Kyle Alvin McLain, of Fairfield, was among 3,417 graduates who received degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in Lincoln, Nebraska, during a virtual graduation celebration May 9.
McLain earned a master of science degree from the Office of Graduate Studies.
The celebration can be viewed at https://commencement.unl.edu.
Diplomas will be mailed to graduates.
Carrabec High School top seniors, 3-10, from top left: Cassidy Ayotte, Ashley Cates, Caitlin Crawford, Shay Cyrway; from bottom left: Olivia Fortier, Madison Jaros, Mary-Jenna Oliver, Abby Richardson.
Valedictorian:
Annika Carey
Annika Carey, Carrabec’s Valedictorian, is a student who is a role model and strong leader in our school. With a grade point average of 101.41, she has completed five Advanced Placement classes, plus three additional AP exams without taking the course, six honors classes and three dual enrollment classes. Annika has also taken two independent advanced math courses.
Annika is a student who will be successful in any endeavor she chooses to pursue. Annika will be attending Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, majoring in mathematics. Annika is the daughter of Erik and Tanya Carey, of Embden.
Salutatorian:
Scott Mason
Scott Mason, Carrabec’s Salutatorian, is a very bright and successful student. Scott has a grade point average of 99.54, completing four Advanced Placement classes, six honors classes, as well as, nine dual enrollment classes.
Scott will be an asset to any organization of which he chooses to become a part. Scott will be attending the University of Mount Olive, in North Carolina, majoring in exercise science. Scott is the son of Richard and Marie Mason, of Anson.
The remainder of the top 10, in alphabetical order (see photo above):
Cassidy Ayotte is the daughter of Tony and Stacey Ayotte, of North Anson. Cassidy will be continuing in the work force.
Ashley Cates is the daughter of Adam and Jessie Cates, of Embden. Ashley will be attending Husson University, in Bangor, and majoring in biology.
Caitlin Crawford is the daughter of Bobbi-Sue and Travis Harrington, of New Portland, and Josh Crawford, of North Anson. Caitlin will be attending the University of Southern Maine, in Gorham, majoring in psychology.
Shay Cyrway is the son of Shawn and Jessica Cyrway, of Embden. Shay will be attending the University of Maine at Orono in their mechanical engineering program.
Olivia Fortier is the daughter of Irene Bolduc, of Skowhegan, and Lee Fortier, of North Anson. Olivia will be attending Husson University, in Bangor, for their pre-law program.
Madison Jaros is the daughter of Richard and Brenda Jaros, of Embden. Madison will be attending the University of Maine at Orono for environmental science.
Mary-Jenna Oliver is the daughter of Derek and Michelle Oliver, of North Anson. Mary-Jenna will be attending the University of Maine at Farmington majoring in education.
Abby Richardson is the daughter of David and Sharon Richardson, of Anson. Abby will be attending St. Joseph’s College, in Standish, in their nursing program.
Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)
At a special meeting April 28, Vassalboro School Board members voted to join with town officials in a plan to buy solar power from an out-of-town development.
Board members had information and advice from attorney Aga Dixon, of Drummond Woodsum, who is acting for the school and town jointly. Selectman John Melrose attended the virtual school board meeting.
The main advantages cited were stabilizing electricity costs and saving around $11,000 a year – not a big part of an $8 million school budget, but over 25 years a substantial amount.
The main hesitation was over the length of the contract, 25 years with extensions that could bring it to 40 years. During that time there will be many technological changes, board member Jolene Gamage pointed out; Vassalboro might regret the commitment.
Melrose replied that many other Maine schools and municipalities are making similar arrangements.
“If we end up screwing up, we’ll have lots of company,” he said.
Gamage was not completely reassured, but she voted in favor of the plan.
Vassalboro selectmen have accepted the solar plan, subject to legal review. A final decision is on the agenda for their Thursday, April 30, virtual meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed at vcsvikings.org under “Information.”
photo source: JMG.org
China selectmen got some good news and some encouraging news at their April 27 meeting. They also accepted Town Manager Dennis Heath’s offer to have town office staff develop background for reviewing China’s town meeting system, a potential discussion topic at their May 11 meeting.
