BIDDEFORD — This fall a familiar face will assume the leadership role at Biddeford Intermediate School as Lindsey Nadeau has been named the new BIS principal, succeeding Debra M. Kenney, who is retiring.

Nadeau was a unanimous choice of the Biddeford School Committee and has been serving as Administrator/Early Childhood Coordinator at the John F. Kennedy School in Biddeford overseeing Pre-K and Kindergarten for the school district.

“The hiring process spanned parts of three months and engaged some 30-plus faculty, staff, Biddeford School Committee and community members,” said Biddeford Schools Superintendent Jeremy Ray. “Three subgroups whittled down the applicant pool and constituted one of two interview teams. After a transparent and open process, I was confident in recommending Lindsey Nadeau to follow in the footsteps of outgoing BIS Principal Deb Kenney, who has served the Biddeford community for almost four decades.”

Kenney has served as BIS Principal since September 2001 and is wrapping a nearly 40-year career in education.

Nadeau is a native of Biddeford and graduated from Biddeford High School in 1996. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education and in Regular Education K-8 from the University of Maine at Farmington and also obtained a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine, along with numerous educational and school administrative certifications.

She taught at Biddeford Intermediate School for 10 years before embarking upon a career in school administration and has come full circle by returning to lead BIS.

“I’m excited to go back to BIS and rejoin the team,” said Nadeau. “It adds value to the fact that I know the routine there, but it will be different as an administrator.”

Married and the mother of two children, both of Nadeau’s kids also attend schools in Biddeford, with one in eighth grade at Biddeford Middle School and the other a freshman at Biddeford High School.

According to Nadeau, her family takes pride in her accomplishments and all of the hard work it has taken to get to this point in her career.

“My family has been very supportive of the whole process,” she said. “It can be hard to keep the balance between work and family.”

She’s looking forward to her new duties and challenges at BIS, which has 356 students in Grades 4 and 5.

“No two days are the same as an administrator,” said Nadeau. “Everyday is something different. You just see what the day will hold and go from there. There’s no set schedule, unlike in the classroom, and I get to have a wider impact and reach out to more families in this role.”

Nadeau says she’s excited to get started in her new position when school resumes this fall.

“My first group of kindergarteners as principal at JFK will be my first group of fourth graders at BIS as principal,” said Nadeau. “It’s so nice that I’ll already know the families somewhat and the kids have had me as an administrator before.”

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com. Staff Writer Grace Laverriere assisted with this article.