Schildroth introduced as GSA’s new head of school

Board president says alumna Shelly Schildroth is the ‘person to meet this moment’

May 26, 2026

By Tricia Thomas

GSA board president Deb Ludlow says the school is ‘thrilled’ to welcome Shelly Schildroth. File photo.

BLUE HILL—Deb Ludlow, president of George Stevens Academy’s board of trustees, began the board’s regular monthly meeting on May 21 by introducing the school’s new head. Longtime educator and school administrator Shelly Schildroth, who was present at the meeting, will take over the job from leaving head Dan Welch on July 1.

Welch also attended the meeting, the last of his tenure at GSA. He is exiting the post after two years to take a job closer to his midcoast home.

“Tonight we have two heads of school here. We have our current head of school, and we have our rising head of school,” Ludlow said before thanking Schildroth for attending.

“We had three really good candidates. Highly skilled, lots of experience; lots of strengths that they brought to the table. I remember thinking, ‘wow, this is going to be a tough choice,’” Ludlow said of the search process. “It wasn’t.”

“What became very clear was that she was the person to meet this moment for George Stevens Academy,” Ludlow added. “We’re absolutely thrilled to have you and we look very much forward to working with you. Here’s to 2026-2027.”

Ludlow also recognized outgoing head Dan Welch, who was attending the final board meeting of his tenure on May 21. Welch will leave GSA at the end of June, and begin his new job as superintendent of RSU 40, based in Union, on July 1.

“We asked a whole lot of him the minute he walked through the door,” Ludlow said. “He wore at least three hats in every moment. Of course, the biggest one was head of school, but he had no assistant head of school, so he was an assistant head of school. He had no chief operating officer, so he was our chief operating officer, and many, many other things.”

Shelly Schildroth was one of nine candidate identified in nationwide search. Photo courtesy of GSA.

“So, for being here such a short period of time, he made a big impact. From the moment he walked through the door, morale went up. School pride went up. School spirit went up, and that is huge for the student body and for the faculty and for the staff and for the board,” Ludlow said. “We have appreciated every single moment we’ve had with him. He also met the moment, and we will miss him.”

Schildroth, of Blue Hill, did not address the board or the audience during the meeting, but said afterward that she is looking forward to her new job.

“I’m very enthusiastic. We have lots of great things already in the works, and I’m excited to pick it up and keep the great work going. It’s really exciting for our community,” she said.

According to a GSA spokesperson, Schildroth, a GSA alumna, was among nine candidates culled through a nationwide search that began shortly after Welch turned in his resignation on January 28.

“We worked with Indy School Consultancy on a nationwide search to cast a wide net,” board member Lisa Arhontes-Marshall said in answer to emailed questions. “Through their search they narrowed the applicant pool down to nine candidates that were presented to us for consideration.”

According to a GSA statement on the hiring, Schildroth has more than 20 years of experience in education. She has worked as a teacher, curriculum coordinator and principal, and will leave her current position as curriculum director for RSU 24, based in Sullivan, to take the job at GSA.

Arhontes-Marshall said that the current search was much like previous searches GSA has conducted.

“Much of this was consistent with past processes. One exception was that we decided not to host a series of events allowing for broader community involvement. It would have been difficult to maintain confidentiality,” she said.

Schildroth has signed an “industry standard” three-year contract, Arhontes-Marshall said. Details on her salary have not yet been released.

“The Head of School salary is in line with other heads of school who are early in their tenure,” she said. “The salary will be public when GSA’s [IRS Form] 990 is published.”

“I am very excited to get started,” Schildroth said in a GSA press release on May 20. “My philosophy is centered on the belief that schools are strongest when students are known, valued, challenged, and inspired to pursue their individual strengths and aspirations. And, as a third-generation Eagle, this feels like a homecoming.”