Jeff Mears Courtesy photo

SACO —  Jeff Mears is crossing the bridge this fall as the new principal of Young School in Saco.

Mears started as principal on July 1, and for the past three years, he was assistant principal of Biddeford Primary School.

Mears has worked in education for 24 years, and he spent his first 18 as a health and physical education teacher in Florida, Kittery and Biddeford. During his time at Biddeford Middle School, he discovered his interest in administration.

“When we did the ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,’ I really launched something there and there were some really cool things that came out of that,” said Mears. “From that, I realized that I have some leadership ability.”

After that experience, Mears worked as the student services coordinator at Biddeford Middle School and later became assistant principal of the primary school.

“What’s funny is I knew I wanted to look to become a principal at some point. Then, someone in the (primary school) office asked me, ‘Jeff, when are you going to go for a principal job?’ and I literally said, ‘If Young School opened up, I’d probably go for it,’” said Mears. “Not two months later, in late February, I saw Young School had an opening.”

Mears said he applied for the position not sure what would come out of it, but during the interview, he felt inspired.

“I just thought, ‘I want this job.’ I felt like I was connecting. There was something real and tangible,” said Mears. “My kids went to Young School, and I live around the corner. I knew how I felt about the staff, and a lot of the staff is still here.”

Mears said although it was a hard decision to leave Biddeford, he feels like this job is where he belongs.

“I can’t believe this opportunity came up and they picked me. I’m humbled and honored by this. I’m really excited,” Mears said.

One of his goals as principal, he said, is focusing on the whole child and making sure students, staff and families feel safe and heard.

“Obviously, students need to progress academically, but also socially, mentally and emotionally. There’s a lot of mental health stuff out there, so we’ve gotta make sure that kids are okay,” Mears said.

Entering a new school during a pandemic comes with many challenges, but Mears said he wants to focus on each student’s well-being and getting them back in the classroom.

“Coming out of this pandemic — and I’m not sure if we’re even out of it — we’ve got to check to make sure kids are okay,” said Mears. “I think there’s been some trauma with this. I know there’s a lot of heat out there in the public with how people feel, and I respect where people are coming from. I want to do everything we can to have kids here five days a week because that’s really important.”

On Aug. 11, Saco School Board approved Acting Superintendent Jeremy Ray’s back-to-school plan, which includes wearing masks inside and in-person learning five days a week.

“For people who are struggling with (the masks), I assure you, we will take as many mask breaks as we can because I understand where they’re coming from, I really do,” said Mears. “We’re going to get outside, especially when the weather’s nice, as often as we can. If we’re struggling, we’ll figure out what we need to do to help children.”

With September approaching, Mears said he’s eager to work with students and families to welcome them back to school.

“I can’t wait to have kids in person and to have families be able to come back in,” said Mears. “I’m about building a community, and it gets hard when we can’t let people in.”

Mears’ first community event as principal of Young School will be its “Popsicles in the Park” outdoor open house on Aug. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m.

He said he feels like Young School is exactly where he needs to be.

“I’m still in this dream thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this really happened,’” said Mears. “I’m confident and I feel like I was called to do this. I can’t explain it, it feels like it was meant to happen.”