Vassalboro Community School honors

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

GRADE 8

High honors: Emily Almeida, Ava Lemelin and Alexandria O’Hara. Honors: Anna Deaborn, William Ellsey, Jacob Lavallee, Paige Littlefield, Emily Piecewicz, Leahna Rocque and Addison Witham. Honorable mention: Saunders Chase, Madison Estabrook, Kaiden Morin, Lilian Piecewicz and Leah Targett.

GRADE 7

High honors: Henry Olson and Bryson Stratton. Honors: Madison Burns, Owen Couture, Ryley Desmond, Eilah Dillaway, Peyton Dowe, Alora Esquibel, Madison Field, Adalyn Glidden, Bailey Goforth, Kaitlyn Maberry, Jack Malcolm, Josslyn Ouellette, Natalie Rancourt and Mackullen Tolentino. Honorable mention: Emma Charleston, Tyler Clark, Wyatt Ellis, Xavier Foss, Kylie Grant, Caspar Hooper, Mason Lagasse, Olivia Leonard, Sawyer Livingstone, Alexis Mitton, Ayden Norton, Noah Pooler,Taiya Rankins and Kaleb Tolentino.

GRADE 6

High honors: Drew Lindquist, Caleb Marden, Paige Perry, Judson Smith and Reid Willett. Honors: Benjamin Allen, Juliet Boivin, Trustyn Brown, Gariella Brundage, Zoey DeMerchant, Jennah Dumont, Ryleigh French, Drake Goodie, Cooper Lajoie, Bentley Pooler, Abigail Prickett, Brooke Reny, Hannah Tobey and Alana Wade. Honorable mention: Dominick Bickford, Dylan Dodge, Zachary Kinrade, Trinity Pooler, William Trainor and Jade Travers.

GRADE 5

High honors: Samuel Bechard, Keegan Clark, Allyson Gilman, Jack LaPierre, Keighton LeBlanc, Cheyenne Lizzotte, Agatha Meyer, Grace Tobey and Ava Woods. Honors: Bryleigh Burns, Emily Clark, Basil Dillaway, Ariyah Doyen, Fury Frappier, Baylee Fuchswanz, Zoe Gaffney, Lillyana Krastev, Kaitlyn Lavallee, Mia McLean, Elliot McQuarrie, Mackenzy Monroe, Weston Pappas, Kassidy Proctor and Emma Robbins. Honorable mention: Peyton Bishop, Olivia Dumas, Tess Foster, Bayleigh Gorman, Aiden McIntyre, Jaelyn Moore and Kaylee Moulton.

GRADE 4

High honors: Twila Cloutier, Mariah Estabrook, Dawson Frazer, Lucian Kinrade, Sarina LaCroix, Olivia Perry, Cassidy Rumba, Haven Trainor and Cameron Willett. Honors: Zander Austin, Lukas Blais, Jayson Booker, Sophia Brazier, Xainte Cloutier, Kaylee Colfer, Samantha Craig, Riley Fletcher, Brandon Fortin, Peter Giampietro, Aubrey Goforth, Isaac Leonard, Jade Lopez, Juliahna Rocque, Isaiah Smith and Meadow Varney. Honorable mention: Aliyah Anthony, Kiara Apollo, Grace Clark, Wyatt Devoe, Dekan Dumont, Camden Foster and Landon Lagasse.

GRADE 3

High honors: Hunter Brown, Addison Dodge, Simon Olson, Alexis Reed, Jackson Robichaud and Robert Wade. Honors: Ryder Austin, Alexander Bailey, Rylee Boucher, Kamdyn Couture, Braiden Crommott, Mikkah-Isabella Grant, Cooper Grant, Tanner Hughes, Kendall Karlsson, Brooklyn Leach, Landon Quint, Willa Rafuse, Christopher Santiago, Asher Smith and William Vincent. Honorable mention: Maverick Brewer, Reese Chechowitz, Levi DeMerchant, Liam Dowe, Hunter Green, Aubrie Hill, Sophia-Lynn Howard, Jase Kimball, Aria Lathrop, Landon Lindquist, Elliot Stratton and Mason York-Baker.

Maine Catholic schools to lift mask mandate on March 7

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St. Mary’s Catholic Church

The Diocese of Portland has notified school communities that it is planning to eliminate the mask mandate in place at Catholic elementary and high schools starting on Monday, March 7.

“Though masks will no longer be required, teachers and students who wish to continue to mask will certainly be allowed to do so,” said Marianne Pelletier, superintendent of Maine Catholic Schools. “We chose March 7 to ensure that there isn’t another outbreak or rise in cases upon return to class from the February break that would necessitate the continued use of masks.”

