Andrei Llanto, of Waterville, has been named to the deans’ list at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the fall semester of the 2022-23 academic year.
Llanto, a freshman majoring in business and law, was named to the dean’s list for the College of Business.
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.
Second Grade Chess Champ: Second grader, Gavin Henderson, left, won first place in a chess tournament, in Bangor, over February vacation. It was Gavin’s first tournament and he placed first in the K-4th grade unrated division. He plans to enter two more tournaments this year. Look for his name in the future. Gavin loves chess and practices whenever he can. He is pictured with RSU #18 Superintendent Carl Gartley who plans to challenge Gavin to a match in the near future. RSU #18 comprises the towns of Oakland, Belgrade, Rome, Sidney and China. (contributed photo)
More than 1,100 students earned a spot on the President’s List for the Fall 2022 semester at Coastal Carolina University, in Conway, South Carolina. Area students named to the president’s list include, Delaney Johnston, and Katelyn Robertson, both of Oakland
Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)
Vassalboro School Board members began review of the 2023-24 school budget at a special meeting March 7, with information on four cost centers.
The easiest category was ELL – English Language Learners. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said there are no ELL students this school year and none expected next year; he and finance director Paula Pooler agreed it should be safe to budget no money for 2023-24.
Certification – the budget lines that provide assistance to novice teachers – will have almost as little impact on the budget. Pfeiffer proposes budgeting less than $5,000 for that account.
For the 2023-24 technology budget, technology coordinator Will Backman requests almost $71,000, an increase of over $27,000 from the current year. Backman told school board members more than half the increase is intended for a rearrangement of the technology center.
He and Vassalboro Community School teacher and technology systems administrator David Trask explained that the central equipment is currently divided between two closets, one shared with the janitors. The plan is to consolidate everything in one server room. Backman does not yet know how much rewiring will be needed.
Backman also recommends $5,000 to replace a server, plus the usual technology costs and fees. The two experts and Principal Ira Michaud commented on technology added during the pandemic to facilitate remote learning that will be kept because teachers are finding it useful in classroom learning.
The largest budget item presented March 7 was the transportation account. Transportation Director Ashley Pooler is asking for a little over $647,000, an increase of more than $50,000.
The request does not include new school buses, although Peiffer said by next year board members might see a recommendation for at least one. An attached chart shows two of Vassalboro’s 12 buses have more than 100,000 miles on their odometers.
Pooler does recommend buying a third van; her chart lists two in service this year, each with a capacity of seven students. She further recommends another secretary in the transportation department, partly because of the increasing number of vans to support students’ educational programming.
Pooler and her staff serve all three formerly-united towns, Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow, so the secretarial costs would be shared.
Pooler also recommends an increase in the vehicle maintenance budget.
Pfeiffer commented that Vassalboro’s fleet is “in good shape right now,” and as of March 7 the school department had enough drivers, many of them Vassalboro residents.
School budget discussions will continue at future meetings, to be announced as they are scheduled. The next topics Pfeiffer intends to present include buildings and grounds and special education (“a big one,” he warned).
The superintendent reported that high-school tuition went up 6.5 percent in December 2022, “one of the biggest jumps ever.” The 2022-23 Vassalboro budget was calculated to cover a three percent increase.
Because budgets are done in the spring every year and the new tuition rate comes out in December, school board and budget committee members and town meeting voters can only guess how much to appropriate.
The next regular Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Vassalboro Community School.
Following are names of local students whose outstanding academic performance earned them a spot on Clark University’s Fall 2022 dean’s list, in Worcester, Massachusetts:
Anna Pellerin, of Winslow, was named to first honors, and Sam N. Golden, of South China, was named to second honors.
Eastern Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University, in Willimantic, Connecticut, recently released its dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester. Among them is full-time student Olivia Bourque, of Vassalboro, who majors in psychology and biology.
Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, New Hampshire, has released the dean’s list of high academic achievers for the first semester of the 2022-2023 school year.
Christopher King, a natural sciences major in the class of 2024, from Sidney, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester.
Photo credit: University of New England Facebook page
The following students have been named to the dean’s list for the 2022 fall semester at the University of New England, in Biddeford.
Albion: Emma McPherson and Olivia McPherson.
Augusta: Valerie Capeless, Zinaida Gregor, Jessica Guerrette, Brooklynn Merrill, Daraun White and Julia White.
Benton: Jessica Andrews.
Fairfield: Caitlyn Mayo.
Jefferson: Mallory Audette.
Oakland: Kierra Bumford and Francesca Caccamo.
Palermo: Peyton Sammons.
Sidney: Sarah Kohl.
Skowhegan: Wylie Bedard, Elizabeth Connelly, Ashley Mason and Dawson Turcotte.
South China: Richard Winn.
Vassalboro: Adam Ochs.
Waterville: Mohammad Atif-Sheikh, Elias Nawfel, Grace Petley and Evan Watts.
Winslow: Juliann Lapierre, Kristopher Loubier and Justice Picard.
Bryant University, in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is pleased to recognize the students who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to academic excellence and achievement and have been named to the fall 2022 deans’ list. The include:
Jonathan Christopher, of Oakland, Samuel Schmitt and Carly Warn, both of Winslow.