ISLESBORO — After an extensive search that involved reviewing 18 applicants, Islesboro Central School has hired a Dean of Students for a newly created position focusing primarily on student support and the duties of an athletic director. 

Meredith Diamond, a high school English teacher at Mount View High School in Thorndike, has been appointed to the Dean of Students position. 

The position is crucial to the future of the school’s development, according to Islesboro Head of School Charles Hamm. 

“I am humbled and honored that the teachers, parents, Head of School, and School Board members have chosen me to be Islesboro Central School's first Dean of Students,” Diamond said. “That this position even exists is a reflection of the community's steadfast commitment to doing everything it can to best meet the needs of students at ICS—even if that means revamping the school's administrative structure.” 

Diamond earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University, a master’s degree in English from the University of Maine and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Education from the University of Maine.

She is pursuing her doctorate degree in public policy and education leadership at the University of Southern Maine, focusing her research on how novice administrators understand and nurture culture in schools. 

Diamond entered the education field more than 20 years ago as a literacy tutor for second graders at the Jacob H. Schiff School in West Harlem, New York. She has taught freshman composition at the University of Maine, backcountry skills at the North Carolina Outward Bound School and a summer-long graduate institute for the Maine Writing Project. 

“In my new role as Dean of Students, I will have the chance to put everything I've learned about educational best practice in service to the Islesboro community—with a particular focus on supporting our students as they work to become the best possible versions of themselves,” stated Diamond. 

In an email, Diamond stated though she has spent 16 years as a high school English teacher, she has designed and facilitated professional development for teachers and studied the link between educational policy and student success. 

“These experiences—alongside my time in a variety of Maine classrooms—have taught me that the first and most important step to serving students well is listening,” she stated.“I plan to do a lot of that in the coming year. I'm thrilled by the invitation to become part of the incredible ICS community, and I plan to work very hard to be the kind of Dean that its students deserve.” 

Reach George Harvey at: sports@penbaypilot.com.