NORTH BERWICK

Noble senior Conroy wins Principal’s Award

Luke Conroy, a senior at Noble High School, has been selected to receive the 2019 Principal’s Award from the Maine Principals’ Association, in recognition of his academic achievement and citizenship.

French teacher Jennica Osborn said Conroy is extremely bright, respectful, compassionate, outgoing, witty, organized, motivated, creative and genuinely interested and concerned about the welfare of those around him.

“He has been an active leader and member of the French Mentors Program for the past two years and teaches French to K-5 students at a local elementary school,” said Osborn. “Luke connects with children, creates engaging French lessons and activities, collaborates and communicates positively with the other mentors and writes letters home to the parents. He works tirelessly to develop the best learning opportunities for the children. I find that he is the integral member of his teaching team and the glue that keeps them focused and motivated.”

Conroy also volunteers to organize and run a monthly World Cultures Movie Night for an elementary school that serves up to 100 students per movie. He organizes cultural lessons, crafts, activities, prizes, food, drinks, parent sign-in and drop-off tables and the movie choice. He is president of the French National Honor Society, an active member of the National Honor Society and Project Search, captain of the soccer team, a member of the track team, an Eagle Scout with two Eagle Palms, recipient of the George Washington Book Award, and a leader in his youth group.

A few of Conroy’s achievements and accolades include 2018 Dirigo Boys State Leadership Delegate, 2018 Phi Beta Kappa Award Recipient, 2018 George Washington Book Award Winner, 2017 & 2018 Project SEARCH Participant, 2016 SMAA Leadership Attendee & Maine Youth Leadership Delegate.

Conroy, Assistant Principal Tyler Winsor and other winners and administrators will attend an honors luncheon recognizing their efforts April 6 in Brewer. Conroy is the son of Andrew and Janet Conroy of Berwick.

SCARBOROUGH

Registration open for Dave Ramsey class

Registrations are being accepted for individuals who want to take Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University classes, that will run from 6:30-8 p.m. on Wednesdays for nine consecutive weeks, starting March 20 at the First Congregational Church of Scarborough at 161 Black Point Road.

This nine-lesson course uses biblical principles for budgeting one’s finances, paying off debt and making your money work for you. Class cost is $109, which includes a membership workbook and one year of free online resources through Financial Peace Membership.

Spaces are limited and registration required online at www.fpu.com/1086611.

For more details, call Janet Peters at 205-3229.

PORTLAND

Rain barrels available from water district

As part of “National Drinking Water Week and Clean Water Week,” Portland Water District is offering rain barrels, at cost, to conserve water and reduce pollution.

PWD partners directly with the manufacturer to offer discounted rain barrels at $60 (plus $3.30 tax). This is more than 50 percent off the retail price of $125.

Rain water collected from your roof can be used to water lawns, gardens, and indoor plants.

For more information or to order online before May 20, visit https://www.pwd.org/rain-barrels.

CAMDEN

Bank helps send fans to basketball title games

Camden National Bank recently provided donations to six Maine high schools in its service areas that competed in the 2019 boys’ and girls’ basketball state championships. The support made it possible for nearly 1,000 students to attend this year’s games in Portland, Bangor and Augusta and cheer on their friends and classmates.

Camden National Bank has now carried on this community tradition for 10 years, donating approximately $50,000 total to Maine high schools and enabling over 10,000 students to attend over 70 championship games for free.

The sponsorship began when a Camden National Bank employee recalled that many of her fellow high school students didn’t have the funds to buy tickets and see their team play for the championship. Those students who missed out on seeing the game felt left out of the high school community. So, the bank stepped in, committing to support the students with free tickets to attend.

Towns supported by Camden National Bank in the 2019 state championship games were Bangor, Winthrop, Hampden, Mt. Desert Island, Boothbay Harbor and Greenville.

Rotary accepting donation requests

The West Bay Rotary Foundation is accepting applications from non-profits who work to improve the lives of people in Knox County and the town of Lincolnville to be considered for donations of up to $2,500 to support their work.

The donation request form is available online at www.westbayrotaryofmaine.org and includes instructions and important criteria for submission.

Applications must be received by April 1.

To register or for more details, go to https://www.westbayrotaryofmaine.org/.

ROCKLAND

Grover joins Trekkers’ Board of Directors

Susan Grover of Thomaston has joined the Trekkers’ Board of Directors.

