As we welcome the year 2020, it is The Windham Eagle
newpaper’s tradition to look back at some of
our readers’ favorite and most
read articles. The following articles were chosen based upon social media
statistics and feedback. We hope you enjoy rereading these articles from the
past year as much as we have.
JANUARY
Reading
challenge opens a new world to students at Raymond Elementary School
Every year, the teaching staff at Raymond Elementary school
organizes exciting ways to spark the love of reading among their students. But
what made this year’s reading challenge different from past contests is that it
is the first time, as a whole group, that the challenge has been combined with
a service project – participating in the Heifer International Read the Feed
challenge, raising money to purchase animals for farmers in other countries.
The reading challenge ran from November 5 until December 14
of 2018 and the students from each homeroom who had read the most pages or
minutes formed a group to decide which animals to purchase.
They raised over $800 and the animals purchased were: a water
buffalo, a llama, a pig, a trio of rabbits, a hive of bees and a flock of
chicks.
But that is not all they purchased.
Although it is true that reading develops vital language
skills and deepens the understanding of the written word, reading also opens
new worlds and enriches the lives of children. “I met with the group of top
readers when it was time for them to choose what to buy from Heifer,” RSU14
Teacher, Patricia Gordan stated. “I assumed they would be most interested in
choosing animals and was very touched by their passion to send a girl to
school. In fact, they were distressed to learn that there are places in the
world where children, and especially girls, do not have the opportunity to go
to school. They were also very interested in buying a biogas stove and were
shocked to learn that some people in the world have open cooking fires in their
houses.”
From this reading challenge, not only did farmers receive
animals that help to provide income, food and self-sufficiency, but one girl
gets to go to school and one family gets to cook on a stove instead of an open
fire. Simply as a result of reading.
Coach/Teacher spotlight on mother and son team
Lisa Hodge and her son, Mitch shared their stories about how
they both work with youth in educational and sports settings.
Lisa, Language
Arts Teacher at Windham Middle School, stated she had always played sports. She
also volunteered working with kids and did a lot of recreational programs as
well as coaching her kids when they were little.
Mitch Hodge, a Behavioral Interventionalist at Windham
Primary School as well a soccer coach, stated that teaching is a quality
embedded in him based on the attribute his caring mother passed on to him. In
high school, becoming a teacher crossed his mind, but it wasn’t until after
high school when he began working with special needs adults that it was clear
he wanted to keep helping and teaching in order to make other people’s lives
better.
Both mom and son agreed that they feel lucky to be able to do
what they do, and they enjoy their jobs so much they admit it doesn’t feel like
work.
Before the memory fades: Edith Helen Bell,
fiercely dedicated servant of church, youth and community
In his
"Before the Memory Fades" series, Walter Lunt highlighted Edith Bell,
a community leader, historian, outdoors woman and all-around amazing person who
contributed very much to the Windham area and beyond.
She had been described as a ‘force of nature,’
a lady with boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm while in service to the
people and the institutions of her much beloved town of Windham.
Edith H. (Burgess) Bell became stilled with her
passing in Williamsburg, VA on Dec. 22, 2018 at the age of 92. The projects and
institutions with which she was involved touched nearly every family in town
from the 1950s through 1990.
Edith taught elementary grades in Windham and
gave private piano lessons. She later earned two master’s degree and became a
librarian and media specialist at Westbrook Junior High School.
Despite a busy schedule with family and career,
Edith became involved in numerous church and community activities. She and Fred
joined the Windham Hill United Church of Christ (U.C.C.) where she taught and
became superintendent of the church school. In addition, she was the church
organist and sang in the choir. Edith would later create the popular hand bell
choir in commemoration of daughter Johnna who died during her early years of
college.
She wrote and compiled historic photos for the
book “Images of America – Windham, Maine”, which is still sold today.
Mrs
Windham Maine America defines true beauty
It’s not every day you are asked to be Mrs.
Windham and to participate in the Mrs. Maine America
pageant. But that is
exactly what happened to Sarah Boynton, a special education teacher for the
Westbrook school district.
Mrs. Maine America offers an opportunity for
married, single and/or divorced women over 18 years old to build a network,
supporting one another, with the sole focus on bonding together to create
better communities within Maine and beyond. “It provides us a chance to use our
gifts, talents and roles in life to serve the community, choosing a platform
that we are passionate about,” Boynton said.
