VINALHAVEN — The Vinalhaven School has found its new superintendent and principal, in addition to creating two new administrative positions in an effort to better serve the school and community. 

At an April 17 school board meeting, the five board members unanimously approved Tonya Arnold as the school’s superintendent and principal. Arnold will work at the school Tuesdays through Fridays and spend Mondays working remotely. 

Traditionally, the two positions have been separate though the board felt it would be within the community’s best interest to have Arnold serve in both positions for the upcoming school year as the board contemplates the future of its administrative positions. Additionally, the board feels the principal candidacy pool would be larger in the early winter months rather than April and May. 

Arnold will only maintain full-time status for the upcoming school year and will move to part-time status for the 2020-2021 academic year. 

Arnold is currently the superintendent and principal at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences in Fairfield and the superintendent on Monhegan Island.

In the past, Arnold has served as assistant principal and athletic director at Fryeburg Academy, principal of Stratford Public School in New Hampshire and principal at Lakes Region Middle School.  

The board also unanimously voted April 17 to establish a pair of part-time assistant principal positions. One will serve lower school students in kindergarten through fifth grades, while the other will cater to upper school students in sixth through 12th grades. 

“These [assistant principal] positions will be filled by state certified leaders from our current teaching staff and will be for one year only pending the outcome of the leadership structure study,” said outgoing superintendent Roy Crawford. 

While Arnold will be leaving her post with Maine Academy of Natural Sciences, she noted in an April 28 email she will continue to work part-time for the Monhegan School District next school year.

“Having grown up and raised by children in small rural towns, working with the Monhegan Island School has been heart warming,” she stated. “I enjoy creative problem-solving and collaboration with other systems to find efficiencies that allow us all to use more of our funds toward the service of the most important part of our work — teaching and learning. Working with another island school that is part of the inter island collaborative seemed worthy of exploration as I search for more balance in my life between home and work.”

Arnold noted her background, which includes inclinations to take risks, and “yankee ingenuity” is what draws her to pursue adventures, as she says, such as Maine Academy of Natural Sciences, Monhegan and Vinalhaven.

“These educational entities have very similar philosophies of building confidence, respect, environmental responsibility and community values within young hearts and minds,” she stated.

As the newest leader of the Vinalhaven School, Arnold says primary goals for next school year include identifying a common vision for the future of the school's leadership structure and exploring creative possibilities for collaboration between the local island schools.

Outgoing Administrators

Crawford will have served for two school years by the time he officially leaves his post when his contract expires at the end of June.

“I have certainly enjoyed and embraced the challenge of being part of the Vinalhaven School community, but I need the flexibility to support my family: from Maine to Ohio to Colorado,” Crawford previously said in a letter to the Vinalhaven community.

The Vinalhaven superintendent position is a part-time position, which Crawford said does not work well with his leadership style and skills.

“Throughout my career I have been a ‘hands on’ administrator involved with the school 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” he said. “I find that I cannot be the leader I aspire be on a parttime basis. This observation is not a criticism of the leadership configuration at VS, but rather a personal recognition of my own leadership style and skills.”

Prior to accepting the Vinalhaven position, Crawford held leadership roles at schools in Maine, Colorado, Germany, Cambodia and Malta.

At an April 3 budget workshop session, current Vinalhaven principal Ann Kirkpatrick submitted her resignation effective the end of the academic year. 

Kirkpatrick is to become the new superintendent and principal of Chebeague Island School, in Cumberland County. 

Kirkpatrick began at Vinalhaven in July 2017 and boasts over two decades of school administration experience.  

Prior to her time in Vinalhaven, she spent time as the superintendent for School Administrative District 4 and Regional School District 80, which includes Piscataquis Community Elementary School and Piscataquis Community High School, and principal of Warren Elementary School and Friendship Village School.

She also spent time as a physical education teacher, athletic director and coach or official for swimming, soccer, basketball, softball and track and field teams. 

This article was originally published April 23 and updated April 28 with quotes from Arnold. 

Reach George Harvey at: sports@penbaypilot.com.