MINOT – Her second day on the job Margaret Pitts showed up comfortably before 7 a.m. with a bucket of coffee and a couple bags of doughnuts – the Minot Consolidated School’s new principal making ready for a hastily called School Committee meeting.

A botched cleaning job had produced a minor crisis, visible mold on carpets in three classrooms with one of the carpets glued to asbestos tiling.

The budget takes a $14,000 pop, welcome to Minot.

“I’m glad to be in Minot. I’m looking forward to a great year. There are some excellent educators here, I’ve heard great stories about the good things that go on here,” said Pitts.

Pitts speaks with the soft gliding vowels of her native Arkansas and the simple directness of 15 years in elementary education: three years as a second-grade teacher in Springdale, Ark., six years as a third-grade teacher in Mesquite, Texas, with the remainder as assistant principal or principal of John Hanby Elementary School in Mesquite.

John Hanby Elementary School has a student population of 850 and her earlier two schools, with 400 and 600 students, respectively, also handily surpass Minot’s 300.

“I’m looking forward to actually knowing all the students, by name, and I intend to make myself very visible around school,” said Pitts.

Pitts made the move from Texas to Maine in the dead of winter. “December 28 to be exact, my husband, Tom, received a promotion with his company,” said Pitts.

When asked what she does to relax, she said, “I’ve taken up knitting in a big way, knitting scarves as a matter of fact, they’ll come in quite handy.”

The Pitts’ two children, Douglass who will enter the sixth grade and Delaney who will enter the second, are delighted to be in Maine, she said.

“We are a family that likes the outdoors – camping, recreational bicycling. The children’s favorite things now are snow-skiing and the beach, and, living in Scarborough, both are close by,” said Pitts.

Diversity in the curriculum and a sense of the total involvement of family and community in the school are of parallel importance.

“The curriculum is more than reading and writing. I am a supporter of the fine arts and sports as well. Beyond schoolwork, students not involved in sports should be involved in something else. It’s important there be several options, that they each can find something for themselves,” said Pitts.

And the overall atmosphere that she sees for the Minot Consolidated School: “an atmosphere that is positive and cohesive for the students, the faculty, the parents, the community – all of us working together for the benefit of the students.”

Pitts recalled that her favorite part of her own school days was reading books, entering the world of books, “and my teachers – I can name every teacher I ever had since kindergarten – they are why I am a teacher, to make a difference in the life of my students.

“People I’ve met are passionate about their school and I’m passionate about what I do. Together we can have a great school.” Pitts said.