Whitefield Lions recognized local students

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The Whitefield Lions Club is recognizing five local students. These students will receive a $1,000 scholarship towards furthering their education. Each year the Whitefield Lions Club Scholarship Committee chooses among deserving applicants based on hard work, perseverance, leadership, community service and career goals.

This year the club is proud to recognize five outstanding individuals. Carson Appel, from Erskine Academy, in South China, and lives in Windsor, will be studying applied mathematics in the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University; Ruth Bois, from Coastal Christian Academy, who lives in Jefferson, will be studying to be an elementary school teacher at University of Maine; Abigail St. Cyr, from Lincoln Academy, who lives in Jefferson, will be studying Early Childhood at Southern Maine Community College; Candence Rau, from Erskine Academy, who lives in Jefferson, will be studying physical fitness at Central Maine Community College; and Ava White, from Lincoln Academy, who lives in Jefferson, will be studying neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College.

Local student named to fall 2022 UAF chancellor’s list

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Jeff Beyea, of Whitefield, has been named to the fall 2022 chancellor’s list at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in Fairbanks, Alaska.

UAF is a Land, Sea and Space Grant institution and is the leading doctoral degree-granting institution in the state of Alaska. Since it was founded in 1917, UAF has been internationally recognized for research relating to the Arctic and sub-Arctic in areas such as biology, geophysics, engineering, natural resources and global climate change.

Emma Elwell enrolls at York College of Pennsylvania

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Nearly 750 first-year and transfer students arrived at York College of Pennsylvania, in York, Pennsylvania, for the opening of the Fall 2022 semester.

Among them is Emma Elwell, of Whitefield, who plans to study nursing.

Whitefield Lions announce poster contest winners (2022)

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From left to right, Madyson Glidden, of Whitefield, Avery Childs, of Palermo, Aurora Peabody, of Jefferson Village, Skyler McColet, of Chelsea , and Zoie Elliot, of Windsor. (contributed photo)

For over three decades, Lions clubs around the globe have been sponsoring a very special art contest in schools and youth groups. Creating peace posters gives children everywhere the chance to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity. The Whitefield Lions Club has announced this year’s winners of their annual Peace Poster Contest. This year’s theme is “Lead with Compassion”. Area schools who participated were Jefferson, Whitefield, Palermo, Chelsea, and Windsor. Local community members participated in judging these fine works of art. The Whitefield Lions expresses appreciation to all the families and teachers who came to the spaghetti dinner and supported their students in the awards night held on October 27. These winners will go on to the state level competition.

EVENTS: Share the Road with Carol

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Dr. Carol Eckert, shown here at Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, in Turner, was tragically killed in a bicycling accident in Windsor last October. (contributed photo)

The sixth annual Share the Road with Carol memorial bike ride will take place on Sunday, September 18. Share the Road with Carol is an all ages commemorative bike ride in Windsor and Whitefield. The ride, which has 12-mile and 27-mile options, starts and ends at the Windsor Town Office.

This annual ride honors the memory of Carol Eckert, M.D. Carol was tragically killed as a result of a bike accident that occurred in Windsor on October 10, 2016. Biking was Carol’s passion and we invite everyone who feels the same to join us in remembrance of a life well pedaled and to further the cause of bicycle safety in Maine.

The registration fee is $20 for adults, and $10 for any person under 15 years of age accompanied by a parent or guardian. Register online (https://www.BikeReg.com/share-the-road-with-carol) or at the event from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. (pre-registration is encouraged). Then current CDC guidelines relative to COVID-19 will be followed and participants are asked to wear face coverings inside the Windsor Town Office.

There will be one rest stop on the 27-mile ride. Please join us after the ride at the Windsor Town Hall for fellowship, remembrances and light snacks.

Whether you knew Carol or not, this ride is a wonderful opportunity to explore the lovely rolling hills along the border of the Kennebec and Lincoln counties.

Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/CarolsRide.

Parishioners in Whitefield help shatter American Red Cross record despite pandemic

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St. Denis Catholic Church, Whitefield, Maine.

