WILTON – When Sarah Edmunds decided to become a school administrator, she knew what kind of school she wanted, one in a smaller community. She found it in Wilton. “I enjoy the feel of this building,” she said in an interview. “It feels friendly.”

Edmunds is replacing long-time assistant principal Susan Ballou who retired in June. She holds three degrees from Plymouth State College including a master’s degree in theater arts and her education degree with a concentration in English. She completed her doctorate at New England College in Henniker.

She taught middle and high school English for ten years at Andover Middle School and Winnisquam High School before deciding to move up.

The theater has always been her love she and wrote her dissertation on the affect of theater on education, especially young women.

“We are already planning to revive the drama club, if there is interest,” she said. “I taught drama in both places and consider myself an arts advocate.”

In her last school she had to start from scratch. “I started the program. I have a background in theater and was able to get it going.” That meant building a stage and sets. “It takes a long time to develop a program.”

WLC has almost always had a drama program of some kind, varying with teachers and student interest.

One of her goals, she said, “is to have the arts section of the newspaper equal the sports.”

Communicating with the public is also a top priority, she said. “The community needs to be involved, to know what good things are going on in school. Our public schools are our most important resource. We need to support them.”

While private and charter schools with a particular focus are important and have their place, “the public schools are for everyone. We need to do a better job of communicating with the public.”

Of her new position, Edmunds said, “I want people to feel comfortable coming around to talk to me. My door will always be open.”

She added, “I’m excited to be here. I can’t wait for school to start and I’m looking forward to a great year.”

A new “welcome back” sort of program is being planning to greet the buses when school opens on Friday, Aug. 30, she said.

Edmunds, 38, is from a newspaper family and grew up in the Lake Sunapee Region. She and her husband Matt currently live in Warner with two golden retrievers.