Administration
Blake Kastle - Principal
Blake Kastle is a passionate educator devoted to creating equitable schools for all students by partnering with parents, students, teachers, and policy makers. She specializes in supporting students' diverse academic and social-emotional needs.
Blake joined the Portland Public Schools in 2019 as assistant principal/lead teacher of the district's Breathe Behavioral Health Continuum, which serves students with serious behavioral and emotional needs. She became assistant principal of Lincoln in the summer of 2022, where she served until 2025, when she became the district’s Director of Special Education for Secondary Schools. Rejoining Lincoln in the summer of 2026 to serve as principal, Blake brings with her a deep knowledge of the Lincoln community, and experience bringing everyone together in the interest of helping students succeed.
Blake enjoys working in diverse and collaborative teams and using data to drive for equity. She is skilled at leading teams in collectively developing plans to address student instructional and social emotional needs.
Before coming to Maine, Blake held a variety of educational and leadership positions in Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; and New York City. Her previous experience includes working as a special education teacher and behavioral specialist, data analyst and professional/community learning manager, education consultant, and as director of a progressive leadership development program.
Gillian Sirois - Assistant Principal
Gillian Sirois is an experienced educator and teacher leader who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a student-centered approach, both of which align with Lincoln Middle School's mission and values. In her role as assistant principal, which she officially began in the summer of 2025, Gillian works to support academic achievement, climate and culture, and the continued development of students' social and emotional needs.
For the previous 12 years, Gillian was a science teacher and teacher leader in several districts, including the Portland Public Schools. Prior to becoming assistant principal, she was a science teacher at Lincoln for four years. Before that, she worked as a middle school science teacher in Wiscasset, and as a seventh-grade science teacher in Melrose, Massachusetts and Duxbury, Massachusetts, for a total of eight years.
Gillian holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education, with a concentration in biology, from the University of Vermont. She has a master’s degree in education, with a concentration in physical science, from Bridgewater State University.
Outside of school, Gillian enjoys spending as much time as she can outside. This means she can often be found walking on the beach, expanding her garden, hiking, or paddleboarding on the lake. She also loves crafting, and learning new things—including taking a pottery class!