For Boynton, during her reign, she took a stand
on empowering young adults to be confident in who they are, providing tools for
self-acceptance. “As a middle school special education teacher and a
mother, I am very familiar with the struggles that children face on a daily
basis with self-image and acceptance.
I strongly believe that every child has unique
qualities and talents that should be celebrated. My son is an amazing example
of a child with unique qualities that should be celebrated. I will always be
his biggest supporter and advocate and will use my passion in this area to be a
supporter and advocate for many children in Maine.”
100
years of customer service: Levinsky’s celebrates centennial
After 100 years
of providing great customer service, not many businesses can say, “The roots
that started that store in 1919 are the same ones that have moved it forward.”
That’s what happened this year. Levinsky’s
celebrated their centennial. Owner, Eric Levinsky spoke with reporter, Matt
Pascarella, about the past 100 years. Levinsky’s grandfather,
Jacob Levinsky, regularly brought military surplus items like blankets, buckets
and clothing from Fort Williams to his barn on 8 Oxford Street in Portland and
sold them to the public. The very first Levinsky’s opened in 1919 and that same
store remained opened into the 1990s. Eric described his grandfather and
grandmother as being conservative in their consumption and lifestyle, common
for the era. In 1930, during the Depression, Jacob was able to sell a significant
amount of army candles, similar to a tea candle, to the Hannaford Brothers
during a big ice storm when all the power went out in the Munjoy Hill area.
Jacob sold enough candles and made enough money to make it through the
Depression.
“Bigger stores could never provide that feeling
of community, one-on-one, that we have had for a hundred years,” Eric
explained.“We appreciate our customers, we know our customers and we love our
customers. We always put them first. There is always a Levinsky in the store; we
try to do it right for our customers ... we have a big heart and care about
people. If you want to talk to us, we definitely want to talk to you.”
Dr.
Richard Nickerson’s love of music has made a difference to many
Matt
Pascarella, in his Teacher Spotlight series, focused on an amazing, caring,
successful, encouraging, supportive, well-known instructor......otherwise known
as the conductor....Dr. Richard Nickerson
Throughout his career Dr. Nickerson has
received many accolades. One that stands out is when he was selected as a top
ten finalist for a Music Educator Grammy. He says the best part about being
nominated was all the former students who reached out to him. He says it was an
honor to be recognized, but his motivation comes from seeing his students work
hard.
Dr. Nickerson never doubted that Windham was
where he was meant to be. Over the years, he has made a difference in the lives
of so many students and - the students and surrounding community have made a
difference in his life. “I’m very fortunate to work in a community where my
work is supported and valued.”
He says his favorite part of being involved in
music are the connections and relationships. Dr. Nickerson says it’s an amazing
thing to discover different periods of time and different cultures all through
music.
Before
the memory fades: The Windham Drive-In Theater, 1949 – 1984
In his popular
"Before the Memory Fades" series, Walter Lunt shared with our readers
the 35-year history of Windham's drive-in, sharing a few fun and silly antics of
local teenagers of the time. He captured a story from Frank Lamb, who
graduated from Windham High School in 1964. Lamb said he recalled one weekend
in the early 1960s when he tried to sneak his buddies in without paying. “There
were two of us in the front seat and seven guys in the trunk. We were in a ’59
Chevy – that car had a huge trunk. We would have gotten away with it… except
the rear bumper was (almost) draggin’ on the ground.”
Lamb said the ticket booth attendant claimed
state law required him to check the car for alcohol and that they had to open
the trunk. “Of course, there was no such law, but we didn’t know that. He could
see the back of the car riding low.” The boys were made to pay the full ticket
price. “But we had to scrounge for change to do it.” said Lamb, smiling and
clearly enjoying the memory of the incident.
Two
WHS students share excitement and learning experiences with Capstone project
Two seniors, Samuel Nemeroff and Hailey
Gilbert, took time to talk about their projects which focused on the plans for
exciting career possibilities. For Nemeroff, that is owning a PC gaming café in
his near future. His intention is to eventually create an affordable gaming
venue for those who have a passion in creating, maintaining or building games for
personal computers. However, his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t
end there. “It is my plan that when I open my cafe, I will use renewable energy
to support the electricity it takes to run this type of business. I plan to do
that through the use of solar energy and natural gases,” he said. “I’m also
studying ways to convert non-renewable energy into a sustainable energy
alternative.”
