SCARBOROUGH
Another award for top teen
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Miss Maine’s Outstanding Teen, Katie Elliott, 18, of Scarborough, was named Maine’s top high school youth volunteer in the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.
Now in its 18th year, the award is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Elliott, a senior at Scarborough High School, recruits fellow students to help her conduct a community collection drive each month to benefit a variety of local charitable organizations.
She had been involved in volunteer activities for many years before establishing her own charity, “The Driving Force” in 2011.
Each month, Elliott picks one nonprofit to support, contacts its officials to determine what they need most, and then asks area teenagers to help her collect and deliver donations.
She created a Facebook page that she uses to communicate with her volunteers, and publicizes her drives by hanging posters and stuffing mailboxes.
So far, the drives have benefitted a Ronald McDonald House, the Salvation Army, the Preble Street Soup Kitchen, the Center for Grieving Children, the Animal Refuge League, the Lighthouse Shelter, Children’s Miracle Network, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
As the state high school honoree, Elliott will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., this May, where she will join other honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia.
During the trip, 10 students will be named America’s top youth volunteers of 2013.
This also qualifies Elliott for the President’s Volunteer Service Award, recognizing Americans of all ages, who volunteer significant amounts of time to better their communities and the country.
PORTLAND
Scholarship available
Applications are being accepted for the Portland Water District’s Joseph A. DiPietro Scholarship, earmarked for graduates pursuing college and careers focusing on protecting public health and the environment.
Deadline for the submissions is May 15.
To apply or for more details, visit http://www.pwd.org or call Michelle Clements at 774-5961 Ext. 3050.
BUXTON
Spelling champ crowned
Bonny Eagle Middle School sixth grader Emma Whelchel, of Cunningham Clan, has won the school’s spelling bee, following a contest of 219 words and 10 rounds.
Annabel Winterberg, of Brodie Clan, placed second and Marisa Pierce, of Stirling Clan, placed third in the contest.
WELLS
Guest chefs make lunch
In an effort to add some flavor to its lunchtime routine and increase awareness and participation in the the Wells-Ogunquit School District’s lunch program, the school nutrition services staff offered a Celebrity Chef Day recently.
Expanding on themes such as “A Taste of Mexico” or a “Taste of Italy,” well-known guest chefs from the school district and the community volunteered to prepare made-to-order stir fry meals, featuring a wide variety of ingredients, for students and staffers at the cafeterias of Wells High School and Wells Junior High School.
Serving the meals were teacher Andy Lopez, Nutritional Services Director Tyler Goodwin, Principal Chris Chessie and Assistant Principal Bob Griffin.
KENNEBUNK
Robotics team makes mark
The Kennebunk High School robotics team, Bottering Rams 5818, which competes in First Tech Challenge meets. has been chosen to compete in regional competition in Bridgewater, Mass., next month.
The group’s members are Josh Behrens, Simon Wentworth, David Cavagnaro, Joe Quigley, Ethan Eymontt, Maia Mulcahy, Kim Keithley, Sierra Kuun, Josh Kuun, Judah Phipps-Costin, Caleb Wentworth, Elise Schwebler and Charlotte Zhang, and KHS staff members Aaron Germana and Becky Test and Ty Eaton,
Teams from all over New England will participate in the Bridgewater event.
The KHS rookie team has had a good year so far. It was presented with the Think Award and placed second for an Inspire Award, the most prestigious recognition that a team can be granted in an FTC competition.
BIDDEFORD
Tech school cites pair
Biddeford Regional Center of Technology students Erica Letellier, from early childhood education studies, and Jeremy Vallee, from the school’s welding program, were named recent students of the month.
They each received a monetary award from the Bank of Maine.
Other students nominated for the award included Matthew Cote, James Currie, Stephen Doherty, Tricia Doody, Alexander Drew, Mikaela Lyons, Cameron Pelkey, Patrick Walker and Nicholas Webb.
SCARBOROUGH
Kiwanis honors a dozen
Twelve members of the Scarborough Kiwanis Club have been honored as recipients of The Walter Zeller Fellowship Award that recognizes outstanding community work.
The award also recognizes their contributions to The Eliminate Project, Kiwanis’s global campaign to save the lives of babies and their mothers by eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus in 59 countries.
Honored were Ava Adams-Talley, Robert Talley, Bill Dean, Sherry Forest, Ron Forest, Sharon Binette, Laura Bustin, Eric Rosenblatt, Jackie Perry, Marc Poulin, Joanne Damicis and Jeff Orenstein. All received a special medallion, lapel pin and certificate of acknowledgment.
According to Adams-Talley, the club’s district chair of Children and Youth Services,the New England District of Kiwanis has raised $296,839.70 for The Eliminate Project that helps to immunize nearly 100 million women in 28 countries with two or more doses of the vaccine.
For more details, go to www.theeliminateproject.org.
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