Jada Boggs Graduates from Ithaca College

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Jada Boggs, of Clinton, graduated from Ithaca College, in Ithaca, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Studies.

Founded in 1892, Ithaca College is a residential college dedicated to building knowledge and confidence through a continuous cycle of theory, practice and performance. Home to some 6,200 students, the college offers more than 100 degree programs in its schools of Business, Communications, Humanities and Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Performance, and Music.

Erskine Academy holds virtual 2020 Renaissance awards

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On Wednesday, May 13, Erskine Academy, in South China, held a virtual Renaissance assembly to recognize second and third trimester Senior of the Trimester recipients.

Four seniors received Senior of the Trimester Awards for second trimester: James Berto, son of Catherine and Jonathan Berto, of China; Stephanie Libby, daughter of Megan Morrell and Paul Libby, of Windsor; Tori Grasse, daughter of Kristin and Tim Grasse, of Windsor; and Sarah Jarosz, daughter of Karen and James Jarosz, of Fairfield.

In addition, six seniors received Senior of the Trimester Awards for third trimester: Miina Raag-Schmidt, daughter of Tarja Raag and Michael Schmidt, of Vassalboro; Clara Grady, daughter of Sarah and Jason Cobb, of China; Hunter Praul, son of Erika and Darryl Praul, of China; Andrew Robinson, son of Nina Robinson, of Jefferson, and Michael Robinson, of Thomaston; Richard Winn, son of Jamie and Jason Winn, of China; and Lyndsie Pelotte, daughter of Shasta and Jerad Pelotte, of China.

Seniors of the Trimester are recognized as individuals who have gone above and beyond in all aspects of their high school careers.

Vassalboro school officials not sure what fall return will mean

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro school officials have no idea what returning to school in the fall will mean.

“We’ve got to be ready for change,” School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur summarized during the board’s June 16 in-person meeting in the Vassalboro Community School (VCS) cafeteria.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said he and colleagues have guidelines from the state education department, but they are not directives, and local school officials assume they will change as circumstances change. Pfeiffer does not expect decisions until late July at best.

School board member Jessica Clark said at a recent Maine School Board Association meeting no one had firm plans. Many participants hoped their schools will reopen, to accommodate parents with no child care and because “no school has the money or infrastructure to support 100% virtual education.”

Principal Megan Allen said VCS staff want to be in school, and a survey to which 40 parents responded found almost half of them would like the school to open. The rest, she said, were unsure or waiting to see how the health situation changes.

Pfeiffer pointed out that reopening the building will add costs, too, for such things as supplies, like masks and sanitizers; staff time to clean; and if students come and go in shifts, additional bus routes.

Pfeiffer and Allen anticipate an unusually busy summer as they monitor developments and try to be prepared for however the new school year starts.

Allen said the June 5 end-of-school parade was one of the best days of her life. Vassalboro fire trucks and the police car, school buses and decorated private vehicles toured much of the town visiting students who had not seen their teachers since March.

“We got to see so many kids – it was fantastic,” Allen said.

VCS also had a retirement parade for retiring literacy specialist Kathy Cioppa, of China, Allen said. She said Cioppa has been in education for 38 years, 35 of them at VCS.

One of the board’s June 16 decisions was to approve a copier lease agreement in conjunction with Waterville and Winslow schools. Pfeiffer said he, Waterville Superintendent Eric Haley and Winslow Superintendent Peter Thiboutot are discussing ways to continue mutually useful cooperation as the agreement that succeeded AOS (Alternative Educational Structure) 92 enters its final year. Voters in the three towns dissolved AOS 92 in the spring of 2018.

The next Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Aug. 18. As part of their usual summer routine, board members authorized the superintendent to sign contracts for new staff until then, to avoid losing a good candidate to a school system prepared to act faster.

Congratulations to area graduates — Class of 2020

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Carrabec High School

Emily Avery, Hunter Avery, Cassidy Ayotte, Anthony Berube, Isaac Boucher, Annika Carey, Ashley Cates, Summer Cole, Jacob Copeland, Caitlin Crawford, Shay Cyrway, Caroline Decker, Dominic Falk, Olivia Fortier, Joshua Foss, Paige Giroux, Olivia Gonio, Ricky Gordon, Ariel Guinn, Olivia Hassell, David Houle, Cheyanne Howard, Madison Jaros, Lemuel Kimball, Dylan Leach, Riley Maheu, Scott Mason, Mabel Mouland, Mary-Jenna Oliver, Colby Paquette, Kira Parent, Roy Pierce, Jasmyne Pray, Elijah Quimby, Abby Richardson, Damon Rogers, Cheyenne Sirois, Jayme Stafford, Sydney Steward, Cheyeanne Stubbs, Brandi Thibodeau, Ebony Walls, Dalton Way, Skye Welch, Jesiah Wilcox-Quimby, and Cameron Wooster.

