BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Dean Cascadden has been  superintendent of schools since July, but he still feels like the new guy in Bow.

And, he’s just waiting for an opportunity to prove that he is ready to move forward.

Cascadden, a 1983 graduate of Dartmouth College, has made several stops along the east coast before landing his job in Bow this past summer.

After graduating from Dartmouth, Cascadden stayed in New Hampshire for about 10 years. He then began his graduate studies at Regent University in Virginia, followed by three years at William and Mary College’s doctorate program, where he wrote a dissertation about principals as managers and leaders, something very important to him.

“You have to get management functioning and make it work, and then people will pay attention leadership-wise,” said Cascadden, who is very excited about his current position. “It’s a single town, single school board place, which is great. A lot of superintendents are forced to spend their time going to and preparing for meetings. Here, I get to devote a lot of my time to the issues and concerns that may exist.”

Coming into a well-respected school district like Bow is a change of pace from Cascadden’s principal duties at Bristol’s Newfound Memorial Middle School, where he had to focus on many behavioral issues and work hard to motivate his staff.

“The (Bow) schools have such a good reputation as a strong system with good programs,” said Cascadden, whose son, Ian, has been a student at both schools. “He said the difference is that when the teachers here say, “Get out your papers, it’s time to work,’ the students actually do it. Bow students have a high level of respect for the teachers because of how hard they work.”

Heading into the job, Cascadden wasn’t necessarily nervous, but he was certainly ready to go on July 1 – his first official day on the job.

“It’s always exciting starting something new. I’ve been trying to get a feel for issues and concerns that people may have,” he said. “I think I really will have to get through my first budget cycle and then I’ll be able to talk to the board about what I feel is important.”

Cascadden said one downfall of being a new administrator is that he feels his staff may be hesitant to come to him because they don’t want to overwhelm him with concerns. The superintendent, however, said he looks forward to the day when he has many of the teachers knocking on his door with concerns and ideas.

Cascadden also said sometimes his inquiries about aspects of the school are interpreted as criticism, but he doesn’t see it that way.

“I am kind of like a poker player. I am asking critical questions to see what is there. I’m looking for the truth behind what is presented,” he said. “I want people to feel comfortable talking to me about things. The superintendent’s job is to see all of the pieces and connect them.”