Grover is a Litchfield native and a graduate of the University of Maine. She has been active in community affairs including the Maine Children’s Theater, the Junior League, a volunteer programs director in public schools and libraries, ran annual funds and major gift programs in private colleges, served as Director of Development and VP of Advancement for public universities directing capital campaigns and provided overall leadership to the Department of Advancement and the University Leadership.

Grover and her husband recently moved to Thomaston after owning a restaurant and inn in Belgrade Lakes.

She is honored to have the opportunity to join the Trekkers Board.

Trekkers is a non-profit organization that cultivates the inherent strengths of young people through the power of long-term mentoring relationships.

For more details, call 594-5095, email www.trekkers.org or go to www.trekkersinstitute.org.

AARP Maine names volunteer state president

AARP Maine has selected Portland resident Patricia Pinto to serve as its new volunteer state president.

This key volunteer role is part of a venerable tradition that spans every one of AARP’s 53 state offices nationwide. In Maine, Pinto will serve as a leader and spokesperson for the hundreds of volunteers and more than 230,000 AARP members who reside here.

Pinto will work in collaboration with the state director to further the association’s vision, mission and strategic priorities in many areas including retirement security, health care, long-term care, and age-friendly communities.

Pinto brings a diverse background to her new role including experience in non-profit management, entrepreneurship, and education. When asked what she hopes to accomplish as the AARP Maine volunteer state president, Pinto said: “I hope to find ways to stimulate a desire for older adults to stay engaged and bring their talents to the world of public service. Everyone has unique abilities that can be instrumental in making this world a better place.”

For more details, go to www.aarp.org/me.

Deering grad Slavick earns teaching award

Susanne Slavick, a 1974 graduate of Deering High School, has been presented the Distinguished Teaching of Art Award by the College Art Association honoring her active engagement in teaching others as an artist of distinction who has developed a philosophy of technique of instruction based on her experience as an artist.

Slavick studied art at Yale and the Tyler School of Art at Temple University as well as in Italy. Three of her professors were recipients of the award.

Her parents are retired USM Prof. William H. Slavick and Ursula Slavick, who taught French and German at Deering High and chaired the Portland Teachers Association.

Slavick is the Mellon Chair of Art at Carnegie Mellon University.

LIMESTONE

School will send team to DOE science bowl

The Maine School of Science and Mathematics will send a team to represent Maine at the U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl set for April 25-29 in Washington, D.C.

Students George Johnson of Kennebunkport, Jay Philbrick of North Yarmouth, Daniel Brower of Levant, Edmond Theriault of Caribou and James Hawkes of Portland will travel to the nation’s capital to participate in this nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Middle and high school student teams from diverse backgrounds are comprised of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as an adviser and coach. These teams face off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, energy, and math.

The competition was established in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields.

FALMOUTH

Residents asked to remove caterpillar webs

The town and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry are encouraging residents to remove browntail caterpillar webs from trees that are accessible to their personal property. Browntail caterpillars cause a poison ivy-like rash and they are impacting a broad swath of Maine, including a significant portion of Falmouth. Contact with this caterpillar’s hairs can cause severe reactions for some individuals.

Webs should be clipped out of trees or shrubs and destroyed by dropping them in a bucket of soapy water and soaking them overnight; do not just leave them on the ground. Use caution and protective gear when handling webs.

If you can’t reach them and plan to treat them, now is the time to line up professional help for this spring.

Background information, a video showing how to clip the webs, a list of arborists who could prune webs out of your reach and a list of licensed pesticide applicators can be found at:

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/invasive_threats/browntail_moth_info.htm

The town will conduct a streetside spraying program in May 2019 and more information will be available soon. This year’s program will be substantially similar to the program last year. More information about last year’s program can be found here: https://www.falmouthme.org/home/pages/browntail-moth.

WELLS

Friday marks deadline for nature crafts festival

Friday marks the deadline to submit an application for artisans who wish to participate in the 32nd annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival, set for Sept. 7- 8 at the historic Laudholm campus of the Wells Reserve.

About 120 of New England’s finest artisans will be invited to exhibit at this year’s event. A wide variety of mediums are eligible, with the natural world being a unifying theme. Quality and originality are key criteria used by the jurying committee.

Information for prospective exhibitors is available at wellsreserve.org/crafts.

Proceeds from the Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival benefit education, research, and conservation programs at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.

To learn more, call 646-4521 or visit wellsreserve.org/crafts.

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