Saint Dominic Academy has announced that, due to a retirement and the establishment of a new role as part of a reorganization of responsibilities for current administrators, two new principals will be hired for the school’s Auburn and Lewiston campuses prior to the 2016-17 school year.

Donald Bilodeau, the principal of the Lewiston (Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 6) campus, will retire as a full-time administrator at the end of the current school year. He is expected to remain at the school in a part-time capacity.

“When we were fortunate enough to get Mr. Bilodeau on board, he said he could give us five years,” said Donald Fournier, president of the academy. “Well, that was six years ago. His dedication to strengthening the academy and preserving the Catholic identity of the school are well known throughout our community. We are thrilled that he will still contribute to the mission of the school on a part-time basis.”

Joline Girouard, the principal of the Auburn (Grades 7 through 12) campus, will assume a new position at the academy focused on implementing the school’s new strategic plan and identifying opportunities to improve the Saint Dominic Academy student experience.

“Mrs. Girouard has spent her entire professional career ensuring that the students at our school become well-rounded, value-centered individuals,” said Fournier. “In her new position, she will be able to oversee the academy’s efforts to enhance our current curriculum and student life while also helping to assess possible avenues we should pursue to grow as an institution.”

Both Bilodeau and Girouard assumed their current roles as principals in August of 2014, when Saint Dominic Academy adopted a president-principal model of school administration.

“Mrs. Girouard’s new position and additional organizational shifts will allow us to build on the great work already done by these team members,” said Jim King, superintendent of Maine Catholic Schools. “They’ve laid the foundation for us to move into the next phase of building Saint Dominic Academy. With the exception of filling the two principal roles, the goal will be to utilize the skills of our current personnel without adding to the overall number of staff members. The school’s focus on integrity, community and academic excellence will always remain unchanged.”

A national search will begin immediately to fill the two principal vacancies. For more information, contact Dave Guthro, Communications Director for the Diocese of Portland, at 321-7810 or dave.guthro@portlanddiocese.org.