Cony High School

Alimira Abdullah, Zina Ahmad, Nada Al Hoshan, Mohammad Al Jendi, Peter Allen, Hadeel Alsaleh, Abdulmajeed Al-Tameemi, Dakota Andow, Marian Arthur, Ashleigh Audet, Alexander Audette, David Barley, Sebastian Barron, Federico Barzasi, Hannah Beeckel, Gage Bernstein, Katherine Boston, Jordan Brooke, Jillian Brown, Logan Butler, Gabriella Campbell, Kaaleb Carey, Tyler Carr, Alexis Carter, Haylee Casey, Salemn Chapman, Paige Coaty-Neff, Sarah Cook-Wheeler, Riley Coombe, Jillian Coull, Joshua Crocker, Kaylee Cushing, Calvin Dacus, Jasmine Daly, Dakota Dearborn, Kody Demerchant, Isaiah Dodge, Anthony Donnarumma, Emily Douglas, Molly Dutil, Thomas Farris-Chason, Chloe Fleck, Jasmine French, Evan Galego, Jada Genest, Ian Gervais, Isaac Gichel-Curtis, Leighton Gidney, Ian Gifford, Crystal Gilber, Elsie Gin, Ashton Glockler, Kiara Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Megan Greaton, Cecilia Guadalupi, Jessica Guerrette, Mouaoeih Halwah, Ian Harden, Linda Hodgkins, Wyeth Houle, Emily Houston, Justin Huntley, Nathaniel Ieng, Timothy Johnson, Stephen Labbe, Benjamin LaPierre, Sophia LaPointe, Adrian Larrabee, Ryan Lathe, Faith Leathers-Pouliot, Cameran Letendre, Aaron Lettre, Carly Lettre, Emma Levesque, Meredith Lewis, Willow Longeree, Caleb MacFarland, Roger Mackbach, Joshua Martin, Iain McCollett, Lucas McCormick, Simon McCormick, Caleb McDougal, Courtney McFarland, Audrey McLaughlin, Samantha Melland, Abigail Merrill, Kameron Michaud, Gerald Moody, Caroline Mosca, Josephine Nutakki, Collin Osborne, Ayanna Osman, Renee Ouellette, Micayla Paquette, Marissa Parker, Abigail Pelletier, Nhasino Phan, Jillian Pion, Storm Plummer, Myles Quirion, Shakeera Radel, Ashleigh Redmond, Miranda Reichard, Mickayla Rheimer, Madison Riggs, Nathan Rivera Ayala, Jordan Robertson, Alexander Robinson, Natalie Rohman, Hannah Rouleau, Rebecca Smart, Aidan Smith, Karittha Sopasiri, Nathan Surette, Christopher Taylor, Devon Thomas, Kaley Trask, Mallory Turgeon, James Van Doren-Wilson, Sabrinna Vawter, Atlantis Veilleux, Jessy Veilleux, Linelys Velazquez, Arianna Vinal, Yasmine Wadleigh, Isaac Wallace, Proscha Ware, Nicholas Waterhouse, Haley Weston, Julie White, Sophia Whitney, Zachary Whitney, Joshua Wroten, Ayden Wyman and Devin Young.

Erskine Academy

Pedro Albarracin Nunez- Mera, Lucy Allen, Lucas Anderson, Jay Austin II, Alec Baker, Julia Basham, Derek Beaulieu, James Berto, Adam Bonenfant, Faith Bonnell, Zyashia Borrero, Ashlee Bossie, Yanic Boulet, Haley Breton, Alexander Buzzell, Kole-Tai Carlezon, Jacob Cater, David Chubbuck Jr, Bridget Connolly, Abigail Cordts, Samantha Couture, Summer Curran, Colby Cyr, Norah Davidson, Sean Decker, Dominic Denico, Lily DeRaps, Joshua Donahue II, Joshua Duggan, Michael Dusoe Jr, Dominick Dyer, Jacob Elsemore, Vincent Emery, Nathan Evans, Cheyann Field, Jasmine Fletcher, Jada Fredette, Mitchell Gamage, Alyssha Gil, Annika Gil, Lydia Gilman, Ella Giroux, Boe Glidden, Bryce Goff, Joshua Gower, Clara Grady, Tori Grasse, Ian Gundberg, Alyssa Hale, Emma Harvey, Nicholas Hayden, Jesse Hayes, Gage Henderson, Brayden Hill, Summer Hotham, Nicholas Howard, Julianna Hubbard, Ashley Huntley, Emily Jacques, Sarah Jarosz, Ricker Jean, Cameron Johnson, Colby Johnson, Kyle Jones, Luke Jordan, Zaria Kelly, Marisa Klemanski, Tristan Klemanski, Riley Kunesh, Brandon LaChance, Benjamin Lagasse, Benjamin Lavoie, Cole Leclerc, Eleena Lee, William Leeman, Desiree Leighton, Madison Leonard, Gabriel Lewis, Stephanie Libby, Jordan Linscott, Colby Loden, Sydney Lord, Brandon Loveland, Shawn Manning, William Mayberry II, Haymanot Maynard, Reece McGlew, Marissa McGraw, Lexigrace Melanson, Kaytie Millay, Grady Miller, Jakob Mills, Jamara Moore, Adalaide Morris, Krysta Morris, Nathaniel Mosher, Alecia Paradis, Joseph Peaslee Jr, Shelley Peaslee, Isaak Peavey, Chloe Peebles, Chandler Peele, Lyndsie Pelotte, Matthew Picher, Jareth Pierpont, Jasmine Plugge, Hunter Praul, Dalton Pushard, Miina Raag-Schmidt, Benjamin Reed, Hailei-Ann Reny, Jennifer Reny, Mitchel Reynolds, Andrew Robinson, Dominic Rodrigue, Michael Rogers, Katelyn Rollins, Alyssa Savage, Shawn Seigars, Serena Sepulvado, Santasia Sevigny, Nicholas Shelton, Danielle Shorey, Taylor Shute, Ryan Sidelinger, Alissa Sleeper, Kayla Sleeper, Dominic Smith, Samuel Smith, Lily Solorzano, Makenzi Strout, Matthew Stultz, James Sugden, Jacob Sutter, Audrey Swan, Nicole Taylor, Kobe Thomas, Courtney Tibbetts, Brandon Tibbs, Katelyn Tibbs, Kaitlyn Tims, Ashleigh Treannie, Hailee Turner, Cameron Tyler, Tanner Watson, Andrew Weymouth, Curtis Weymouth, Kayleigh Winam, Richard Winn, Wesley Wood and Amber Wysocki.

