Administration
Ben Donaldson - Principal
I began my career in education as a basketball coach and after school program coordinator in Portland, Oregon. Working with middle and high school students inspired me to leave my job doing research, database management and cartography to enroll in a graduate program at Lewis and Clark College. There I learned to examine my layers of identities and to think about how each of them impact my interactions and relationships with colleagues, families and students.
I was lucky to teach and learn about science and math with 6th-12th graders at Rowe Middle School, Thornton Academy Middle School and Casco Bay High School for 9 years before moving into an Assistant Principal position at Mahoney Middle School. In 2016 the principalship opened at Moore Middle School and, while I still had much to learn about being an excellent AP, the chance to join the Moore community was too good to pass up.
Farausi Cherry - Assistant Principal
Farausi A. Cherry, Assistant Principal at Lyman Moore Middle School: Farausi Cherry has been with Portland Public Schools for six years. During this time, Farausi has served as a School Counselor, Deering High School Black Student Union Faculty Advisor, facilitator for the DHS Equity Team, Project Graduation Coordinator, Senate Class Advisor, Head Varsity Unified Basketball Coach, and Saturday SAT Site Coordinator at Deering High School. Additionally, he has been the Summer School Site Coordinator for the district and the Site Supervisor for this year’s Credit Recovery Intensive Summer School program for Deering High School. Outside of PPS, Farausi has served as a community member of the Gorham Anti-Racist Advisory Subcommittee of the Gorham School Committee. Farausi advocates for justice and to eliminate the social divide.
Prior to his school leadership experience, Farausi was a School Counselor, working with high school students at Windham and Lewiston High Schools. He has also been the Youth Director at NAACP Portland and worked for Portland Housing Authority as an Educational Coordinator at Front Street, Kennedy Park, Riverton, and Sagamore Village, and taught at the Maine Youth Center. Farausi holds a master’s degree in School Counseling and Education from the University of Southern Maine and his certificate of graduate studies as Assistant Principal from the University of Southern Maine.