Huard’s Sport Karate team member Lucia LaCroix, 12, of Skowhegan, captured first place in forms at the Ocean State Grand Nationals Martial Arts Tournament, in Warwick, Rhode Island, on Sunday, April 2. She also captured third place in weapons competition. (photo by Mark Huard)
Leon A. Gorman
Ten Maine community college students were awarded full tuition scholarships in honor of Leon A. Gorman for the upcoming 2022-2023 academic year. The students were celebrated Monday, May 23, 2022, in an online event with Gorman family members and L.L.Bean leadership.
This is the seventh year the Leon A. Gorman Scholarship has been given. The scholarship supports three students at Southern Maine Community College, two students at Central Maine Community College, and one student at the other five colleges. Each of the ten Leon A. Gorman Scholars will receive an award equal to a full year of tuition at a Maine community college.
Among the 2022 Leon A. Gorman Scholars recipients was Allison Pease, of Belgrade, studying as a physical therapist assistant, at Kennebec Valley Community College, in Fairfield.
Information about the Maine Community College System is available at: www.mccs.me.edu.
Carrabec High School
High honors: Jessica Benedict, Luke Carey, Joel Gehrke, Mliss Hem and Caitlyn Oliver.
Honors: Zebadiah Burnham, Lindsay Hamilton, Gabriella Manzer, Conner Peabody and Hunter Sousa.
High honors: Kolby Carpenter, Devyn DeLeonardis, Cooper Dellarma, Nevaeh Holmes, Dillon Nelson and Alyssa Schinzel.
Honors: Jayden Cates, Riley Crocker, Trevor Donahue, Molly Hay, Dylan Maynard, Daisy Page, Jordyn Plourd, Lucas Vicneire and Hailey Wyman.
High honors: Jeremy Barcelos, Lillian Cooley, Mason Courtney, Kobi Jennings, Haley McFadyen, Machaon Pierce, Seth Price, Desmond Robinson, Josephine Scheve, Brooks Sousa and Ciarrah Whittemore.
Honors: Michael Benedict, Jr., Logan Caldwell, Cortney Cote, Kallie Ebneter, Tayah Edmunds, Oakley Friend, Dayna Jean Labonte, Micayla Mercier, Seamus Miller, Levi Small, Ian Smith and Morgan Steuber.
High honors: Kara Prosser, Thomas Roderick, William Rogers, Hickory Smith and Myah Williams.
Honors: Karen Baker, Liliana Caldwell, Emma Campbell, Anna Canales, Zachary Davis, Macie Plourde and Devon Williams.
(photo credit: Erskine Academy)
High honors: Carson Appel, Kassidy Barrett, Abigail Beyor, Eve Boatright, Courtney Cowing, Breckon Davidson, Nicole DeMerchant, Lillian Dorval, Hailey Farrar, Loralei Frandsen, Lilly Fredette, Brianna Gardner, Alivia Gower, Cooper Grondin, Nabila Harrington, Grady Hotham, Grace Hutchins, Olivia Hutchinson, Hallie Jackson, Kaiden Kelley, Matthew Knowles, Meadow Laflamme, Dale Lapointe, Kendal Longtin, Malachi Lowery, Lily Matthews, Timber Parlin, Kayla Peaslee, Jonathan Peil, Gabriel Pelletier, Jenna Perkins, Sophia Pilotte, Kaden Porter, Alexis Rancourt, Cadence Rau, Samantha Reynolds, Ally Rodrigue, Conner Rowe, Noah Rushing, Jarell Sandoval, Gabriela Sasse, Zuriah Smith, Emma Stred, Paige Sutter, Mackenzie Toner, Emma Tyler, Katherine Williams, Damon Wilson and Joseph Wing.
Honors: Katherine Bourdon, Samuel Boynton, Caleb Buswell, Marianna Charlebois, Tianna Cunningham, Grace Ellis, Erin Fontaine, Ciara Glidden, Reiana Gonzalez, Carson Grass, Mallary Hanke, Kassidy Hopper, Beck Jorgensen, Acadia Kelley, Jakob Kennedy, Brady Kirkpatrick, Casey Kirkpatrick, Siena Klasson, Emmet Lani-Caputo, Dinah Lemelin, Gwen Lockhart, Brady Mayberry, River Meader, Gage Moody, Angelina Ochoa, Maddison Paquet, Hannah Patterson, Karen Potter, Paige Reed, Emmalee Sanborn, Sammantha Stafford, Sophie Steeves, Kiley Stevens, Daniel Stillman, Matthew Terry and Aidan Witham.