Lawrence High School

Ashley Allen, Mackenzie Allen, Raygen Alley, Colby Anderson, Alexis Armstrong, Riley Avery, Lindsay Bagley, Dakota Batchelder, Wyatt Belmont, Mathew Berry, Rilee Bessey, Brody Bickford, Nathan Bickford, Hannah Bilodeau, Hailey Bolduc, Tyler Bolduc, Alan Bourget, Colby Brann, Aaron Breton, Sydney Bridger, Eva Brisk, Lauren Buck, Brooke Butler, Ethan Caldwell, Kendra Campbell, Deleyni Carr, Madison Carrero, Journey Champagne, Abigail Charland, Alfred Cochrane, Ethan Cochrane, Samuel Coro, Evan Craig, Megan Curtis, Cody Dixon, Parker Doane, Dylan Donnell, Bryson Dostie, Dawson Drew, Victoria Dubay, Dylan Eldridge, Annabelle Emery, Abigail Fisher, Wyatt Fortin, Samantha Fuller, Victoria Fye, Kieara Garland, Skylah Grivois, Paige Hale, Tyler Hall, Harley Hamlin, Jacob Hamlin, Ricky Hamlion, Dylan Hardenburg, Alaina Haywood, Caitlin Hedman, Carson Jersey, Haley Hersey, Alaina Hood, Silvia Hoover, Sophia Hoover, Mackenzie Huard, Sumner Hubbard, Jeremiah Hunter, Kristin Jackson, Camron Jordan, Donovan Knapik, Miranda Lambert, Julie Lane, Kyle Languet, Storm Lavway, Nicholas Lawler, Allison Leary, Grace Leary, Tyler LeClair, Austin Leighton, Aubrey Levesque, Alexis Lewis, Erica Maillet, John Manzo, Cassandra Martin, Dylan Martin-Hachey, Joshua McFarland, Joseph McKinley, Kristin Morneau, Paul Morneau, Destiny Mulholland, Morgan Niles, Cassandra Noyes, Bailey Parlin, Jacob Patterson, Benjamin Pierce, Gabrielle Pierce, Isaac Plourde, Cheyenne Poulin, Benjamen Pressey, Brian Pressey, Kassey Pressey, Chase Quimby, Nathaniel Regalado, Brianna Rice, Mackenzie Roberts, Gain Robinson, Mary Robinson, Lydia Rogers, Hunter Roy, Michael Roy, Tucker Roy, Jacob Ryder, Emma Salisbury, Ranea Sapienza, Hailey Sargent, Colby Shorey, Isaish Shuman, Riley Sinclair, Breanna Sirois, Melaina Smith, Paul Southwick, Jayden Stephenson, Elsie Suttie, Jacob Suttie, David Thurlow, Abigail Towne, Lydia Townsend, Haley Trahan, Jacob Turlo, Cody Veilleux, Abbie Vigue, Kyle Walch, Amber Wescott, Savannah Weston, Liberty White, Emily Whitney, Haley Wilkie, Cassondra Wood and Gabriel York.

Madison Area Memorial High School

Chance Allen, Katrina Barney, Shelby Belanger, Graham Briggs, Nevaeh Burnham, Reid Campbell, Autumn Cates, Olivia Clough, Aaron Corson, Caleb Cowan, Isaiah Cyr, Stacy Depoala, Dawson Eanes, Emily Edgerly, Todd Edgerly, Caden Franzose, Aliya French, Dakota Hall, Glen Harrington IV, Chandra Holt, Lauria LeBlanc, Grace Linkletter, Carolyn McGray, Riley Merrill, Cianan Morris, Aidan O’Donnell, Izaiah Perkins, Lucy Perkins, Luke Perkins, Isabella Petrey, Roger Picard, Roland Picard, Evelyn Pisch, Skyelar Pollis, LeiLani Rexford, Abigail Spaulding, Jared Tozier, Mikayla Violet and Daxton Winchester and Kathryn Worthen.

