Boothbay Region High School Principal Dan Welch will be moving on to new professional challenges after 11 years at the helm. Eleven years is a long time for an administrator, Welch said in an email interview.

“I think the time is just right for me and for BRHS. We’ve had some folks really step up this year and help lead the school and that was great for me to see. It also highlighted that the school is ready for someone else to lead the faculty and the school as a whole.”

While the time seemed right for Welch, it did not make the decision any easier. Some of his favorite moments were watching athletes dominate on the fields, courts and trails, student artists wow the community at the annual Student Art Show and in the drama performances, and the creativity and ingenuity of student engineers and marketers creating businesses and products from the shop.

He recalled the WGME School Spirit Challenge benefiting Good Shepherd Food Bank. The rally’s 6 a.m. start had Welch terrified no one would show up, but 15 minutes later, the stands were filled with students, teachers, families and community members.

“They all came out to show that we may be a small school, but our school pride is mighty … It’s no different with the homecoming parades in which the community comes out to show our students just how much they mean to us or with the rites of passage around graduation time in which the entire peninsula comes out to make this a special time for our graduates.”

Welch, who was named the Maine Principals Association’s Principal of the Year in 2017 and has served as president of the MPA’s Board of Directors, said he will miss the regular, average day the most. “The day-to-day interactions I got to have with the students of BRHS and the faculty will all always hold a special place in my heart.”

Welch is most proud of BRHS’s school community – the dedication staff and faculty show toward every student’s value and success. The Aspirations program – to prepare students for life beyond graduation – embodies those qualities, said Welch. “Whether a student's goal was college, the trades, the armed forces, or the workforce, we have worked hard to put programs and people in place to help them create a plan and to feel valued. We’ve striven to help students develop into our next civic participants and leaders … Our communities are amazing and they can rest assured that our students are receiving a top-notch education at all levels of our district.”

Without the hard work and talent administrators, faculty and staff employ to help students succeed at their goals, BRHS would not be one of the greatest high schools in the state. “I value each and every one of them as professionals and as people. I was constantly amazed with the level of instruction and the student-centered approach our teachers take on a daily basis … I hope I will be remembered as a principal who put the needs of the students first and as one who promoted that the faculty's families always came first and that I was supportive of this concept.”

He does not know what his future holds. He hopes to stay in the education field, a passion he has held since his sophomore year in high school. “Working with students to help them achieve their goals and to aid their success, along with being part of a school community, gives me incredible fulfillment.”

Welch is keeping his mind open to opportunities which would lead him away from the Boothbay region, but he is looking into ones that may keep him a community member.

“I see both as having positives and challenges. Regardless, I have loved my time here in the Boothbay region. It is a special place with special schools filled with special people. If I do remain here, I am interested in exploring ways I can continue to be civically involved and for opportunities (to) be involved in community initiatives.”