'No place like home': Jane Durgin, R.W. Traip Academy principal, ready to lead alma mater

KITTERY, Maine — Step into Jane Durgin’s corner office, and it’s clear the new principal of R.W. Traip Academy is a fan of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Since she was 5 years old, Durgin — a fifth-generation Kittery resident and Traip graduate whose family has deep ties to local education — has adored the classic 1939 film. Some décor in her office references the movie, including a gift from a childhood friend for Durgin's 60th birthday earlier this month.

The framed drawing is a depiction of the Wicked Witch of the East’s ruby slippers with a famed quote from Glinda the Good Witch, which reads: “You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”

The line is one Durgin hopes to spread to high schoolers in Maine’s oldest town, years after she left Kittery in the rearview mirror to embark on her own journey of self-discovery. With school set to start on Aug. 30, Durgin’s guide to helping students become the best version of themselves is to provide meaningful experiences for them in and out of the classroom.

“Sometimes we can be blocked in,” she said. “I get really concerned about keeping kids curious and making sure education is boosting their curiosity, that we’re meeting that need and making them more curious so when they leave here and go out into the world, they still have that.”

Durgin took over the reins at Kittery's public high school from John Drisko, who retired from Traip the end of the last school year after six years as principal.

After leaving Durgin has realized 'There's no place like home'

The school’s new principal admittedly didn’t always enjoy her high school days at Traip. Her experiences then seem a stark contrast to her work now, as well as her family’s connections to Seacoast and southern Maine education.

Julie Dow, chairperson of the town’s School Committee, is Durgin’s sister. Their brother, Sgt. Jay Durgin, is employed by the Kittery Police Department and formerly served as the school district’s school resource officer. Their father, Daniel Durgin, served as the superintendent of SAU 50 in New Hampshire — which comprises Greenland, New Castle, Newington and Rye students — from 1979 to 1994. Their cousin Anne Gilbert is the current principal of Rye Junior High School.

But as a teenager, before she became the principal of her alma mater, Durgin wanted to leave the small town and never look back.

She did leave, traveling around for a time, though she returned after having two children. Durgin then went on to receive multiple college degrees from the former McIntosh College in Dover, New England College and the University of Southern Maine, all while raising her kids.

Her attitude toward her hometown shifted when she gave birth to her children: Her son, Nick, now teaches and coaches girls soccer at Winnacunnet High School, and her daughter, Carley, owns Hillside Flowers and Gifts on State Road.

Durgin wanted her children to be raised in a community like Kittery, despite her former feelings toward her hometown. To sum up her attitude toward the town now, she uses one of the Wizard of Oz's most-cited quotes.

“I was kind of resentful of Kittery for quite a while, and it’s kind of ironic because… there’s no place like home. If you connect the dots, which I couldn’t have done 10 years ago, this is certainly my home,” she stated.

Durgin’s charge now is to help students to grow as she did, whether they intend to do it in Kittery or elsewhere post-graduation. Her own growth and the message she hopes to share with Traip students mirrors John Mayer’s song “No Such Thing”: Life is all about what you make it.

“I want Traip graduates to know that they are capable, that they are just as good as others and that their education was fantastic. We have the capability to do that here,” she said.

What changes are coming to Traip this year?

Durgin’s summer leading up to her first school year at the helm of Traip has been busy. The cafeteria has been renovated, she’s successfully petitioned for the old school homecoming parade to return, and sealed a partnership with the mental health organization Bring Change to Mind that will have Traip students meet virtually with high schoolers in San Diego to discuss youth mental health.

Exciting field trips are also in the works, such as a freshmen trip to Star Island in mid-September and a student trip to Normandy, France, next year to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasion.

“I keep saying to everyone, it’s the year of yes,” Durgin says.

Kittery superintendent of schools Eric Waddell nominated Durgin, then the school district’s director of special services, to the position in February. The month prior, the superintendent had posted the principal vacancy internally.

When Durgin applied, Waddell decided not to post the position externally, a move allowed by district policy.

“I recognize .... nominating a currently employed Kittery School District employee may be viewed as a bold move,” Waddell said previously. “I contend that my nomination and the School Committee's ultimate hiring of Ms. Durgin is absolutely in the best interest of Traip Academy and the entire district.”

The School Committee approved Durgin’s nomination, with Dow abstaining from the vote.

Over 40 years since graduating as a Ranger herself, Durgin has found a home in the very place she wanted to depart from as a youngster.

“We want creative thinking and a can-do attitude. The only thing that stops us is ourselves,” Durgin added. “It takes a long time for human beings to figure that out.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Jane Durgin, is Traip Academy's new principal in Kittery, Maine