PORTLAND – Nick Brown would be among the first to admit that what he was looking for in a college was a little unusual. Students willing to take on the course load of double majors are rare enough. But Brown, who just graduated in the top 10 in his class at Deering High School, told […]

SACO – Gabi Sanchez has been everything you would expect of a cheerleader throughout her four years at Thornton Academy. “She’s very chatty. She’s got all this energy,” said her junior year English teacher, Kate Timberlake. “She’s very happy and mature in a lot of ways, even though her affect is very bubbly.” Sanchez, 17, […]

Since middle school, Joseph Drew has known one thing. He wants to be a doctor. At first, his dream was to be an orthopedic doctor. Then, it was a brain surgeon. But now, as a Biddeford High School graduate, Drew is thinking his future career may be as a cosmetic dermatologist. “I like helping people,” […]

Her teachers say she’s a leader among her peers, but Catherine Patchell prefers to play supporting roles. “She’s the one that’s always screaming and clapping and giving a high-five,” said her swim teammate Jessica Ciampi. She’s also the one who’s painting the sets for school plays and tutoring younger students in her spare time. Patchell, […]

CUMBERLAND – Leah Twomey has seen the magic happen again and again, when a child with severe mental and physical disabilities responds to the velvet nuzzle of a Shetland pony. “It awakens children in a way that other therapies just can’t,” Twomey said. “The ponies come up and put their heads in their laps. They […]

YARMOUTH – Around town and beyond, they’re known as the Bens — Ben McNaboe and Ben Nickerson — members of Yarmouth High School’s class of 2011 who have distinguished themselves as crusaders for technology in the classroom. The Bens became best friends as freshmen, drawn together by a shared passion for technology. Both products of […]

Nicole Palmer doesn’t just seem mature beyond her years. The 17-year-old recent Westbrook High School graduate is legally considered an adult. Palmer was emancipated in February so she could work more than 20 hours per week at Joker’s Family Fun N Games in Portland. For the past year, she’s had more expenses than most people […]

The reminders of responsibilities are written on envelopes, posted in the dining room of Tanya Ramsey’s apartment. Rent. Electric. Water. Heating. Cable. Sewage and trash. Car insurance. Cellphones. The obligations can be daunting for an adult working full time, let alone an 18-year-old high school senior. But Ramsey is already skilled at managing her monthly […]

PORTLAND — Emma Robinson broke some ground at Casco Bay High School, literally and figuratively. She was the first student to lead an “intensive” at the school, which is a week-long focused exploration of a subject involving the whole school. And her leadership led to the creation of a community garden which, this fall, should […]