Mr. Tombleson was recently appointed as our new principal after working at South Portland High School for two years. He’s originally from New Jersey but moved around quite a bit when he was younger. His first job was actually as a band director in Iowa, and from there, he switched to the tech industry in California. Unfortunately, the tech company he worked at failed, and he moved to the Portland area before spending three years in Alexandria, Egypt, which was a very positive experience for him. He recalls that the most challenging part was learning about a completely foreign culture and focusing less on himself, but rather on the world around him. While there, he traveled to 27 countries and views the experience as vastly transformative; he is grateful to have had the opportunity to see so much of the world in such a short time span.
For many years, Tombleson didn’t think he wanted to be a principal because he believed it was the “hardest job with the least respect.” However, when he worked in administration in Egypt and saw how everyone works together, he began to have a change of heart. One of his good friends who worked as a superintendent told him that he would be a wonderful fit as a principal, and he decided to get a master’s degree at Boston College in educational leadership. Now, he could not be more thrilled with his career choice and loves having such an impact in students’ lives.
Tombleson was drawn to Kennebunk because of the value our community places on education. The school is a very beautiful facility, and we make the effort to include both the AP and the IB curriculum in our education. He recognizes that IB requires a lot of training for teachers, and he believes that a community that understands the value in the program truly has students’ best interests at heart. He also loves the staff at KHS and has heard many of them speak of the care and compassion within the student body. He wants students to take advantage of all the unique opportunities in the school that they would not find in nearby districts, and he is excited to continue learning about all the programs KHS has to offer.
