Boothbay Region Elementary School welcomed new Assistant Principal Matthew Lindemann officially in June and again with students and families Sept. 8. Lindemann was a fifth grade teacher for six years at his alma mater, George B Weatherbee School in Hamden, his hometown since he was a year old.

Newly married for over a year, moving two hours from home, becoming first-time homeowners in August and starting new jobs in the pandemic has been an adventure for Lindemann and wife Ashley. “New jobs, new house all in the middle of a pandemic? It's all good … It was hard to leave the classroom and my former school, but it's a new town and I'm always looking for new ways to challenge myself and continue growing and pushing myself,” he said.

Lindemann finished his master’s in school leadership and administration from St. Joseph’s College last year and followed up with a leadership internship through Weatherbee which lasted into the pandemic. It provided him with good hands-on experience and firsthand crisis management, but could not replace face-to-face interaction with students, parents and staff, he said.

“Going from the classroom to an administrative position, I had all these ideas of things I would do, ways I would get to know the kids, being in classrooms, having lunch with them, but because of precautions, it's a little trickier … It's been a challenge and it's totally different than I thought it would be.”

Lindemann said it has not stopped him from taking advantage of arrival and dismissal to greet and send off students, and outdoor activities where banter and teachable moments can be enjoyed without masks.

The Boothbay region has been a lifelong interest for Lindemann, having visited Burnt Island Light in fifth grade for its education program. The visit was so impressionable, when he began teaching fifth grade at Weatherbee, he would take his class to the program while he was being mentored by his fifth grade teacher, Susan O’Brien.

“She's one of the reasons I'll say that I became interested in Boothbay … There's so much Boothbay has as a community that can really add to the educational program. It's one of my favorite places in general and my wife and I always come down in the summer to visit.”

Lindemann said there has been no downtime yet to enjoy all the region’s offerings, but some restaurants and take-out places have kept him fueled through the week.

“We like McSeagull's. The Bistro is another. Since being here and working all summer, we've ordered out a lot from Pinkham's. And I'm a big pizza guy, so we went to Port's Pizzeria recently – very good.”

The people of the Boothbay region are what Lindemann said he enjoys most as he settles in. “They have been so helpful and welcoming … We have such a great team and school-based community and that's been the nicest part for sure. (BRES Principal Shawna Kurr) is awesome and it's really like a partnership. That's great because I'm learning a lot and really enjoying the work.”

Lindemann said while he is impressed with how all teachers have been braving the pandemic, he is especially proud of his BRES staff and teachers for keeping it all together and continuing to educate.

“Our teachers are rock stars right now – doing what they normally do, engaging kids and teaching them and creating those meaningful moments behind masks and while spaced out? It's incredible what these teachers are doing right now.”