The good news was from Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 Superintendent Carl Gartley: the 2020-21 school budget, as now proposed, will have a minimal impact on local taxes.
Gartley said China’s share of the RSU’s almost $40 million budget will be $5,048,702, an increase of $5,628.11. Those additional dollars will increase the mil rate (tax rate for each $1,000 of valuation) by 0.11 percent, Gartley said, “almost a flat budget.”
Voters from the five RSU #18 towns (Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney) will approve the budget at the annual open meeting scheduled for 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 17, at Messalonskee High School, in Oakland. The decision made that evening will be subject to ratification by written ballot in each town; voting is scheduled for July 14, along with the state referendum and primary elections.
The encouraging news is that selectmen approved a plan for gradually reopening town services. However, the reopening date is undetermined and out of the town’s control. The plan is to be implemented after Gov. Janet Mills lifts the state-wide stay-at-home order and in accordance with Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.
During discussion of the delayed resumption of recycling at the transfer station, Heath said environmentally concerned residents may add recyclables to the trash they put in the hopper, because at the Fiberight facility recyclables are separated and sold or reused. Recyclables put in the hopper will not be landfilled, he emphasized.
China gets no revenue from recyclables that Fiberight processes. Once recycling can resume without possible danger to transfer station employees, the manager expects China will again earn money from recyclables.
Selectman Janet Preston proposed the discussion of China’s town meeting format, which covered two topics: whether to eliminate the requirement for a quorum (currently 118 voters) at the annual open town meeting, and whether to eliminate the open meeting altogether and replaced it with written-ballot decisions.
Board members offered arguments on both sides of both issues.
Eliminating the quorum requirement would make it easier to hold an open meeting; but it would allow an even smaller minority of voters to make decisions for the whole town.
Eliminating the open meeting would probably encourage more participation, by giving people the option to vote at their convenience during the day; but it would make it harder for voters to get information on ballot questions. Heath said before a written ballot there would be at least two informational meetings that voters could choose to attend.
The selectmen accepted Heath’s offer to explore with town office staff the possibility of changing from an open meeting to a written ballot.
Eliminating the quorum or changing from an open meeting would each require voter approval.
The April 27 meeting was virtual, broadcast and archived at the China website. The May 11 meeting is likely to be virtual as well.
Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)
Vassalboro School Board members have given preliminary approval to a 2020-21 school budget that, for the second year in a row, will not increase the town’s tax rate.
At the April 14 school board meeting, board members thanked Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer, who in turn thanked staff members at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) and in the regional school consortium and Town Manager Mary Sabins.
At the joint meeting with the budget committee that followed the school soard meeting, board member Jolene Gamage warned budget committee members and people watching the virtual meetings that the flat tax cannot last forever.
“It’s not fair to the kids,” she said, to postpone building maintenance, updated textbooks and other expenditures indefinitely.
Another budget-related issue was discussion of the decision to reduce the Gifted and Talented teacher’s position from five to three days a week. Gamage said she received an email questioning the balance between supporting gifted students and supporting those who qualify for the extra help provided by special education services.
Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur agreed with Gamage that families move to Vassalboro because of its high-quality special education program.
“That’s who we are. That’s who we’ve been for a number of years,” Levasseur said.
Pfeiffer estimates between three and five percent of VCS students are identified as gifted and talented. About 27 percent qualify for special education, he said.
The summary sheet for the overall budget shows almost $1.469 million for special education and more than $3.477 million for VCS (essentially, pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade regular education, including the Gifted and Talented program). The third major category in the $7.967 million dollar budget is tuition, at slightly over $2 million.
In addition to next year’s budget, board members made decisions and heard reports on various school-related activities.
They unanimously approved keeping VCS closed until further notice and resuming in-building classes only when recommended by Governor Janet Mills, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maine Department of Education (DOE). They hope that classes can reconvene for a day or two this spring to ease the transition into summer vacation and fall classes.