Messalonskee High School

Alyson Albert, Nicholas Alexander, Connor Alley, Ava Ardito, Austin Arsenault, Abigayle Barney, Jennessey B aylis, Madison Beaulieu, Austin Bedsaul, Sami Benayad, Brianne Benecke, Taylor Bernier, Lauren Bourque, Rebecca Bourque, Lydia Bradfield, Andrew Brann, Sydney Brenda, Alexa Brennan, Ethan Burton, Hannah Butler, Salvatore Caccamo, Kaiya Charles, Tucker Charles, Patrick Chisum, Sadie Colby, William Cole, Connor Collins, Emma Concaugh, Bradley Condon, Abitail Corbett, Anne Corbett, Breanna Corbin, Ainsley Corson, Shiela Corson, Hunter Cote, Cameron Croft, Emily Crowell, Hannah Cummins, Dylan Cunningham, Lydia D’Amico, Austin Damren, Zachary Davis, Cassidy Day, Hannah DelGiudice, Jordan Devine, Kristen Dexter, Emma Di-Girolamo, Zachary DiPietro, TaylorJefferey Doone, Cooper Doucette, Haley Dunn, Benjamin Edman, Cade Ennis, Connor Evans, Andrew Everett, Nicolas Fontaine, Lauren Fortin, Joseph Fougere, Brennan Francis, Alexis Furbush, Amelia Gallagher, Austin Garrett, Sydnie Gay, Sara Getchell, Molly Glueck, Joshua Goff, Martin Guarnieri, Juliana Gudaitis, Jayde Gurney, Gavin Haines, Danielle Hall, Benjamin Hellen, Shelby Hoffman, Toni Holz, Maxwell Hopper, Travis Hosea, Gage Hughes, Elizabeth Hume, Alexander Jackson, Madison Jewell, Maya Johnston, Lucas Jolin, Shane Kauppinen, Gregor Keimel, Christopher King, Kody King, Nathan Kinney, Dawson Kitchin, Konnor Koroski, Grace Kroeger, Tabitha Lake, Dominique Lamontagne, Chance Languet, Isabelle Languet Joshua Languet, Hanna Lavenson, Jimmy Lemlin, Jayden Lenfestey, Benoit Levesque, Daimian Lewis, Eve Lilly, Addison Littlefield, Sarah Lowell, Sydney Lucas, Caleb Luce, Isabella Luce, Katie Luce, Ashlynn Lund, Christopher Mairs, Jayden Martin, Alyssa Methieu, Samantha Matthews, Mackenzie Mayo, Connor McCurdy, Aislinn McDaniel, Leighara McDaniel, Garrett McKenna, Kassie McMullen, William McPherson, Meghan McQuillan, Dylan Mercier, Nathan Milne, Ella Nash, Andrew Needham, Mattea Ogden, Joselyn Ouellette, Makayla Ouellette, Alexandria Pearce, Kailey Pelletier, Nathan Perkins, Jacob Perry, Rosemary Peterson, Francis Petrillo, Alexnader Pierce, Adam Pooler, Melayna Porter, Nathalie Poulin, Rylee Poulin, Brian Powell, Brian Powell, Colby Prosser, Valerie Quirion, Alysan Rancourt, Joshua Raymond, Kyera Ripley, Kaylee Rocque, Sean Rodrigue, Elijah Ross, Dharani Singaram, Lindsey Sirois, Emily Smith, Hunter Smith, Makenzie Smith, Taylor Staples, Hart St. Clair, Damian Taylor, Victoria Terranova, Richard Thompson, Deklan Thurston, Chloe Tilley, Eliza Towle, Sydney Townsend, Casey Turner, Brandon Veilleux, Jade Veilleux, Maria Veilleux, Matthew Veilleux, Kaitlyn Vigue, Carter Violette, Isaac Violette, Makayla Violette, Mason Violette, Aran Walker, Keith Warman, Elizabeth Webb, Gabrielle Wener, William Wentworth, Rebekah White, Mary-Jane Williams, Kaley Wolman and Joshua Zinkovitch.

