BRUNSWICK

The REAL School will be saying goodbye to its leader.

Martin Mackey, who is in his third year as principal and director of the special education school, is leaving at the end of the school year.

Prior to becoming principal, he served as assistant principal there for four years and was a teacher at the school prior to that. Mackey has worked with at-risk students for more than 18 years, both in public schools and private wilderness therapy programs.

Mackey said he will continue in education, and will “continue to use the skills I’ve learned here in a more mainstream context.”

It was a difficult decision to leave, Mackey said, and praised his 21-member staff.

Mackey has spoken individually with every student about the transition, and said both students and staff have been amazingly supportive.

The REAL (Relevant Experiential Authentic Learning) School is a public day treatment school serving students in grades 3-12 in Cumberland, Oxford, Androscoggin, York and Sagadahoc counties.

Established 35 years ago, the school was initially located in Falmouth, where it served Regional School Unit 14.

The affiliation with Brunswick School Department began last school year, and the school relocated to Brunswick Landing at the start of the current school year.

With about 40 students, the school provides an opportunity for them that hadn’t existed previously.

“I think it’s important to understand that the REAL School is more of a mindset of working with students to create positive connections,” Mackey said, “and help them re-frame themselves as learners and members of the community.”

The school collaborates with several local organizations, including Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, the Coastal Humane Society and Seeds of Independence, among others.

Those collaborations, Mackey said, “help students make connections with their classroom material.”

Brunswick Superintendent Paul Perzanoski said the REAL School principal oversees a unique program that helps students with specific needs, and has to find ways to finance what it provides through enterprise projects.

Speaking as someone with a background in similar programs in Connecticut, Perzanoski said the special education profession is an honorable one, but one that can require a lot of energy.

“You have to grow a thick skin so that you can deal with the issues that come at you on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s not a job, with any of the staff that are there, that ends with the school day.”

Perzanoski added: “It’s one where you have to meet and discuss and debrief on a regular basis and try to recognize the small steps kids are making, and try to strategize on what you may improve and make better, from the emotional to behavioral aspect as well as academic, with the goal you want them to be as prepared as possible when they graduate from the program. It’s a calling when you work in programs like this.”

Perzanoski said Mackey is seeking other experiences in the areas of public education so he can become more well rounded.

“We would love to keep him,” Perzanoski said, “but we wish him well.”

The hiring process is underway to find a new principal. A committee of teachers and other staff members are part of the advisory group at REAL School, led by Director of Student Services Barbara Gunn, which will be looking for candidates to apply for the principal/ director position.

dmoore@timesrecord.com