WELLS
High school student gets recognition from New York Times
Wells High School junior Tanya Thakong has received an honorable mention in the the New York Times’ “Coming of Age in 2021” contest for teenagers. This recognition is for her artwork titled “Asian’s Fears,” a collage of news headlines and images that highlight racism and hate crimes against Asians in the era of COVID-19. The collage also brings attention to the culturally appropriative beauty trend that has gained popularity in the last few years known as “fox eye.”
Wells High School junior Tanya Thakong. Photo courtesy of Reg Bennett
Thakong’s work was selected from more than 4,000 student entries in the contest that included varying topics and art forms such as essays, photos, drawings, audio, and video that expressed what it is like being a teen during the second year of the pandemic.
Thakong said she and some of her friends have experienced racist comments, noting that “the anti-Asian hate crime movement is shaping my generation.” According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, police statistics from around the U.S. indicate that anti-Asian hate crimes increased in the U.S. by 339 percent in 2021.
The centerpiece of Thakong’s work is an image of a friend’s face, half-covered with the image of a fox with a slanted eye and a mask. It reflects Thakong’s feelings toward the “fox eye” trend, in which non-Asians attempt to appear Asian by having a minimally-invasive procedure or apply makeup in a way to make their eyes and brows appear to slant upward. “It’s unfair for having something like that be used as a beauty trend,” said Thakong, who find the trend racially offensive and insensitive.
Thakong hopes her artwork illustrates that not all racism is directed toward African Americans but also toward the Asian community. “It’s challenging to change the mindset of society in a year or more but in the future, I hope that Asian people don’t have to live in fear anymore,” added Thakong.
SPRINGVALE
Library seeks donations for annual auction
The Springvale Library is gearing up for its second online auction, planned for April 8-17 and is seeking donations of items, experiences, and services until March 15.
To contribute, please email Lesley Unger at lunger@springvalelibrary.org.
BELFAST
Poetry festival looking for artists, performers, poets
The 17th annual Belfast Poetry Festival is seeking teams of poets, performers, and artists, as well as individual artists and poets who are willing to be paired with someone of the festival’s choosing, for its annual juried presentation of original collaborative works featuring poetry combined with art in other mediums.
The festival showcase will be held Oct. 15.
Deadline for submissions is by April 1. For more details, go to belfastpoetry.com
WATERVILLE
Taste of Waterville looking for vendors
Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for restaurant, bite booth, food truck and food-related vendor participants for it’s 30th annual Taste of Waterville, planned for noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Head of Falls in downtown Waterville.
This year’s format will feature cultural foods, vendor booths and demonstrations focused on the ethnic diversity of the area. This adult-focused, daylong event will feature a variety of food options, entertainment, live music, beer/wine gardens and an expanded brew sampling. There will be a cornhole tournament this year. Timelines for entertainment and activities are being developed.
To reserve a spot for this year’s event, please contact Cindy@midmainechamber.com. For more details, visit tasteofwaterville.com.
AUGUSTA
Assistant principal up for national award
Windham High School assistant principal Phillip Rossetti, the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) Assistant Principal of the Year, is now a finalist for the National Association of Secondary School Principals Assistant Principal of the Year. He will be honored by the MPA at its annual awards banquet April 29 at the Spring Conference at the Samoset Resort at Rockport.
Rossetti believes that people make mistakes, but it’s what they do after that defines who they are. He used this principle to transform how Windham High School manages student behavior, focusing on restorative justice to hold students accountable and repair the harm they caused their school community. This restorative approach has improved school safety and reshaped school culture, fostering stronger relationships between students and turning mistakes into opportunities to learn.
In announcing Rossetti’s selection, MPA executive director Dr. Holly Blair said this is the first time Maine has had a finalist in the program. “Mr. Rossetti is an exceptional assistant principal and very much deserving of this honor,” said Blair. “We are very proud of him.”
Rossetti has a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Plymouth State College and a Masters in educational leadership from St. Joseph’s College. His career in education began as a social studies teacher at Windham High School in 1996. Rossetti became the assistant principal of South Portland High School in 2015 before returning to Windham High School in 2016 as assistant principal.
Nutrition program adds app to expand access to local produce
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that Maine is the first state in the nation where participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program can use an app on their phone to get fruit and vegetables from farm stands and farmers markets throughout the state. Participants can download Bnft to redeem benefits for produce from farmers certified for electronic WIC (eWIC) transactions.
Maine CDC launched eWIC in 2020, transitioning from paper food vouchers to an electronic benefit transfer card that could no longer be redeemed with Maine farmers year-round. This new transaction capability and barcode scanning process returns full choice to participants on where they buy their fresh local produce, beyond the WIC Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program season of July 1 through Oct. 31, and supports local agricultural businesses and farmers. The new benefit can be accessed using a smartphone or online.
The WIC program works to improve the health and nutrition of women, infants, and children during critical times of growth and development. WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and supplies, and referrals to other services.
The Maine WIC program serves more than 16,500 individuals. Pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, and infants and children up to age 5 are eligible. Single fathers and foster children are also eligible. Participants must meet income guidelines, live in Maine, and be determined by a health professional to be at “nutritional risk.”
For more information about the benefits of WIC, how to enroll as a new participant, or to find stores that accept WIC, visit maine.gov/WIC.
Farmers seeking eWIC certification can visit maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/population-health/wic/farmer/index.shtml
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