Waterville High School

Halah Al Subai­hawi, Devin Andreozzi, Trent Andreozzi, Emilee Arbo, Maryah Audet-Gagnon, Estaphanie Baez Vazquez, Jess Bazakas, Jacqueline Bean, Timara Bell, Kristen Bickford, Taylor Bielecki, Abigail Bloom, Hallee Brunette, Bryn Burrows, Elizabeth Campbell, Damien Carey, Amaryllis Charles, Katie Chase, Kevin Chen, Hope Cogswell, Jacob Cornforth, Logan Courtois, Remy Courtois, Mickayla Crowley, Maggie Didonato, Hannah Dillingham, Gavin Dorr, Duncan Doyon, Keegan Drake, Lauren Endicott, Jaimee Feugill, Sadie Garling, Daniel Gaunce, Chloe Geller, Trafton Gilbert, Ryan Gilman, Devin Goldsmith, Benjamin Combos, Emma Goodrich, Sierra Grant, Joseph Gray, Cierra Guarente, Jacob Gerrerro, Kylee Hamm, Madison Hanley, Alexis Hawkins, Shantylane Hubiak, Keona Jeror, Miranda Juliano, Madaya Kavis, Sadie Labbe, Ethan Ladd, Peter Lai, Michael LeClair, Jordan Lesiker, Dakota Libby, Jasmine Liberty, Emelaine Llanto, Hannah Lord, Olivia Lovendahl, Joseph Macarthur, Rebecca Maheu, Christopher Manigat, Madeleine Martin, Shane Martin, Isaac McCarthy, D’Nell McDonald, Maxwell McGadney, Zaharias Menoudarakos, Luquis Merrithew, Alana Monk, Mckayla Nelson, Flesha Paradis, Jelani Parker, Lauren Pinnette, Sophia Poole, Katlin Prat, Barry Preble, Nikkia-Lynn Pressey, Colby Quinlan, David Ramgren, Dasia Roberts, Corinne Rogers, Lily Roy, Kira Sencabaugh, Amanda Shirley, Anthony Singh, Jared Sioch, Keisha Small, Simon Smith, Isabella Sousa, Joey Stanton Jr., Alisha Stevens, Catherine Tracy, Brady Vicnaire, Natalia Von Leigh, Cole Welch, Wayne Williams, Alysia Wilson, Erin Winkley and Cairlyn Young.

Winslow High School

Haneen Ali, Carly Anderson, Alika Andrews, Kathryn Bailey, Lily Barkdull, Rylee Batey, Devin Bettencourt, Eric Booth, Sebastian Bouchard, Cameron Brockway, Brandon Campbell, Lydia Carey, Briell Carter, Gabriella Chambers, Garrett Choate, Jessey Cloutier, Silver Clukey, Abigail Cochran, Brooke Cochran, Brady Corson, Camden Dangler, Alexander Demers, Micah Dickson, Willa Dolley, Katie Doughty, Ronan Drummond, Hannah Dugal, Brennan Dunton, Summer Eyster, Cloe Fecteau, Sophie-ann Gerry, Isaiah Gidney, Christopher Girard, Isaiah Goldsmith, Hannah Goodine, Cameron Goodwin, Cody Green, Bryce Gunzinger, Dawsen Gurski, Aaron Harmon, Gabrielle Hatt, Wyatt Hood, Landon Hotham, Jacob Huesers, Ross Hughes, Sadie Irza, Cody Ivey, Savannah Joler, Caleb Joseph Lagasse, Kaelyn Lakey, Juliann Lapierre, Nicholas Lemieux, Felicia Lessard, Alexee Littlefield, Riley Loftus, James Mason, Ronnie Mason, Ethan Matthews, Caleb Mills, Christopher Mills, Brandon Moore, Haylee Moore, Madison Morin, Mariah Morrison, Shaylie Morrison, Gabriel Moumouris, Skylar Nye, Elena O’Hara, Wesley O’Neal, Chase Pelkey, Leah Pelotte, Christopher Phair, Madalyn Phillips, Justice Picard, Faith Pomerleau, Colby Pomeroy, Alexis Porter, Christopher Poulliot, Morgan Presby, Anthony Proulx, Ashley Quirion, Kristen Rancourt, Braden Rayborn, Miranda Raymond, Zachary Real, Jackson Reynolds, Jenna Rodrigue, Taylor Rodriguez, Cheyne Salvas, Nevaeh Schuchardt, Carrie Selwood, Mallory Sheridan, Grace Smith, Austin Soucy, Alison Stabins, Bryanna Stanley, Hannah Stevens, Katherine Stevens, Nicholas Sweeney, Kaleb Thomas, Sage Vance, Gage Vaughan, Austin Veilleux, Abigail Washburn, William Weiss, Caleb Welsh, Austin Williams and Abigail Wright.

Winslow High School announces Class of 2020 top 10 seniors

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Winslow top 10 seniors from left to right, top: Katie Doughty, Brennan Dunton, Cameron Goodwin, Aaron Harmon, Jacob Huesers; bottom: Justice Picard, Colby Pomeroy, Carrie Selwood, Grace Smith, Katherine Stevens.

