Kristie Houghton stands in front of the Damariscotta River. The Newcastle resident has made her mark on the community as a preschool teacher at Fiddlehead, a kindergarten, second, and third grade teacher at GSB, and will now move onto Lincoln Academy as a college and career counselor. (Frida Hennig photo)
While Kristie Houghton’s high school self may not have been ecstatic over her long career of teaching, the community has been nothing but positively impacted by Houghton’s drive and enthusiasm.
Houghton, a resident of Newcastle, grew up in rural Southern Maryland and graduated University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in theater, specifically performance and production management. She was initially resistant to get into teaching.
“When I graduated from high school somebody said to me ‘you would be a great teacher’ and so I worked really hard not to go into teaching, if that makes any sense,” she said.
She didn’t begin to consider teaching as a prospect until later while living and working in Monterey, Calif. as a lifeguard, where she began to read more. She was inspired by authors like Jack Kerouac and Kim Casey.
“The reading that I was doing was really making me think about who I am and who I wanted to be,” said Houghton.
After feeling inspired in California, she returned to school to pursue a second undergraduate degree in teaching. She then moved comto Maine after meeting her husband, Kevin Houghton, who was pursuing a career in boat design.
Soon after having her daughter Skyler, Houghton noticed a need for a preschool in her area.
“I met a lot of moms who were interested in starting a cooperative preschool with a Waldorf angle to it. That requires a lot of time and I just wanted a preschool right away,” said Houghton.
Houghton and her husband chose to clear the land behind their house in Newcastle and build Fiddlehead, a preschool. They also constructed a playground to create space for the preschoolers to use their imaginations and explore the outdoors.
Houghton noted that some of her favorite memories from Fiddlehead were “being outside and really learning from kids and letting them kind of lead the learning.” Houghton also reminisced on the notebooks that she kept for each preschooler, in which both the child and the teacher wrote in.
Houghton moved on from Fiddlehead when her son, Mica, and many of the other preschoolers in Fiddlehead, moved on to kindergarten at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta. Houghton was told about an ed tech position by a friend one day while swimming at the Damariscotta Mills and decided to interview for it.
Throughout her years at GSB, Houghton moved from the behavior program of the school, to the kindergarten classroom, to the second and third grade classrooms.
Additionally, Houghton made her mark on the school with her involvement in the 2013 playground project. After she became involved with the Great Salt Bay Parent Teacher Organization and heard conversations around town about the need for a new playground, she put the idea forth, not knowing anything would happen.
“Then I got a call from Jenny Mayher one night, and she was like, ‘I think we should,’” Houghton said.
For Houghton, navigating the public school system was the most challenging aspect of the project, specifically making sure the design community-driven versus what “Kevin and I thought should be there,” she said.
Houghton noted that the building of the playground wouldn’t have been possible without the involvement of other community members.
“Really, in terms of the playground, I was the front face of it, but Jenny Mayher and Angela Russ carried really heavy loads,” she said.
This past year was the former elementary school teacher’s last at GSB, and soon she will start her new role as a college and career counselor at Lincoln Academy. Although she might be new to Lincoln Academy, this is not Houghton’s first time working as a college and career counselor.
Before moving to Lincoln County, Houghton worked at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill. She began working at the school as a substitute, but was moved to the college and career office because her coworkers noticed her drive.
“I was in the right place at the right time, that’s kind of been a theme for me,” said Houghton. “I’ve been looking forward to coming back to this type of work for a long time. It’s kind of allowing me to come back full circle.”
Again, Houghton noted that the timing is what makes this transition special, as Mica graduated from Lincoln Academy in June.
“I wanted to give space to Skyler and Mica, I didn’t want to be in their way for their high school experience,” she said. “I really like where Lincoln Academy seems to be going, I think the current administration is really strong and they’ve got great vision.”
While the new college and career counselor is looking forward to her new position, Houghton also spoke about what she would miss about GSB, including teaching third grade math, an activity that Houghton didn’t anticipate she would enjoy as much as she did.
Houghton also spoke about her pride in seeing students that she taught at a young age moving on to high school.
“My first group of kindergarteners are going to be sophomores this year,” said Houghton, so she will have a chance to work with them again soon as a college and career counselor.
The connectivity within the entities of the community – such as between the CLC YMCA, GSB, and Lincoln Academy – is what inspires Houghton to keep being involved in education. She also praised the authenticity of the Lincoln County, comparing it to her sister’s experience raising children in Washington D.C., where the kids are influenced heavily by societal expectations.
“I feel in general, families are not driven by what we’re expected to be driven by,” said Houghton. “I think this is just the best place in the world to raise kids and the best place in the world to live your life in a healthy and full way.”
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