Erskine’s Sarah Jarosz receives MPA principals award

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Sarah Jarosz

Sarah Jarosz, of Waterville, a senior at Erskine Academy, in South China, has been selected to receive the 2020 Principal’s Award, Headmaster Michael McQuarrie announced recently. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principal’s Assoc­ia­tion, is given in recognition of a high school senior’s academic excellence, outstanding school citizenship, and leadership.

Jarosz is a consistent high-honors student in a highly competitive academic program that includes all classes taken at the honors or accelerated level and numerous Advanced Placement courses and Concurrent Enrollment classes with nearby colleges. She has received recognition and accolades from within and outside the school for her standout accomplishments in the classroom, athletics, dance, and several hundred hours of voluntary community service.

“Sarah is universally respected and esteemed by the school community. She is an exemplary student, citizen, and fine representative of Erskine Academy and young people in general, and she personifies the school’s core values of scholarship, leadership, stewardship and relationships,” noted Headmaster McQuarrie when making the award.

Jarosz, McQuarrie, and other award winners and their principals will attend an Honors Luncheon at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer on Saturday, April 4, 2020, at 12:30 p.m.

The Honors Luncheon recognizes outstanding students, such as Jarosz, with the presentation of an individual plaque and the awarding of seven $1,000 scholarships in the names of former Maine principals and MPA executive directors.

Erskine Academy girls basketball team holds fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis

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Participants in the Erskine Academy girls basketball team fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis, held at the school on January 26. Over $500 was raised for those stricken with MS, who need help with medical bills. (photo courtesy of Jane Golden)

Cassidy Roderick, left, with Erskine girls basketball coach Bob Witts. (photo courtesy of Jane Golden)

The Erskine Academy girls’ basketball team hosted a charity basketball clinic on January 26 with proceeds going to the Maine chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Thirty-five athletes between the ages of 8 and 12 came to the two-hour clinic to not only learn skills, but to also help raise funds for this worthy cause. Coach Bob Witts and several members of the girls’ basketball team worked with the clinic participants to run them through fun drills, teach them skills, and to play a few games.

Over $550 was raised at this event, which will go towards getting wheelchairs and walkers for people as well as helping pay medical bills for those that cannot afford it in Maine with multiple sclerosis (MS).

One of the Erskine basketball players, Mackenzie Roderick, has been personally affected by MS, as her sister, Cassidy, was diagnosed with the disease a year and a half ago, making this cause very special to her and her teammates. Cassidy joined the participants at the clinic, speaking to the kids and parents about how her wheelchair helps her, especially when she needs to walk a great distance or for a long amount of time.

This was a great way to inform the community about MS and its effects on the lives of those who have it. Congratulations to the Erskine Academy girls’ basketball team for holding such an important fundraiser, and thank you to the community for supporting this cause!

Submitted by Jane Golden, VP of HR, JMG Central Office, 65 Stone Street, Augusta, ME 04330.

Erskine Academy to host eighth grade open house

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(photo credit: Erskine Academy)

All eighth grade students and their parents from the surrounding communities are invited to attend the Erskine Academy 8th Grade Open House on Wednesday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m., in the gym. The administration strongly encourages all incoming freshmen and their parents to attend this event as registration materials will be available and information about the course selection process will be provided. In the case of inclement weather, a snow date of Thursday, February 27th has been set.

Parents who are unable to attend this event are asked to contact the Guidance Office at 445-2964 to request registration materials.

