BETHEL – Dr. Judith Whitman, taking over the reins as principal of Crescent Park Elementary School, promises to work to maintain the excellence of education.

That excellence has set the SAD 44 school apart as one of the most innovative elementary schools in western Maine.

“It is a great pleasure to be here in Bethel,” Whitman said Wednesday. “Being a Maine native who has been out of state for several years, it feels exhilarating to be back home. Maine is a leader in education, a fact we can all be proud of each day.”

Whitman said she was in the process of learning everything about the school, the district and its position in the community.

“My focus is to keep the school a quality center of learning,” she said.

She also wants to help students realize their potential and, within reason, “doing what is needed to maintain an atmosphere that promotes happy children. Being a happy child instills a desire to learn,” she said.

Whitman was born and raised in the Longfellow Woods section of Portland, spending her formative educational years in the Portland school system. After graduation from Deering High School, she attended the University of Portland (now part of the University of Southern Maine) and University of Maine in Orono, where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

She went on to NOVA University in Florida, where she received a doctor of education degree.

Whitman’s experience as a professional educator includes serving as an elementary teacher in Brunswick and Bath and as an elementary administrator in Camden/Rockport, Biddeford and Old Orchard in Maine as well as West Springfield, Mass.

When she heard of the opening at CPS early this summer, she decided the Bethel area was the place for her. It gave her an opportunity to return to her native state, she said.

“I am very happy to have been chosen and been given the chance I have been looking for to come home to Maine.”