PORTLAND

GUIDING EYES for the Blind is looking for volunteers to raise puppies.

Participants will be asked to take 8-week-old puppies into their homes to love, nurture, and educate them for 12 to 16 months. The dogs will then be sent off to their calling as a guide dog for a blind or visually impaired person.

A Guiding Eyes dog offers life-changing independence for a person without sight.

The puppy-raising classes are held on the first and third Saturdays of the month in Augusta, Camden and Portland.

For more information, call 1-866-GEB-LABS or go to www.guidingeyes.org/volunteer/puppy-raising.

 

THREE STUDENTS at Longfellow Elementary School won a drawing contest for visually depicting “How Do You Keep Your Heart Happy?”

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, in partnership with the American Heart Association, offered the contest at two local schools to help students learn how to prevent heart disease and improve their health.

 

THE CHEVERUS High School Concert and Jazz Choirs visited Mercy Hospital earlier this month to sing Christmas carols. A staff member at the hospital said, “For some of these patients, this will be the only holiday music they will hear this year.”

The members of the group include: Gradeigh Cameron, sophomore, of Naples; Christian Cilley, freshman, of Portland; Elaine Cilley, senior, of Portland; Jamie Dulac, sophomore, of Portland; Kelsey Dulac, sophomore, of Portland; Andrew Gilliam, sophomore, of Topsham;

Danielle Kane, sophomore, of Brunswick; Lisette Labbe, freshman, of Limerick; Hillary Morin, senior, of Brunswick; Marina Phillipps, senior, of Cape Elizabeth; Samantha Pion, senior, of Standish; Ariana Russo, freshman, of Falmouth; Rachael Simonds, freshman, of Falmouth; Maggie Shellene, freshman, of Kennebunkport; Lethicia Tshamala, sophomore, of Westbrook; and Christopher Humphrey, director and chairman of the Cheverus Music Department.

Students at the school also collected gifts, toys and cash that was used to buy toys and clothing for 54 needy children.

Next year, Cheverus plans to partner with Sharing Sleigh, an organization that distributes toys and food baskets to between 130 and 140 families in need in southern Maine.

WESTBROOK

DROUIN DANCE CENTER in Westbrook recently collected and donated nonperishable food items from its 350 students and families to the Westbrook Food Pantry. Jeanne Rielly, director of the food pantry, gave the dancers a tour and talked about the experiences of clients they serve.

KENNEBUNK

THE KENNEBUNK HIGH SCHOOL Math Team recently placed first at the Pi-Cone South Math League competition for Southwestern Division high schools. Kennebunk also ranked first among the 26 schools in Pi-Cone South for this meet and is now ranked second behind Cheverus for the year. Overall, Kennebunk ranked sixth of 85 schools competing statewide.

Student competitors included seniors Will Records, Katharine Feldman, Beth Whitmore and Erik Leslie; juniors Sam Oransky, Chris Dunn and Noah Vaccaro; and sophomores Simon Wentworth, Josh Behrens, Calvin Beneck, David Cavagnaro, Sophie Gaulkin and Amelia Temm.

Middle School of the Kennebunks students in grades 7 through 9 also did well at the Southern Maine Math League competition, with Grade 8 students placing the highest scores from among 20 other schools represented. Students David Behrens, Andrew Reilley and Ethan Eymontt placed first, second and fourth, respectively.

Grade 7 students earned the third-place award among 24 schools, with Gordon McCulloh taking third place individually.

The ninth-grade team from Kennebunk High School placed second, with Hayley Richardson placing first individually.

 

TWENTY KENNEBUNK HIGH School students and 2010 graduates have earned the designation of 2010 AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Exams.

Named AP Scholars with Distinction are 2010 graduates Scott Eaton, Andrew Estrup, Christopher Hoch and Danielle Rafferty and junior student William Records. Named AP Scholar with Honor Awards were Class of 2010 graduates Colin Eckland, Casey Hayes, Thomas Mitchell, Katherine Shorey and Silas Wolff- Goodrich and senior Rachel Magalski.

Named AP Scholars for scoring 3 or higher on three or more exams are Nika Karlsson, Anthony Kennard and Susanna Rajala from the Class of 2010, and seniors William Cadigan, Katharine Feldman, Zoie Lape, Zachary Merriam, David Pepin and Elizabeth Whitmore.

BUXTON

BONNY EAGLE MIDDLE School sixth-graders Archer Thomas and Aaron Rae placed first and second respectively in the school’s Geography Bee. Thirty students in grades 6 through 8 competed for the top spots.

ORONO

MAINE 4-H YOUTH ambassadors Ashlie Hardy of Farmington, Cody Coutts of Chelsea, Jessyca Rankin of Cornish and Aryn Martin of Gorham were selected by a panel of 4-H educators to represent Maine at the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta from Nov. 26 through 30.

Designed to encourage leadership, citizenship and life skills, the annual conference details the latest challenges and trends in agriculture, cultural diversity, group dynamics and community service.

WELLS

WELLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL first- and second-graders enjoyed the journey to giving recently when they boarded the Amtrak Downeaster in Wells and traveled to Portland to deliver new toys to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

The ride was provided courtesy of the Marine Corps Reserve and Amtrak and students and their chaperones. Each student carried one toy to donate to a child in need this holiday season.