The principal of South Portland High School will leave her post at the end of this school year.

Michele LaForge The Forecaster

Michele LaForge has held the job for four years. She submitted a resignation letter to the district Thursday and shared the news with the school community Friday. She will take the principal’s job at Maranacook Community High School in Readfield next year.

“I will miss you,” she wrote in an email to the school community. “We spent four really challenging years together, and I am fortunate to have spent them with you. I am grateful for these years of learning and community in South Portland and thank you for your trust.”

South Portland Superintendent Tim Matheney said the district will convene a group of teachers, support staff, administrators, parents, students and school board members to interview applicants for the job.

“Principal LaForge distinguished herself as a truly kind and caring leader throughout her tenure at SPHS, but particularly during the pandemic years,” Matheney wrote in an email. “As a principal, she’s attentive to students’ needs and is passionate about creating an inclusive environment for all students.”

In an interview, LaForge said she was grateful for the experiences of the past four years but felt ready for a change. She was drawn to Maranacook Community High School because of its strong adviser program and its small size – 360 students, compared to 1,000 in South Portland.

“I believe we are really well matched and that what I have to offer is what they need, and that the school community and I will learn a lot from each other,” she said. “I am excited even as it breaks my heart to leave my school community at South Portland.”

LaForge said she is looking forward to many events in South Portland before she leaves, from the final shows of “The Little Mermaid,” to the first prom in three years, to graduation.

“If the next principal is as excited as I am about Maranacook, then they will do just fine,” she said.

Before she came to South Portland High School, LaForge was the founding head of school at Baxter Academy of Technology and Science in Portland.