The masking policies and safety protocols in place at the diocesan schools have allowed for continuous, in-person education at Catholic schools since September of 2020.

“We believe students are best served when learning in school,” said Pelletier. “Thanks to the understanding, cooperation, and generosity of our school families, faculty, and staff, we were able to continue to provide a safe and healthy school environment for our students. It was a partnership that worked diligently to protect each other and the wider community.”

As always, if the number of positive cases surges in a specific town, city, or school, mitigation measures, including mandatory masking, could be reinstated.

The schools overseen by the Office of Maine Catholic Schools includes St. Michael School, in Augusta.

VASSALBORO: Mothers want to nix mask requirement

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

At their Feb. 15 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members again heard from half a dozen mothers who do not want their children to wear masks in school. Board members corrected two pieces of misinformation the parents had heard, and Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said he is “incredibly hopeful” that if Maine’s covid cases continue to decline, requirements will ease.

Mothers said their children “hate masks” and are therefore unenthusiastic about school, and masks worsen the health of children with asthma and other conditions that affect their breathing.

Some parents had heard that students are forbidden to talk in the cafeteria while they are eating with their masks off. Assistant Principal Greg Hughes said talking is allowed, although lunchroom monitors prefer conversations after students finish eating and put their masks on again.

Some teachers are stricter than others about silencing students, one parent commented.

The other incorrect information the group quoted was that Maine schools get extra state funds if they require masks. Absolutely untrue, Pfeiffer, board chairman Kevin Levasseur and Finance Director Paula Pooler all said.

Pfeiffer said he and other superintendents have been meeting with half a dozen Maine education and health groups and government officials to talk about the masking requirement. Depending on what the pandemic does, new state guidance might be issued in a month or so, he said. The parents were audibly displeased at the prospect of no action for a month.

In other business, Pfeiffer reported that 19 students have registered to attend pre-kindergarten at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) in the 2022-23 school year. To take advantage of offered state funding for a second pre-k class, 30 or more students are needed. He encouraged board and audience members to spread the word.

He further reported that the shortage of substitute teachers continues.

Food Service Director John Hersey is working on a survey to be sent to students and parents about the school lunch menu, Pfeiffer said. The goal is to increase participation in the free school lunch program by making menus more appealing.

The VCS Vikings website is being redone, with the new version scheduled to be ready Feb. 27, Pfeiffer said. He expects it will help people find what they want “with fewer clicks.”

Board members’ next big project is development of the 2022-23 school budget request. They scheduled a preliminary discussion for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in the VCS gymnasium.

At Pfeiffer’s request, to give him more time to draft a budget, they postponed their regular March meeting by one week, to Tuesday, March 22 “from 6 p.m. to midnight,” Pfeiffer threatened.

School board budget meetings, like regular meetings, are open to the public to watch and listen.

China’s Wynn Pooler captures state title in wrestling

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Atop the podium with gold medal.

First Erskine freshman to accomplish feat

by Roland D. Hallee

Wynn in action. Photos taken at the Class B state championships on Saturday, February 19, which were held at Morse High School, in Bath.

Wynn Pooler, a freshman at Erskine Academy, in South China, won a state title in wrestling over last weekend.

According to head coach Tyler Bradbury, he’s the first freshman in Erskine Academy history to do so. Apparently he’s only the second wrestler in Erskine Academy history to win conference, regional, and state titles all in the same season (the first was Jake Peavey, who is now a nationally-ranked NCAA wrestler at the University of Southern Maine).

Erskine Academy competes in Class B, and Wynn wrestles in the 106-pound division. He is the son of Wes and Abby Pooler, of China.

Wynn has been wrestling since he was in kindergarten, and started competing at national tournaments when he was in the fifth grade, when he traveled to New Jersey with Team Maine. Since then, he has wrestled for national club teams based in states such as New Jersey, Georgia, and Maryland, at various national-level tournaments.

In Maine, the largest tournaments typically only have 3 – 4 mats and last a single day. The largest national tournament Wynn has competed at had 58 mats, and lasted three days. While Maine has some great wrestlers, it is rare for two equally-strong wrestlers to meet outside of the state tournament. In order to have great competition consistently, it requires a lot of out-of-state travel.

The top four place-winners from Class A and the top four place-winners from Class B for each weight-class will now compete at the New England Qualifier, otherwise known as “All-States”, at the end of this week. The top three place-winners for each weight from that tournament will then compete at the “New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championship”, being held in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 5. Then the weekend of March 25-27, Wynn will be competing at the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) High School Nationals, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where many of the best high school wrestlers in the country will be competing.