Erskine Academy first trimester honor roll 2019

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(photo credit: Erskine Academy)

Grade 12

High Honors: Lucy Allen, Jay Austin, Julia Basham, Derek Beaulieu, Haley Breton, Bridget Connolly, Summer Curran, Colby Cyr, Lily DeRaps, Vincent Emery, Nathan Evans, Alyssha Gil, Annika Gil, Boe Glidden, Bryce Goff, Joshua Gower, Tori Grasse, Alyssa Hale, Summer Hotham, Nicholas Howard, Julianna Hubbard, Sarah Jarosz, Cameron Johnson, Benjamin Lagasse, Benjamin Lavoie, Eleena Lee, Madison Leonard, Gabriel Lewis, Stephanie Libby, Jordan Linscott, Jakob Mills, Krysta Morris, Nathaniel Mosher, Lyndsie Pelotte, Matthew Picher, Hunter Praul, Miina Raag-Schmidt, Benjamin Reed, Mitchel Reynolds, Andrew Robinson, Alyssa Savage, Santasia Sevigny, Taylor Shute, Brandon Tibbs, Katelyn Tibbs, Hailee Turner, Cameron Tyler and Richard Winn.

Honors: Pedro Albarracin, Lucas Anderson, Alec Baker, Adam Bonenfant, Ashlee Bossie, Alexander Buzzell, Kole-Tai Carlezon, David Chubbuck Jr, Dominic Denico, Michael Dusoe Jr, Dominick Dyer, Cheyann Field, Jada Fredette, Mitchell Gamage, Lydia Gilman, Ella Giroux, Emma Harvey, Gage Henderson, Ashley Huntley, Emily Jacques, Ricker Jean, Colby Johnson, Kyle Jones, Luke Jordan, Tristan Klemanski, Brandon LaChance, Cole Leclerc, William Leeman, Desiree Leighton, Sydney Lord, Brandon Loveland, Shawn Manning, Reece McGlew, Lexigrace Melanson, Kaytie Millay, Jamara Moore, Adalaide Morris, Isaak Peavey, Chandler Peele, Jasmine Plugge, Hailei-Ann Reny, Dominic Rodrigue, Katelyn Rollins, Shawn Seigars, Serena Sepulvado, Nicholas Shelton, Danielle Shorey, Ryan Sidelinger, Kayla Sleeper, Dominic Smith, Lily Solorzano, Makenzi Strout, Matthew Stultz, Jacob Sutter, Nicole Taylor, Courtney Tibbetts, Kaitlyn Tims, Ashleigh Treannie and Andrew Weymouth.

Grade 11

High Honors: Philip Allen, Nicholas Barber, Abbygail Blair, Jane Blanchard, Samantha Box, Trevor Brockway, Hailey Brooks, Zoe Butler, Cody Devaney, Jacob Devaney, Brandon Devine, Amelia Evans, Addison Gamage, Margaret Gamage, Hailey Haskell, Avery Henningsen, Braydon Hinds, Paeshance-Rae Horan, Emma Hutchinson, Delaney Ireland, Bryan Joslyn Jr, Madyx Kennedy, Sierra LaCroix, Isabela Libby, Emily Lowther, Chiara Mahoney, Michael Nicholas III, Ian Oliphant, Olive Padgett, Courtney Paine, Isabella Parlin, Annaliese Patterson, Elek Pelletier, Aiden Pettengill, Sydni Plummer, Harry Rabideau, Kristin Ray, Allison Roddy, Acadia Senkbeil, Hanna Spitzer and Kelby Young.

Honors: Mara Adams, Brooke Allen, Paris Bedsaul, Rylee Bellemare, Isabella Bishop, Everett Blair, Christopher Bourdon, Eleanor Brown, Ethan Cates, Anthony Chessa, Ashley Clavette, Adrianna Cook, Saydi Cote, Joshua Cowing, Nolan Cowing, McKayla Doyon, Katelynn Dubriel, Cameron Gifford, Avril Goodman, Patrick Hanley, Nathan Howell, Haley Laird, Logan Lee, Graydon Leeman, Joanna Linscott, Colby Lloyd, Eva Malcolm, Xavian Marable, Jonathan Martinez, Hailey Mayo, Riley Mayo, Mikala McIntyre, Isaiah Michaud, Nathan Million, Alicia Nelson, Tyler Ormonde, Brian Ouellette, Daniel Page, Anna Pfleging, Colby Rumpf, Hailey Sanborn, Alessandro Smith, Carly Spencer, Jarre St., Aarick Staples, Ariel Stillman, Riley Sullivan, Chloe Taylor, Joshua Tobey, Mollie Wilson, Dylan Wing and Samuel York.

