Hancock superintendent resigning, talks future plans

HANCOCK — As the search continues for Hancock Public Schools to find a superintendent and two new board members, future plans are hopeful for current Superintendent Kipp Beaudoin. The board accepted Beaudoin’s letter of resignation this week at it’s regular board meeting, and cordially thanked him for his four years of service to the families of the district.

After four years of service at Hancock Public Schools, Beaudoin will be leaving the district at the end of the school year to pursue other interests.

“We’ve been educators all of our lives and we’ve devoted ourselves to what we believe is a mission field, education,” said Beaudoin. “And we had the opportunity provided to us to accept an actual opportunity with our church. We’re planning to go to the Czech Republic, and ultimately to the Ukraine, to work as educators in that capacity. It’s just a different stage in our lives. We’re at the end of our working years in public education I guess would be the way to say it, but just starting our careers as mature adults, how’s that?”

As the school board reviews candidates for the upcoming opening, along with two other board seats, Beaudoin says that he and his wife are excited for the upcoming transition, as it’s been a long time goal.

“Even when we were dating, we had talked about wanting to teach overseas,” Beaudoin said. “That was one of the goals that we had set. There’s an old adage: If you want to make God laugh, plan. And pretty soon as most couples, we had children and a mortgage and all of those things. We had a friend that approached us and said ‘Hey, if you’re interested maybe I can help you,’ and that’s what opened this door for us and we’re very excited to do it.”

The move is not an easy one for such an invested pillar of the community. Four years of caring for every child and parent in the district is bound to tug on some heart strings.

“Of all the things when you leave an area, you grow fond of the children. Our hearts will be empty there. I know that.”

When asked if he had plans of permanent residency in the Ukraine, Beaudoin said, “It would be wonderful if once we were done with that chapter of our lives to maybe come back and do some more teaching here.”