Pfeiffer said after surveying staff members, he recommended that virtual teaching continue through what would have been April vacation. Skipping vacation and other schedule adjustments made it possible to move the last day of classes to Friday, June 5. Board members unanimously approved.
The preliminary 2020-21 calendar has classes beginning Tuesday, Aug. 25. Pfeiffer said the proposed calendar is coordinated with Waterville and Winslow high schools and Erskine Academy.
Principal Megan Allen described some modifications to the virtual learning schedule that started in March. The virtual learning is “basically refining skills” rather than adding new educational content, she said.
Plans for the near future include virtual parent-teacher conferences; making it easier for students to access computers; and distributing a newsletter, both in printed copies around town and on the VCS website. The pre-kindergarten screening originally scheduled for late April is postponed.
Vassalboro school buses are still delivering meals. Assistant Principal Aaron McCullough said on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays volunteers assemble in the VCS kitchen to pack 390 bags with two breakfasts and 390 more with two lunches. Other volunteers ride the bus routes to deliver the free meals wherever a student’s family is waiting.
School board members unanimously approved continued participation in the town’s solar energy project. First intended to create a solar farm somewhere in Vassalboro, the plan is now amended to buy power from a solar development outside town boundaries.
After a special April 20 meeting that included information from and discussion with attorney Aga Dixon, of Drummond Woodsum, the Portland firm consulted by many Maine school officials, school board members did not take the final step of agreeing to a contract to buy solar power. Instead, they plan to hold another special meeting Tuesday evening, April 28.
The next regular Vassalboro School board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, May 19, and is planned as a virtual meeting.
by Mandi FavreauGlobal School Play Day was celebrated all over RSU #18 this year! Atwood Elementary School, Williams Elementary School, and CPS joined in on February 5, while Belgrade Community School and James H. Bean Elementary School scheduled their play days for the Monday and Tuesday of the following week.
Regardless of the timing, all of our elementary students got to experience a full day where they could let their imaginations and creativity run wild with their friends. Children played with dolls, play dough, puppets, Legos, and much, much more. Several students got to discover all the amazing things you can build out of cardboard boxes, others discovered a new found love for karaoke or for science exploration games.
Global School Play Day was developed in 2015 by a small group of educators who were concerned about the lack of unstructured playtime their students got to experience. Studies show that unstructured play boosts cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development while lack of play increases stress and can lead to many physical and mental health issues.
The day of play was definitely a huge hit with the students. The smiles on their faces say it all and are a terrific reminder of how important it is to simply give our children time to play.
Sidney resident Anna Schutte made the academic deans’ list at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. An English major, Schutte is honored for a fall semester 2019 academic standing of a 3.5 or better grade-point average.
Azusa Pacific University is an evangelical, Christian university committed to God First and excellence in higher education. With 68 bachelor’s degrees, 48 master’s degrees, 18 certificates, 10 credentials, and 9 doctoral programs, the university offers its more than 10,000 students a quality education on campus, online, and at seven regional locations throughout Southern California.
(photo credit: Erskine Academy)
High Honors: Lucy Allen, Jay Austin, Alec Baker, Julia Basham, Derek Beaulieu, Haley Breton, Kole-Tai Carlezon, Norah Davidson, Vincent Emery, Alyssha Gil, Annika Gil, Boe Glidden, Joshua Gower, Clara Grady, Tori Grasse, Alyssa Hale, Summer Hotham, Nicholas Howard, Emily Jacques, Sarah Jarosz, Brandon LaChance, Benjamin Lavoie, Cole Leclerc, Eleena Lee, Madison Leonard, Stephanie Libby, Jordan Linscott, Brandon Loveland, Reece McGlew, Jakob Mills, Krysta Morris, Nathaniel Mosher, Lyndsie Pelotte, Matthew Picher, Hunter Praul, Miina Raag-Schmidt, Benjamin Reed, Mitchel Reynolds, Andrew Robinson, Dominic Rodrigue, Alyssa Savage, Shawn Seigars, Santasia Sevigny, Taylor Shute, Katelyn Tibbs, Cameron Tyler and Richard Winn.