Grade 10

High Honors: Griffin Anderson, Isaac Baker, Julia Barber, Autumn Boody, Lilian Bray, Emily Clark, Tabitha Craig, Isabella DeRose, Emma Fortin, Wyatt French, Samantha Golden, Hayden Hoague, Grace Hodgkin, Rachel Huntoon, Emma Jefferson, Grace Kelso, Taidhgin Kimball, Aidan Larrabee, Robert McCafferty, Adam Ochs, Devon Polley, Sarah Praul, Riley Reitchel, Mackenzie Roderick, Abbey Searles, Shawn Searles, Andrew Shaw, Hannah Soule, Hannah Strout-Gordon, Lily Thompson and Lily Vinci.

Honors: Elliott Atwood, Alana Beggs, Jacob Bentley, Gabriella Berto-Blagdon, Jack Blais, Evan Butler, Abrial Chamberlain, Nathaniel Collins, Hunter Colson, Jesse Cowing, Liberty Crockett, Colby Cunningham, Luke Desmond, Madison Devine, Kaden Doughty, Alexander Drolet, Abigail Dutton, Kelsie Fielder, Jacob Fisher, Chase Folsom, Jenna Gallant, Josette Gilman, Ciera Hamar, Thomas Hanley, Trace Harris, Skye Havey, Isaac Hayden, Hannah Huff, Tanner Klasson, Madelyne Koehling, Mallory Landry, Garrison Leeman, Lili Lefebvre, Shawn Libby, Madison Lully, Isavel Lux Soc, David Martinez-Gosselin, Calvin Mason, Wes McGlew, Kaden McIntyre, Christian Moon, Rebecca Morton, Brady O’Connor, Connor Owens, Abigail Peaslee, Kaden Plourde, Lilly Potter, Paige Reed, Parker Reynolds, Kadince Rideout, Annalee Rogers, Natalie Spearin, Brennen Wade, Samuel Worthley, Emily York, Hannah York and Hayden Young.

Grade 9

High Honors: Carson Appel, Andrew Bentley, McKenzie Berry, Abigail Beyor, Eve Boatright, Alexis Buotte, Nicholas Choate, Nickolas Christiansen, Breckon Davidson, Nicole DeMerchant, Lillian Dorval, Grace Ellis, Lilly Fredette, Alyssa Gagne, Loralei Gilley, Reiana Gonzalez, Cooper Grondin, Mallary Hanke, Elizabeth Hardy, Alexzander Hoffman, Kassidy Hopper, Grady Hotham, Grace Hutchins, Olivia Hutchinson, Hallie Jackson, Hannah Jackson, Beck Jorgensen, Kaiden Kelley, Meadow Laflamme, Zephyr Lani-Caputo, Dale Lapointe, Dinah Lemelin, Gwen Lockhart, Malachi Lowery, Emily Majewski, Lily Matthews, Brooklyn McCue, River Meader, Nabila Meity, Galen Neal III, Maddison Paquet, Timber Parlin, Kayla Peaslee, Gabriel Pelletier, Sophia Pilotte, Alexis Rancourt, Cadence Rau, Samantha Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Ally Rodrigue, Noah Rushing, Emmalee Sanborn, Jacob Seigars, Sophie Steeves, Jacob Sullivan, Paige Sutter, Aidan Tirrell, Mackenzie Toner, Emma Tyler, Julia Wade, Damon Wilson and Aidan Witham.

