Scott Tombleson takes the helm at Kennebunk High School: 'Honored to serve here'

KENNEBUNK, Maine — When freshmen report to Kennebunk High School for their first day of class after Labor Day, they won’t be the only ones to be a new face at the place.

Their principal will be a newcomer, just like them.

RSU 21 announced Tuesday that Scott Tombleson is the new principal of Kennebunk High School. Tombleson, previously the principal of South Portland High School, succeeds Jeremie Sirois, who announced his resignation in early July after four years at the helm. Sirois has accepted the position of principal at an elementary school in Newfield.

In a press release, Superintendent Terri Cooper said she was “thrilled” to welcome Tombleson “to the RSU 21 family.”

“Scott is a dedicated educator and led South Portland High School during the difficult and dynamic post-pandemic era, giving students the tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing world,” Cooper said.

Tombleson had his first day on the job on Tuesday. In an interview, he explained why the opportunity to join RSU 21 appealed to him.

“It is clear this is a district and a community that values education,” he said. “I can’t imagine why anybody wouldn’t want to be here.”

Tombleson also said he was impressed with the high school’s affiliation with International Baccalaureate , a nonprofit organization that provides programs promoting “cultural understanding and respect” to as many as 5,000 schools throughout the world.

Tombleson said the high school’s involvement with IB is “not insignificant, in terms of staffing and training.”

“Very few public schools take it on,” he added. “It’s very special.”

Throughout his career, Tombleson has served as an interim assistant principal at Yarmouth High School, as an assistant principal at Salem High School and Lawrence High School, both in Massachusetts, and as a principal intern at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Boston, according to his LinkedIn account on social media.

As well, Tombleson served as the director of learning and information technologies at the Schutz American School in Egypt.

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Tombleson also has experience in music education. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, he served as a band director for a school district in Iowa and as a music director for another district in California.

Tombleson also spent a handful of years in the private sector, working as a database administrator for a California corporation and as a senior programming analyst for Spurwink in Portland.

He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Plymouth State University, from which he graduated in 1995, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Boston College, from which he graduated in 2018.

Tombleson described working in education and with high school-aged students as something that “feeds my soul,” adding that he finds the profession purposeful and meaningful.

“It’s a profession of choice for me,” he said. “Every day I feel I have the best job in the world. Every day is a lesson in humility, is a challenge to myself to look differently at the world.”

Tombleson and his wife, Jennifer Kelly, have a grown daughter, Nola, who lives out of state. He said he and Jennifer enjoy going to concerts and dining in the Portland area.

“I’m a decent skier and a frustrated golfer,” he added.

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Tombleson said he is looking forward to meeting students and members of the RSU 21 community.

“I’m honored to serve here,” he said. “I look forward to having an impact at this very strong school and on this very strong community.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Scott Tombleson takes the helm at Kennebunk High School: 'Honored to serve here'