From the Principal's Desk

Dear Families,

As promised, I wish to introduce you to the lady for whom our school is named! Helena Dyer, a native of Portland, was born in 1892 and graduated from South Portland High School in 1912. She taught grade 2 at the Knightville School, married Raymond Dyer in 1932, and then retired. In 1943 with the opening of a new elementary school on Marion Street (located where our playground is currently), she returned to teaching grade 2. She resumed her studies as well and was promoted to Principal of the school in 1948, a position she held until her “second” retirement in 1959. With her 36 years of service to the South Portland community, on August 3, 1960, the Marion Street School was officially renamed the “ Helena H. Dyer School”. In 1972 the building was demolished and a new building (our old Dyer School) opened. Helena Dyer died in 1979, yet her legacy lives on in our wonderful new facility which continues to bear her name.

A special thanks to Kathy DiPhilippo, our own resident South Portland historian, and to our dear friend Shirley Mitchell whose memory has preserved so much for all of us.

The information on Helena Dyer came from the book History of South Portland Maine, copyright 1992.