School Leadership Team

To see our district administrative team, please visit: https://sites.google.com/strafford.k12.nh.us/straffordsau/superintendents-page

Natalie Blackington

Principal

Natalie Blackington joined Strafford for the 2024-2025 school year, bringing over ten years of dedicated service to students throughout Maine. She holds a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine, a B.S. in Special Education from Saint Joseph's College, and is a proud alumna of Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth. As a former special education teacher and instructional coach, she has held various leadership roles, promoting positive and holistic approaches in schools and classrooms. A highly skilled and collaborative leader, Natalie has experience leading MTSS, PBIS, and SEL teams. She is passionate about creating learning environments that uphold high standards for all learners and help students envision the possibilities for their future. Additionally, Natalie has served as the President of her previous district's teachers' association and as an advisory board member at Great Bay Community College. She is particularly proud of being honored as the 2016 Outstanding National Service Member of the Year in Maine for her service to the students of the REAL School AmeriCorps program. Outside of school, she enjoys singing with her local choir, serving as an adjunct professor at GBCC, discussing all things sharks and Broadway, and exploring Maine and New Hampshire with her family, especially her son, Finnegan, and husband, Christopher.

Jeff Merrill

Dean of Students

Athletic Director

Jeff Merrill is excited to join Strafford for the 24-25 academic year. Coming from a family of educators inspired him to go into the field. He comes into administration after classroom teaching for a decade. During his time in the classroom, Jeff taught all areas of social studies at the high school level, including AP Psychology. He also coached basketball and baseball throughout his time teaching, as well as advising the National Honors Society (NHS), class advising, and student council. Jeff also led building-level initiatives in Universal Design of Learning (UDL) for instructional practices the past few years. He also has served on various district-level committees throughout his teaching tenure, including curriculum work, building safety, and professional learning communities (PLCs). Currently, he is completing is M.Ed. in Educational Leadership with a New Hampshire Principal certification from New England College. Prior, he earned his B.A. in History with two minors in Secondary Education and Sport Management from Saint Joseph's College of Maine in 2015. Priding himself on a healthy work-life balance, Jeff often spends his free time at home with his wife (Jess), and children (Everett and Reagan). Ever the dad, you can find him doing yardwork, barbequing, or cheering in the fall for his favorite football team, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Page updated