Garrard on dean’s list

Meghan Garrard was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Simmons College in Boston, Mass.

Garrard is a freshman.

Bentley president’s list

Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., announced five students from Gorham were named to its president’s list for extraordinary academic achievement for the fall semester.

They are Nicole Danielle Roy, a senior, who is majoring in marketing; Meghan Anne Norton, a sophomore, managerial economics-accounting; and Matthew Ryan Fenton, Monique DePrez King and Isaac Andrew Pease, three freshmen majoring in business.

McKinney show on tap

Nationally known comedian and former Maine DARE officer Juston McKinney will be performing at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Gorham High School, 41 Morrill Ave.

The show benefits Project Graduation 2009.

McKinney said, “I think it is important to remind students, before they go off on their own, that you can have fun without being under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”

McKinney headlines all over the country. He has appeared numerous times on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and on several Comedy Central shows, including his own half-hour Comedy Central “Presents” special. He is also part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour “The Next Generation,” which aired on TBS and is currently available in stores on CD/DVD.

Tickets for his Gorham High School performance are $10; $5, students. Tickets are available at Gorham High School, Gorham Recreation Department, The Gorham Grind and The Bookworm.

Gorham Project Graduation Chairwoman Gail Platts said, “We are excited and honored that Juston has agreed to work with us to help us reach our fundraising goals.” Many schools require dues throughout the high school years to pay for Project Graduation, or charge an admission fee to attend.

“Gorham parents decided long ago that this event was important and worthy of their effort and support. Our goal is to fundraise so that the estimated cost of $117 per student will be covered.”

The Gorham Project Graduation event will take place on the evening of graduation, June 7. Activities will include swimming, games and a variety of food. The Gorham Project Graduation Committee must raise over $20,000 in order to allow all students to attend free of charge. The committee has raised about a third of the money through a variety of fundraisers including sales of cookbooks, Rams logo blankets and cheesecakes.

The next scheduled fundraiser will be a silent auction planned for Saturday, March 14, at Gorham High School in conjunction with the play “West Side Story.”

For more information about Gorham Project Graduation visit www.goghs.org.

For more information about Juston McKinney, visit www.JustonMcKinney.com

U.S. taxpayer debt

The Bureau of Public Debt reported on Feb. 18 that U.S. public debt was $10,789,925,775,196.76.