Maine Arts Academy recognizes all 41 graduates of the class of 2023, according to a news release from Diane Manter at the academy. Among the class’s top ten seniors are Alexis Scott, who was second, and Alyssa Gagne, who was third, both of Windsor.
Graduation will be Thursday, June 1, at the Augusta Civic Center.
The University of Vermont, in Burlington, Vermont, has announced the following local students have been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester.
Jillian Brown, from Augusta, is majoring in human development and family studies.
Autumn Boody, from Washington, is majoring in communication sciences and disorders.
Abbigail Doiron, from Augusta, is majoring in health sciences.
Top row, left-to-right: Jessica Benedict, Luke Carey, Lindsay Hamilton, Mliss Hem, Robert Lindblom.
Bottom row: Gabriella Manzer, Caitlyn Oliver, Conner Peabody, William Price, Hunter Sousa
Jessica Benedict is the daughter of Michael and Amanda Benedict, of Anson and April Everton, of Brownville. Jessica will be attending York County Community College for Animal Care and Management.
Luke Carey – Valedictorian, is the son of Erik and Tanya Carey, of Embden. Luke will be attending the University of Maine at Farmington for Actuarial Science.
Lindsay Hamilton is the daughter of Matthew and Marsha Hamilton, of Clinton. Lindsay will be attending the University of Maine at Presque Isle for Biology.
Mliss Hem – Salutatorian, is the daughter of Margaret and Bunn Hem, of New Portland. Mliss will be attending Washington County Community College for Business Management.
Robert Lindblom is the son of Robert and Nicole Lindblom, of Solon. Robert will be attending Thomas College for Education.
Gabriella Manzer is the daughter of Jeremy Manzer, of Anson, and Erin Caldwell, of North Anson. Gabriella will be attending Kennebec Valley Community College for the Paramedic Program.
Caitlyn Oliver is the daughter of Lawrence and Renee Oliver, of Embden. Caitlyn will be continuing in the work force.
Conner Peabody is the son of Robert and Carrie Peabody, of Solon. Conner will be attending Bentley University for Accounting.
William Price is the son of William and Amy Price, of Anson. William will be enlisting in the United States Navy.
Hunter Sousa is the son of Kevin and Elisa Sousa, of Embden. Hunter will be attending Washington County Community College for their Conservation Law Program.
Cassondra Heath, of Liberty, was named to the Abilene Christian University, in Abilene, Texas, fall 2022 dean’s honor roll. Heath is a freshman majoring in music teaching.
The following local residents have earned an Award of Excellence at Western Governors University, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The award is given to students who perform at a superior level in their coursework.
Whitney Poplawski, of Augusta, has earned an Award of Excellence at Western Governors University Leavitt School of Health.
Brenda Ryder, of Liberty, has earned an Award of Excellence at Western Governors University College of Business.
The following local students were named to the 2022 fall semester dean’s list at Simmons University, in Boston, Massachusetts: Emma Soule, of Farmingdale, Abigail Bloom, of Waterville, and Maddie Beckwith, of Winslow.
Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)
Freya Caison, Camden Desmond, Emma Freeman, Tucker Lizzotte, Evelyn Meyer, Sawyer Plossay, Oliver Sugden, Alivia Twitchell and Mayla Wilson.
Hunter Brown, Kamdyn Couture, Cooper Grant, Sophia-Lynn Howard, Brooklyn Leach, Landon Lindquist, Simon Olson, Landon Quint, Willa Rafuse, Alexis Reed, Asher Smith and Robert Wade.
Twila Cloutier, Xainte Cloutier, Samantha Craig, Mariah Estabrook, Riley Fletcher, Leah Hyden, Sarina Lacroix, Olivia Perry, Juliahna Rocque, Cassidy Rumba and Charles Stein.
Basil Dillaway, Zoe Gaffney, Allyson Gilman, Cheyenne Lizzotte, Adrian Sousa, Grace Tobey and Ava Woods.
Benjamin Allen, Zoey Demerchant, Drew Lindquist, Caleb Marden, Abigail Prickett and Judson Smith.
Adalyn Glidden, Noah Pooler, and Bryson Stratton.
Titus Caruthers, Parker Estabrook, Marley Field, Norah French, Henry Gray, Olivia Hartford, Finn Malloy, Bryson McKay, Gage Nason, Gabriella Reynolds, Raegin Rodgers, Sawyer Weston, Haley Witham, and Alivia Woods.
Ryder Austin, Alexander Bailey, Rylee Boucher, Braiden Crommett, Molly Dearborn, Liam Dowe, Chase Fay, Ashlynn Hamlin, Avery Hamlin, Tanner Hughes, Kendall Karlsson, Aria Lathrop, Jackson Robichaud, Keegan Robinson, and Christopher Santiago.
Lukas Blais, Dawson Frazer, Aubrey Goforth, Chanse Hartford, Aubrey Judkins, Elliott Rafuse, Isaiah Smith, Haven Trainor, and Cameron Willett.
Samuel Bechard, Bryleigh Burns, Baylee Fuchswanz, Savannah Judkins, Agatha Meyer, Jaelyn Moore and Weston Pappas.