Gilbert also shared her story. “Initially, I
was looking into the medical profession as a possibility for my Capstone
project,” she explained. “I wrote to and reached out to a number of
professionals but when I never heard back from any of them, I decided to
rethink what I might do. One day, I was listening to my favorite radio station,
104.7, and it dawned on me.”
Gilbert stated that she had always enjoy
listening to the radio and decided to see if the radio industry might be in her
future. “I sent a message to 104.7 on Facebook to see if I could come into the
studio and learn what it takes to be a DJ,” she began. “Within a few hours, I
received a message inviting me to join them. I have had so much fun learning
about this industry,” Gilbert stated. “I have to admit, I’m glad the medical
experts didn’t respond to my requests.”
All students presented their projects as part
of their graduation requirements.
FEBRUARY
Sports run deep for boys’ basketball coach George
McCrillis
In Matt Pascarella’s “Coach Spotlight” series, he
took a moment to speak with Coach George McCrillis. McCrillis
trains individuals at the college level in javelin; most recently for
University of Maine at Orono, Holy Cross and Tufts.
A shoulder injury caused him to give up the
javelin, a sport he loved, and he didn’t throw for a long time. Through
coaching high school track, he got back into throwing again. He had been
coaching a student, Chris Dowling, in javelin who was impressed by how far
McCrillis could throw. Dowling challenged him that if Dowling qualified in the
state championship and came in the top three, McCrillis would start competing
again. Dowling qualified and placed second. McCrillis began throwing javelin
again and went on to compete at the national level, going to the USA track and
field national championships and placing fifth in the country in 2008.
It seemed that in his giving, something was
also given back to him.
Windham
community to experience the joy from Munjoy Hill: Celebrating Black History
Month
Windham Area
Clergy Association celebrated Black History Month on Sunday, February 10 at
North Windham Union Church, UCC, 723 Roosevelt Trail. Pastor Ken Lewis and his
gospel choir from Green Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Portland will join Windham area
churches and offer two musical selections from their choir. Dr. Richard Nickerson will direct the combined choirs to
end the festivities.
The purpose of
the event was to celebrate culture and how it contributes to personal and
spiritual growth. “This gathering gives me hope and optimism,” began Glenn
Davis, Bishop of LDS in his interview with the Eagle. “For me, the gatherings
we have had thus far have helped me understand other cultures and people. It gives
me a sense that things can change. It is a great opportunity to meet and serve
with WACA who are willing to learn and share with one another. For this Black
History event, it reminds me of the terrible injustices placed on others
throughout our history and the ways those who faced such injustices have
overcome great challenges despite the overwhelming odds.”
Lakes Region
girls make history with midnight celebration at Camp Hinds
It's not every
day you get to make history, but a group of girls formed Raymond Troop 851 last
winter and are now a part of Scouts BSA (formerly known as Boy Scouts). In a non-traditional ritual that made
history, the girls ceremonially crossed over from Cub Scouts into Scouts BSA.
The newly formed Raymond troop 851 is the first group to make this crossover.
“This is
monumental as it's the first time in the history of Boy Scouts of America that
girls can join the program formerly known as “Boy Scouts,” stated Alissa
Messer, wife of Scoutmaster, Jeff Messer.
Before
the memory fades: Windham’s Marion S. Hodgdon, a teacher’s teacher, 1889 – 1975
Whether you have lived your entire life in
Windham, or you are new to the area, many readers have looked forward to Walter
Lunt's “Before the Memory Fades” historical series. Last winter, Walter shared
the story of one of the most well-known teachers in Windham, Marion Hodgdon,
whose early experiences were in the one-room school house. One story that
reflected Hodgdon’s thought about education included the following:
The two colleagues met in the teachers’ room at
Windham High School during the opening weeks of the 1963 – 64 school year; it
was Earl Pike’s first year of teaching.
He exchanged pleasantries with retired teacher
Marion Hodgdon, who was a substitute teacher that day.
Pike told her, “I teach mathematics,” to which
Hodgdon replied, “No, you do not.”
Puzzled, Pike rejoined, “Yes, I do. I teach
mathematics.”
“No, you teach children. You
teach students.” came the sharp rebuke, as Hodgdon stared back with the
confident, knowing look of 50 years teaching experience.
“She was correct,” said Pike, who now
lives in Casco, “and that was a lesson (I never forgot) for my next 30 years of
teaching at Windham High School.”
WPS
third grade math students learn to solve problems in creative and useful ways
Students learned that arithmetic and service to
the community can go hand in hand. Teachers Caitlin
Mansir, Jessica Melcher and
Melissa Fries proved that their innovative teaching techniques guide students
in solving problems, not only with the obstacles faced in math, but obstacles
that many face in life.
