All the world is a classroom — especially during a pandemic when a virus changed education as we know it — and The New School has been able to adapt, react and continue its curriculum while helping students find their voice.

“Our doors stayed open all during Covid,” said The New School Board member Sharon Staz in a news release. “We are very proud of the fact that, with health and safety protocols strictly in place, we kept our students safe, engaged and thriving during such an unpredictable time.”

Using a student-centered approach to education, The New School remained physically distanced but socially connected throughout the pandemic in the school and around the community. There was not one case of Covid in the school or its extended community.

According to the news release, “The New School offers interactive, experiential hands-on classes where the teachers work closely with students to develop learning adventures that can include independent projects, apprenticeships and intensive travel studies. The nonprofit organization is state-approved, and all classes align with the Maine Learning Results.

“Founded in 2000, the school is a progressive, independent high school providing a student-driven, democratic learning experience for youth from southern Maine and New Hampshire. There are no tests or grades; instead, students demonstrate proficiency in a wide variety of ways.”

The New School is hosting a community Backyard Games & S’mores Night from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 8. It is free and open to the public with RSVP via events@tnsk.org.

“Students can be themselves here,” said Christine Knowles, the school’s director of education, in an email. “I think as a community, our school really allows adolescents to express themselves, explore who they are and who they want to be. We provide a safe place to do the important work of being a teenager–which is to figure out who you are, what you believe in, and what’s important to you.”

The democratic high school empowers students to reach for the best in themselves, love learning, and become responsible stewards of our world, said Knowles, the school’s humanities teacher since 2005. “Diverse styles thrive here,” she said. “Students can create, choose or dream up their electives, which makes for happy, engaged and successful students. We offer a caring, supportive and inclusive community with zero tolerance for bullying.”

The night is free and open to the public by RSVP. To participate, email events@tnsk.org or call the school at 207985-3745. For more information, visit www.thenewschoolmaine.org.

A Jeweler’s Life at Brick Store Museum

The Brick Store Museum’s Bauman Family Contemporary Gallery kicks off its summer season with Peggy Johnson: A Jeweler’s Life, a legacy exhibit showcasing the work of Maine jeweler and innovative artist Peggy Johnson.

The exhibit opens June 24 and runs through Aug. 1. The exhibition of her work will be accompanied by several Maine jewelers who recently received donations of Johnson’s tools.

According to a Brick Store Museum news release, “Maine jewelry artist Peggy Johnson died in August of 2020 on Munjoy Hill in Portland. She had lived in that neighborhood for the past two decades but began her jewelry career in the 1970s in Philadelphia. The arc of her more than three decades-long career was spent creating both original production and one-of-a-kind pieces. Those years saw many manufacturing innovations that she employed to make her work.

“The museum exhibition will trace not only Peggy’s individual creative path, but also celebrate the way in which contemporary jewelers and metalsmiths continue to integrate handmade work and new technological developments within the field to survive and thrive into the 21st century.”

A companion display, The Legacy Show, will include work by several Maine jewelers and metalsmiths who received donations of some of Johnson’s tools. Exhibiting artists are Shelby Goldsmith, Danielle Gerber, Nick Rossi and Ann Thompson. Metalwork related to the exhibition will be for sale with a percentage of funds directed toward supporting a new generation of Maine jewelers and metalsmiths.

One of Johnson’s signature lines was called Housewearables, and consisted of miniature versions of household objects. She was particularly fond of tea and the museum will host a memorial Tea Talk and Cream Tea with Marianne Russo of Nellie’s Tea, of Scarborough on Friday, July 9 at 3:30 p.m.

The event will have limited, socially distant, seating. For tickets and more information, visit www.brickstoremuseum.org or call the museum at 207-985-4802.

Maine Community Foundation awards grants

The York County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation has awarded $71,154 in grants to 13 nonprofit organizations or communities.

Grant recipients include:

Caring Unlimited, Sanford, to update and expand its mobile advocacy, increasing the availability and accessibility of critical domestic violence support services throughout York County.
Fair Tide, Inc., Kittery, to expand a pilot program aimed at securing permanent, affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Heart of Biddeford, to bring advanced training related to diversity, equity, and inclusion to Heart of Biddeford’s board, staff, and working partners.

The York County Fund is a permanent endowment that supports projects and nonprofits that strengthen communities in the county. Applications go through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program and are reviewed by a committee of local leaders. The next proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2022. Application, guidelines and a complete list of recent grants can be found at www.mainecf.org.

The York County Fund is built through donations from the community. For more information about the fund, contact Gloria Aponte C., MaineCF senior program officer, at 207-412-0847or by email at gaponteclarke@mainecf.org.

Library plans Community Yard Sale

Kennebunk Free Library is hosting a Community Yard Sale Aug. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Shoppers will find an array of items from local artists and neighbors’ attics.

Spaces are available to rent for $25. Folding tables are also available to rent for an additional $10. Vendors will receive prime visibility on Main Street, free advertising, all for a small donation to benefit KFL.

Applications and fees are due by Monday, Aug. 23. Spots are limited. Applications and additional information can be picked up at the library or found on the website.

Kennebunk Free Library is located at 112 Main St. in Kennebunk. For more information, call 207-985-2173 or visit  www.kennebunklibrary.org.

Residents graduate from Trinity College

Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, announced the following local students graduated on May 21:

* Cameron Beath, Kennebunk, earned a B.A. in American studies.

* Mimi MacKilligan, Kennebunk, earned a B.A. summa cum laude in language and culture studies: French and German; and international studies: Asian studies.

Museum opens veterans interview series

The Brick Store Museum premiered The Veterans’ Project on the Fourth of July. The project features recent oral history recordings of local veterans who served in a variety of eras between the 1960s and as recently as 2018, and now live in and around Kennebunk.

The public is encouraged to visit the website to hear the recordings, exploring the experiences and lives of local veterans who served in the Navy, Army, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines.

As the project premieres at brickstoremuseum.org/education/archives/oralhistory with its first dozen interviews recorded during the spring of 2021, it has not been completed. Local veterans and their families are encouraged to contact the Brick Store Museum at 207-985-4802 or contact the project’s manager, Cynthia Walker, at cwalker@brickstoremuseum.org, if they are interested in recording their stories.

Recordings on the Museum’s Veterans’ History Project site can be accessed in a variety of ways, including downloading the recordings to listen from your smartphone.

“We are incredibly thankful to the veterans who have given so much, and above that answered our ask to be interviewed,” Cynthia Walker, museum director, said in an email. “It can be really hard to be interviewed about your own life, and the amazing stories, heart and dedication to comrades, the public and family was incredibly inspiring to hear.”

Walker thanked Kennebunk’s American Legion Post 74 for its early volunteerism and assistance in securing interviewees. The goal of the Veterans History Project, Walker said, is to highlight the varied experiences of military service and help the public learn about the kinds of sacrifices military service members continue to make while also living their lives.

This program is a part of the Museum’s theme of A Year of Stories. The Veterans’ History Project can be found on the museum’s website in its Archives Section.

As interviews continue to be conducted, more recordings will be made available. Those interested in sitting for an interview, should contact the museum.

 

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