When searching for reasons to smile during the pandemic, a common source of comfort has been the sacrifices made by many Mainers as they have looked past their own needs in hopes that those in greater danger might be helped.

Look no further than St. Denis Church, in Whitefield, and St. Francis Xavier Church, in Winthrop. The churches, part of St. Michael Parish, in Augusta, not only found ways to safely hold blood drives in 2021 during the pandemic, they shattered records while they were at it.

Between the churches, over 470 people donated blood, nearly 500 units strong. These are triple the numbers the blood drives produced before the pandemic.

“Blood drives at St. Francis Xavier produced 30 percent more than the year before, the most since our current database launched in 2006,” said David Stires, of American Red Cross Blood Services, in Portland. “Each unit of whole blood can be separated into three products (red cells, platelets and plasma) so the amount collected at the two churches potentially saved the lives of more than 1,300 people. The support is greatly appreciated now because it has helped us maintain a strong blood supply for patients during an unprecedented public health crisis.”

The commitment of St. Michael Parish to continue holding the blood drives during the pandemic turned out to be crucial as many venues that traditionally host blood drives have stopped as a result of the crisis.

“When so many schools, businesses, and churches closed due to the pandemic, the parish made the courageous decision to keep its doors open to help others during this time of need,” said Stires. “It has helped us maintain a strong blood supply for the patients who are counting on us. We are incredibly grateful for the support of St. Michael Parish.”

“It is very impressive how responsive parishioners and others are to the blood drives,” said Fr. John Skehan, pastor of St. Michael. “Even in a pandemic, people are thinking beyond themselves and helping care for people they don’t even know! And they do so without looking for anything in return. They just want to help someone in need. It’s wonderful.”

For more information about the future blood drives at the churches, including how you can help, call the parish at (207) 623-8823.

WHITEFIELD: Parishioners shatter American Red Cross records despite pandemic

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When searching for reasons to smile during the pandemic, a common source of comfort has been the sacrifices made by many Mainers as they have looked past their own needs in hopes that those in greater danger might be helped.

Look no further than St. Denis Church in Whitefield and St. Francis Xavier Church in Winthrop. The churches, part of St. Michael Parish, not only found ways to safely hold blood drives in 2020 during the pandemic, they shattered records while they were at it.

“We had a remarkably strong year at both St. Francis and St. Denis in 2020,” said David Stires, of American Red Cross Blood Services, in Portland. “We collected more last year at St. Francis than we have in at least ten years and more at St. Denis than we have in six years. Since each unit of whole blood can be separated into three products—red cells, platelets and plasma—the amount we collected at the two churches potentially saved the lives of more than 1,000 people.”

Between the parishes, nearly 400 people gave blood, tripling the amount collected in 2019.

“The patients that will benefit are victims of car accidents, mothers with at-risk pregnancies, babies born prematurely, and people battling cancer,” said Stires. “The support is greatly appreciated now because it has helped us maintain a strong blood supply for patients during an unprecedented public health crisis.”

The commitment of St. Michael Parish to continue holding the blood drives during the pandemic through social distancing and other safety protocols turned out to be crucial as many venues that traditionally host blood drives stopped as a result of the crisis.

“When so many schools, businesses, and churches closed due to the pandemic, the parish made the courageous decision to keep its doors open to help others during this time of need,” said Stires. “It has helped us maintain a strong blood supply for the patients who are counting on us. We are incredibly grateful for the support of St. Michael Parish.”

The response was so great that additional blood drives are being added to the 2021 schedule, including once a month at St. Francis Xavier.

“It is very impressive how responsive parishioners and others in town are to the blood drives,” said Fr. John Skehan, pastor of St. Michael. “Even in a pandemic, people are thinking beyond themselves and helping care for people they don’t even know! And they do so without looking for anything in return. They just want to help someone in need. It’s wonderful.”

For more information about the future blood drives at the churches, including how you can help, call the parish at (207) 623-8823.