Honors: Pedro Albarracin, Adam Bonenfant, Bridget Connolly, Abigail Cordts, Summer Curran, Colby Cyr, Lily DeRaps, Michael Dusoe Jr, Dominick Dyer, Cheyann Field, Mitchell Gamage, Bryce Goff, Emma Harvey, Nicholas Hayden, Julianna Hubbard, Ashley Huntley, Cameron Johnson, Colby Johnson, Kyle Jones, Luke Jordan, Marisa Klemanski, Tristan Klemanski, Benjamin Lagasse, William Leeman, Gabriel Lewis, Sydney Lord, Shawn Manning, William Mayberry II, Lexigrace Melanson, Kaytie Millay, Adalaide Morris, Isaak Peavey, Chloe Peebles, Jasmine Plugge, Jennifer Reny, Katelyn Rollins, Serena Sepulvado, Nicholas Shelton, Danielle Shorey, Ryan Sidelinger, Kayla Sleeper, Lily Solorzano, Matthew Stultz, Jacob Sutter, Nicole Taylor, Courtney Tibbetts, Ashleigh Treannie, Hailee Turner, Tanner Watson and Amber Wysocki.
High Honors: Philip Allen, Nicholas Barber, Abbygail Blair, Jane Blanchard, Samantha Box, Trevor Brockway, Anthony Chessa, Cody Devaney, Jacob Devaney, Amelia Evans, Addison Gamage, Margaret Gamage, Avery Henningsen, Emma Hutchinson, Bryan Joslyn Jr, Madyx Kennedy, Sierra LaCroix, Isabela Libby, Emily Lowther, Gamboa Medina, Michael Nicholas III, Ian Oliphant, Olive Padgett, Courtney Paine, Elek Pelletier, Aiden Pettengill, Anna Pfleging, Sydni Plummer, Kristin Ray, Mollie Wilson, Samuel York and Kelby Young.
Honors: Mara Adams, Brooke Allen, Paris Bedsaul, Rylee Bellemare, Isabella Bishop, Everett Blair, Joshua Bragg, Hailey Brooks, Eleanor Brown, Emma Burtt, Zoe Butler, Ashley Clavette, Joshua Cowing, Nolan Cowing, McKayla Doyon, Abigail Dumas, Jake Emond, Cameron Gifford, Avril Goodman, Patrick Hanley, Hailey Haskell, Braydon Hinds, Paeshance-Rae Horan, Nathan Howell, Delaney Ireland, Haley Laird, Marina Lavadinho, Joanna Linscott, Colby Lloyd, Chiara Mahoney, Eva Malcolm, Xavian Marable, Jonathan Martinez, Hailey Mayo, Mikala McIntyre, Tyler Ormonde, Brian Ouellette, Daniel Page, Isabella Parlin, Annaliese Patterson, Logan Rizzardini, Hailey Sanborn, Acadia Senkbeil, Alessandro Smith, Noah Soto, Carly Spencer, Hanna Spitzer, Ariel Stillman, Riley Sullivan, Logan Tenney, Joshua Tobey, Gage Turner and Dylan Wing.
High Honors: Griffin Anderson, Isaac Baker, Julia Barber, Gabriella Berto-Blagdon, Autumn Boody, Lilian Bray, Emily Clark, Tabitha Craig, Colby Cunningham, Isabella DeRose, Emma Fortin, Wyatt French, Josette Gilman, Samantha Golden, Hayden Hoague, Grace Hodgkin, Rachel Huntoon, Emma Jefferson, Grace Kelso, Aidan Larrabee, Lili Lefebvre, Christian Moon, Adam Ochs, Abigail Peaslee, Devon Polley, Sarah Praul, Riley Reitchel, Mackenzie Roderick, Abbey Searles, Andrew Shaw, Hannah Soule, Lily Thompson and Lily Vinci.
