Sarah Hubert has returned to Wiscasset Middle High School as the new vice principal and athletic director. Her hiring was finalized just in time for the start of the school year. Earlier in the week, Hubert was on the school’s front steps with Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson greeting students.

Hubert lives in nearby Pittston. She first worked in the Wiscasset schools in summer 2013, taking on the duel responsibilities of assistant principal and athletic director. This was around the time Wiscasset started the process of leaving Regional School Unit 12 that includes Alna, Whitefield, Somerville, Palermo, Chelsea, Windsor and Westport Island. Wiscasset’s withdrawal from RSU 12 took effect July 1, 2014. Hubert stayed on at what was then called Wiscasset High School until 2015, then left to further her education in school counseling at Husson University in Bangor, and to be a specialist at Maine Department of Education, “where I supported Maine's schools with laws relating to behavior, bullying prevention, and school counseling,” she explained.

In announcing Hubert’s hiring, Andersson described her as a “champion of experiential learning and restorative practices.” Wiscasset Newspaper asked Hubert to explain more about this and share some of her thoughts on education.

“The foundation of my educational philosophy is to provide students with multiple experiences in which to learn from, especially when it comes to social skills, emotional awareness, and relevant knowledge.  I truly believe that students need to go through experiences that are challenging, hard, and tough in order to know what their limits are and what they are capable of,” she said.

“When students participate in athletics, clubs, organizations and personal endeavors, they can draw from their experiences of being a part of something that is interesting and fun or frustrating and doable when they are learning in the classroom. My approach in this role when it comes to experiential learning is to promote school-sponsored athletics, clubs and activities so that students are provided with many experiences that they can use in order to relate to their learning in the classroom.”

Hubert said she was first introduced to “restorative practices” when Deb Taylor, WHS principal from 2013 to 2014, sent her to a seminar and training session for educators put on by Restorative Practices of Maine. “Since then, I have been engrossed in this approach to addressing student behavior so students and their peers learn what the appropriate behavior is for a situation or a setting, and how their behavior affects others. I am a firm believer in structure and consequences but I also want students and families to understand that within structure and defined consequences, there is opportunity to learn from mistakes and to figure out how to avoid harming others,” she said.

Throughout her career, Hubert has been an advocate against bullying in schools. She has spoken on the problem at conferences in Maine, Chicago and Nevada on behalf of the Leadership School at Kieve in Nobleboro where she also worked.

“While I was the programs coordinator at The Leadership School at Kieve, I was invited to present on ways to implement character education in the classroom both at the national and state level, which included the skills teachers and students could use to address behavior, such as bullying. When I was the student assistance coordinator at the Maine Department of Education, I provided guidance to all Maine schools on Maine's anti-bullying, which included procedures on investigating a report of an allegation of bullying, creating safety plans for students involved, and appropriate ways to address bullying.”

Hubert said “Maine's anti-bullying law has been recognized across the country as comprehensive and impactful, and I was asked to present at multiple national conferences on the law. These presentations always allowed me to reflect on how I can be the best at helping colleagues, students, families, and the school community when it comes to student behavior and cultivating a school climate where students want to learn, teachers want to teach and the community supports its schools.”

Hubert’s education career has spanned more than 20 years. After graduating from the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor in 2001, she worked as a Title 1 educational technician helping first and second graders with their literacy skills. In addition to her first administrative tenure in Wiscasset, she worked four years for the state department of education, worked at Kieve, and spent a year as a dean of students in Augusta. In 2021, she returned to the Wiscasset school system to teach seventh and eighth grade English language arts and social studies. For the past two years, she has been the school counselor at Winthrop High School.

Huber was asked what she thought some the biggest challenges were at WMHS and if she has any specific goals in her job. “I am taking some time to observe and listen. I don't know what the biggest challenges are until I get to know WMHS better. Feel free to ask me this question in the spring,” she responded. One thing she would like to do is get students back outdoors. Hubert is a Registered Maine Guide and certified as an educational trip leader through Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, meaning she can take students on overnight wilderness and paddling trips. 

“My plan is to bring the Outing Club back to WMHS. With my experience, the support of Teens to Trails, and other staff wanting to take kids outdoors, it will be possible to take kids on trips such as camping, skiing, hiking, and whitewater rafting,” she said.