Portland sixth-grader takes 3rd place in statewide video contest

Natalie Waters, a sixth-grader at Lincoln Middle School, took third place in the Maine Kids COVID-19 Vaccination Video Contest. Her 30-second video encouraging other kids to get vaccinated earned her school a $10,000 prize.

The contest was sponsored by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Education for Maine children to encourage COVID-19 vaccination.

Lincoln Principal Robyn Bailey said Waters and other Lincoln students will play a key role in deciding how the $10,000 award should be spent. The state says schools can use the winnings to supplement school meals with healthy treats; purchase playground, classroom, gym, sports or music equipment; enhance a special school activity; or support a school field trip for all students. The prize winnings are supported by the federally funded Coronavirus Relief Fund at Maine DHHS.

“We are just beginning to meet with our student advisory groups, and Natalie happens to be one,” Bailey said. “It is my hope that the kids can brainstorm ways in which they see the money being best utilized in our school. Given the amount of money, there is the potential to identify multiple ways to use the money to make really cool things happen.”

Students at The New School, a private high school in Kennebunk, took first place and a homeschooled eighth-grader from Columbia took second place.

South Portland band director to appear in Rose Parade

Jen Fletcher, an elementary band director from the South Portland School Department, will join band directors from across the country to march in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

Fletcher is an alumnus of the South Portland music program herself in addition to teaching beginning band to 170 fifth-grade students. She is a 2016 graduate of the University of Maine and joined the South Portland Music Department in 2018. Fletcher is also a member of the production staff for the SPHS musical theater program.

Fletcher will march in the Rose Parade to honor the band directors who were instrumental in helping her achieve her dreams – Christopher White, Craig Skeffington and Jean Quinn, according to a prepared press release.

The theme for the 2022 Rose Parade is “Dream, Believe, Achieve,” and this year’s parade will celebrate education’s ability to open doors, open minds and change lives. The band directors’ entry will convey the theme “We teach music. We teach life,” and a custom-designed animated float will lead a marching band of band directors 275 strong from all 50 states and Mexico.

Find more details on the Saluting America’s Band Directors website at banddirectorsalute.org.

Casco Bay High School students march forward

Casco Bay High School students’ college aspirations will be on parade Friday, Dec. 17, when seniors participate in the school’s ninth annual “College March” down Congress Street to the downtown post office.

The public affirmation of the students’ higher education goals was scaled back last year due to the pandemic, when only seven students marched to represent their class. This year the entire senior class of nearly 100 students will be able to participate.

Students will mail college applications or letters to a significant adult in their life who has supported their educational journey. After mailing their letters, the students will then head to City Hall, where a senior speaker will deliver an address on behalf of the class.

Casco Bay High School strives for 100% of its graduates to be accepted to college and is close to that goal: So far, 98% of CBHS students have been accepted to college. All CBHS seniors are expected to submit at least one college application.

The College March is a nationwide event whose roots go back to 2012 when more than 600 seniors from the New York City Outward Bound Schools’ five-borough network of public schools marched.

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