Hall of fame coach returning to Penquis boys basketball program
MILO — A legendary coach will return to lead the Penquis Valley High School boys basketball program for the 2026-27 season.
Maine Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Tony Hamlin was appointed to the position by the SAD 41 School Board during a meeting at the Penquis Valley School on June 3. He previously coached his alma mater from 1996-2013.
Hamlin’s Penquis teams compiled a 231-110 record over 17 seasons with 15 postseason appearances, five trips to the Class C East final, three regional crowns and two state championships. His second Class C title was a 61-54 victory over Boothbay Regional High School in March 2013 that closed down the Bangor Auditorium.
This was the 401st career victory for Hamlin, who previously had coached at Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield, Morse High School in Bath and South Portland High School, where his team won the 1983 Class A championship and a regional crown in 1985. He is believed to be the only coach to have led his teams to tournament victories at the Bangor Auditorium in five consecutive decades.
Hamlin also taught at Penquis and served as athletic director before retiring from these positions a few years after departing as head coach.
The 2025-26 Penquis boys team finished with a record of 2-16 and 15th place in the Class D North standings, not qualifying for the postseason.
With Hamlin’s appointment, his wife Denise stepped down as one of Milo’s school board representatives. She had been reelected at the annual town meeting in March. Now the Milo Select Board will appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the next election.
“Probably a little later you will figure out why,” Board Chair Mary Lynn Kazyaka said in announcing Denise Hamlin’s resignation.
“She was a fantastic board member,” Kazyaka said.
Derek Perkins was appointed as the girls head basketball coach for Penquis.
Perkins has coached at various middle and high school levels and most recently led the girls middle school team to a Penquis League Small School championship.
In other business, the board finalized an administrative structure for the next academic year.
The Penquis Valley School will return to having a high school principal and middle school principal instead of a co-administrative system, Superintendent Darcie Fournier said.
Danielle Libbey will lead the middle school and Katie Joyner-Robertson will oversee the high school. Jason Mills will continue to serve as dean of students and athletic director.
“We think we are able to continue the forward progress we’ve made as a team,” Fournier said.
Joshua Bessey will again be a teaching principal at Brownville Elementary. Tina Dumond will be principal for Milo Elementary and Marion C. Cook School in Lagrange.
Fournier is seeking public feedback concerning the district’s annual Comprehensive Needs Assessment, which can be emailed directly to her at dfournier@msad41.us.
Residents can let the superintendent know “what our strengths are, areas we should consider for improvement, what we are doing well, what we can improve on.” Comments can pertain to specific school buildings and/or the district as a whole.
According to the Maine Department of Education, each public school must complete a Comprehensive Needs Assessment in order to receive federal funds.
Each district’s assessment informs the direction of federal program funding and reflects the school’s current state, practices and functionality. The document creates a clear plan, including areas of strength, areas for improvement and intended action.
The intent of the assessment is to align district and school goals, prevent the duplication of work and reporting to Maine DOE and to create a purposeful and meaningful approach to leverage state, local and federal funding.
More than 30 SAD 41 students in grades 3-6 received $100 awards from the Maine College Circle Scholarship Program, Kazyaka said.
About 100 district students completed essays tailored to their grade levels and future aspirations. Third graders wrote about careers they may enjoy in the future and interviewed older students about educational pathways. Fourth graders explored future college and career interests. Fifth graders identified courses and activities that could help them reach their goals, while sixth graders researched educational pathways and interviewed people connected to careers that interested them. submitted essays
Kazyaka was one of 10 members on a panel of retired educators who reviewed the submissions.
For 28 years, Director Bob Stuart and Maine College Circle have worked to encourage rural Maine students to dream big and value education. During that time, 538 scholarships totaling more than $53,000 have been awarded to SAD 41 students.
Kazyaka participated in Penquis Valley Key Club’s Walk for Water to raise nearly $1,000 for the Thirst Project, which builds wells in communities across the world lacking these safe water sources. The club thanks all the donors and participants, Kazyaka said.
Tri-County Technical Center Director Brian Leavitt is departing the position to become superintendent of the Dexter-based AOS 94, board member Molly Barker said in her TCTC report.
“So we’re looking for a director to fill his very big shoes,” Barker said.
Four retiring staff members were honored: middle school English and language arts teacher Debra Clukey (21 years), music teacher Jack Eastman (39 years), elementary physical education and health teacher Dawn McLaughlin (40 years), and ed tech Patricia Stanhope (29 years).
Former Bangor Daily News sports reporter Ernie Clark contributed to this story.