York Town News
Farewell reception planned in honor of beloved principal
By Jennifer L. Saunders
Jane Stephenson
YORK - After 20 years of service to the York School Department, Coastal Ridge Elementary School Principal Jane Stephenson will retire at the end of the current school year.
However, her colleagues and students of the York School Department and Coastal Ridge will not let her leave quietly.
On Monday, June 11, Coastal Ridge Elementary School will be open in the evening for a special retirement reception for Stephenson. The evening is for parents and students - past and present - as well as community members.
Anyone is welcome, explained Karen Norton of Coastal Ridge Elementary School, as the focus of the evening is to provide an opportunity for anyone who wants to have the chance to wish Stephenson well as she retires in order to spend more time with her family.
As Stephenson explained when announcing her retirement earlier this year, two more members are expected to join her family in June - her first grandchildren.
The reception will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the CRES Café and students, parents, teachers and residents alike are invited to stop by for a short visit or stay for the entire event.
Members of the Coastal Ridge staff, along with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Scipione, have stressed that this is an event for the entire community as she has spent the past two decades working in York.
As School Committee Vice Chairwoman Marilyn Zotos put it when Stephenson's retirement was announced in February, "Jane's professionalism was always so well balanced with her love for the kids. ... I just couldn't imagine having a better experience for my children than they had at Coastal Ridge. ... Selfishly, we're going to really miss her."
Earlier this month, the School Committee unanimously approved the appointment of Sean Murphy of Vermont as the school's new principal from a field of 25 candidates. At the same time, members of the School Committee praised Stephenson for her commitment to the students, school and community.
For additional information about the open house, contact Coastal Ridge Elementary School at 363-1800.
