide search to fill Wallace’s position.

He said resignations midway through the school year “are not uncommon these days.”

“People go where there are needs and this isn’t anything out of the norm,” he said.

In his letter Perzanoski said “it is my sincere belief that we are in good hands administratively at BJHS as we move to the last quarter of the 2018-2019 school year.”

Patti McDonald can be reached at 780-9123 or pmcdonald@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @pmcdonaldme.