At their Dec. 9 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members heard a presentation from Vassalboro Community School’s two counselors and an update on building renovations from Tom Seekins, president of Portland-based Energy Management Consultants (EMC).
Counselors Gina Davis and Jamie Routhier (also speaking for social worker Megan Simmons, who was unable to attend the meeting) explained what they do with and for VCS students, their parents and school staff, routinely and in emergencies.
Routine includes holding classes that help students develop self-control and other individual and social skills; both counselors meet regularly with entire classes and with smaller groups. They also counsel individual students as needed, interrupting their schedules to deal with emergencies.
“We have big behavioral needs,” and not just at VCS, Routhier said. She considers two counselors a necessity for VCS’s 420 students.
Both women are former classroom teachers, a background Davis considers useful.
They listed some of the related programs they work with. Davis praised Colby Mentors, which brings Colby College students to VCS for weekly one-on-one sessions with students in grades four through eight; often a four-year relationship is maintained.
Another program, called Sources of Strength, is a student-led leadership program for students in grades five through eight. It is sponsored by the Maine division of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Maine).
The Mid-Maine Technical Center, in Waterville, allows VCS eighth-graders to observe each of its programs. Because VCS graduates may choose their high school, in January and February each year Routhier arranges for eighth-graders to visit the area high schools most students attend and invites other high schools to make presentations at VCS.
The VCS Cares Closet collects items for families in need; Routhier thanked resident Amy Davidoff for organizing its contents. She said the school’s parent-teacher organization and the Vassalboro Food Pantry also contribute.
Seekins introduced EMC Project Manager Daniel LaBrie, who has taken over from the team who designed the VCS work. The two men said exterior doors have been replaced, and new lighting is being installed, with crews starting work at 8 p.m. and working through the night. The lighting replacement should be finished by the end of January, 2026.
Major work, including replacing the heating and ventilation systems to yield more comfort and great efficiency, is scheduled to begin after school lets out in June. Seekins plans to be mostly done by the second week in August, so crews will not be in the way of teachers getting ready for fall 2026 classes.
Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer thanked Seekins, LaBrie and their team for their work and for their “incredible responsiveness,” including answering weekend emails.
On another construction issue, Pfeiffer said the application for Vassalboro Planning Board approval to expand the school parking lot is on the agenda for the Jan. 6 planning board meeting. He praised codes officer Eric Currie for his help.
In other business, board members unanimously approved renewing the interlocal agreement with Winslow and Waterville school departments for another three years, continuing to share services and personnel.
They unanimously accepted Pfeiffer’s resignation as superintendent, effective June 30, 2026.
The next Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.
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