Justin Kroll

Editor-in-Chief

“Making change is easy; transitions are challenging,” Dr. Roger Fuller, Upper School Principal, said.

After 15 years at Milken Community High School, Fuller will become the Executive Director of the Maine International Center for Digital Learning in January. Fuller transformed Milken from a fledgling school to the biggest Jewish day school in the United States, a high school that is both pluralistic and academically prestigious while fostering within its students a strong connection to Israel.

In the words of Assistant Principal Mr. Beau Lindsay, “Dr. Fuller’s enduring legacy will not be the countless innovations and programs he developed and spearheaded, but the empathic and holistic approach to our students and families.”

In his first year at the school, Fuller served as the Director of Education Technology, introducing the school’s first website and email system. He also used tech-savvy students to help teach the teachers how to best apply the benefits of technology in a classroom setting.

Once becoming principal, one of his favorite changes to the school was fixing the broken lunch routine. A lunch truck had come daily instead of utilizing an outside company’s services, like today’s Vicki’s Lunchbox. This truck forced teachers to waste their lunches supervising rather than meeting with students. Fuller solved this problem by building a kitchen and implementing a reliable and nutritious food program.

“I can’t imagine a school without some kind of lunch program,” Fuller said.

After he leaves, Fuller hopes that Milken will hit the stride on the Diplomas of Distinction program.

“The program gives every student the opportunity to be a creator of new knowledge, a contributor to scholarship, a creative problem solver,” Fuller said.

Reflecting on his days at Milken, Fuller hopes to bring closure to the relationships he has developed with the faculty, students and families.

“What I value most [about Milken] is the community that supports the school and the community that extends itself to create a community for Jewish children,” Fuller said. “I equally value children who are here with the focus on learning. Coequal with that, I value a resourceful faculty who is willing to commit to the instruction of the children.”