Lee Academy plans to expand its academic offerings to include a postgraduate program, and with that is expected to come a postgraduate men’s basketball team.

Approval for the postgraduate program came June 3 from the Lee Academy board of trustees, and school officials led by incoming headmaster Bruce Lindberg currently are interviewing candidates for the position of postgraduate coordinator. That person would serve as a dorm supervisor, work with admissions and supervise a sport (coach basketball).

“We’ll conduct interviews until the best candidate is found,” Lindberg said.

Lindberg said once the postgraduate basketball program is up and running, it would compete in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference, which includes the likes of Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Bridgton Academy and New Hampton School in New Hampshire.

The team also would play games against a variety of small college teams.

Lindberg, currently the principal at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, said plans call for the postgraduate program at Lee to involve 10 to 14 students.

The academy, which housed 23 international boarding students in grades 9-12 during the 2004-05 school year, has additional dorm space already.

In addition, the school now offers nine advanced placement courses, and school officials have defined 23 courses already part of the curriculum that would be appropriate for postgraduate students, Lindberg said.

He likens the move by Lee Academy to successful efforts at Gould Academy in Bethel and Hebron Academy to use a sport to help develop their postgraduate academic programs. Gould is known as a ski school, while Hebron has a successful hockey program.

“All of the independent schools are looking to find revenue sources,” Lindberg said. “We’re trying to create a niche in the independent school market.”

Lindberg, a longtime teacher and school administrator in Eastern Maine who coached basketball at Ellsworth High for eight years during the 1980s, stressed that not all of the school’s postgraduate students would necessarily be basketball players.

He is hopeful Lee’s postgraduate program will be in place by September.

Hampden athletes honored

The Hampden Academy Sports Boosters Club has announced the recipients of its Sports 12 Award, presented to members of the class of 2005 who have participated on an athletic team during each of the 12 sports seasons spanning their four years at the school.

The club believes this recognition supports the concept of Sports Done Right in honoring students for their pursuit of a range of athletic interests, rather than specializing in one sport.

This year’s honorees are Ben Bouchard, Kevin Brooks, Mike Brown, Bennett Chabot, Lucas Frace, Blaine Meehan, Chelsea Mooney, Larry Pelletier, Chris Peverada and Billy Shannon.

Skowhegan grad gets new post

Tom Nadeau, a member of Skowhegan High’s 1998 Class A state championship basketball team, has been named the new head coach at Hall-Dale High in Farmingdale.

Nadeau, 26, replaces Chris Ranslow, who coached the Bulldogs for the last two seasons, including the team’s run to the Class C state championship last winter. Ranslow guided Hall-Dale to a 38-4 record during his tenure.

After graduating from Skowhegan, Nadeau went on to play at the University of Maine at Farmington.

He has been an assistant coach at Thornton Academy in Saco and most recently at Winslow High.