The
class project was to not only collect 550 pieces of clothing and give it to the
Windham Clothes Closet, but to do so as part of their hands-on and experiential
math project.
The math lesson
was division. “We divided clothing by separating those items into bags,”
explained third grade student, Elias Whitney. “We learned that it took nine
Hannaford shopping bags for 72 items of clothing.”
Students also
discovered that there are hardships placed on others and you can be the one to
help solve that problem, too. “I found out that it’s very important
to survival and there is always a need for help,” student
Madison Buzulchuck stated as one thing she learned from the
project.
General Assistance Administrator of Windham’s
Social Services, Rene Daniel, who spoke to the class stated that the closet has
never had a donation come from a school as part of a project. He also stated
that prior to my work in social services, I taught for 25 years, and I was very
impressed with the way the third-grade teachers at Windham Primary School
incorporated this learning and giving project into the curriculum.”
School
is out for break and science is in at the Raymond Village Library
February vacation began on Monday, February 18
in 2019, and the Raymond Village Library made sure there were plenty of
programs to keep children of any age entertained and even educated over the
school break.
In addition to books and plenty of cozy spots
to read, the library also offered a wide selection of games and puzzles. Older
children got to enjoy the library’s oversized Scrabble board while younger
children had opportunity to play with the building sets. Microscope for
scientific exploration and DASH the programmable robot were available as well
as a Fire and Ice show presentation and a slime making project lead by Dr.
Bizier, Windham High School AP Chemistry Teacher. And, no one could refuse
reading with Lucy the dog!
Young
artist from Raymond wins best of show in world-wide art competition
Holden Willard was and continues to be an example
of what happens when you follow your dreams,
despite overwhelming odds.
Willard, a 2017 Windham High School graduate
and son of Don and Megan Willard of Raymond, received news on Wednesday,
February 13 from the Cultural Center of Cape Cod that a self -portrait he
entered into the center’s “The WORKS” competition won best in show. The
competition was open to all artists from all over the world and Willard, who
attends Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA decided to submit two pieces
of his artwork to see what might come of it. Not only did he receive best of
show for his self-portrait, but he also won $500 which he received at the
gallery’s reception.
Willard has been an artist/drawer/painter from
a very young age. But discouraged by others who told him to forget about
pursuing such a venture, Willard stop what he loved doing most. “I was told
that being a painter isn’t possible as a career option and I was told to forget
about it,” Willard began. “So, I did forget about it. Although I continued
drawing, it wasn’t until I was a senior in high school when I began to
receive more positive feedback that being an artist was definitely a
possibility and I started painting seriously.”
If you are interested in looking at more artwork
from our very own Holden Willard, take a look at his Instagram page at
holdenwillard.
Results from the Sebago Lake Ice Fishing Derby
Over 850 registrants enjoyed a perfect weekend
for ice fishing at the Sebago Lake and Cumberland County Derby this past
weekend. Over 1000 fish were donated to be processed by Nova Seafood in
Portland resulting in over 550 pounds of filets which will go to food pantries
locally. This is an event that attracts fishermen from all over the state. If
you have never had the opportunity to be a part of this spectacle on ice, be
sure to consider joining in on the fun next year. Tentative dates have been set
for February 22 to 23, 2020. Follow posts on the Sebago Lake Rotary on Facebook
or their webpage at www.sebagolakerotary.org/
MARCH
Norway
Savings Bank and Riding To The Top continue to change lives
Patricia Weigel, President and CEO of
Norway Savings Bank (NSB) visited Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center
(RTT) in late February and presented a check for $5000 to support RTT’s equine
assisted activities and therapies.
“Every time I
visit, I am inspired by the incredible horses and the stories I hear about the
connections they form with RTT’s clients - some as young as three years of
age!” She added that Norway has supported RTT for 17 years because “Services like
RTT’s are important to the health and well-being of Mainers. Norway Savings
Bank’s contributions also include hundreds of volunteer hours contributed by
local employees who work on projects and fundraising events.” Sarah Bronson,
RTT Executive Director said, “Contributions from local businesses like Norway
Savings Bank allow us to deliver services 6 days a week, year-round, keeping an
important resource available year-round to over 250 people with disabilities.”
