Jackson Lab president asks trustees to begin search for his successor

BAR HARBOR — Jackson Laboratory President and CEO Richard Woychik has asked the trustees to begin the search for his successor.

Woychik, who assumed the presidency of the laboratory in 2002, told the board that he is willing to continue in his current capacity during the search for a new CEO.

Woychik came to the lab nearly 31/2 years after his predecessor, Ken Paigen, announced his intention to step down.

Since 2002, the laboratory has experienced significant expansion. The operating budget has grown from $103.8 million in 2002 to $170 million in the current fiscal year.

— Mount Desert Islander

http://www.mdislander.com

DEER ISLE

Community gathers to discuss response to low school rank 

More than 140 people, including school administrators, teachers, students, parents and community members, filled the Deer Isle-Stonington High School cafeteria recently to discuss the school’s academic performance.

The meeting led by Union 76 Superintendent Bob Webster and school Principal Todd West was held in response to an announcement by the Maine Department of Education that the high school was one of the 10 “persistently lowest-achieving schools” in Maine.

The designation based on federal criteria makes the school eligible for a share of $12 million in federal school-improvement grants earmarked for Maine.

The grants would come with strings attached, including a requirement to replace West. Webster and School Board members have consistently said they would not accept any federal funding if it meant losing West, who was hired 21/2 years ago.

— The Ellsworth American

http://ellsworthmaine.com

CAMPOBELLO ISLAND

Takeover leaves future uncertain for Lupine Lodge 

The operation and ownership of the former Lupine Lodge on Campobello Island are in question, with its most recent operator, the nonprofit International Friends Committee/Compass Institute, dismayed by recent actions by the New Brunswick Department of Tourism and Parks.

The lodge, a historic property once belonging to the Adams family, cousins to the Roosevelt family, is owned by the province of New Brunswick. Gerry Hicks, a member of the nonprofit Compass Institute, said the organization received only two days’ notice in January from Tourism and Parks Director Alain Basque that “he would be on Campobello Island to pick up the keys and would not be offering an extension” to the lease.

The previous and longtime operator, Lupine Corp., had contracted with the province to operate the lodge since 1991.

The corporation ended its contract in August 2009 by transferring the remainder of it to the island-based nonprofit.

— The Quoddy Tides

http://www.quoddytides.com

WALDOBORO

Medomak students help raise $1,700 for food pantries 

Medomak Valley High School held its seventh annual Empty Bowl Supper fundraiser on March 24, raising more than $1,700 to support local food pantries.

Throughout the year, MVHS students made clay bowls, which were sold for $10 each at the supper. Everyone who purchased a bowl was allowed to fill it with a variety of foods made by local parents, teachers and volunteers. A raffle for two large serving bowls donated by art teacher Krisanne Baker also raised about $170.

The first year of the supper, students made 100 bowls. This year, there were more than 250 bowls for sale, and the effort more than tripled the money raised that first year, Baker said.

Bowls were made by art students and members of the Accipiter Program, a program for students struggling with the standard high school format.

— The Lincoln County News

http://lincolncountynews online.com