Juliet Boivin, Tristyn Brown, Ryleigh French, Katherine Maxwell, Paige Perry, Bentley Pooler, Hannah Tobey and Reid Willett.
Owen Couture, Ryley Desmond, Peyton Dowe, Wyatt Ellis, Madison Field, Kylie Grant, Spencer Hughes, Jack Malcolm, Alexis Mitton, Kole Pratt, Grady Sounier, Kaleb Tolentino, Mackullen Tolentino and Autumn Willis.
Brayden Lang-Knights, Preston Richmond, Trenten Theobald, and Roman Wentworth
Reese Chechowitz, Levi Demerchant, Ashton Derosby, Anthony Dyer, Elliot Stratton, Gabriel Tucker and William Vincent
Kiara Apollo, Wyatt Devoe, Brandon Fortin, Camden Foster, Peter Giampietro, Lucian Kinrade, Isaac Leonard and Arianna Muzerolle.
Emily Clark, Fury Frappier, Jack LaPierre, Mia McLean and Landen Theobald.
Dominick Bickford, Gabriella Brundage, Drake Goodie, Cooper Lajoie, Trinity Pooler, Brooke Reny and Alana Wade.
Aliya Bourque, Madison Burns, Logan Chechowitz, Xavier Foss, Bailey Goforth, Mason Lagasse, Bryella Leighton, Olivia Hartford, Henry Olson, Josslyn Ouellette and Payton Thorndike.
Breckon Davidson, left, with his grandfather, John Shields. (contributed photo)
The Kennebec Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra (KVYSO), is proud to feature Breckon Davidson, a senior at Erskine Academy, in South China, in our Senior Spotlight article. He is a talented, diligent musician whose participation in KVYSO has added to the quality and level of ensemble community.
Breckon began his musical journey with piano lessons, from age six until he was nine. At that point, he picked up the cello after seeing Pineland Suzuki School (an organization of strings teachers in central Maine) perform at Granite Hill Estates.
“Working with Pineland in the beginning of my cello playing was amazing, and they had such a refined program for beginners. They had so many group classes, activities, and just made learning cello something that I had a ton of fun to do,” explained Breckon, eventually joining the Allegra Orchestra (Pineland’s beginner ensemble). “My favorite piece that we played with them was the theme to Jurassic Park.”
After auditioning for Kennebec Valley Youth Orchestra (KVYSO’s intermediate orchestra), he was not able to play with them that year in person due to Covid restrictions, but it “only fueled my excitement further. In the fall of 2020, we were able to play in person for the first time in what felt like forever, and it felt exhilarating to be part of an orchestra again.” After a year with KVYO, Breckon began playing with Kennebec Valley Youth Symphony (KVYSO’s advanced orchestra). “That was a huge deal, because that would be the first time in my life that I would be playing a full, unaltered symphony in concert. This was the real deal, and I took it very seriously.”
Around this time, Breckon joined Capital Strings (Pineland’s advanced ensemble) and started taking lessons with Jon Moody. “In Capital Strings, we got to play incredible arrangements of so many kinds of music, whether they be film scores, contemporary classical, folk music, what have you, and it was a joy. Eventually, I started doing the Bach cello suites, and have loved working on them ever since.”
In addition to being a member of KVYSO and Pineland, Breckon is also a part of the Jazz Band at Erskine, where he recently picked up bass. “At first it was like a whole new language, playing bass, but eventually I got the hang of it, and recently played in a concert at Erskine where I played bass in the Jazz Band and a jazz quartet, and played cello for a solo and for my composition class group.”
Music has been part of Breckon’s life for a long time. “I absolutely adore music, and it is an ever-present part of my life. There’s rarely a time that I’m not listening to music, the majority of it being classical. I’ve loved classical music for so long, and I find its rich textures and harmonies to be unlike any other type of music that I know of.”
As for future plans, Breckon plans on going to college as a biology major to become a psychiatrist. “As much as I love music, I also have a great passion for science, and find psychology to be the most fascinating one to me, so I’ll make it my career.” We wish Breckon well as he pursues his goals after his time with us at KVYO is done.
We invite you to support Breckon and the Kennebec Valley Youth Orchestras for the Spring Concert on Friday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m., at the South Parish Congregation Church, in Augusta. Daniel Keller will be conducting our KVYO, with Jinwook Park conducting our KVYSO. The concert will feature the music of Mendelssohn, Debussy, Vivaldi, and more! In addition to joining them on May 5, please consider following them on Facebook and Instagram (Kennebec Valley Youth Symphony Orchestras). If you would like to donate to our program, please visit their website at https://www.kvyso.org/. They truly appreciate your support of our program!
Elmira College, in Elmira, New York, recently announced this year’s recipients of its annual Key Award. This year’s award was given to 761 students across 14 states and Puerto Rico. A tradition that goes back to 1935, the Key Award is presented to outstanding students in their junior year of high school or preparatory school. Those receiving the award included Emma Fortie and Jonathan Eccher Mullally, both of Oakland.
Matthew G. Parent, of Oakland, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, was named a Presidential Scholar for the Fall 2022 semester at Clarkson University, in Potsdam, New York.