When Sharon Orlando and her family moved to Westbrook in 1961, she was enrolled as a sixth-grade student at Saccarappa School. It only seems fitting that after a career that has spanned 34 years, she ends where she began, as principal of Saccarappa School.

Orlando, who is retiring at the end of the school year, graduated from Westbrook High School in 1968 with another recent school department retiree, Assistant Superintendent Mike Kane. After finishing second in her high school class, Orlando went on to Bates College, where she graduated sooner than most students.

“I was impatient,” she said. “I graduated from college in three years.”

After her college graduation in 1971, Orlando returned to Westbrook to look for a teaching job. She found her first job as an assistant teacher at Westbrook Junior High School. She worked as an assistant teacher for the 1971-1972 school year, and then left to get her first full time classroom job at Lewiston Junior High School in 1972.

Student becomes ‘family fixture’

It was her first year teaching in Lewiston that she encountered a particular student that sticks in her memory. “In those days, we had 35 kids per classroom,” she said. “One of my students was a particular favorite. He was an active little guy in seventh-grade, very bubbly, wiggling around in his seat, turning around to talk. A typical seventh-grader.”

Orlando said that the boy was never able to stay after school to participate in any activities, and she found out the reason when she gave him detention for talking in class.

When he failed to show up for detention, Orlando went to the principal, who told her that the boy was not able to stay after school because he had to go straight home and help take care of his father, who was quite ill.

The news moved Orlando, and she began to take an interest in the boy both in and out of school. “I kind of took this kid under my wing,” she said. “He became just like a family fixture.”

Orlando taught the boy for three years, but she has kept track of his progress to this very day, which is fairly easy since he works in the same school system. “I can’t even put into words how proud of him at the achievements that he’s made, and he’s now the principal of Westbrook High School,” she said.

Orlando said that high school Principal Marc Gousse has been a part of her family since he was 12 years old, and he is Orlando’s youngest child’s godfather. “To see him in the office of the principal is just amazing,” she said. “He’s a fine man. I’m very proud of him.”

Gousse said that Orlando has been a huge influence on his life. “She is probably one of the most caring, compassionate, bright, sensitive human beings I’ve ever known,” said Gousse. “I think much of what I am today is due to Sharon. It was because of her that I realized my potential.”

From teacher to administrator

While she was at Lewiston Junior High, Orlando began to also teach adult education. She began by teaching one night per week. When she had her first child and left full-time teaching for six years, Orlando still continued to teach adult education. “I would teach at least one course a semester just to keep myself professionally involved,” she said.

In 1977, Orlando moved to the Portland Adult Education program. She initially began as a teacher, but in 1983 she was named assistant director of adult education.

She stayed in Portland until 1984, when she got a call from the Gorham school department to help launch its new adult education program. “That was very exciting for me to create a program from the ground up,” Orlando said.

In 1985, Orlando’s career came full circle when she returned to Westbrook as the first-ever full-time director of adult education. Orlando said returning to the city where she went to school and began her teaching career was an easy one for her. “I was thrilled to come back to Westbrook,” she said.

Orlando worked as director of adult education until 1993, when circumstances intervened to alter her career path.

That summer, the principal of Saccarappa School was in the process of making a move to become director of special education, said Orlando. Because the transition wasn’t complete until mid-August, the School Department did not have much time to find a new principal.

Because the vacancy happened so late in the summer, Orlando said the superintendent was allowed to appoint someone to fill the job.

So, the superintendent tapped Orlando to be the next principal of Saccarappa School. She said she had almost no time to prepare before starting her new job. “It was actually the first day of school at 10 minutes of nine (when I found out),” she said. “And at 10 a.m. I was expected to meet with the staff and start off the year.”

Orlando said she had heard some talk about the possibility she was going to be moved from adult education to Saccarappa, but since she was never approached directly, she never made any preparations.

“I was surprised, excited and sad that I was going to be leaving a career in adult education,” she said. “It was an abrupt change, and I had a whole new world to discover. It’s been a process of self-education on the go.”

Will be missed

Now that she has been at Saccarappa for 12 years, Orlando said she does not regret the move, and one of the added bonuses to the job is she got the chance to work with the children of some of the people that she worked with in adult education.

Gousse said that with her retirement, Orlando is going to leave a large void at Saccarappa. “She’s the type of person you would want every one of your children entrusted to,” Gousse said.

School Superintendent Stan Sawyer agreed with Gousse. “She has been a great advocate for young children,” he said. “She is a very compassionate person who relates well to everyone in the community.”

Gousse added that Orlando’s retirement would leave a professional void for him as well. “It will be a huge blow for me personally,” said Gousse. “But personally the connection will still be in place.”

Looking back, Orlando said that while she was looking forward to spending more time with her family, particularly her two grandchildren, there was a lot she would miss about her students.

“I will miss the children, the parents and the staff,” she said. “Every day makes memories. I’ll miss that excitement that children have when they learn how to read. One of the highlights of my day is if some children come down to my office with a book that they just learned to read, and the thrill for them is to go and read it for the principal. It’s also a thrill for me. Because when a child first deciphers print and makes sense of it, there’s absolute joy in their face.”

Sawyer said he has not decided on how to replace Orlando, but he said he was going to miss her next year. “I’m going to miss her for her intelligence and her passion for life,” he said.

Orlando said she is confident that the children at Saccarappa would be in good hands. “This is a wonderful group of teachers, ed techs and support staff,” she said. “The people in this building truly do love children.”

Saccarappa Principal Sharon Orlando