New Staff Highlight Bridgton Academy Opening of School August 27

August 22, 2016

Bridgton Academy opens for its 209th year of preparing young men for the competitive rigors of college and beyond with some new faces excited to put their stamp on the venerable school on Chadbourne Hill. While one of them is a familiar face from the past, Bridgton Academy is also welcoming three new members to the Bridgton community who eagerly await the Opening of School on August 27th.

In April, Bridgton Academy announced the appointment of Craig Wilkinson as Head Soccer Coach, and throughout the spring and summer Wilkinson has feverishly recruited a strong team that will kick off its season with a scrimmage on August 30th at Bridgton Academy’s turf field against Falmouth High School.

Wilkinson joins Bridgton Academy on the heels of three seasons as Men’s Head Soccer Coach at Colby Sawyer College in New London, NH, where he led the Chargers to a 13-7-2 record and the top seed in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) tournament with a 7-1-1 record. The Chargers also made a second straight appearance in the ECAC Tournament, as well as their first trip to the ECAC finals. For more information on Craig Wilkinson, click HERE.

After 12 years away from North Bridgton, Matt Nutley has returned as Head Lacrosse Coach at Bridgton Academy. Nutley led the Wolverines from 2001 to 2004, turning countless players into collegiate success stories and instilling values that his players still talk about today.

Coach Nutley has over 20 years of lacrosse coaching experience, from founding and directing coaching camps and clinics nationwide, to directing large-scale youth programs throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic, to college coaching, and coaching at the international level for Team Finland. Between 2010 and 2012, Nutley twice lead the Finns – in the European and World Championships – forming relationships that crossed continents and remain strong to this day. As one of his Finnish players remarked, “He is an amazing motivator and I wish I had more time under his tutelage.” To learn more about Coach Nutley, click HERE.

In the classroom, Mr. Tom Washburn, a long-time veteran math teacher at Rectory School (Pomfret, CT), joined the Bridgton Academy faculty in August. Tom will teach math and work with our soccer program as an Assistant Coach.

Tom and his wife, Lauri, will also be Assistant Dorm Parents, residing in Mass Hall.

Jeremy Muench will round out the mathematics faculty this fall. A 2010 graduate of Bates College, with a Masters Degree from Brandeis University, Muench spent the last year teaching at Telstar High School in Bethel. Jeremy will live on campus, and has been dipping his feet into the Bridgton waters for a lifetime, as his grandparents coincidentally reside in North Bridgton.

“We are always excited to welcome new energy to the Academy,” said Bridgton Academy Headmaster, Grady Vigneau. “Each new year brings a world of possibility, as well as the opportunity for us to help grow the opportunities of some incredibly talented young men, and these four gentlemen are going to have a huge impact on the Class of 2017. I can’t wait to see them in action.”

Bridgton Academy officially welcomes the Class of 2017 on Saturday, August 27. Sports teams begin in earnest, and after Preseason and Orientation, students will enter the classroom on Wednesday, August 31.

Bridgton Academy’s mission is to provide a program for young men in a unique, one-year postgraduate environment to prepare for the competitive rigors of college and beyond. For more information, visit www.bridgtonacademy.org.

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