MEXICO — The Region 9 board of directors on Tuesday unanimously chose a former Student of the Year to be the first instructor of the new fire science program at the vocational school.

Craig Wade, 25, of Peru, will begin his duties Sept. 1. He is a graduate of Dirigo High School in Dixfield and the Region 9 metal trades program.

Although it will be his first formal teaching assignment, Wade has been teaching fire science in the Western Foothills Junior Firefighting program for several years. It is an organization of several fire departments from the River Valley area.

He is currently a machinist at Northwest Precision in Rumford and is a graduate of Southern Maine Community College in the metal trades.

He has also been involved with or a member of the Dixfield Fire Co. since he was 12 years old. He took second place in the national metal trades competition at Skills U.S.A. a few years ago while a Region 9 student.

Region 9 Director Brenda Gammon said 10 students from the vocational school’s three sending high schools have signed up for the new program in the fall. She expects several more before classes begin.

“It’s an honor to have a former Region 9 student back here,” Gammon said.

Wade was chosen from a field of six candidates, all from Maine.