Kennebunk High School welcomes a new principal this year, Mr. Jeremie Sirois. Before the start of the school year, he shared in an interview what he hopes to bring to KHS. Mr. Sirois joins KHS with experience working as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. He taught at Saco Middle School for six years before becoming an assistant principal at York High School, where he served for eight years. Most recently, he was the principal of Biddeford High School for seven years. 

Looking forward to his time in Kennebunk, Mr. Sirois described that his favorite thing about working in schools is spending time with kids. He loves getting to know students as well as attending events hosted at the school such as sporting events, plays, and concerts. This year, he said, he is most excited to have students in the building and get to know kids at KHS.

Mr. Sirois earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership online from the University of Phoenix. He described that students in his program didn’t have face-to-face interactions or phone calls with an instructor. This format called on him to be a truly “independent learner” and made his experience with learning online be largely individual. Thinking about online learning in Kennebunk schools, Mr. Sirois is excited for Google Meets to be an opportunity for kids and teachers to connect. The new hybrid and distance learning models incorporate Google Meets at the beginning of each online class to help foster engagement between students and teachers. “We’re really trying to make it as normal as possible, given the circumstances,” he described.

As our new principal, Mr. Sirois hopes to impact the culture of the school. Reflecting on his career, he believes this is where he has made the most positive impact. “I want kids to love to be here,” he said. “I want staff to love to be here. I want [the school] to be a welcoming place.” When asked if he had a message for the students of KHS, he responded, “Whatever platform we’re in, I want you to know that we’re here for you and we want to see you do great things, and I can’t wait to work with every single one of you.”