In Alphabetical Order:

Katie Doughty is the daughter of Laura and Wayne Doughty, of Winslow. Katie was a senior captain for soccer along with participating in lacrosse and indoor track where she broke two school records. She is a member of the National Honors Society, American Legion Auxiliary, and Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute. She has also participated in the W Club, Service Club, volunteered at Jackson Food Pantry and is a youth sports volunteer. She has been a part of the prom and sadie’s committees along with being a freshmen orientation leader. Katie was a part of the National Youth Leadership Forum, was a delegate at the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders and received the Bausch and Lomb Science Award. For soccer Katie received a KVAC second team award her freshman year, KVAC first team award her sophomore and senior years, KVAC honorable mention her junior year and was a regional all-star her senior year. For track she received KVAC All Conference awards her freshman and sophomore years. She will be attending the University of Maine at Orono where she will study Biology and Pre-Medicine.

Brennan Dunton is the son of Brian and Sara Dunton, of Winslow. Brennan participated in soccer, basketball, track and field, outing club, and is a member of the National Honors Society. He received the KVAC All Academic Award for soccer, the Phi Beta Kappa Certificate of Recognition, and the Voice of Democracy Certificate of Merit. He will be attending the University of Maine at Orono where he will study Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Cameron Goodwin is the son of Larry and Kelli Goodwin, of Winslow. Cameron is a member of the National Honors Society and has participated in basketball and lacrosse where he served as a defensive captain. He was a member of the Service Club and was a youth basketball and lacrosse mentor. Cameron has received the Sage Student Scholar Award, Highest Achievement Award in math, and the On the Road to Success Award. He will be attending Lasell University where he will study Fashion Media and Marketing.

Aaron Harmon is the son of Wayne and Nicole Harmon, of Winslow. Aaron has participated in band, chorus, jazz band, pep band, drama, show choir, and barbershop choir. He is also the secretary of the Thespian Society and a member of the National Honors Society. He earned an ALL Cast Award for the MPA One Act Play competition for the last two years. He will be attending the University of Maine at Augusta where he will study Music with a concentration in Education.

Jacob Huesers is the son of Tom and Katie Huesers, of Winslow. Jacob is a member of the National Honors Society and Thespian Society. He is the senior Class President and has attended Boys State as well as the special honor of attending Boys Nation. He participated in cross country, track, drama, Youth in Government through the YMCA, and the Black Raider News Network. He earned the Williams Book Award and George Eastman Young Leaders Award, as well as Renaissance Awards for Top Performance in Honors Algebra II, AP Calculus, Spanish III, Honors World Geography and Honors English 9. Jacob is currently weighing various options for next fall.

Justice Picard is the daughter of Sandra Darby and Michael Picard, of Winslow. Justice is a member of the National Honors Society, Olympia Snowe Leadership Institute, and the W Club. She participated in field hockey, basketball, unified basketball, cross country, and track. She was a part of the prom, sadies, and homecoming committee’s along with being a science mentor aide. She is a volunteer at MaineGeneral and is also a hospice volunteer. She received The Wellesley College Book Award.and was named to the High School National Academic Squad. She plans on attending the University of New England where she will study Pre-med and Medical Biology.

Colby Pomeroy is the son of Cory and Kristen Pomeroy, of Winslow. Colby is a member of the National Honors Society and participated in football, basketball, baseball and the W-Club. Colby has received the MPA Principal’s Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution Award, and the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Award. He was a Big 11 Football Co-Player of the Year along with earning KVAC first team for basketball. He earned All Academic Awards for both football and basketball. Colby will be attending the University of Maine at Farmington where he will study Biology.

Carrie Selwood is the daughter of Joel and Shelly Selwood, of Winslow. Carrie is a member of the National Honors Society and has served as the Secretary and Treasurer of the group. She is also a member of the International Thespian Society, American Legion Auxiliary Girls State and Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute. She has participated in school and community theatre, soccer, lacrosse, and dance committees along with being a part of concert, jazz, and pep bands. She is also the Treasurer for Student Senate. She has received the University of Rochester, Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution Jenny Paine Howard Award, KVAC Athletic All Conference Award for lacrosse, a special commendation for Stage Management at Regional One-Act Competition, Winslow Girls Lacrosse Coach’s Award, and excellence in Honors English. She will be attending Providence College next fall.

Grace Smith is the daughter of Kim Leadbetter, of Winslow, and Jim and Cheyl Smith, of Belgrade. Grace was a captain of her soccer and basketball teams along with participating in track and unified basketball. She is the Co-President of the National Honors Society and is a member of the International Thespian Society. Grace is a math mentor and the Class Treasurer. She also participated in fall musicals, plays, Math Team, Student Senate, W Club and the Civil Rights Team. She received the Dirigo Girls State’s Miss Dirigo and Senator, the Dartmouth Book Award and the Shine on Cass Award. She was also the Most Defensive for soccer, KVAC All Academic for soccer and basketball, KVAC All Conference second team for basketball, and KVAC All Star honorable mention for basketball. Grace will be attending The University of Maine at Orono where she will study Kinesiology and biology with the intention of becoming a pediatric physical therapist.

