In the public eye: Relationships matter most to WPS principal

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

Windham Primary School Principal Dr. Kyle Rhoads believes that his role as a school administrator is to find the potential in students and staff and then strive to develop that potential.

Dr. Kyle Rhoads has served as principal of Windham Primary
School for the past 15 years and is charged with keeping all 
members of the school community feeling safe so 
learning happens. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Rhoads is now in his 15th year at Windham Primary School and says the best thing about his job is getting to hang out with 5 to 9-year-olds each workday and making a difference for the adults and children he works with.

“I truly enjoy solving problems to improve the situation for others,” Rhoads said. “The most challenging aspect is not having enough time in a day to get everything accomplished that I would like to accomplish.”

Born in New Jersey close to Philadelphia, he roots for both the Boston and Philadelphia sports teams, but Rhoads was raised most of his life in Gray and Naples and attended the University of New Hampshire, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Child and Family Studies.

He went on to receive a master's degree in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Maine and achieved a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As WPS principal, Rhoads says that he is charged with keeping all members of the school community feeling safe so learning happens.

“I communicate with our community and facilitate communication between home and school. I lead the implementation of programming at our school such as curriculum, instruction, assessment, learning, operations, and support for learners,” he said. “My role involves keeping the superintendent abreast of our school operations and activities. I prepare and administer the school budget and supervise school finances. I supervise and evaluate staff members.”

According to Rhoads, as RSU 14 school district departments, the directors and principals work together to implement initiatives and operate the schools.

“My professional responsibilities include being aware of changes and developments in the profession by attending professional meetings, reading professional journals and other publications, and collaborating with peers,” he said. “My role includes providing support for staff members such as learning opportunities and resources to do their jobs better.”

Prior to joining WPS, Rhoads spent five years as principal of Acton Elementary School and was an assistant principal and co-director of early childhood in Auburn. He was a kindergarten teacher and elementary curriculum coordinator in Freeport and began his fulltime career in education as a teacher assistant at a small school in Sebago. He's also the co-chairperson of the national organization, The Collaborative for Customized Learning.

His most memorable moment at WPS involved building two new playground pods for the school.

“Our community funded almost all the money for the equipment and constructed it. This was the third time I was involved in a playground build, and I was hesitant to proceed,” Rhoads said. “Our volunteer coordinator, Michelle Jordan, talked me into it and I am glad she did. We needed and received support from volunteers, staff members, administration, and businesses to make our dream a reality in a very short amount of time.”

He said that his wife is a school counselor in a different district, so she has a good sense of his job which allows her to be an amazing support for him.

“She makes sacrifices so that I am able to do my job fully,” Rhoads said. “I believe as a counselor and parent what she likes about my job is that I strive to make a difference for children and value having strong family communication. Our daughter was a part of the WPS family as a learner for four years. She is now at Manchester School as a fourth grader. She likes seeing me every day at work because she starts and ends her day still at Windham Primary School. She loves to help out in the office.”

For Rhoads, the busiest time of the year is during the summer.

“In my role as principal, summers can be really busy at times with end-of-year paperwork, administrative meetings, summer educational programs, construction projects, staff hiring, and preparation for a new year,” he said. “Fortunately, our office staff does a superb job of helping with these tasks.”

Rhoads says the most important thing he’s learned at WPS is simple.

“Relationships matter the most and then you can support the people you interact with as a part of our school community so they can do their best,” he said. “Also, seek to understand a situation before attempting to resolve it.” <