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Deering High a welcoming place, student says, despite enrollment numbers

Deering High School's principal, Gregg Palmer, resigned earlier this week.

PORTLAND, Maine — The start of classes for Portland Public Schools is less than two weeks away, and Deering High School's principal is off the job. The superintendent says Gregg Palmer resigned earlier this week, and accepted a position in another district.

There was no explanation as to why he resigned. This comes while the district is working to find out what's causing a significant shift in enrollment. The school board says Deering's incoming freshman class in 127 compared to 272 at Portland High School. The board says they don't feel the enrollment drop is related to Palmer's resignation.

Incoming senior Conrad Gabriel says there were some incidents at the school last year, but says he doesn't feel like Deering should be judged based on one year.

"We haven't had that issue before its just something that has happened this year. I think that's something we should improve on, and I think that's exactly something that Deering High School's administration is trying to do at the moment," Gabriel said.

Gabriel says he feels prepared for college and is thankful for all Deering High School has taught him.

"Deering has a nice schedule, it makes it easy to manage your homework and class loads. It's also very friendly and has a lot of extracurriculars. It really makes for the perfect high school experience," Gabriel said.

The board says the process of hiring a new principal will begin in January.

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