“Vets
on the Ice” fishing shack open house catches the spirit of its mission
Approximately 40 people visited the transformed
and handicapped accessible ice shack for veterans
on Friday, February 22 from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Located off Kent’s Landing on Long Lake in
Naples, the visitors to the ice shack open house included residents of the
South Paris VA home who got to take advantage of the wheelchair ramp as they
wheeled themselves into the warmth of the ice shack to ice fish, participating
in the winter activity they love best and now made possible by this program.
This was the first year for the “Vets on the
Ice” program and is a collaborative effort among many organizations. “The “Vets
on the Ice” project is a collaboration between the “Vets on the Water”, The
Sebago Lake Anglers Association, Field-Allen Post 148 in Windham and Naples
Post 155,” stated Dave Tanguay, Post 148 Adjutant. There are plans to continue
the project on an annual basis.
Be
The Influence speaks to council and shares concerns on youth drug use and its
effect on the developing brain
Be The Influence (BTI) Coalition Director,
Laura Morris, and other coalition members spoke to Windham Town Council to
share the coalition’s mission, it’s work within the community and to express
their concerns regarding youth drug use and how a long term habit has been
scientifically proven to be harmful to youth brain development.
Morris stated that vaping among youth has
become a very important issue and is specifically targeted to children. It is
advertised to be a safe alternative to cigarettes, but it still contains
nicotine and it’s just a dangerous. There are over 8,000 vape flavors,
including “Kool-Aid”, and “Cotton Candy” to name but just a few.
Morris also
introduced an active BTI student member and Windham Middle School sixth-grader,
Dominic Cataldi who successfully completed a public service announcement (PSA)
that was shown at Smitty’s Theater.
Ben
Schulz takes over as new varsity soccer coach
Matt Pascarella
spoke to Ben Schulz, who has been coaching soccer, at various levels, for the
past 10 to 12 years and who was the new 2019 soccer head coach. Schulz told
Pascarella what got him interested in soccer. “The first thing that initially
got me interested in coaching soccer was spending time with my son having
interaction without technology. You can get on a field and it’s a beautiful
fall day...you get an hour, hour and a half of enjoyment and joy with him –
that’s kind of what drew me in,” recalled Schulz.
Schulz was an
athlete growing up and said the older you get, you feel those competitive juices
start flowing again. He wanted to be a role model. He understands coaches play
an important part in children’s lives.
Anne Blake turns ‘I Can’t’ into ‘I Did’ for
students and athletes
Reporter, Matt Pascarella, spoke with Anne
Blake, a physical therapist who has worked for RSU14 for eleven years.
As a physical therapist, she works with
students who need special requirements to access the school environment.
Blake’s job is to figure out how to help or make these students stronger, give
them more endurance, better balance, or provide assistance in some way to make
the school environment easier for them.
Her goal as an educator is to take students who
may need some extra help and turn those students’ statements of “I can’t, I
can’t” into a statement of “yes, I can.” She believes basketball has been an
excellent avenue for this. Students may not think they could do something but
now they’re on the court scoring baskets. “The biggest thing is to give them
the confidence and show them they can do more than they think they can and
where their potential really lies.”
Retired
Navy Seal with local roots strives to build strong communities
After a twenty-year career as a Navy Seal, Mike
Wisecup settled in Maine hoping to find an opportunity to use the lessons he
has learned to build strong communities.
He shared his story with us about life as a
Navy Seal. Wisecup stated that mental strength and the ability to deal with
failure repeatedly are important in making it through Seal training. “The
biggest thing I learned coming out of Seal training is that I can do anything I
want to do if I just focus on it and work hard,” he said.
Wisecup’s career as a Seal included many
deployments, including to Southeast Asia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. During one
deployment he was injured and earned a purple heart. He was involved in the
invasion of Iraq in 2003 and came full circle to help the U.S. pull out of Iraq
in 2010.
Wisecup has already begun to build connections
and give back to Maine communities. In 2014, he started an annual event to
raise money and awareness for Camp Sunshine to help military families. In that
first event, four active duty Seals swam 13 miles across Sebago Lake. Every
year since, they’ve completed a tough task in Maine, as well as events in San
Diego. To date, just over $500,000 has been raised to help military families
attend Camp Sunshine. Their 2019 event is a 16-mile swim from Bridgton to Casco
on July 25th. More information can be found on: www.sealsforsunshine.org.
High
school to middle school mentoring to make transition stress-free
Middle school can be a challenging time for many students,
and the transition from middle school into the high school can cause tremendous
anxiety. A new initiative was developed between Windham High School and Windham
Middle School where students are teaming up to make it a little easier.