Honors: Molly Anderson, Kassidy Barrett, Katherine Bourdon, Emma Charest, Courtney Cowing, Kayleen Crandall, Myra Evans, Isaac Farrar, Alivia Gower, Carson Grass, Ronald Haskell Jr, Tyreke Hitchener, Acadia Kelley, Brady Kirkpatrick, Casey Kirkpatrick, Matthew Knowles, Emmet Lani-Caputo, Emily Laweryson, Joseph Lemelin, Brenden Levesque, Bryce Lincoln, Aimee Lizotte, Cooper Loiko, Gage Moody, Ethan Ouellette, Hannah Patterson, Jenna Perkins, Casey Petty, Kathleen Pfleging, Kaden Porter, Karen Potter, Parker Potter, Conner Rowe, Jarell Sandoval, Isabella Smith, Kiley Stevens, Emma Stred, Camyrin Thompson, Hannah Toner, Lauren Tyler and Joseph Wing.

Erskine senior receives Next Gen honorable mention

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Eleena Lee

Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a nonprofit committed to ensuring that all students leave high school with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex financial world, is pleased to announce that Eleena Lee, a senior at Erskine Academy, has received an Honorable Mention Award in their third annual PAYBACK Challenge.

Over 900 students from across the United States submitted essays earlier last fall after playing the award-winning college finance game, PAYBACK. Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of NGPF, states, “Over 200,000 students played PAYBACK during the contest period. It was great to see the impact this game had on students’ attitudes and actions as they decide on their educational path after high school.”

Each of the honorable mention winners will receive a $500 award from NGPF to be used for educational purposes.

Erskine Academy Parent/Teacher conferences set for Jan. 15

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(photo credit: Erskine Academy)

Erskine Academy has scheduled Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, January 15, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. (snow date will be Thursday, January 16). No appointments are necessary as teachers will be available to speak with parents in their respective classrooms.

In addition, the Guidance Office will offer a brief presentation for parents of underclassmen about the post-secondary planning process and the basics of financial aid as well as a review of the course registration process for the 2020-21 school year. This presentation will begin at 6 p.m., in the library.

Please feel free to contact the Guidance Office at 445-2964 with any questions or concerns regarding this information.

Erskine Renaissance Awards presented for December 2019

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Seniors of the Trimester, front row, from left to right, Julia Basham and Summer Hotham. Back row, Lucy Allen, Jacob Sutter, Ben Reed and Dominic Smith. (contributed photo)

On Friday, December 13, Erskine Academy students and staff attended a Renaissance Assembly to honor their peers with Renaissance Awards.

Left, Faculty of the Trimester, Jennifer Tibbetts, left, and Eileen McNeff. (contributed photo)

Recognition Awards were presented to the following students: Jack Allen, Lily Bray, Nathan Million, Sydni Plummer, Hanna Spitzer, Benjamin Lavoie, Alyssha Gil, and Eleena Lee.

In addition to Recognition Awards, Senior of the Trimester Awards were also presented to six members of the senior class: Lucy Allen, daughter of Patrick and Shirley Allen, of Windsor; Julia Basham, daughter of Tim and Catherine Basham, of China; Dominic Smith, son of Katrina and Dan Jackson, of Whitefield; Ben Reed, son of Kevin and Jennifer Reed, of Vassalboro; Summer Hotham, daughter of Charles and Heide Hotham, of Palmero; and Jacob Sutter, son of Richard and Jenny Sutter, of Palermo. Seniors of the Trimester are recognized as individuals who have gone above and beyond in all aspects of their high school careers.

In appreciation of their dedication and service to Erskine Academy, Faculty of the Trimester awards were also presented to Jennifer Tibbetts, mathematics instructor; and Eileen McNeff, business office bookkeeper.

Erskine Leos raise money for Camp Sunshine

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Erskine Leos outside of Camp Sunshine, from left to right, Advisor Roxanne Malley, Ashley Clavette, Chiara Mahoney, Abby Blair, Xavian Marable, Andrew Robinson, Ricky Win, Autumn Boody, Acadia Senkbeil, Hannah Spitzer, and Sierra LeCroix.

Erskine Leos have held several fundraisers this year to raise money for Camp Sunshine. In August, along with the Whitefield Lions, the Leos coordinated a Lions vs. Leos bowling tournament and in October they held a Crusin’ event during homecoming. Last week, they presented Camp Sunshine with a $2,000 check from their efforts. Lions have been supporting Camp Sunshine for 25 years.

