Monmouth Academy now welcomes two new authority figures into its family. Ms. Alyssa Littlefield and Mr. Scott Bell, the new English teacher and principal, are both eager to express their thoughts and opinions of their new home. So, to make the two of them and all of the inquiring readers happy, we sat down with them, and asked them a few questions about their education, life, and opinions on their new “acquaintances.” Here are a few questions we asked them, and their thoughts.

What college did you attend?

Ms. Littlefield: “University of Maine at Farmington.”

Mr. Bell: “University of Maine. However, I was a graduate of USM, but even before attending either of those schools, I went to Bridgton Academy my first year out of high school. It was the best thing I could have done, and paved the way to my present job.”

What did you major in?

Ms. Littlefield: “Secondary Education, English.”

Mr. Bell: “Education English, grades seven through twelve.”

What is it that made you want to become a teacher/principal?

Ms. Littlefield: “Well, first of all, I have a very large family, so that has something to do with it. Also, I’ve been a camp counselor for a few years, and I wanted to do something to give back. Not to mention, I love kids and English. And books.”

Mr. Bell: “I was an English teacher, to start out with, and I taught and coached multiple sports teams for 12 years. I’ve always loved kids, teaching, and coaching, but it came time when I decided I needed to take that next step, and move up the cooperate ladder.”

What did you want to be when you were younger?

Ms. Littlefield: “Oh, when I was younger? Well, my family has always been into music, so I wanted to be a musician of some sort.”

Mr. Bell: “Oh, let’s see. I wanted to be like my dad, or a professional athlete. Also, when he was younger my father raced boats, so I thought that would be cool.”

Who inspired you?

Ms. Littlefield: “My family has always been very supportive, and also, my English teacher back in high school, Michael Wing, encouraged me to go on with my passion.”

Mr. Bell: “My dad inspired me to become a teacher, and then when I decided to become a principal, he still inspired me, along with some of my old friends, who are teachers and colleagues, and my friend, Mr. Beaudoin.”

What made you want to work with teenagers?

Ms. Littlefield: “The content was more in depth, not just 1, 2, 3’s and A B C’s. Also, I love the conversations and I love hearing what teenagers have to say. There is nothing like that moment when one of your students says something so brilliant that it just blows your mind, and you know you’ll never hear something quite like that ever again.”

Mr. Bell: “I love all kids, but this feels like it’s the best fit for me. I want to make more of an impact on my students’ lives, and I love the kind of relationships that can be built between myself and these young adults. You just can’t always have that with younger children.”

How do you like the staff and students?

Ms. Littlefield: “I love the staff. They’ve all been very welcoming. Students are testing me, but they are wonderful, and they have a lot to say.”

Mr. Bell: “Awesome. Good people who are grounded in values with purpose.”

When did you officially decide that you wanted to be in the office you are now?

Ms. Littlefield: “I knew that I wanted to be a teacher in my junior year, but I didn’t decide on being an English teacher until I sent in my college application my senior year.”

Mr. Bell: “After 10 years of teaching and coaching and four years of being an assistant principal at Hall Dale and principal at Tripp Middle School, I decided that my next step was to become a principal at Monmouth Academy.”

What’s your favorite thing about what you teach?

Ms. Littlefield: “I love the books. Especially modern Young Adult books, because it blows my mind what we could be teaching. Not that classical literature doesn’t have its place, but I want to work more with the modern stuff. There is so much to be learned, and so much to be taught.”

Mr. Bell: “I enjoy how this place is like a family. I love how we can hold on to tradition, but that we can also move forward at the same time.”

What are some of the difficulties of being a high school principal?

Mr. Bell: “I don’t get to see my family as much as I’d like to. Also, bigger kids equal bigger decisions. I worry about some of the decisions that my students have to make on a regular basis. You always worry that you’re going to get that call in the middle of the night, and about the decisions that students make over the course of a day.”

Is there anything you’d like to add?

Ms. Littlefield and Mr. Bell: “I am very happy, honored, and even privileged. I’m looking forward to the work, and the rest of my career here at Monmouth Academy.”

And so, to Mr. Bell and Ms. Littlefield, we would like to say welcome from the students of Monmouth Academy, and thank you for caring enough to invest in our lives. Thank you for joining our little family.