Cascade school Principal Tom Taylor stepping down
By Samantha C. DePoy
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – The Cascade Brook School will be a little lost after its principal, Tom Taylor, retires this summer.

Taylor, who has headed up the grade-four-through-six school since its doors opened 13 years ago, will no doubt be a little lost without the Cascade Brook School.

“I don’t expect anyone to clone me, but I’d like the philosophy and things like that to be considered when someone new comes in,” he said Thursday.

Taylor, who has been working for SAD 9 as an educator since he started teaching ninth grade math at the junior high school in 1969, admits he may be strict sometimes, but one thing he prides himself on always being is fair.

Being proactive

When the 300 or so students arrive at school in the morning, it’s Taylor who greets them at the door. And when they leave, his face is one of the last they see before hopping on the bus.

At evening concerts, spelling bees and Lego tournaments in Orono, there is Taylor.

Even in the lunchroom, Taylor is there. It’s a chance, he explained, for the kids to see him and for him to see the kids. It’s also one of the most volatile places in a school and his presence allows trouble to be stopped before it starts.

“The kids love to have me there. Some of them just for protection,” he said.

Being proactive, instead of reactive, is how Taylor leads the school.

After his retirement was announced, which will not be official until July 30, kids approached him, curious.

A group of sixth-graders, who didn’t realize that he was sticking around until the summer, offered him $50 to stay on until the end of the school year. “I should have taken it,” Taylor said, chuckling.

A fourth-grade girl approached Taylor and told him earnestly she wanted him to stay.

Taylor is admittedly nervous about leaving the school he helped design, but, he said he has to trust that the person picked to fill his shoes will be a good one.

This week, four potential candidates for the position were interviewed.

For Taylor, his principalship is not just a vocation, it’s a hobby, he said. But, after 35 years in the district, it’s time for the 62-year-old to close the chapter.

“I don’t think I’ve had enough of education. I’ve just had enough of being principal,” he said.

As he enters his final months in the system, Taylor said he is extremely proud of “what we’ve done here.” The “we,” he pointed out, refers to his top-notch staff.

Taylor is not sure of his exact plans for retirement. His wife, Pam, plans to continue teaching at Cascade Brook School and at least for now, Taylor doesn’t see them moving from their Farmington home.

Perhaps he’ll pursue a career at the state’s Department of Education or do some consulting work, Taylor suggested.

Two things are for sure though.

One. “I am going to take time off and really have a vacation,” he said.

And two. “Yes, I am going to miss it.”

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link