The superintendent’s office at the Chebeague Island School is overwhelmed by a copy machine, computer, desk and Donald Trump-style office chair. On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year, this office is filled with the sounds of typing, shuffling papers and the distinctive voice of Alton Hadley III.
“I love the island,” said Hadley, called “Bump” by his many friends. He is currently the superintendent at the Chebeague Island School, a job he took in the spring of 2007, months before Chebeague Island seceded from mainland Cumberland. He arrived in large part to protect what goes on in this single-story building.
Carol White, the school representative on the transition committee which oversaw the transfer of leadership from Cumberland, headed up the search for the new superintendent. None of the applicants for the job seemed ideal. Then, she talked to Tom Marks, Hadley’s successor as superintendent on North Haven. “He exclaimed: ‘Bump Hadley?! You haven’t talked to Bump?'” Soon, Hadley was on Chebeague for an interview. “We knew right away he was a good fit,” White recalls.
Hadley’s presence at the Chebeague Island School, which has 25 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, has been enthusiastically welcomed by parents and teachers. “He makes our school board meetings fun,” says Gerry Wiles, a board member and former history teacher on the mainland. “He’s a guy who’s serious, but doesn’t take himself too seriously.” Althea Dugliss, school secretary and mother of a student, sees Hadley almost daily. She admires his versatility. “He does whatever needs to be done.”
The Chebeague Island School is one of just 14 remaining island schools in Maine, and, as Hadley knows through personal and professional experience, these small learning centers are unlike schools anywhere else in the state. “Island schools are the center of the community. The kids-the most important products of the community-spend most of their time [there] for their first 13 years of life.”
Now, how did the son of a textile mill worker and a native of Eddington become a superintendant of an island school? “I was always the bossy leader and my peers seemed to listen when I spoke-which was often and a lot,” Hadley jokes. It was his grandfather who gave him his nickname after he started playing baseball. (“Bump” Hadley was a Yankees pitcher in the ’30s and ’40s.). The name stuck. After majoring in education at the University of Maine, Hadley received a Bachelor’s Degree and a Certificate of Advanced Studies.
Hadley began his career on the mainland. A respected football coach at the University of Maine, he then worked for the Department of Justice as an immigration inspector for 12 years. Hadley returned to teaching, ending up at Bonny Eagle High School, where he was principal for 13 years.
It was at Bonny Eagle that he was first introduced to the idea of an island job. A friend recommended that he apply for the post of superintendent on North Haven.
“I thought that sounded good. I wanted a change of direction,” he recalls. He applied, then traveled to the island. “October 5, 1998,” he recites without hesitation. “It was a beautiful fall day, and the island was absolutely gorgeous.” After a brief tour and interview, he was hired in December of 1998. “I knew that I had the people skills and the work ethic that hard-working islanders would respect and appreciate.”
On North Haven, he spent a few days per week in a single building with 74 kids from kindergarten to the 12th grade. During that first year, Hadley recalls a schism of sorts within the community. The main conflict, he says, was a fear that island schoolchildren weren’t getting “enough of the basics, that they were taking too many field trips.” Hadley chose to emphasize the positive outcomes of these out-of-school experiences.
“For the island school, this kind of program was ideal,” he explains. Every student, no matter their age, was required to give a presentation upon their return. This was not your average book report, however. These presentations were open to the community, often attended by up to 150 people. “I found it amazing that young people had such a great relationship with the community.”
After a few initial hurdles, Hadley found himself motivated by a single mission: “How do we sustain an island school system?”
Hadley believes consistency is crucial, especially with the staff. Losing teachers disrupts the curriculum. But it has always been a challenge to find off-island teachers who stay. Providing a sense of stability proved just as important with adults as with the kids. He learned this after his first year, when many ideas were voted out of the budget. Voter trust was-and always will be-crucial to getting budgets passed, he believes.
Currently, Hadley is superintendent of the Chebeague Island School, as well as the school of Acton, a town near the New Hampshire border. He has applied for the superintendant position on Monhegan Island, a job that would require monthly visits. And, joking, he adds: “If there’s ever an opening on Long Island. . .”
Why would a mainlander want to commute so much? Hadley has a ready answer. “Working with island schools is much more rewarding than [working in] a larger community. Everyone is more connected.” Yes, he concedes, the commutes can be long, and the winter months particularly difficult, but that doesn’t deter him.
“I guess I just like boat rides.”
Anna Maine, a Chebeague Island resident, is participating in Working Waterfront’s summer student writer program. Maine is Carol White’s daughter.