A big 'tip of the Moose antlers' to our latest 'Hometown Hero' powered by the O'Connor Auto Park.

Jeff Ladd

Principal

Winthrop Grade School

ACROSTIC POEM WRITTEN FROM A 4th GRADE, 9 YEAR OLD STUDENT ABOUT HIM....This is what makes me know he is our school hero...even if it isn't in the same sense as a police officer or a firefighter....he is a hero in our students' eyes....and that is pretty special and certainly worthy of this award!

(M)akes our school a better place
(R)espects everyone

(L)ikes kids A LOT
(A)wesome principal
(D)oes good things for kids
(D)ares to help ALL of us

Imagine what it would be like to be responsible for over 1,000 parents, 400 students, 50 staff members, and 6 of them pregnant this year…stressful? I think so. What amazes our entire staff about our principal, Mr. Ladd, is that goes above and beyond to be dedicated, hard working and compassionate.
Mr. Ladd’s dedication is much more than what is expected. Every day, he is outside making sure our students get on and off the bus safely, while salting and shoveling all of our entrances. He often works over ten hours a day and is the last person to leave the building. In the past two to three years, he has maybe missed one day of school. During vacations, he is in every day including weekends. When the school is empty, you will find Mr. Ladd working in his office. His dedication certainly does not go unnoticed in our school.
No one outworks Mr. Ladd. If he is not in the halls with our students, he is at budget or staff meetings, researching ideas to enrich our classes, organizing our lunch room, fixing any problems that arise, and he’ll even pick up a mop to do the dirty work in our school! His hard work has led us to be one of the two schools left for Maine’s Blue Ribbon School (Maine’s best school). We have achieved this because of him.
Having all these qualities make him special, but his best quality is how compassionate he is. Although his days are nonstop, he will drop everything to help care for a child. He is there for any family matters when it comes to our students and staff. He understands the importance of family and reiterates it often. He checks in with his staff to make sure things are running smoothly. We all know he is there if we need him as he shows us daily.
Mr. Ladd alone strives to make Winthrop a place to learn, a place to grow, a place to have fun. He is certainly our Winthrop Town Hero and deserves to be recognized by more than just our staff.

Nominated by Karen Magnusson


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