The new mentoring program asks Windham High School students
in good academic standing and with free periods in their day to volunteer to
walk over to Windham Middle School. They are partnered with a sixth to eighth
grade student, with pairs chosen based primarily on shared interests.
The mentoring program is beneficial both for the mentor and
the mentee. The mentor is provided with an opportunity to develop leadership
skills, and the mentee has the opportunity to make a meaningful connection with
someone they admire. Many of these middle school students will now have at
least one connection when they enter high school. This mentoring program is
continuing for the 2019-2020 school year.
Raymond
Elementary student’s artwork on display in Augusta
The Maine Education Office in Augusta
celebrated March as Youth Art Month with an exhibit coordinated by the Maine
Arts Education Association. Student artwork from around the state was on
display in the main corridor of their offices. Summer Bush, a fourth grader at
Raymond Elementary School, contributed her Cat on a Limb artwork to the exhibit
and she was selected and recognized at an opening celebration on March 3.
Bush’s
professionally framed painting remained on display until November of 2019. Then,
it will forever remain on the wall of the young artist’s home, where her
parents will be eternally proud.
Windham
Community Center begins to take shape at third and final forum
The third and final scheduled public forum to
discuss the planning and development of a Windham Community Center was held on
Monday, March 25 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Town Hall community gym.
Mark Lee and Emily Innes, both of Harriman (the
design firm), revealed what Windham residents selected - the third concept
design that was chosen from a previous forum. Concept design number three would
include: a three-court gym and indoor track, two pools, locker rooms, kitchen,
youth and adult wellness studio, childcare room and administrative office.
While the original square footage estimate was 60,000; given the contents of
the building and its surroundings, a new square footage estimate of roughly
70,000-84,000 was given.
Harriman presented Monday night’s attendees
with three pool designs. Attendees
were given ballots and broke into groups to discuss which pool they thought was
best. For those who were watching via Facebook Live, there is a similar ballot
available on the Windham Parks and Recreation website. When the ballots were
counted from the meeting, the hybrid pool came in first, then the competition
pool followed by the family pool. A final pool concept design will be decided
next month. (As of this printing, final design and location has yet to be
determined.)
Casey
Sinclair enjoys working with athletes on and off the field
In his educator/coach spotlight, Matt Pascarella sat down to
speak with Athletic Trainer for Windham High School, Casey Sinclair. She stated
that her job is to help an
athlete if they get hurt on the field or on the court. In addition, and just as
important, Sinclair explained that being an athletic trainer is also about
forming a relationship with the athletes during their high school career.
Sinclair’s favorite aspect of her job is working with the athletes. “You really
get to know the athletes before they get hurt and sometimes while their
injuries are developing. It’s a relationship you build that’s different than
any other medical profession. You know the student, what they do, what they
like...you build a bond. You have four years with this athlete. It’s not like
the doctor’s office where you come in, it’s ten minutes, you may never see them
again.”
MARCH
Programs
work to stop hunger in RSU14
There is a program to combat food insecurity
among students in Windham and Raymond. The Backpack Program runs the length of
the school year and supplies food to grades kindergarten through fifth grade.
It doesn’t supply actual backpacks, but rather a bag of food that can go home
with a child when they need it.
The program serves Raymond Elementary, Windham Primary
School and Manchester School. Program director Marge Govoni, Chef Ryan Roderick
and Director of School Nutrition, Jeanne Reilly as well as a group of dedicated
volunteers help make this program the success that it is.
The Village
Fund stems from the knowledge and daily awareness that there are families in
the community who, although they may not qualify for reduced or free meals,
still struggle to provide their children with a well-balanced and nutritious
breakfast and lunch. These children can come to school without having breakfast
and/or without a lunch. “It is our mission to feed [these children]” remarked Reilly. “To provide them with a meal, regardless
of their ability to pay. Free and reduced meals are available for families
throughout the school year; families just need to fill out a yearly application
to make sure they qualify.”
“We believe
that healthy, nutritious food is a basic human right and that no child should
go through the school day hungry,” reiterated Reilly.
If you would like to donate to the Backpack
Program:
Checks may be made payable to RSU #14; please note “Backpack Program” in memo.
