Kyle Canada is the new Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District’s security director. Try not to confuse the new job and new face as a replacement of School Resource Officer Larry Brown. You will see both Brown and Canada on campus keeping the schools safe and secure.

Now a Boothbay resident, Canada was born and raised in Wiscasset. He graduated from Wiscasset High School in 2002 and by the time summer was over, he was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Canada served four years as a Marine, including time in Iraq before moving back to Maine. He began working for Two Bridges Regional Jail in 2006 and served as the support services supervisor, overseeing programs and training. Canada was a sergeant when the CSD job opened.

Canada said 12 years in a jail setting was by no means a negative thing, but he felt it was time to move on and find something new.

“This position opened up and I said ‘Well, I'll give it a shot.’ I didn't know what it was that they were looking for, but I said I'd throw my name in the hat and see what comes out of it.”

With the job's fine details not quite ironed out, Canada is not at all confused about his larger role in the schools: a keeper of safety and security.

“It's a position that's going to grow over the years. So far since I've been here, I've been looking at a lot of security aspects of the schools and different assessments – just assessments we've found that other schools have used in other states to get an idea of things that we could change.”

Canada said quite a bit of his job since he started in July has been running cables throughout the buildings for the new camera system now in place. He said his job includes looking at the emergency operations plans, safety drills, and state compliance and Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (OSHA) details.

“(We’re) looking at how it was done before and how we can do it going forward to really help out with making it safer.”

The week before the start of school, Canada attended National Association of School Resource Officers training to become certified as a school resource officer (SRO). He clarified, he is not a law enforcement officer, but with SRO training, he better understands trends and broader issues throughout other school systems.

“The security and the safety points both coincide with each other. It's a big thing … and there are a lot of parts moving to try to get (security and safety) where we want it to be.”

Less than two months into the job, Canada said he has a pretty good sense of the building layouts.

"I've been inside and outside the ceilings for most of the summer, so I've got a pretty good understanding of where everything is.”

Canada is enjoying his collaboration with Brown which started about two weeks before the start of school when the pair traveled to Cony High School for an SRO workshop. He said they got to know each other much better and talk to SRO's and administrators from across the state.

Canada said he and Brown will continue collaborating quite often. "That information-sharing is going to be huge,” said Canada. “He is such an asset … has very good rapport with everybody … and we're really going to be able to work together on a lot of things. I think it's going to be a great partnership.”

With an 11-year-old son who attends BRES, a baby on the way and as a coach for the youth football team and youth baseball team, Canada said it is fair to say he is a part of the community. That is what makes it so rewarding to work in the community, as well.

“People have been great, very receptive of me being here. I'm working to have great relationships with the staff and the teachers because that's really how things work.”