Wynn “enjoys the fact that while wrestling is a team sport, the actual competition is individual, and you don’t have to rely on others to be successful. The sport requires grit, toughness, and discipline. If you fail, you can’t blame others; you just need to learn from your mistakes, stay positive, and work on improving.”

Wynn does want to wrestle in college, but hasn’t yet begun to consider where that might be. If he maintains his straight-A average in school, he should have some options.

Local residents receive academic honors

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Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts, is pleased to recognize those students who distinguish themselves academically during the course of the school year. The following local students were recently named to the University’s dean’s list for the Fall semester, which ended in December 2021.

Augusta resident Mandy Cooper, majoring in business administration.

Augusta resident Lauren Murray, majoring in economics.

Chelsea resident Michael Nicholas, majoring in mechanical engineering/physics. In addition to achieving distinction through the dean’s list, Nicholas is a member of the University Honors Program.

To achieve the dean’s list distinction, students must carry a full program of at least four courses, have a quality point average of 3.5 or greater out of a possible 4.0 and carry no single grade lower than a C- during the course of their college career. Each student receives a letter of commendation and congratulation from their college dean.

Endicott College announces local dean’s list students

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Endicott College, in Beverly, Massachusetts, the first college in the U.S. to require internships of its students, is pleased to announce its Fall 2021 dean’s list students. In order to qualify for the dean’s list, a student must obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.5, receive no letter grade below “C,” have no withdrawal grades, and be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits for the semester.

The following students have met these requirements:

Alana York, of Palermo, majoring in business management, is the daughter of Cheryl York and Andrew York.

Kristen Dube, of Sidney, majoring in nursing, is the daughter of Sarah Dube and Robert Dube.

Carrabec High School honor roll

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Carrabec High School

Grade 12, high honors: Julia Baker, Roger Beaulieu, Cheyenne Cahill, Shyanne Holmes, Sean Olson, Courtney Rollins, Trinity Slate, Brandon Smith, Cassidy Smith and Drake Whittemore; honors:  Emma Baker, Erin Clark, Charlee Davis, Tyler Edwards, Abigail Luce, Seth Sayles, Devon Spencer and Garrett Wilson.

Grade 11, high honors:  Luke Carey; honors: Jessica Benedict, Lindsay Hamilton, Robert Lindblom, Jr., Caitlyn Oliver, Conner Peabody and Hunter Sousa.

Grade 10, high honors:  Kolby Carpenter, Jayden Cates, Devyn DeLeonardis, Cooper Dellarma, Molly Hay and Hailey Wyman; honors: Riley Crocker, Brooke-Alexis Dube and Alyssa Schinzel.

Grade 9,  high honors:  Haley McFadyen, Desmond Robinson and Brooks Sousa; honors: Logan Caldwell, Zackary Crawford, Kobi Jennings, Machaon Pierce, Seth Price, Gerald Rollins, Ian Smith and Morgan Steuber.

Vassalboro school board hears variety of reports

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members heard a variety of reports at their Jan. 18 meeting, some touching on effects of the pandemic.

They did not talk about the 2022-23 budget – yet. When they reached the agenda item called “Items to be addressed by School Board at future meetings,” Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer told them “Budget, budget, more budget.”

One area affected by pandemic-caused partial virtual learning times and student absences is the nutrition program. The more students eat in the cafeteria, the better off the program is financially. In past years, Vassalboro Community School (VCS), like many other area schools, lost money on school meals.

So far this year, Finance Director Paula Pooler said, “We’re holding our own.” She commended Food Service Director John Hersey for expanding menu choices.

Hersey said he believes if more students were in school more of the time, the financial picture would be even better.

In reaction to lower test scores on national academic tests, VCS teachers and staff are initiating a variety of extra learning opportunities. Board members had questions answered about individual and small-group programs aimed at academic and social/emotional needs.

Assistant Principal Greg Hughes is planning a program that he calls Viking Camp for the middle three days of the February vacation week (which begins with the Presidents’ Day holiday Monday, Feb. 21). As of Jan. 18, details remained to be confirmed – including alerting Hersey that food will be needed, accomplished by the board discussion.

On other topics, Pfeiffer reported that applications for pre-kindergarten for the 2022-23 school year are open. A child who will be four years old by Oct. 15 is eligible to enroll.

The solar farm in which the school (and the town) invested appears to have saved about $12,000 on the electric bill in calendar year 2021, Pfeiffer said.

He thanked Special Education Director Tanya Thibeau for the connection that will bring former New Hampshire Chief Justice John T. Broderick, now an educator on mental health issues, to the area in March to address faculty and students at VCS and Erskine Academy, in South China.

