Brewer, Maine; Fall, 2019
Dear Brewer Community,
I am so excited to have been announced, by School Committee chair Kevin Forrest, as the new Superintendent of Brewer Schools.
I have history in the district, having worked as a special education teacher at Brewer High School from 1994 to 2002 before leaving to serve as principal at Searsport District High School. During my time in Brewer, I was fortunate to have been named as the Southern Penobscot Regional Program for Children with Exceptionalities Special Educator of the Year for 2000 and, in 2002, was also given Distinguished Teacher Award for Brewer Schools. In both cases, it was about working alongside great colleagues, fabulous students, and supportive Brewer families.
It is an honor to have been entrusted with this new responsibility as Superintendent. Brewer has a long tradition of excellence and caring about all its students, so I know what's expected is that we won't stop trying to have each and every one of our students find success.
This is a community that supports the schools and innovative programming when that can be shown to have a clear benefit for students, but I believe that improving on what already works is equally valued. In the end, it is about our students.
The truth is that I grew up as a professional in Brewer and learned how to be a better teacher from dedicated colleagues and from students, and I hope to bring that same sense of learning and opportunity to the superintendency. Together we will build on Brewer’s strengths as well as find new ways to grow and get better on a day by day basis.
Other background information includes having served as a high school principal at Falmouth High School and at Deering High School. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, a Master’s in creative writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, a Master’s in Education from Oklahoma State University, and I returned to the University of Maine to earn my Certificate of Advanced Study while teaching at Brewer High School.
My childhood home is in Carmel, Maine, and my family remains part of the greater Brewer/Bangor community.
I want to thank a great administrative team, teachers and staff, and the students who have all been welcoming and incredibly helpful as I've settled in. I look forward to seeing and meeting community members as we move through the 2019-2020 school year.
In all of this I feel as if I’m coming home.
Sincerely,
Gregg Palmer, Superintendent