High Honors: Jana Alfoudari, Isabella Boudreau, Robin Boynton, Elizabeth Brown, Nolan Burgess, Carol Caouette-Labbe, Makayla Chabot, Elise Choate, Simon Clark, Alexia Cole, Brielle Crommett, Noah Crummett, Gavin Cunningham, Ciara Fickett, Hunter Foard, Aaralyn Gagnon, Caleb Gay, Hannah Kugelmeyer, Aidan Maguire, Johanna Malitz, Liberty Massie, David McCaig, Mala Meyer, Akela Mitchell, Austin Nicholas, Jeremy Parker, Nathan Polley, Jessica Pumphrey, Keith Radonis, Giacomo Smith, Adam St. Onge, Kinsey Stevens, Reese Sullivan and Baruch Wilson.
Honors: Tristan Anderson, Lacey Arp, Duncan Bailey, Heather Bourgoin, Wyatt Bray, Kaleb Brown, Hayden Chase, Connor Coull, Thomas Crawford, Caleigh Crocker, Keira Deschamps, Hailey Estes, Kaylee Fyfe, Jackson Gamblin, Brayden Garland, Leah Grant, Tucker Greenwald, Nathan Hall, Tara Hanley, Natalie Henderson, Jessica Hendsbee, Trinity Hyson, Kameron Kronillis, Stephanie Kumnick, Mackenzie Kutniewski, Sophie Leclerc, Jack Lyons, Richard Mahoney III, Holden McKenney, Gavin Mills, Lucas Mitchell, Cami Monroe, Alejandro Ochoa, Romin Riedmann, Evelyn Rousseau, Hayden Turgeon, Jack Uleau, Haley Webb and Elijah York.
High Honors: Haileigh Allen, Emmett Appel, Noah Bechard, Geneva Beckim, Octavia Berto, Lauryn Black, Brooke Blais, Olivia Brann, Keenan Clark, Madison Cochran, Hannah Cohen-Mackin, Andra Cowing, Gabrielle Daggett, Aidan Durgin, Ryan Farnsworth, Chloe French, Keeley Gagnon, Hailey Garate, Ellie Giampetruzzi, Jonathan Gutierrez, Serena Hotham, Kailynn Houle, Walker Jean, Ava Kelso, Rion Kesel, Sophia Knapp, Jack Lucier, Owen Lucier, Eleanor Maranda, Jade McCollett, Madison McNeff, Colin Oliphant, Gavyn Paradis, Wallace Pooler IV, Elsa Redmond, Lillian Rispoli, Nathan Robinson, Laney Robitaille, Aislynn Savage, Kyle Scott and Clara Waldrop.
Honors: Ava Anderson, Bryana Barrett, Jayda Bickford, Kaleb Bishop, Carter Brockway, Coleman Chase, Dylan Cooley, Lauren Cowing, Lillian Crommett, Trinity DeGreenia, Aydan Desjardins, Brady Desmond, John Edwards, Lucas Farrington, Clara French, Kaylene Glidden, Tristan Goodwin, Blake Grady, Abbi Guptill, Echo Hawk, Emma Henderson, Alivia Jackson, Rachel Johnson, Kaiden Kronillis, Cassie LaCroix, Bodi Laflamme, Chase Larrabee, Shelby Lincoln, Julian Martin, Abigail McDonough, Shannon McDonough, Elijah Moore, Makayla Oxley, Noah Pelletier, Sadie Pierce, Bronwyn Potter, Victoria Rancourt, Carter Rau, Justin Reed, Carlee Sanborn, Joslyn Sandoval Jordyn Smith, Zoey Smith, Emily Sprague, Parker Studholme, Katherine Swift, Kaylee Tims and Grace Vashon.
High Honors: Connor Alcott, Emily Almeida, Savannah Baker, Kylie Bellows, Landon Boynton, Addyson Briggs, London Castle, Nathan Choate, William Choate, Lillian Clark, Madeli Clement-Cargill, Sylvia Davis, Joshua Denis, Audryanna DeRaps, Lauren Dufour, William Ellsey Jr., Madison Griffiths, Willow Haschalk, Mia Hersom, Halle Jones, Savannah Knight, Kayle Lappin, Ava Lemelin, Paige McNeff, Parker Minzy, Jack Murray, Elijah Nelson, Bayley Nickles, Jordyn Parise, Ruby Pearson, Abigail Peil, Elijah Pelkey, Jackson Pelotte, Emily Piecewicz, Taisen Pilotte, Hannah Polley, Desirae Proctor, Michael Richardson, Owen Robichaud, Leahna Rocque, Jackie Sasse, Edward Schmidt, Felicity Seagrave, Kathryn Shaw, Madelynn Spencer, Evelyn Stevenson, Kayla Stred, Gentry Stuart, Abigail Studholme, Phoebe Taylor, Donovan Thompson, Kammie Thompson, Addison Turner and Addison Witham.
