Investing in school sports, health education helps us all

Congratulations to all the high school basketball players, parents and staff who made this such a spectacular tournament! Being a Nokomis alum it has been an exciting season for me, but more important than trophies is the way it has brought communities together, especially after the challenges of the past few years. High school sports can teach us so much, and truly change lives for the better. A special thanks to all the boosters who see sports as a great investment in our future.
One of the important benefits of school sports relates to the top issue Maine businesses say we need to address – the high cost of health care and insurance. No one can sit on the bench on an issue this big. We need to train star players like nurses and fill the key positions in our schools. The nutrition and fitness habits our kids learn early puts them on track for success, and we parents need to be good role models. Community programs for all ages at places like the YMCA are worth every penny. Physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars every year, nothing kills more Americans than heart disease and stroke. Health care as a portion of our GDP has skyrocketed and eaten up the wage growth that should have made our paychecks bigger. Investing in school sports and health education is a slam dunk that benefits us all.

Orion Breen,
Pownal

Virginia student wants to know more about Maine

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of Maine. ln the month of May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud.
Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think that I can receive the best information from the people who live there. This is why I am writing to you. I am hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. You might consider sending items such as postcards, pictures, souvenirs, this newspaper article, or any other unique items that would be useful or show your state pride. Here are a few questions:
• Why do you live in your state?/What first brought your family there?
• How do you make money?/What is your job?
• What does your state look like?
• What do people do for fun?
• What animals live there?
• What traditional food/recipes does your state have?
• What type of music is native to your state?
• Do you have a state athletic team?
• What geographic features are unique to your state?
I will need to gather all of my information by the second week of May. You can mail items to the address below. I really appreciate your help!
Sincerely,

Lila
c/o Mr. Gilchrist’s class
The Langley School
1411 Balls Hill Road
McLean, Virginia 22101

 

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