Please send donations to:
ATTN: Ryan Roderick
RSU #14
228 Windham Center Road
Windham, ME 04062
If you would like to donate to the Village
Fund:
Monetary donations can be sent
to:
The Village Fund
c/o Windham Raymond School Nutrition Program
228 Windham Center Road
Windham, ME 04062
Windham
woman makes it to the top of loan officers
Acadia Lending Group, LLC announced that Skylar
Welch of Windham placed number 32 amongst 50 of the nation’s top loan
originators and was the only Maine loan originator to make the list.
What made this even more outstanding is that
she was one of few women on the list and has been in the business for only four
years while seated amongst veterans of 30 plus years.
Welch has quickly grown an outstanding career
as a loan officer at Acadia Lending Group, LLC where she started out as the
assistant to the owners in 2011. She has been originating loans on her own
since 2015 and within this short time has grown an extremely impressive
portfolio with many accolades along the way.
Long
standing challenges of Gore Road in Raymond may come to an end
It had been an issue for the past 30 years, but
with the collaborative efforts between the towns of Raymond and Gray, the ¼
mile private road section between the two towns may have finally found a
creative solution to a unique situation. It was a topic of discussion at the
Raymond Board of Selectmen’s meeting on April 9.
Of the many solutions considered, it was
established that the residents in Gray that access their homes via Gore Road
who would benefit from this improvement have indicated that they could raise
around $25,000 while the Raymond property owners on this section of private
road would contribute $500 each (plus $250 for title work). Those who attended
the selectmen’s meeting agreed to move forward.
The next step in the process was for Gore Road
residents to get a petition signed by all property owners on Gore Road who will
be affected by the change. They must have this petition signed by Tuesday,
April 23 where it was reconsidered at the Board of Selectmen's
meeting and discussion on this issue had ensued. Also, to be considered by
Gore Road property owners is a signed promissory note (or cash to the Town) to
pay for the fees. (Petition was signed and Gore Road has been improved.)
New
landscapes in education puts the learner in the driver’s seat
As a response to an editorial/insight that
Managing Editor, Lorraine Glowczak, had
written about my own experience in education, where I didn’t quite fit in and
may have fallen through the cracks of a one size fits all system, she was
invited by Dr. Kyle Rhoads, Principal of WPS, to visit – and see how the
educational landscape has changed.
She was given the opportunity to observe and to
speak to the young learners (students) at the primary school, their
relationship to the facilitators (teachers) and the role they play in their own
educational success – thus creating a genuine love of learning.
As teacher Jen Melcher explained, “Regardless
of a child’s age or what grade a student is in, we meet students educationally,
where they are,” Melcher explained to me before her students arrived.
“Students can and do tell us where they are academically,
and they guide us in their preferred learning style – and as facilitators – we
teach them from there - providing options from which to choose. By having a
hand in their own education, they feel successful and want to participate. They
are invested and want to see their success through.”
Sophomore
lacrosse athletes to compete in national tournament
Sophomores Emma Yale and Riley Beem were selected to
participate in the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament in Baltimore with
the competitions occurring in Maryland on May 25 and 26.
Coach Matt Perkins, realized their potential and recommended
Yale and Beem tryout for the tournament. “Emma and Riley are returning starters
who continued to work on not only their game but also their strength and athletic
abilities,” explained Perkins. “Along with great work ethics and never being
satisfied with where they are, they are extremely coachable. The other thing
that’s impressive about both of them is that they put the team first.”
Famous
musician entertained crowd with song and story at the Windham Performing Arts
Center
Internationally renowned for his song,
“Caledonia” as well as a composition featured in the movie, “Last of the
Mohicans”, Dougie MacLean from Scotland performed to a crowd of approximately
300 last Wednesday, April 10 at the Windham Performing Arts Center.
The singer-songwriter, who played a few scores
with the Windham Chamber Singers, provided an interactive concert, sharing
tales and encouraging the audience to sing along; crafting a harmonious musical
adventure.
"I loved the way he wove his story,
telling us a bit of the background of his songs along with gently coaxing us
into true audience participation," stated one audience member, Barb Hunt
Maurais. "Of course, the songs and his guitar playing skills were amazing.
What a treasure."
Windham
students heading to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Michigan
For the second time, a team of elementary
students from Windham Primary and Manchester Schools
headed to Odyssey of the
Mind World Finals. Odyssey of the Mind (OotM) is an international creative
problem-solving program that engages students in their learning by allowing
their knowledge and ideas to come to life in an exciting, productive
environment. Participants build self-confidence, develop life skills, create
new friendships, and are able to recognize and explore their true potential.