Honors: Anders Bassett, Brock Bowden, Benjamin Carle, Kolby Caswell, Claire Davis, Charles DeSchamp, Jacob Faucher, Stephen Gould, Aiden Hamlin, Aidan Huff, Kasen Kelley, Timothy Kiralis, Jacob Lavallee, Laylah Leach, Hayden Little, Aurora Littrell, Kloie Magoon, Kaiden Morin, Tucker Nessmith, Phoebe Padgett, Jacoby Peaslee, Lilian Piecewicz, Kameron Quinn, Hannah Ratcliff, Eli Redmond, Alexander Reitchel, Kameron Rossignol, Autumn Sawyer, Jaelyn Seamon, Eva Simmons, Nichala Small, Blake Smith, Trenton Smith, Benjamin Sullivan, Clara Theberge, Kamryn Turner, Charles Uleau, Isaac Vallieres, Alexander Walker, Oryanna Winchenbach, Brody Worth and Maddilyn York.
Alexis Grant, of Athens, and Sydney Veilleux, of Skowhegan, both Lasell University students from the School of Fashion, in Newton, Massachusetts, attended the Coterie and MAGIC trade shows at the Jacob Javits Center, in New York City, in February. The students met with vendors and buyers as they detailed fashion lines for the Fall 2024 season, and studied upcoming trends, colors, and silhouettes.
Emma Parrish, of Sidney, has been named to the MassBay Community College dean’s list, in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. Emma Parrish, who studies liberal arts, achieved this outstanding academic honor for the fall 2022.
Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)
Vassalboro School board members met earlier than usual April 6 to give preliminary approval to the 2023-24 school budget request, amended slightly from the draft they’d reviewed March 29 (see the April 6 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).
They then met with the Vassalboro Budget Committee to present the proposed school budget for that committee’s review.
The school board and the budget committee are scheduled to meet separately Tuesday, April 11, the school board at 6 p.m. at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) for its regular monthly meeting and the budget committee at 7 p.m. at the town office to consider its 2023-24 recommendations.
The revised school budget totals $9,027, 846.55, Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer reported. Of that amount, $145,475.81 is requested from local property taxes.
Pfeiffer distributed a sheet showing that fixed costs total almost 89 percent of the budget. These he defined as salaries and benefits, tuition, business services, the facilities director and fuel oil.
The superintendent, and during discussion with the budget committee Principal Ira Michaud, listed some of the reasons the proposed budget includes more people to assist students with individual problems and needs. They include residual effects of educational and social losses due to covid; many students being raised in single-parent homes or by grandparents; and effects of substance abuse (like a parent dying of a drug overdose, or a child permanently affected by being born to an addicted mother).
These issues are state-wide, not unique to Vassalboro, Pfeiffer said.
Michaud added to budget committee members that more Vassalboro students are being identified for extra help; staff are getting “better at figuring out students’ needs.”
Having the town’s Red Cross warming center for emergencies located at the school adds a small amount to the school budget, for maintenance and generator fuel, Pfeiffer added.
The school board’s discussion ended with Pfeiffer, Michaud and Assistant Principal Tabitha Brewer listing good things about VCS.
They included the school board approving collective bargaining agreements with salaries and benefits that keep VCS competitive in the area; the proposed social service staff additions; in-house curriculum planning for the coming school year; “a wonderful staff” (Michaud) who care enough about their students to spend extra time leading after-school programs; and a strong parent-teacher organization.
“It’s a lot of fun – we have fun every day,” Brewer said.
“We do,” Michaud agreed.
When school board and budget committee members met together, Pfeiffer expanded on some of the points made at the school board meeting.
The salary and benefits increases in six contracts range from three to six percent, he said.
The food service account, which was $180,000 in deficit in 2018, is currently $89,000 in the black. The 2023-24 budget does not include money to support the food service program.
Secondary tuition is up significantly. The figure is set by the state each December, based on secondary schools’ actual costs.
A year ago, Vassalboro’s budget did not foresee the 6.5 percent increase in December 2022. Pfeiffer hopes the two percent increase in the 2023-24 budget will cover what happens in December 2023.
“Tuition makes me the most nervous,” he told budget committee members.
Special education is another area of uncertainty, because if only one child needing extensive help moves to Vassalboro, costs rise significantly.
