Kay Wooten and Dale Durgin, two contributing members of Portsmouth High School, are retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

Wooten worked as the school registrar for the past five years. Any time a new student comes to PHS, she processes them in. Any time a PHS student leaves, she is in charge of sending their transcripts to their new school. She also helps people with applications and registration, and sends student transcripts to colleges.

Wooten has enjoyed “pretty much everything” about her time here. “The guidance department is filled with wonderful people, .PHS is] a great place to work, [and the] students are always kind and cheerful,” she says with a smile on her face.

Wooten says that after retirement, she wants to travel, never hear her alarm clock again, and play with her dog.

“…she [Mrs. Wooten] is very kind and has a great sense of humor and she’s a great listener and she always has fun stories to talk about, especially her dog,” states Katie Fanning, who works at the front desk of the guidance office.

After being asked what advice she would give to her successors, Wooten says not to be afraid to ask for help. “Be comfortable asking for help, everyone in the department is more than happy to give it”.

Dale Durgin has been working as a custodian within the Portsmouth School District since 1988. In the morning, he opens the building and prepares it for the day by unlocking doors and making sure the school is ready for incoming students. Additionally, he is in charge of taking care of the field house and supervising lunch. He is also on standby, always ready to clean up a mess or fix something broken.

“I enjoy seeing the students every day and working with the staff that we have here,” said Durgin. His favorite part of the day is lunch, because he gets to go around and talk to the students in the cafeteria.

After working in the Portsmouth School Department for a long time, Durgin just wants to “take some well deserved time off.” He has a side business mowing lawns, and aside from that he just wants to play some golf. 

Rachel Pozetti, a PHS science teacher, is going to miss Durgin. 

“He’s super sweet, he’s very funny, he’s so easy to talk to,” she says. “He’s great. He’s so nice.”

Some advice Durgin has for his successor is to look out for the best interest of the students, staff, and school. He advises to remember that not everyone has the same personality, and that some people might have stuff going on in their lives.  He encourages people to say a simple “hi” and “how are you”; it “means a lot… it might make a difference.” 

Stop by the guidance office or the cafeteria to wish them both happy sailing before they go!