York High School's new co-principals ready to lead school, engage community

Max Sullivan, Portsmouth Herald
·3 min read

YORK, Maine — York High School’s co-principals Michael Bennett and Amanda Suttie say the new dual-leadership model at York High School is going smoothly.

“Seamless,” is how Bennett described the transition to the new format Wednesday, one week into the 2022-2023 school year. He said the new approach took some thought earlier in the year as to how the system would work. They quickly learned to make the most of each other’s qualities in a way he said enhanced York High School administratively.

“Amanda brings strengths that I don’t have and vice versa,” Bennett said. “We said, ‘Oh yeah this could work, and it could work very well for York High School.'”

Suttie and Bennett were both assistant principals last year under Principal Karl Francis, who resigned in April to take a new job at Greeley High School in Cumberland, Maine.

York High School co-principals Amanda Suttie and Mike Bennett who were promoted to their new roles for the new school year.
York High School co-principals Amanda Suttie and Mike Bennett who were promoted to their new roles for the new school year.

They were promoted later that month to be co-principals, Suttie entering her second year with the district, Bennett his eighth.

Previous story: York High School assistant principals nominated to serve as co-principals

York School District Superintendent Lou Goscinski said in June the co-principal model is intended to be permanent. He said it is less common but has been seen at other schools, like Westbrook High School in Westbrook, Maine.

“It came together very quickly for us,” Bennett said. “We’re very much on the same page.”

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Together the duo say they will lead the school with a mission of community engagement as York returns to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic. They said their theme this year is “Engage York” as they prepare for events like the return of the Activities Fair and a normal homecoming and Spirit Day. Last year, Spirit Day had two separate school assemblies, while the homecoming dance was held under an outdoor tent.

“We didn’t have a dance floor, so it became very dusty,” Suttie said. “It just didn’t feel like a Spirit Week the kids were used to.”

York High School co-principal Amanda Suttie talks about the new role she and Mike Bennett will have in their shared responsibilities this year.
York High School co-principal Amanda Suttie talks about the new role she and Mike Bennett will have in their shared responsibilities this year.

This year, Suttie said she and Bennett are excited about students getting to engage with their peers and teachers in person more than last year with COVID-19 guidelines being loosened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the first year since the pandemic to start without mandatory masking, that policy no longer recommended by the CDC.

Suttie said the auditorium was buzzing the first day of class when the school held its first assembly with the entire student body since the pandemic began.

“That was the first time we had our full school together, and you could feel it,” Suttie said. “That was a really cool experience to have.”

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Community is also central to the co-principals’ overall approach to education and running York High School. Bennett said he would like to see the school develop more opportunities for internships that connect the students and school with the community.

York High School co-principal Mike Bennett talks about the new role he and Amanda Suttie will have in their shared responsibilities this year.
York High School co-principal Mike Bennett talks about the new role he and Amanda Suttie will have in their shared responsibilities this year.

Some students have done internships for credits at the York Water District, for example or working with their father’s construction company, but Bennett said the school could do more to facilitate connections. He said students could be better guided towards internship opportunities as they consider how to plan their high school schedules.

“We’re trying to make connections with outside places particularly here in York that can support kids,” Bennett said.

Bennett, who has a science background, said he would like to see York develop opportunities for STEM endorsements that are given from colleges like the University of New England and the University of New Hampshire. York offers STEM courses, but he said the school is yet to provide a set of coursework that students can follow to acquire endorsements.

“Building more pathways for kids is extremely important,” Bennett said. “What we’re trying to do is build more avenues for kids to access their education.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: In Maine, York High School's co-principals excited for new school year