Katherine Stevens is the daughter of Roger and Stacy Stevens, of Winslow. Katie participated in cross country, track, art club and dance classes. She was a Captain for the Cross Country team her senior year. She is a member of the National Honors Society and a volunteer at HVWA Resale Shop. She received the New Dimensions Credit Union College Scholarship, KVAC All Academic Awards for cross country and track, and the AFSCME Council 93 Local 2178-02 Scholarship. Katie will be attending the University of Maine at Orono where she will be majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Madison Area Memorial High School announces top 10 seniors

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Madison Area Memorial High School (photo: JMG)

The following are the top 10 seniors in the Madison Area High School’s class of 2020.

Katrina Barney – Daughter of Anna Zabrock, of Madison, and Jody Barney, of Sidney. Plans to attend University of New England to major in medical biology – pre-med track.

Shelby Belanger – Daughter of Lindsay Cool, of Madison, and Peter Belanger, of Madison. Shelby plans to attend the University of Maine in Orono for chemical engineering. Shelby is the Salutatorian for the Class of 2020.

Olivia Clough – Daughter of Scott and Jennifer Clough, of Madison. Olivia plans to attend Kennebec Valley Community College, in Fairfield, for health sciences – nursing.

Emily Edgerly – Daughter of Michael and Nicole Edgerly, of Madison. Emily plans on attending the University of Maine in Orono for communication sciences / speech disorders.

Grace Linkletter – Daughter of Matthew and Bethany Linkletter, of Athens. Grace plans to attend Aveda Institute for Cosmetology.

Lucy Perkins – Daughter of William and Sandra Perkins, of Madison. Lucy plans to attend the University of Maine at Farmington for elementary educaiton and music. Lucy is the Valadictorian for the Class of 2020.

Luke Perkins – Son of William and Sandra Perkins, of Madison. Luke plans to attend the University of Maine in Orono for parks, recreation and tourism / forestry.

Isabella Petrey – Daughter of Roy and step-mom Kimberlee Petrey, of Madison. Isabella plans to attend the University of Maine at Farmington to study secondary education with a concentration in social sciences.

Skyelar Pollis – Daughter of James Pollis, of Madison, and Kristy Hilton, of Mercer. Skyelar plans to attend Thomas College, in Waterville, for sports management with a concentration in marketing.

Kathryn Worthen – Daughter of Vernon and Cindy Worthen, of Mercer. Kathryn plans to attend Kennebec Valley Community College, in Fairfield, for liberal studies/general education.

It’s graduation season for area high schools

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Graduates from Lawrence High School celebrating with their parade. (photo by Tawni Lively.)

by Roland D. Hallee

Hallee Brunette, left, and Colby Quinlan, celebrate following their graduation ceremony at Waterville High School. (contributed photo)

Typically, the first two weeks of June is the graduation season in central Maine. This year was no different, except that due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, things were done a little differently.

In Winslow, their graduation was held on June 10.

The graduates and parents participated in a procession of cars around the high school with fire and police vehicles leading the way. Supporters and well-wishers lined Danielson Street to celebrate the occasion.

Senior class secretary Riley Loftus and class president Jake Huesers both stressed the positives in their graduation addresses.
Both pressed the importance of what has happened over their collective school careers, and not to what the pandemic has taken away from them.

School principal Chad Bell also spoke about lessons graduates could take from this extraordinary experience. Bell emphasized he told seniors they would have a special graduation ceremony for them. The key points in his speech were about “positivity and perserverance.”

Bell was also impressed with the success that was achieved in pulling off this year’s graduation ceremony.

Above left, Winslow High School parade as it winds down Frankwood Drive, in Winslow. (photo by Kelley Bernard)

Following the distribution of diplomas, with students back in their vehicles, graduates were led in the traditional transferring of their respective tassels from one side of their caps to the other, signifying they were now Winslow High School alumni.

On the following evening, June 11, the Waterville High School seniors and their parents took to the streets of Waterville for an impressive parade from the high school to Central Maine Motors Chevrolet-Buick auto dealership, on Kennedy Memorial Drive, many in convertibles or standing through the vehicles’ sunroof, for their graduation festivities. Most of the students video recorded along the parade route. The motorcade left the high school, proceeded west on Western Avenue to the intersection with First Rangeway, where they turned left and headed south toward Kennedy Memorial Drive, horns honking, and the blaring sound of the sirens from Waterville police cars, fire trucks, including the ladder truck, and rescue unit. Supporters and other family members lined the parade route.

Upon arriving at the dealership, cars were lined up in the lot. Speakers included principal Brian Laramee, and the featured speaker, retiring faculty member Scott Rivard. With the formalities completed, seniors approached the stage in groups of 10, to receive their diplomas.

Again, being led by Class of 2020 president Lauren Pinnette, the graduates, in keeping with long time traditions, transferred their respective tassels from right to left, a symbol they were now Waterville High School alumni.

The final act of the night, which lent itself to a touching finish, came when all the faculty members lined both sides of the Airport Road, waving goodbye to their graduates.

The graduation was made possible through the generosity of Central Maine Motors owner Chris Gaunce and his family, and many volunteers.

