NORTH BERWICK
Noble High students named winners in academic competition
Four Noble High School students are winners in the Academic World Quest competition by the World Affairs Council. Team members Sofia Dillon, Sage Study, Ryan Menter and team captain Rain Bugado now move on to represent Maine in the national competition in April.
The first ever regional, virtual Academic World Quest competition was organized in collaboration with seven sister councils of the World Affairs Council of Maine. Twenty-six teams slogged through 100 questions detailing everything from the future of the U.S. Foreign Service, to the International Labor Organization and Uzbekistan.
Martin Luther King Magnet School in Tennessee and Eastern Valley High School in Illinois won top honors, and will receive scholarships for CIEE’s High School Global Navigator summer programs. Maine will be represented at the national competition in April by Gould Academy, Thornton Academy, and World Quest newcomers, Noble High School.
For more details, go to wacmaine.org.

Noble High teacher chosen for professional development program in Washington D.C.
Christa Boeykens-Bui, a teacher at Noble Middle School of Berwick, has been selected to participate in a National History Day (NHD) spring professional development program. This webinar course focuses on using online Library of Congress resources to develop and support historical arguments and is a feature of NHD’s membership in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Consortium.
National History Day executive director Dr. Cathy Gorn said that Boeykens-Bui is one of only 120 teachers chosen for this honor to represent NHD’s 58 affiliates across the country and around the world. They include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and international school programs in China, South Asia, and South Korea.
“The skills and strategies Ms. Boeykens-Bui is developing through this series will benefit her students over the course of their academic and professional careers,” said Gorn. “As a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member, NHD is incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity for teachers, especially now as teachers and students continue to address challenges of non-traditional learning settings required by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
Since December, Boeykens-Bui has worked with her peers around the country and NHD staff to build knowledge for teaching with online Library of Congress resources. Upon completion of the series, she will have demonstrated the ability to share with her students key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments bolstered by these primary sources.

FREEPORT
Wolfe’s Neck Center opens registration for summer camp
Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment is accepting registrations for its 2021 Summer Children’s Farm Camp, set to run from June 28-Aug. 27 at the nonprofit educational farm, located just five miles from downtown Freeport and I-295.
The camps are intended to engage youth in hands-on learning about sustainable agriculture and the environment. Campers will take care of livestock, tend gardens, and make new friends while exploring 626 acres of farmland, forest, and coastland.
The camps are divided by age, with differing starting and ending times. All of them meet Mondays through Fridays, with before care available from 8 to 9 a.m. for all ages for a $40 fee and aftercare available for ages five and older from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at $50 per week.
Peapods Camp will introduce children, ages four through six, to farming and the natural world through structured, well-supervised activities. Campers are encouraged to try new things as they meet our livestock, taste veggies in the garden, and activate their imagination through play, songs, and stories. This camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Tuition is $230 per week, with an Extended Day option available, from noon to 3:45 p.m. for ages 5-6 only for an additional $100 fee.
Seedlings Camp is for ages 7 to 8, who like to get their hands dirty through daily farm chores such as collecting eggs, feeding the chickens, and tending our organic garden. Campers also explore the vibrant ecosystems surrounding the farm, including the forest, salt marsh, and Casco Bay coast. Our staff lead activities that encourage creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the natural world. Campers meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $230 per week.
Farm Kids Campers, ages 9 and 10, dig deeper with daily farm chores such as turning the compost, picking potato bugs, and caring for livestock. As they venture to the farther reaches of the farm, campers discover more about our fruit and vegetable production and organic dairy practices. There are new adventures each week. This group meets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $280 per week.
Farmward Bound Camp is designed to immerse campers, ages 11 to 13, in farm production through meaningful projects such as trimming sheep hooves, and harvesting vegetables for the local food pantry. Campers also hike in the woods at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, build leadership skills through team challenges, and learn coastal ecology while canoeing or clamming. Water-related activities will be subject to the weather and tides. This camp experience may tentatively end with an overnight camp-out – to be decided at a later date. Cost is $350 per week.
COVID restrictions will be strictly observed, with each group of campers solely interacting with each other.
Registration deadline is by June 1.
For more details, go to wolfesneck.org/learn/farm-camp.

PORTLAND/ELLSWORTH
MaineCF Reaches $500 million milestone
The Maine Community Foundation reached a milestone in charitable giving this month, passing the $500 million mark in grants awarded since it was founded 38 years ago.
The grant that put MaineCF over $500 million went to Aroostook Agency on Aging to help older people access COVID-19 vaccines. In just over a month, the agency’s staff and volunteers have helped nearly 1,400 individuals get vaccine appointments.
MaineCF works to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. It provides grants to nonprofit organizations, awards educational and aspirational scholarships, and manages funds for nonprofit organizations and municipalities. Last year the foundation awarded 6,892 grants totaling nearly $60 million, a 45 percent increase from 2019.
Over the past five years, the community foundation has prioritized its work on a strong start for children, access to education, racial equity, support for older people, creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators, climate change, and broadband expansion.
In the past year, MaineCF grants totaling more than $3.7 million have supported nonprofit organizations that provide pandemic emergency assistance, from food to housing and other critical needs.
To learn more about the foundation, visit mainecf.org.

