WINDHAM – Pender Makin, principal at The REAL School, has been named 2013’s High School Principal of the Year.

She will be presented the award by the Maine Principals’ Association on Monday, March 4, during a school assembly at the alternative education school on Mackworth Island in Falmouth. While several school districts send their children to The REAL School, which used to be located in South Windham, it is funded and operated by the Windham-Raymond Regional School Unit 14. Short for Regional Educational Alternative Learning, The REAL School is an alternative, adventure- and service-based school for students who have had trouble in traditional educational settings.

Makin, known for her energy and passion during her 10 years leading the school, was deflective of praise in an interview on Wednesday.

“I’m grateful and honored for the opportunity to shine a light on the amazing work that our staff is committed to, and to the great work our kids accomplish,” she said. “And I accept it with grateful and humble appreciation on behalf of our wonderful school. And anything to do with my honor is simply a reflection of everything that everyone else is doing.”

Makin said she plans to invite parents of REAL School students to attend the assembly on Monday afternoon, “because we want them to be proud of the place where their children are attending school.”

Superintendent Sandy Prince was ecstatic with the news that one of the district’s principals won.

“I’m just so delighted. This is great news, my God. And she so much deserves this principal of the year award,” he said.

Makin is the third Windham-Raymond administrator in the last few years to receive top honors in their field. Windham Primary School assistant principal Kris Grant won Assistant Principal of the Year honors two years ago. Last year, Tom Nash, director of Windham-Raymond Adult Education, won the Gerald N. LeVasseur Award, which is given to a Maine citizen who has shown long and outstanding service to the field of adult education.

Prince said the awards are evidence of the breadth of leadership in the school system.

“We’ve got strong leadership here. I think we’ve got people who really are working incredibly hard and are bright and care deeply about students, and they’re being rewarded for that,” Prince said.

Jeanne Crocker, assistant executive director of the principals’ association, said Makin was one of many who was nominated this year for the honor. Two finalists received site visits, and the association chose Makin since “she does truly, truly extraordinary work, very different from what most high school principals do, but it is high school and what she does is very, very special,” Crocker said.

Makin is now entered in the nationwide High School Principal of the Year contest hosted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Pender Kimball
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