By Bonnie Washuk,Staff Writer

MONMOUTH – In teacher David Heckman’s math computer lab Friday, evidence that Monmouth is a tight-knit community wasn’t far.

English teacher Chris Dumaine walked through the room.

“He was one of my students,” Heckman said of Dumaine. Three other Monmouth Academy teachers also had Heckman for math.

So did School Superintendent Stephen Cottrell. Heckman was also Cottrell’s basketball coach.

As junior Samantha Fairchild, not quite 17, worked on a math project on the computer, she said she has Heckman for math. So did her father, Bill Fairchild.

And, “my grandfather was the superintendent here,” Samantha said. In 1965 her grandfather, Tom Fairchild, hired Heckman.

After 41 years teaching math at Monmouth Academy, Heckman, 62, is retiring.

Industrial arts teacher Tom Verrill, 59, is also retiring. Verrill has spent the past 37 years at this small, rural high school.

Monmouth has been their only teaching jobs. Heckman graduated from Bates College in 1965. That fall he began at Monmouth. “I have not had a different job.”

Verrill began in 1969, also straight out of college.

Retiring with 41 and 37 years is more common in Monmouth than other school systems, Verrill said.

“Monmouth is an excellent community, excellent schools, always done well in academics,” Verrill said. “Once the teachers come to Monmouth, they usually stay. We like it. We get support from the administration. The students are fairly good students.”

During his years teaching and coaching, Heckman has been the math team coach and active in math teacher organizations at state and national levels. He’s led school academic decathlons. Today he’s the state director of the Maine Academic Decathlon.

In the past four decades, most Monmouth Academy graduates have had Heckman for math. MEA scores show that Monmouth math scores are among the highest in Maine. English teacher Dumaine credits Heckman.

“He’s the one who made calculus make sense to me,” Dumaine said. “I was pretty good at algebra, but geometry and trigonometry were mysteries to me. It wasn’t until I had him I started to put math together.”

Since he began teaching, high school math has changed, Heckman said. Now it’s more important to train students how to solve problems. “They should know how to flounder constructively,” Heckman said.

Another change is technology. Many of today’s parents learned math with pencil and paper. There were no computers. “Technology makes a big difference,” he said. When concepts are illustrated on a screen, the subject becomes more visible, easier to grasp, he said.

While retiring, Heckman won’t give up math. He’ll continue to lead the Maine Academic Decathlon. The national competition is in Hawaii. “We’re going early and staying late,” he said with a smile.

In a drafting class Friday, Verrill coached sophomore Ethan Weeks. Weeks was designing a compost box on the computer. Like math, technology has changed how industrial arts are taught, Verrill said.

At Monmouth technical education offerings are limited. Verrill teaches a bit of everything: woodworking, small engines, basic automotive, welding, drafting, electrical wiring, machine tool.

One challenge he’s faced is convincing more students to go to vocational college. Too many work to make car or stereo payments. They don’t want to give up a paycheck while attending college.

It’s too bad, Verrill said. “There’s such a critical shortage of electricians, plumbers, oil burner technicians. It’s tough to get kids to do that.”

Like Heckman, Verrill said he’ll miss his students. “Some are so willing to come into the shop program and take advantage of what’s here.”

He’ll also miss interacting with parents, many who are former students. “I have the children of parents I had as students. It’s nice to see the parents when they return.”