Budget committee members had questions on several topics, and Pfeiffer invited them to submit more before their April 11 meeting.
Pfeiffer and Michaud said:
The joint meeting ended with distribution of printed copies of the March 2023 VCS newsletter, also available at public places in town and on-line on the vcsvikings website under the “News” heading.
Seniors of the Trimester, from left to right: Lilly Fredette, Sophie Steeves, Damon Wilson, Grace Hutchins, Kassidy Barrett, and Malachi Lowery. (contributed photo)
On Friday, April 7, 2023, Erskine Academy, in South China, held a Renaissance assembly to recognize second trimester award recipients.
Recognition awards were presented to Elijah Pelkey, Hannah Ratcliff, Kyle Scott, Abigail McDonough, Hailey Estes, and Jeremy Parker.
Eight seniors received Senior of the Trimester Awards: Sophie Steeves, daughter of Theresa and Gerald Steeves, of China; Kassidy Barrett, daughter of Peggy and Jason Barrett, of Windsor; Malachi Lowery, son of Hollie Hilton, of Vassalboro, and John Lowery, of Ellsworth; Lilly Fredette, daughter of Jessica and Jason Fredette, of China; Grace Hutchins, daughter of Teresa and Randy Hutchin,s of Litchfield; Damon Wilson, son of Aimee and Jeffrey Wilson, of Windsor; and Zuriah Smith, son of Charyl Malik, of China. 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 Ethan Rettew, Social Studies Instructor; Marguerite Cullivan, Physical Education Instructor; and Betsy Benner, Guidance Counselor.
Faculty of the Trimester, from left to right: Betsy Benner, Ethan Rettew, and Marguerite Cullivan. (contributed photo)
Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)
Vassalboro school officials – primarily Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer, Principal Ira Michaud, and Special Education Director Tanya Thibeau – led school board members through the proposed 2023-24 budget at a March 29 workshop meeting.
Board members raised some questions during the workshop and were encouraged to send more as they reviewed the figures and explanations. The board is scheduled to meet again at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at Vassalboro Community School (VCS), before a joint meeting with budget committee and select board members at 7 p.m.
As of March 29, the proposed 2023-24 school budget was a little over $9 million, with state and school revenues providing more than $5 million and the remaining almost $4 million requested from local taxes.
Pfeiffer shared two pieces of good news. Vassalboro’s state allocation went up by about $115,000 when state education officials recalculated, he said; and the increase in insurance, budgeted at 10 percent, will be no more than six percent (a saving of at least $44,000 from the March 29 total; final figures are due April 7).
The superintendent said the school budget has not increased substantially in four years, despite increasing costs, and warned that the situation can’t last forever. Unlike many others, Vassalboro school department has no debt, he added.
Pfeiffer expressed appreciation to Finance Director Paula Pooler and her staff for many hours of work on the budgets for Vassalboro and its former partners, Waterville and Winslow. Vassalboro continues to save money by sharing staff with the other two towns.
Plans for 2023-24 include adding two VCS staff members. Pfeiffer and Michaud propose a second school counselor, and Thibeau recommends hiring an educational technician to work in the resource room with students who need extra help.
Pfeiffer made two points about staffing. First, he said, students are still dealing with effects of covid, and more than usual need individual attention. Second, special funds, like the 2020 federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, are contributing; when CARES funding ends, board members will need to decide whether to add money to the budget or reduce services.
CARES-funded personnel are aware that their employment may end when the CARES program ends in 2025, he said.
Board members are already looking ahead to future needs. Director of Maintenance and Grounds Shelley Phillips summarized building work discussed at the March 2 board meeting: repointing and cleaning the exterior brickwork, replacing the roof over the gymnasium and the cafeteria, replacing curbing along driveways and parking lots and air-conditioning the third floor.
Board member Jessica Clark asked Michaud about his long-term plans. The principal promptly replied that he would like VCS to offer an alternative education program, for students who don’t do well in regular programs, especially older students (grades six through eight).
Alternative education programs are aimed at integrating formal education and job skills, and often include an outdoor or environmental component. The example Michaud gave was a course led by an arborist, who would teach students about trees and also show them why they need reading, writing and math skills to succeed in the profession.
After the April 6 budget discussion, the next regular Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, at the school. It will be on the second Tuesday of the month, a week earlier than usual, because the week of April 17 is school vacation week.
Brianna Paine, of Madison, was named to the Fall 2022 dean’s list at Berry College, in Rome, Georgia. The dean’s list honors students who posted an academic average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale while carrying a class load of at least 12 hours during the semester.