Start Up/Scale Up Grant Program seeks applicants
The Maine Community Foundation’s Start Up/Scale Up Grant Program is seeking applications from Maine nonprofit organizations that help new ventures start and grow through programs such as collaborative workspaces and incubator and accelerator programs.
Grants will be awarded to organizations and projects that meet the criteria and that have the greatest potential to support innovation and entrepreneurship in Maine. Priority will be given to projects or organizations that: actively engage entrepreneurs through programs, networking, problem-solving with peers and others, and providing access to resources; support entrepreneurs and businesses in rural communities and in areas with limited access to resources; serve entrepreneurs and businesses founded or led by women and Black, indigenous, and other people of color; and include partnerships and collaborations with other organizations, individuals, businesses, or institutions.
Deadline for applications is April 1. Guidelines, application, and a list of 2020 grants can be found at mainecf.org. Maximum grants of $25,000 may support a range of program expenses as well as capital investment in equipment, technology, and buildings.

BATH
Middle schoolers prepare for high school through learning initiative
Eighth graders at Bath Middle School (BMS) are preparing for high school with “Journey to Success,” a cross-disciplinary learning initiative – called an “expedition” – with a presentation component. Students were recently asked to identify something they are passionate about and present the topic in front of their classmates.
Bath Middle School science teacher Monica Wright described middle school as “the transition between ‘everything is possible’ and narrowing your field,” noting that it’s important to help students identify their passions so that they can pursue them in high school and beyond.
The student projects spanned a broad range of topics, and every eighth grade teacher played a role in each student’s success. Social studies teacher Tiffany Alexander helped them perform interviews with local experts, tech ed teacher Steve Richard supported hands-on building projects (like setting up wave tanks, house models, and engineering cars), art teacher Jackie Johnson helped them create their displays, and ed techs, like Roman Quinn, offered ongoing support.
Presentations were held in the BMS cafeteria recently – it was the first time that some students had spent class time together since the pandemic started. Topics included everything from suicide prevention to traditional chip boat design to the aerodynamics of flight. Among the student presentations were Shealyn Brochu, who  filmed herself dissecting a pig’s heart and demonstrated the inner workings of the organ in her presentation; Gaffney McDonough, who had been helping his father restore a Ford Model A, documented his repair of the car’s signature “ahooga” horn; and Belle Watson wrote and recorded a heartfelt song about discrimination.
“Every student put themselves out there,” said Wright. “There were so many moments where they had to let themselves be vulnerable. In the end, their perception about the project went from, ‘This is something I have to do,’ to ‘This is something I’m really passionate about doing.’ Every kid did that, and that’s what’s so important to me.”
The final step in the students’ “Journey to Success” expedition is later this spring, when they present evidence to a panel of judges that they are ready to start high school – a process guided by English language arts teacher Adelle Carter.

LIMESTONE
Student appointed to Maine State Board of Education
Greyson Orne, a junior at Maine School of Science and Mathematics, the state’s first tuition-free, public, residential high school, has been selected as one of two student members on the Maine State Board of Education. The board advises the Commissioner of Education in Maine’s education laws and policies. Orne, of Camden, said, “I’m honored to have been selected by Governor Mills to be selected for this position, and I’m excited to represent the students of Maine’s second district.”
The Maine Department of Education has had two student members in nonvoting positions since 2008. The application process includes a short essay, letters of recommendation from teachers, and a balance of extracurricular activities. Apart from voting, student members have full privileges of the nine other adult board members. Student members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate.
In February, Orne testified in front of the Joint Standing Committee on Education before his final confirmation.
Orne believes in student involvement in the education system of Maine and plans to advocate for “advanced education in public schools, especially rural areas with little access to other schooling options.” After high school, he plans to apply to three U.S. service academies to become a commissioned officer in the military.

ORONO
UMaine Extension opens online course for aspiring farmers
University of Maine Cooperative Extension is accepting registrations for  a seven-session online course it will offer for aspiring farmers starting March 29.
“So You Want to Farm in Maine?” is designed for those wanting to start or expand to a profitable farm operation. Topics include starting a land-based business, business planning and record-keeping, marketing and available resources. Instructors include UMaine Extension educators and guest experts. Successful course completion qualifies participants for USDA Farm Service Agency Borrower Training credit.
The class meets from 5:30–7:30 p.m. twice per week through April 22. Individual consultations will be scheduled April 26 and April 29.
There is a sliding-scale fee of $50–$150 per person; registration is limited to 40 participants. To sign-up, go to extension.umaine.edu/register/product/so-you-want-to-farm-in-maine-2021. The required text, “Building a Sustainable Business” by SARE, is available for free download.

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