Honors: Alana Beggs, Jacob Bentley, Jack Blais, Evan Butler, Abrial Chamberlain, Nathaniel Collins, Jesse Cowing, Jasmine Crommett, Daniel Cseak, Jacob Cunningham, Caleb Cyr, Luke Desmond, Kaden Doughty, Alexander Drolet, Jacob Fisher, Chase Folsom, Jenna Gallant, Bryce Garcia, Ciera Hamar, Trace Harris, Larissa Haskell, Skye Havey, Isaac Hayden, Hannah Huff, Hunter Johnson, Taidhgin Kimball, Tanner Klasson, Mallory Landry, Shawn Libby, Madison Lully, David Martinez-Gosselin, Calvin Mason, Robert McCafferty, Wes McGlew, Kaden McIntyre, Rebecca Morton, Garrett Peebles, David Pierpont, Kaden Plourde, Lilly Potter, Paige Reed, Parker Reynolds, Shawn Searles, Natalie Spearin, Hannah Strout-Gordon, Hannah Torrey, Samuel Worthley, Emily York and Hannah York.
High Honors: Carson Appel, McKenzie Berry, Abigail Beyor, Eve Boatright, Katherine Bourdon, Nicole DeMerchant, Lillian Dorval, Grace Ellis, Lilly Fredette, Alyssa Gagne, Reiana Gonzalez, Alivia Gower, Cooper Grondin, Elizabeth Hardy, Kassidy Hopper, Grace Hutchins, Olivia Hutchinson, Beck Jorgensen, Kaiden Kelley, Meadow Laflamme, Aimee Lizotte, Malachi Lowery, Emily Majewski, Lily Matthews, Brooklyn McCue, River Meader, Nabila Meity, Timber Parlin, Kayla Peaslee, Jonathan Peil, Gabriel Pelletier, Kathleen Pfleging, Sophia Pilotte, Alexis Rancourt, Cadence Rau, Samantha Reynolds, Ally Rodrigue, Noah Rushing, Jacob Seigars, Sophie Steeves, Daniel Stillman, Jacob Sullivan, Paige Sutter, Mackenzie Toner, Emma Tyler, Lauren Tyler, Julia Wade and Damon Wilson.
Honors: John Allen, Molly Anderson, Kassidy Barrett, Andrew Bentley, Angel Bonilla, Zane Boulet, Emma Charest, Nicholas Choate, Nickolas Christiansen, Courtney Cowing, Kayleen Crandall, Tianna Cunningham, Breckon Davidson, Myra Evans, Isaac Farrar, Brianna Gardner, Loralei Gilley, Carson Grass, Mallary Hanke, Alexzander Hoffman, Grady Hotham, Hallie Jackson, Hannah Jackson, Acadia Kelley, Brady Kirkpatrick, Casey Kirkpatrick, Matthew Knowles, Emmet Lani-Caputo, Zephyr Lani-Caputo, Dale Lapointe, Dinah Lemelin, Joseph Lemelin, Brenden Levesque, Bryce Lincoln, Gwen Lockhart, Cooper Loiko, Brady Mayberry, Gage Moody, Ethan Ouellette, Maddison Paquet, Angelyn Paradis, Hannah Patterson, Jenna Perkins, Kaden Porter, Sarah Robinson, Conner Rowe, Emmalee Sanborn, Jarell Sandoval, Emma Stred, Hannah Toner, Colby Willey and Aidan Witham.
Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)
High honors: Caylie Buotte, Emily Clark, Keegan Clark, Basil Dillaway, Baylee Fuchswanz, Zoe Gaffney, Allyson Gilman, Kaitlyn Lavallee, Cheyenne Lizzotte, Mackenzy Monroe, Kaylee Moulton, Callen Pooler and Ava Woods. Honors: Ariyah Doyen, Jack LaPierre, Elizabeth Longfellow, Mia McLean, Jaelyn Moore, Weston Pappas and Landen Theobald. Honorable mention: Devontay Austin, Samuel Bechard, Gabriella Duarte, Preston Duenne, Bayleigh Gorman, Jeremy Hawk, Lillyana Krastev, Hannah McMurtry, Elliot McQuarrie, Noah Rau, Colby Shults, Grace Tobey and Naseem Umar.
