RUMFORD — For Travis Palmer, his role as the new assistant principal at Mountain Valley High School is a homecoming.

“I was born and raised here, a 2017 graduate of Mountain Valley,” he said.

Palmer, his wife, Alicia, an elementary school teacher with Maine School Administrative District 17 in Paris, and two young children live in Rumford. He had been a social studies teacher with Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris for five years.

“I wasn’t looking to leave, but this was just the right set of circumstances at the right time,” he said. “I really didn’t have any intention of leaving Oxford Hills. I was very content over there, really loved my students, my schedule and everything. But when this opportunity came up, it felt like it was the right one.”

In August, Craig Milledge, assistant principal at Mountain Valley since 2022, accepted the assistant principal position in Winthrop.

Palmer, a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, said the Mountain Valley position was intriguing.

“I’d been on the school board (Regional School Unit 10) a bit through college,” he said. “Then just a few years ago, we bought a house up here, and I’ve been serving on the Planning Board for four years. Even though I’d been working at Oxford Hills and my professional obligation was down there, I’d still been a part of this community.”

He said the stars were aligned, and the process from application to interview to getting the job took just a few weeks.

“Once the opportunity opened up, I saw the chance to bring my professional career here to the town I’ve invested so much in. It was a no brainer,” he said. “It’s been a whirlwind the last two weeks.

Assessing his strengths that earned him the position, he cited “being an open communicator, being honest and transparent, thinking about your values about your community with everything you do. I think all those things I did on the Planning Board are really going to carry over well over here.”

Superintendent Matt Gilbert concurred.

“We’re very excited to bring him on board,” Gilbert said. “His skills, background and commitment to the community are all positive attributes.”

Palmer’s first official day was Aug. 31, the same as incoming freshmen.

“It’s a bit of an odd feeling, walking through your old high school and working in this capacity within the building. It’s still home. That’s what it boils down to,” he said.

Palmer acknowledged his newness to a role like this one.

“There’s no sugarcoating it. I’m brand new,” he said. “I’ve never taken on an administrative position before. …I’m really excited to learn the part and just be a support.”

He said the silver lining is the school and the district is familiar territory for him.

“I know the people here, the community and I know its values,” he said. “So it’s a little easier of a transition than it would have been otherwise.”

CELLPHONE BAN

Palmer said Mountain Valley High School has implemented the new state law that prohibits use of personal electronic devices during the school day.

“I’m a huge proponent of that law,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research with the impacts of social media on youth and mental health and I think this is the starting point to moving in the positive direction and making sure we’ve combatting that.

“For me, personally, it’s just going around and making sure students understand why we’re doing this and making sure they buy into that, and just holding kids accountable if they violate that policy,” he said.

Palmer said students are urged to keep their phones off their person, and reminded that phone lockers are available at the office for those that want to use them.

“They’re secure and locked, no one is going to come and grab it,” he said. “…I’m hoping what you’re going to see is they’re just going to keep their devices home.

“I really do think kids are going to understand and recognize just how much of a relief it is to not constantly be reliant on social media,” he added.

He said there was a phone ban at Oxford Hills last year.

“Within those first two to three weeks, it was the best I’d ever seen the school since I’d started working there because students were engaged with one another,” Palmer said. “They were smiling. I had kids playing board games in study halls and actually talking about their weekend. I saw kids being kids again.”

Palmer said he hopes students will see what they’ve been missing out on.

“I’m hoping that even after the kids leave the walls of the school, they’ll take a step away from social media,” he said.

He said it may take a little time.

“This is a habit that kids have developed and habits take time to break,” he said. “There’s going to be some kids who will be anxious about not having their phone with them all the time.”

In the first year, Palmer said he’ll be learning the structure and routines that are in place.

“My role and responsibility in this first year is really to just get boots on the ground, be present with the school and the greater community and learn what a typical day at Mountain Valley looks like,” he said.

Besides discipline, Palmer believes his responsibilities are communication with students, the community, and being an asset for children, not a hindrance.”

“I’m stoked to be working in my hometown community,” he said. “I’m looking to support students to be the best they can be. Engaging them to their maximum potential. That’s our mission here at Mountain Valley.”