Administration
Beverly Stevens - Principal
Dr. Beverly Stevens, Ocean Avenue Elementary School (OAES) principal, started her career in Holyoke, Massachusetts as a Head Start teacher. She moved over to the neighboring Job Corps to teach reading to students ages 16-26, and then came back to Maine to teach downeast helping eliminate gaps for K-8 students. Beverly tapped to help lead the district curriculum work in Ellsworth, then got the bug to be a principal. She worked in Sabattus for 8 years as a principal of two schools, before moving to Portland in 2009.
Beverly holds a BA in Early Childhood Education from UMF with a minor in Children's Theater, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Orono, and her doctoral degree from Seton Hall in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy. She lives in Portland with her family. When not at OAES, Beverly enjoys reading, walking, theater and traveling.
Emily Parr - Assistant Principal
Emily has worked in education for over twenty years at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is passionate about forming deep meaningful relationships with students and families, and she is excited to continue to contribute to the rich, diverse Portland community in her new role as assistant principal.
Emily has been with the Portland Public Schools since 2014 as a special education teacher / special education liaison at Ocean Avenue Elementary School. Prior to that, Emily taught multiple subjects in a variety of settings, ranging from a private therapeutic day treatment program in South Portland to a large urban high school in the United Kingdom. She holds a B.A. in history and politics and a postgraduate certificate of education from the United Kingdom’s University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and she is currently working toward a master’s in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine. Outside of education, Emily has also managed a legal aide unit for a major nonprofit in Manchester, England.
Emily lives in Portland with her husband and three sons. Her two younger children are current PPS students and her eldest son is a recent Casco Bay High School graduate. She loves to work in her garden, run, and to practice yoga.