FARMINGTON — The Region School Unit 9 board of directors had a special meeting on Tuesday, May 30, to elect the new director of instruction, curriculum, and grants. Mt. Blue High School’s principal Monique Poulin will be taking the position July 1.

The board voted in favor of Poulin for the role with Director Charlies Hinds of New Vineyard opposed.

Poulin will be replacing Laura Columbia, who announced her resignation from the position at an RSU 9 board meeting on Tuesday, May 9, during public comment. She will be taking on the role of superintendent for Maine School Administrative District 58 [MSAD 58] starting Saturday, July 1.

Poulin has been with the RSU 9 school district since the late 1990s, having worked for both Mt. Blue middle and high schools. Poulin left the district in 2014, becoming principal for Skowhegan High School.

Poulin returned to MBHS in 2017, taking on the role of principal once again before serving as the interim superintendent for RSU 9 in December of 2020 when former superintendent Tina Meserve departed from the position.

Neither Poulin nor Superintendent Christian Elkington could be reached for comment. No information as to who will be the interim principal has been released. However, the RSU 9 website lists assistant principal Joel Smith as the interim principal. Smith previously performed the task when Poulin was the interim superintendent.

In other business, the board approved a last-minute field trip request from Travis Tierney, the outdoor leadership instructor for the Foster Career and Technical Education Center.

Ten students along with Tierney and two education technicians will hike to the Northern Outdoor Headquarters at the Big Moose Inn. The students will spend the day rafting on the Penobscot River.

The trip will also help the students utilize skills learned from their outdoor leadership course, such as camping, cooking, and paddling safety skills.

The board voted unanimously in favor of the trip.