Palermo student salutatorian for online school graduation ceremony

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Lindsey Childs, of Palermo, presenting salutatorian address with her favorite horse.

Maine Connections Academy (MCA), in Scarborough, the state’s first tuition-free, online charter school for grades 7-12, hosted its commencement ceremony online on June 8 to honor 77 students in its sixth class of graduating seniors. Lindsey Childs, of Palermo, was class Salutatorian.

Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person ceremony took place online, with all students and their families, as well as Maine Connections Academy faculty and staff, invited to attend. Childs will be attending the University of Maine at Orono this fall. She will have a double major in political science and sociology, with a concentration in crime, law and justice.

Her remarks as Salutatorian were notable in that Childs delivered them while standing next to her favorite horse. She focused on the presence of change in our lives: “We’re all going to have to make significant changes, and some of us don’t even know what to do with our lives. But change can be a positive, we can’t avoid it. The secret is to adapt to change.”

As an online school, Maine Connections Academy students learn from wherever there is an Internet connection across all of Maine’s 16 counties. This online graduation was simply one more way of collaborating together. With families and friends, Maine Connections Academy students, “walked across the stage,” and showed each other meaningful images and words to capture their time together at the online school. Four Maine Connections Academy teachers acted as MCs throughout the online ceremony.

Maine Connections Academy is now in its sixth year. Students come from all across Maine and choose online school for many reasons, including wanting a safe environment, the ability to work faster or slower than their peers, flexibility in terms of scheduling, and more. Maine Connections Academy offers students an award-winning online curriculum and the opportunity to work closely with certified teachers using detailed daily lesson plans that can be personalized to meet individual student needs. Maine Connections Academy is currently enrolling up to 429 students for the 2020-21 school year on a first-come, first-served basis—it is recommended that families interested in virtual school submit an application as soon as possible to avoid being waitlisted.

For more information about MCA, please call (207) 805-3254, or visit www.MaineConnectionsAcademy.com.

Dakota Bragg named a Presidential Scholar at Clarkson University

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Dakota Bragg, of Anson, a senior majoring in civil engineering, was named a Presidential Scholar for the spring 2020 semester at Clarkson University, in Potsdam, New York.

Presidential Scholars must achieve a minimum 3.80 grade-point average and carry at least 14 credit hours.

Vassalboro school board approves tentative plans for rest of year

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

by Mary Grow

At their May 19 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members approved plans, some tentative, for the remainder of this school year, the summer and the next school year, on topics from education to lunch prices to a new telephone system.

Many decisions assumed that students and staff will return to classrooms in late August 2020. Vassalboro Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer emphasized that he and other superintendents spend a lot of time monitoring constantly-changing state and federal pandemic information and guidelines. He hopes Vassalboro Community School (VCS) will re-open before Labor Day 2020, but he offered no guarantee.

VCS Principal Megan Allen said distance learning continues for the rest of this school year. Teachers completed parent-teacher conferences, she said. An important current project is defining parts of course content that have been short-changed by lack of classroom time, so they can be emphasized in the fall.

As the end of the school year approaches, staff have cleaned out students’ lockers and bagged the contents to be picked up. A virtual eighth-grade graduation, probably in the form of a video for students and parents to share, is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2. On Friday, June 5, the last day of classes, Allen and staff are working on arrangements for a parade that will pass as many students’ home as possible.

Allen said volunteers will continue to assemble meals to be delivered by bus through June 4. Beginning Monday, June 8, interim food service director Paula Pooler said the summer meal program will provide van delivery of meals to pick-up points.

In preparation for the hoped-for reopening, school board members unanimously approved a 10-cent increase in the full price of a school lunch, from $2.85 to $2.95, effective in the fall. Pooler explained that under the federal education department’s formula, Vassalboro should be charging $3. Vassalboro officials are allowed to reach the required level in 10-cent steps. Failure to comply would mean a reduced federal subsidy for the lunch program.

Board members accepted the recommendation to spend $20,392 for an upgrade of the phone system, including updating what Technology Coordinator Will Backman calls its brain and buying new handsets compatible with the improved brain. Pfeiffer said the money will come from the current year’s budget, specifically from anticipated savings due to the shut-down this spring.

The board approved a 2020-21 school calendar that has classes starting Wednesday, Aug. 26. Staff will hold preschool preparatory workshops Aug. 24 and Aug. 25.

Pfeiffer reported he had signed the contract to share in a solar energy project under development in Skowhegan (in which the Town of Vassalboro is also participating). Attorney Aga Dixon advised him to expect no immediate follow-up, because the project developers are waiting for other municipalities and schools to decide whether to join.

After previous discussions, board members approved buying into the solar development to reduce electricity costs. The project is currently expected to begin providing power early in 2021 and to run for at least 25 years.

Pfeiffer reminded board members that Vassalboro’s annual town meeting, at which voters will decide on the 2020-21 school budget among other items, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday evening, June 22. Voters will assemble at VCS. Pfeiffer, town officials and others are planning safely-spaced seating and other precautions.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, June 16, and is expected to be a virtual meeting.