Across the state, schools and social service organizations are restructuring due to Maine’s revenue shortfall. School Administrative District 51 is no exception. We’ve seen significant emotion around the discussion of this year’s school budget, as people express alarm at both the proposed property tax increase and the loss of teachers in our system. The issues […]

Michael Waxman’s letter last week seems to imply that our schools should only focus on getting our students into good schools and not worrying about their moral and civic development. I find this a complete antithesis of how I view education. In the classroom, while reading “The Great Gastby,” we talk about the danger of […]

I attended Paul Tukey’s powerful film “A Chemical Reaction” at Yarmouth high school. Today I registered for the notification registry so that I can be aware of neighbors who have just had their lawn sprayed. Here is the wording from the Maine state Web site: “Communication informs the applicator to stop pesticides from drifting onto […]

This past week I volunteered to put together some Easter baskets for the children staying at the Preble Street Family Shelter. Nearly all the donations for the baskets came from local businesses, and I was truly touched by their generous contributions. In tough economic times, it seems charitable allocations are the first to get cut. […]

It’s no secret that the creative economy is humming in Portland. We see evidence of it everywhere, almost literally on every block in and around the peninsula. Whether it’s the artisans at Green Design Furniture on Commercial Street, the designers at Angela Adams on Congress Street or the many printmakers toiling away behind closed doors […]