Whitefield Lions to donate art supplies

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Poster contest winners from 2019. (Contributed photo)

The Whitefield Lions Club will be donating to the local school’s art departments this fall. Due to Covid-19 the WLC was not able to conduct their annual Peace Poster Contest held every October. Every year each of the schools which include Windsor, Jefferson, Whitefield and Chelsea Elementary participates in the contest through their art department. The selected winners come to the club house with their parents and display their art work. A winner is chosen to go on to the district competition. Since the Lion’s Club was not able to hold its competition, they agreed they would contribute to each of the schools art departments hoping to resume the Peace Poster Contest next year.

Share the Road ride slated

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Photo of Dr. Carol Eckert at the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park. (contributed photo)

The fourth annual Share the Road with Carol memorial bike ride will take place on Sunday, September 13. Share the Road with Carol is an all ages commemorative bike ride planned for Sunday, September 13, 2020, in Windsor and Whitefield. The ride, which has 12-mile and 27-mile options, starts and ends at the Windsor Town Office.

This annual ride honors the memory of Carol Eckert, M.D. Carol was tragically killed as a result of a bike accident that occurred in Windsor on October 10, 2016. Biking was Carol’s passion and all are invited who feel the same to join in remembrance of a life well pedaled and to further the cause of bicycle safety in Maine.

The registration fee has been lowered from $25 to $20 for adults. In addition, any person under 15 years of age can now ride for only $10 when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Register online (https://www.BikeReg.com/share-the-road-with-carol) or at the event from 7:30-8:30 a.m. (pre-registration is encouraged). COVID-19 mitigation measures will be followed; participants are asked to bring and wear face coverings while not riding (masks will be available for those who forget) and follow social distancing protocols.

School year 2020: Difficult choices for parents

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by Jeanne Marquis

This month, parents are making a difficult decision: how to educate their children in the era of Covid-19. Do they opt to send their kids to public schools? If so, do they choose in-person or remote learning, or possibly a hybrid of the two? Do they choose a smaller private school if they have funds. Or, do they homeschool their children themselves, choosing from a variety of online programs available? The answers are personal and the reasons why the families select which method of education they choose is as varied as each individual family.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) published a Framework for Returning to Classroom Instruction which includes the six requirements for protecting health and safety:

  1. Daily symptom self-check for students and staff before coming to school.
  2. Physical distancing.
  3. Masks.
  4. Proper hand hygiene.
  5. Personal protective equipment.
  6. An isolation plan if staff or student becomes ill.

Public schools in the area have been planning since July to follow the guidelines and have surveyed area families on their intentions and preferences between in-person or remote learning. Every step of the day has to be thought through carefully by the administrators and staff to keep in compliance with the DOE framework.

The buses, according to the RSU #18 website, will have assigned seating, fewer passengers and frequent cleanings. Parents will be asked to drive students if possible to free up the bus seats for social distancing.

Facilities at the schools will be adapted to help students and staff practice illness prevention. Drinking fountains will be replaced at some schools with bottle refill stations and students will be allowed to bring individual water bottles. Where possible, waste baskets will be replaced with touchless versions to keep clean hands sanitary after washing.

Even lunch time at school will be adapted by the nutrition workers adding appropriate protocol. Additional time will be allowed for hand washing prior to meals. Single-serve packets will be provided instead of sharing condiments. More room will be added for seating and serving lines will be socially distanced.

For specific changes at your students’ schools, check the school websites frequently:

https://www.msad49.org/
Albion, Benton, Fairfield, Clinton Lawrence High School and Junior High.

https://rsu18.org/
Atwood Primary, China Primary and Middle Schools, Belgrade Central, James H. Bean Messalonskee Middle and High School, Williams Elementary.

https://www.svrsu.org/o/whes
Chelsea Elementary,Sheepscot Valley, Palermo Consolidated School, Somerville Elementary, Whitefield Elementary, Windsor Elementary.

https://www.vcsvikings.org/
Vassalboro Community School.

For those families who have chosen to homeschool, Homeschoolers of Maine at homeschoolersofmaine.org is an excellent resource to get you started. According to their website, a letter of your intention to homeschool is due to your superintendent of schools by September 1, 2020. This organization provides information on record keeping and assessment of your students progress.