Page 25 - Newsletter_Fall_2022

From the HALLS

By DeWayne Morse '82, Principal

to be an incredible challenge for the high school bands and choruses put
entire world, with the educational on a tremendously entertaining show.
field being particularly challenged. The music department is currently
Our staff and students adapted in preparing for this year’s musical,
ways we never thought imaginable Freaky Friday. Without a doubt, it
Greetings to all from the Halls of before 2020. The learning curve to will be another success, and as always,
Houlton Middle High School. A teach and learn over the past two the performances will be supported
lot has changed since the last update years has been unbelievably steep, but by the town.
from former principal, Tim Tweedie. the resilience of all participants to
Tim is now the superintendent/prin- keep moving forward ensured the best The fall sports seasons have all con-
cipal of Veazie Community School, results possible. cluded, and it was a season filled with
and while he misses Houlton and excitement and sportsmanship. The
the community tremendously, he is It is apparent as one walks through Cross-Country program continues
also loving the challenges of his new the halls of our school that things to grow and flourish, and the girls
position. truly are returning to normal. The were the State runners-up. The soccer
“small gym” has been returned to the programs were exciting to watch this
For those of you who are not famil- physical education department, and year as well. The varsity girls’ team
iar with me, my name is DeWayne the days of it being used as a make- were the Northern Maine runners-up.
Morse, and I am the new principal shift cafeteria are behind us. Our Our football team continued to excite
of Houlton Middle High School. cafeteria is back to normal and the the fans as they represented our town
During my previous two years with individual chair/desk units have been with pride. A major highlight of the
the district, I served as the assis- removed and replaced with tables so fall sports season was the success of
tant principal. Before that, I was an students can once again dine togeth- a gifted cross-country athlete. The
English teacher for over twenty years. er. Our resolute custodial staff have Unified Sports program is dedicated
If one counted my time as a seventh opened the storage units and brought to promoting social inclusion through
grader until I graduated from Houl- back classroom tables, so once again, shared sports training and competi-
ton High School with the class of ‘82, students are able to work together and tion experiences, Ethan Casale was
you could safely say that I have spent collaboratively in classes. Speaking of the focus of a remarkable story shown
half of my life in the halls of our classes, we are back to enriching our on multiple local television stations as
beloved school. lessons with guest speakers on a week- well as online.
ly basis. To put it simply, things are
We have many other fresh faces in rapidly returning to normal. I would In closing, things are going well here
our building serving in leadership also like to mention the success of in the halls of Houlton Middle High
roles. Danielle Thibodeau ‘03, is in our after-school program, which runs School. Students are engaged, the
her first year as assistant principal, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This staff are working diligently to provide
Katherine Currie ‘04 is in her first program affords a supportive envi- the best instruction possible, and
year as director of guidance, and ronment in which students who need extracurricular activities are thriving.
Melissa Flewelling, former Houlton additional support are given just that. Thank you for taking the time to read
Middle High School student, is in her this column, and as always, come
first year as a guidance counselor. It is The music department was hit back and visit the halls of Houlton
amazing how many former graduates especially hard over the past two Middle High School whenever you
of Houlton Middle High School stay years by Covid restrictions. It was would like.
in the local area and find their way remarkable to see how they adapted
back to working with our students. and kept students engaged in their Sincerely,
musical endeavors. It was great to
The fall of the 2022-2023 school year see the auditorium filled at this year’s DeWayne L. Morse
marks a return to normality for the Fall Concert. The theme was Hal- Principal
students and staff. Covid-19 proved loween, and the middle school and Houlton Middle High School
www.houltonalumni.com PAGE 25