Meet Gwen Bacon of Belgrade Central School

Get to know Gwen Bacon, principal of Belgrade Central School, a little better before we kick off our year!

What jobs have you had before becoming an administrator? I was a health/ physical education teacher at Messalonskee High School. I also coached field hockey, basketball, gymnastics, lacrosse, and gymnastics. I was the Athletic Director at Messalonskee High School, Assistant Principal at Messalonskee High School, Adult Education Director, Summer School Administrator, and Co-Principal at Messalonskee High School. 

What are you most excited about for this upcoming year? Having school being back to normal and being able to put “fun” back into education. 

What do you like to do in your spare time? Spare time is sometimes hard to find, but when I do, I enjoy working outside in the yard which includes mowing, landscaping and gardening. I also enjoy being at our camp in Greenville or on the lake here in Sidney. My whole family enjoys outdoor activities and especially hunting both here in Maine and in the mid-west area.  

What’s been your best school memory – either as a student or administrator? My best memories are probably associated with coaching. I have had the opportunity to coach some very talented and dedicated young ladies who have gone on to be very successful at the Division I level, as coaches themselves, as educators and as family and community members. It is always an honor to win state titles, which some of these teams have accomplished, but more importantly the connections and relationships that have been built with these individuals are memories that will remain for a lifetime. Additionally, I am very fortunate to work as an administrator in a building where both staff and students are such a pleasure to work with. Belgrade Central School is that place, and some of my best memories will be about my time spent there.

What would your students be surprised to find out about you? Before becoming employed in the world of education, I worked with my father training and racing standardbred race horses. I was responsible for a stable of eight horses that raced the fair circuit here in Maine and at tracks in New Hampshire. One of our horses held the track record at Windsor Fairgournds for a number of years.   

Tell us about your family! My husband is Bryan Bacon. I have two sons, Nicholas and Adam, along with two fantastic daughter-in-laws, Megan and Cait. My other family member is Zoey, our black lab that was acquired in the first spring of the pandemic. I grew up in the coastal town of Searsport and have three siblings – two brothers who live out of state and one sister who lives in the Bangor area.

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