High honors: Jasmine Garey, Drew Lindquist and Paige Perry. Honors: Benjamin Allen, Tristyn Brown, Logan Cimino, Dylan Dodge, Jennah Dumont, Ryleigh French, Drake Goodie, Zachary Kinrade, Gabriella Lathrop, Caleb Marden, Bentley Pooler, Trinity Pooler, Abigail Prickett, Sovie Rau, Kayden Renna, Judson Smith, Hannah Tobey, William Trainor, Alana Wade and Reid Willett. Honorable mention: Taylor Agost, Bentley Austin, Jackson Bailey, Cooper Lajoie, Katherine Maxwell, Brandon Neagle and Landon Sullivan.
High honors: Madison Burns, Scott Fitts, Cody Grondin, Kelty Pooler, Natalie Rancourt, Taiya Rankins and Bryson Stratton. Honors: Kayliana Allen, Nataleigh Brown, Tyler Clark, Tallulah Cloutier, Sophie Day, Ryley Desmond, Eilah Dillaway, Wyatt Ellis, Madison Field, Xavier Foss, Adalyn Glidden, Bailey Goforth, Spencer Hughes, Mason Lagasse, Jack Malcolm, Harley McEachern, Josslyn Ouellette and Mackenzie Oxley. Honorable mention: Peyton Dowe, Caspar Hooper, Alexis Mitton, Noah Pooler, Kole Pratt and Grady Sounier.
High honors: Emily Almeida, Madison Estabrook, Jacob Lavallee, Ava Lemelin, Paige Littlefield and Hannah Polley. Honors: Elisha Baker, Addyson Burns, Quinn Coull, William Ellsey, Seth Hansen, Talula Kimball, Brayden McLean, Alexandria O’Hara, Mylee Petela, Leahna Rocque amd Addison Witham. Honorable mention: Saunders Chase, Mckenzie Duenne, Aiden Hamlin, Taylor neptune, Daniel Ouellette, Emily Piecewicz, Lilian Piecewicz, Abigail Sims and Leah Targett.
High honors: Noah Bechard, Allison Dorval, Ellie Giampetruzzi, Ava Kelso, Greta Limberger, Phoenix Mills, Ava Picard ad Wallace Pooler. Honors: Brooke Blais, Landen Blodgett, Sofia Derosby, Brady Desmond, Kailynn Houle, Josiah Hussey, Bodi Laflamme, Noah Marston, Alysha Opacki, Seth Picard, Grant Taker and Emma Waterhouse. Honorable mention: Evan Brochu, Kaylene Glidden, Echo Hawk, Kyran Kinrade, Ava Prickett and Sterling Williams.
High honors: Elizabeth Brown, Gage Dorval, Cole Fortin, Meilani Gatlin, Tara Hanley, Nathan Polley, Tristan Samuelson, Lara Stinchfield and Lilian Taylor. Honors: Hunter Brandt, Connor Coull, Isaballa Day, Aleigha Gooding, Lucas Haskell, Ethan Lyon, Carlos Michaud, Ann Prickett and Logan Rockwell. Honorable mention: Nathalia Carrasco, Madelynn Cimino, Lexus Field, Tyler Hansen, Sophie Leclerc, Brody Loiko, Hannah Piecewicz and Brandon Wood.
Oak Grove School Foundation will not be sending grant awards this Spring due to the Covid-19 virus and the stressed condition of our financial resources. We are thankful for all the people in our community who exert themselves for the well being of the young people that Oak Grove seeks to support. We look forward to recovering from this pandemic and returning to the major grant business in 2021.