Dominic Smith is Erskine Academy’s National Merit Scholarship student

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Dominic Smith

Erskine Academy, in South China, has announced that Dominic Smith, son of Katrina and Dan Jackson, of Whitefield, has been named a Commended Student in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Smith is among approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation who are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although Smith will not continue in the 2020 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2020 competition. Commended students receive a Letter of Commendation from their school and the National Merit Scholarship Program in recognition of this honor.

Erskine students think globally to establish a United Nations Girl Up club

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Members of the Erskine Academy Girl Up program. (Contributed photo)

by Jeanne Marquis

During the summer before her junior year at Erskine Academy, in South China, Madyx Kennedy searched online for a new school organization. She was already active in the clubs Erskine offered, but she was looking for a club that could make a difference in the world and better matched her passions for her own future. Madyx came across an organization founded in 2010 by the United Nations called Girl Up.

Girl Up supports programs globally to provide adolescent girls an equal chance for education, health, social and economic opportunities, and a life free from violence. Why Girls? When girls are empowered by education, it raises their families and community out of poverty. One in seven girls in developing countries marry before age 15. When marriage is delayed and a girl has the opportunity to attend school, her income potential rises 10-20 percent for each year of schooling.

“What it boils down to is simple: If we want to drive progress in the world, we need to put girls in the driver’s seat.” – Kathy Calvin, CEO and President, UN Foundation.

Erskine student and local Girl Up chapter founder Madyx Kennedy. (photo by Jeanne Marquis)

Madyx, the Erskine Girl Up club founder, was inspired when she came across the Girls Up website. This organization’s mission aligned with what she envisions for her own future. She plans to go on to law school after her undergraduate degree and be a legal advocate for gender equality.

Madyx did her homework over the summer, so to speak, and learned what it took to establish a Girl Up club at Erskine. Headmaster Michael McQuarrie was highly supportive. Madyx compiled a list of potential teacher advisors for the club and prepared to go to each one to promote her idea. Ms. Beth Lawrence, her Spanish teacher, was the first one on that list and told her without any hesitation she wanted to be their advisor. When she had the school administration on board, the lingering question was ‘would there be enough support from her fellow students?’

Madyx was asked to speak about the club at an assembly in September. At the end of her presentation, she asked those who were interested to meet her by the stage. She expected two or three other students, instead to her amazement, she found nearly 30 other enthusiastic students, including a few males.

Nate Farrar learned at the first meeting the impact the club could make around the world. Nate says, “You don’t have to be a female to help out a great cause for today’s society involving women, step up men.”

After only two meetings, Erskine’s newly-formed Girl Up club has projects underway. The club’s first major project is to raise money to purchase bikes for girls to get to school. The lack of transportation can be a major barrier to getting an education in developing nations, especially for girls. SchoolCycle, one of the initiatives of the Girl Up organization, has raised funds for 1,550 bikes for girls in Malawi and 250 bikes for girls in Guatemala. In Malawi, less that 25 percent of girls finish primary school. In both these countries, families live many miles to the closest school, putting girls in risk of violence or harassment during their commute.

The Girl Up club at Erskine Academy is already implementing a fundraising campaign to raise money for more bicycles—including letters to local business, a booth at the Erskine AFS craft fair on December 14, and a fundraising page at gofundme.com/school-cycle.

While seeking to make an impact globally, the Erskine students realize there is work to be done locally to help close the gender gap in our country. They envision, in the club’s future, hosting local workshops for middle school girls to build confidence and self-esteem. Madyx wants to pass along the spirit to younger girls that all things are possible.

“Madyx has always been raised to believe that she can do anything she sets her mind to and nothing isn’t possible, especially not because of her gender,” explains Alysia Farrington, Madyx’s mother. “I think Madyx has chosen law as her career path because she feels a strong need to make women’s voices heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”