Pfeiffer later reported that after an executive session discussion that followed the board meeting, he had agreed to accept another one-year contract as Vassalboro Superintendent of Schools, despite the difficulties of the past and current years.

The next regular Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Feb. 15.

Erskine Academy first trimester honor roll (2022)

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Grade 12

High Honors: Isaac Baker, Julia Barber, Alana Beggs, Jacob Bentley, Nickolas Berto, Gabriell Berto-Blagdon, Jack Blais, Autumn Boody, Olivia Bourque, Lilian Bray, Abrial Chamberlain, Emily Clark, Jesse Cowing, Jasmine Crommett, Isabella DeRose, Luke Desmond, Alexander Drolet, Coralie Favier, Emma Fortin, Wyatt French, Josette Gilman, Samantha Golden, Trace Harris, Isaac Hayden, Hayden Hoague, Grace Hodgkin, Rachel Huntoon, Emma Jefferson, Grace Kelso, Mallory Landry, Aidan Larrabee, Madison Lully, Isavel Lux Soc, Hunter Marr, Malcolm Martinez, Wes McGlew, Rebecca Morton, Adam Ochs, Abigail Peaslee, Tony Pedersen, Devon Polley, Lilly Potter, Sarah Praul, Riley Reitchel, Parker Reynolds, Kadince Rideout, Mackenzie Roderick, Andrew Shaw, Hannah Soule, Natalie Spearin, Lily Thompson, Daniel Tibbetts, Lily Vinci, Summer Wasilowski and Hayden Young.

Honors: Evan Butler, Lodin Chavarie, Nicholas Chavarie, Daniel Cseak, Colby Cunningham, Kaden Doughty, Abigail Dutton, Kelsie Fielder, Chase Folsom, Jenna Gallant, Ciera Hamar, Larissa Haskell, Balqis Hutami, Hunter Johnson, Madelyne Koehling, Lili Lefebvre, Shawn Libby, Reese Martin, David Martinez – Gosselin, Calvin Mason, Kaden McIntyre, Christian Moon, Brady O’Connor, Liam Perfetto, Paige Reed, Julian Reight, Ely Rideout, Nathaniel Solorzano, Hannah Strout – Gordon, Hannah Torrey and Samuel Worthley.

Grade 11

High Honors: Carson Appel, Andrew Bentley, Abigail Beyor, Eve Boatright, Katherine Bourdon, Breckon Davidson, Nicole DeMerchant, Lillian Dorval, Grace Ellis, Lilly Fredette, Loralei Gilley, Carson Grass, Cooper Grondin, Mallary Hanke, Nabila Harrington, Grady Hotham, Grace Hutchins, Olivia Hutchinson, Hallie Jackson, Kaiden Kelley, Emmet Lani-Caputo, Dale Lapointe, Dinah Lemelin, Malachi Lowery, Emily Majewski, Lily Matthews, River Meader, Angelina Ochoa, Ezra Padgett, Timber Parlin, Hannah Patterson, Kayla Peaslee, Jonathan Peil, Gabriel Pelletier, Sophia Pilotte, Kaden Porter, Alexis Rancourt, Cadence Rau, Ally Rodrigue, Noah Rushing, Gabriela Sasse, Felicia Schwab, Zuriah Smith, Sophie Steeves, Daniel Stillman, Paige Sutter, Aidan Tirrell, Mackenzie Toner, Emma Tyler, Katherine Williams and Damon Wilson.

Honors: John Allen, Molly Anderson, Kassidy Barrett, Angel Bonilla, Samuel Boynton, Alexis Buotte, Emma Charest, Nicholas Choate, Courtney Cowing, Jacob Evans, Myra Evans, Hailey Farrar, Erin Fontaine, Brianna Gardner, Reiana Gonzalez, Alivia Gower, Alexzander Hoffman, Kassidy Hopper, Beck Jorgensen, Jakob Kennedy, Meadow Laflamme, Zephyr Lani-Caputo, Joseph Lemelin, Brenden Levesque, Bryce Lincoln, Gwen Lockhart, Kendal Longtin, Brooklyn McCue, Jenna Perkins, Karen Potter, Samantha Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Jaxson Roderick, Conner Rowe, Emmalee Sanborn, Jarell Sandoval, Sammantha Stafford, Kiley Stevens, Emma Stred, Lauren Tyler, Marianna Waldron, Colby Willey, Joseph Wing, Aidan Witham and Keanah Young.

