Messalonskee High School is a public high school located in Oakland

Oakland, Maine

Oakland is a town in Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,240 at the 2010 census. . Gateway to the Belgrade Lakes region, Oakland is 4 miles west of Waterville and approximately 18 miles north of Augusta, the state capital.-History:It was first settled about 1780 by...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. It serves all high school students in the RSU 18 school unit, which also includes Oakland

Oakland, Maine

Oakland is a town in Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,240 at the 2010 census. . Gateway to the Belgrade Lakes region, Oakland is 4 miles west of Waterville and approximately 18 miles north of Augusta, the state capital.-History:It was first settled about 1780 by...

, Sidney

Sidney, Maine

Sidney is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,514 at the 2000 census. Sidney was incorporated as a town on January 30, 1792...

, Belgrade

Belgrade, Maine

Belgrade is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,978 at the 2000 census. Belgrade's population, however, approximately doubles during the summer months as part-year residents return to seasonal camps located on the shores of Great Pond, Long Pond and Messalonskee...

, China

China, Maine

China is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,106 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

 and Rome

Rome, Maine

Rome is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Belgrade Lakes resort area.-History:...

. The school was founded in 1969 and currently has slightly over 900 students enrolled. The campus features a 650 seat performing arts center that was built for the school in 1993. In 2005, the district dedicated the Performing Arts Center to former superintendent J Duke Albanese, renaming the facility the J Duke Albanese Performing Arts Center. Messalonskee is a member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference

Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference

The Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference is a high school athletic organization, featuring schools from the towns that surround the Kennebec River in the state of Maine...

. Its football team is part of the Class A Pine Tree Conference.

Resignation of Principal Putnam

Toward the end of the 2007–2008 school year, the M.S.A.D. 47 district administration announced that several employment cuts would be made, possibly including principal Lori Putnam. Putnam had been hired as the new principal at the start of the previous school year and had grown to be well respected by staff and students. A petition to retain Putnam, with 180 student signatures, as well as a teacher petition featuring over 50 signatures was presented to the district school board meeting. Despite opposition from superintendent Morse, the school board voted to renew her contract with a two-vote margin. Even though her contract had been renewed, Putnam resigned on July 14, 2008, only three months after the vote.