BATH — New administrators will greet some students when they return to classes next month in Regional School Unit 1.

One of them is Jay Pinkerton, a New Harbor resident who recently became Morse High School’s principal. He replaces Peter Kahl, who was hired in 2007 and announced his resignation last year. Pinkerton, formerly headmaster at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, was named Maine’s assistant principal of the year in 2003.

Sandra Gorsuch-Plummer is the new principal at Phippsburg Elementary School. She has worked as an assistant principal in Portland and a teacher and interim principal in Scarborough, RSU 1 Superintendent Patrick Manuel said last week.

“We’re excited to have her come on board,” he said.

Gorsuch-Plummer replaces Kari Babcock, who left Phippsburg to become principal at the Fisher Mitchell School in Bath, where she is replacing Nancy Harriman.

RSU 1 is offering health education this year at the middle school level. “It was something that the (RSU 1 Board of Directors) was considering … and there was a lot of community support and staff support for it,” Manuel said.

A school resource officer will also be new this year, based primarily at Morse, but serving when needed at the middle school level. It has been at least several years since an officer was staffed at the schools.

“We see it as a very good proactive relationship that we would have with our local law enforcement, and just being a positive role model for our students,” Manuel said.

A life skills special education program is also new at Woolwich Central School, and RSU 1 continues to expand its pre-kindergarten program, the superintendent said.

“It’s another step toward trying to get universal pre-K,” he said.

Classes for kindergarten through grade nine start on Sept. 3; grades 10-12 return on Sept. 4.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.

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