Grade 10

High Honors: Lacey Arp, Leah Bonner, Isabella Boudreau, Heather Bourgoin, Kellsie Boynton, Robin Boynton, Elizabeth Brown, Nolan Burgess, Makayla Chabot, Elise Choate, Connor Coull, Caleigh Crocker, Brielle Crommett, Noah Crummett, Gavin Cunningham, Hailey Estes, Kaylee Fyfe, Jackson Gamblin, Caleb Gay, Leah Grant, Nathan Hall, Tara Hanley, Cristina Hart Loran, Natalie Henderson, Jessica Hendsbee, Kameron Kronillis, Stephanie Kumnick, Carol Labbe, Sydney Laird, Kiley Lee, Jack Lyons, Aidan Maguire, Richard Mahoney III, Alexia McDonald, Holden McKenney, Austin Nicholas, Jazel Nichols, Alejandro Ochoa, Jeremy Parker, Nathan Polley, Jessica Pumphrey, Giacomo Smith, Kinsey Stevens, Reese Sullivan and Baruch Wilson.

Honors: Abigail Adams, Tristan Anderson, Austin Armstrong, Duncan Bailey, Bryce Boody, Wyatt Bray, Kaleb Brown, Nathalia Carrasco, Hayden Chase, Timothy Christiansen, Simon Clark, Thomas Crawford, Keira Deschamps, Hunter Foard, Aleigha Gooding, Tucker Greenwald, Lilliane Herard, Conor Jones, Hannah Kugelmeyer, Mackenzie Kutniewski, Logan Lanphier, Sophie Leclerc, Brody Loiko, Thomas Manchini, David McCaig, Danny McKinnis, Carlos Michaud, Abigail Miller, Morgan Miller, Cami Monroe, Alexis Moon, Royce Nelson, Alyssa Ouellette, Remy Pettengill, Keith Radonis, Evelyn Rousseau, Gavin Rowe, Adam St. Onge, Lara Stinchfield, Jamecen Stokes, Ryan Tyler, Jack Uleau, Haley Webb and Elijah York.

Grade 9

High Honors: Ava Anderson, Emmett Appel, Bryana Barrett, Noah Bechard, Octavia Berto, Lauryn Black, Brooke Blais, Carter Brockway, Keenan Clark, Paige Clark, Madison Cochran, Hannah Cohen-Mackin, Lauren Cowing, Lillian Crommett, Gabrielle Daggett, Brady Desmond, John Edwards, Ryan Farnsworth, Chloe French, Clara French, Kaylene Glidden, Jonathan Gutierrez, Brandon Hanscom, Emma Henderson, Serena Hotham, Kailynn Houle, Parker Hunter, Ava Kelso, Sophia Knapp, Lucy-Anne Knowles, Bodi Laflamme, Chase Larrabee, Jack Lucier, Owen Lucier, Eleanor Maranda, Jade McCollett, Abigail McDonough, Shannon McDonough, Madison McNeff, Ella Moore, Thomas Mullens, Owen Northrup, Makayla Oxley, Ava Picard, Janessa Pimienta, Wallace Pooler IV, Carter Rau, Elsa Redmond, Justin Reed, Lillian Rispoli, Laney Robitaille, Carlee Sanborn, Joslyn Sandoval, Aislynn Savage, Kyle Scott, Jordyn Smith, Zoey Smith, Parker Studholme and Clara Waldrop.

Honors: Haileigh Allen, Leonard Balderas-Young, Lillian Balderas-Young, Geneva Beckim, Rylan Bennett, Jayda Bickford, Kaleb Bishop, Landen Blodgett, Olivia Brann, Dylan Cooley, Andra Cowing, Kaden Crawford, Trinity DeGreenia, Aydan Desjardins, Lucas Farrington, Kaylee Fortier, Kenneth Fredette, Wesley Fulton, Ellie Giampetruzzi, Tristan Goodwin, Trent Haggett, Echo Hawk, Landen Hayden, Walker Jean, Montana Johnson, Rion Kesel, Kaiden Kronillis, Ayden Malmstrom, D’andre Marable, Justice Marable, Kaeleigh Morin, Addison Mort, Colin Oliphant, Noah Pelletier, Sadie Pierce, Bronwyn Potter, Alyssa Pullen, Zeke Ramsay, Nathan Robinson, Achiva Seigars, Larissa Steeves, Katherine Swift, Grant Taker, Grace Vashon and Taylor Wright.

Winslow resident earns award from WGU

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Bethanie Farr, of Winslow, has earned an Award of Excellence at Western Governors University College of Health Professions, in Jersey City, New Jersey. The award is given to students who perform at a superior level in their course work.