OotM proves that students can have fun while they learn.
This annual event took place at Michigan State
University, in East Lansing Michigan, from May 22 to 25. Seven energetic
students, in grades three to five, along with their fearless coaches/ parents
are heading west on Tuesday, May 21 for the 15 to 18-hour drive. The students
and their respective grades are: Nick Verrill (5), Nick Jenkins (5), Cameron
Weeks (4), Ewan O’Shea (5), Marek Slomczynski (5), Ashlynn Cuthbert (4) and
Adam Slomczynski (3). The first five of which previously competed in the OotM
World Finals, along with their coach April O’Shea.
Windham
sculptor wins 2019 artist’s residency at Monson Arts
In February,
Anne Alexander, a local artist and teacher, received the news that she was
accepted for a month-long artist retreat at Monson Arts – a new residency
program that started less than a year ago with the support of the Libra Foundation.
“I had applied early for the visual artist
residency program but there were already so many artists and writers who had
applied and were accepted that I was wait-listed for the next retreat,”
explained Alexander. “I reapplied and received the news two months ago, in
February, that I was accepted.”
One of her first experiences at Monson Arts
began with a snowshoe walk in the woods, of which there is plenty at the edge
of Maine’s North Woods—3.5 million acres of forest bordering Canada.
“I found the perfect cedar tree to
carve,” Alexander said. “With the help of the program’s
technician, a tree was cut and moved to the woodshop. I carved an eight-foot
tall sculpture using both power and hand tools.”
In her time there, which ended on April 26, she
also developed a series of smaller clay sculptures and large drawings.
MAY
Varsity
softball shuts down Westbrook
Spring was in
the air and Windham sports fans were happy on a day where many games were
canceled due to rain and bad field conditions. The varsity softball team
traveled to Westbrook on Saturday, April 25 to take on the Blue Blazes. The
Lady Eagles started strong and early, hitting a home run in the first at bat –
keeping the momentum going. Fast forward to the top of the fourth inning,
Windham was up ten to zero with the final score at 18 to zero.
“They had to
get in the mindset that we had to come out and play; both teams were playing in
the same weather. Whitney threw an awesome game today, really good control of
the ball and everybody contributed offensively, defensively; just great
all-around game,” stated Coach, Fred Wilcox.
Grant
awarded to the Windham Public Library
In April, the
Windham Public Library applied for and submitted the grant application and they
were recently notified that they have received $1500. “We have benefited
from the grant program twice in the past to add technology devices to our
children’s room,” stated WPL Director, Jen Alvino. “This year the grant funds
will be used to expand our backpack program. We currently circulate themed
backpacks from the children’s room collection. The backpacks are filled with
books, games, and activities for children and families to check out and use
together.”
Alvino also
explained that the current themes for this year are nature, games, birds,
magnets, history, seashore, and a microscope backpack. “With the
grant funds, we will be able to expand our offerings to new themes like rock
hounds’ backpack kit, treasure hunting, save the earth as well as add healing
backpacks with themes such as Alzheimer’s, death of a pet, death of a loved
one, and divorce. The healing backpacks will have books and resources for
families dealing with difficult situations and will provide helpful resources
as they work through a tough situation.”
“Man with a
Mandolin” – Al Hawkes remembered and honored by fans and musicians
It was standing
room only at Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza in Westbrook on Sunday, May 5, the pub
that was once the recording studio of the nationally known bluegrass musician,
Al Hawkes, was filled to the brim. It was standing room only as fans of the
late recording artist came out to honor and celebrate the gifted performer and
instrumentalist. Also present were over 15 bluegrass, country music and folk
artists who personally knew, jammed in the backyard and/or performed with
Hawkes, playing their favorite tunes from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In addition to
honoring and remembering the “man with the mandolin”, it was an afternoon of
fundraising for the Al Hawkes Scholarship Fund. “I made a promise to Al,”
Nickerson told the crowd before the performances began. “He wanted to start a
scholarship fund to help area music students. Today we are asking for donations
toward this scholarship. The funds will be used to help students purchase
musical instruments and with the cost associated with performances and
studies.” Nickerson added that the performers were donating their time to help
with the cause.
Sen. Diamond
welcomes decorated Navy SEAL to Maine Senate
At the
beginning of May, Senator Bill Diamond, D-Windham, welcomed Commander Michael
Wisecup USN, Ret., to the Maine Senate for the day.
Commander
Wisecup, who retired from the Navy in Nov. 2018, graduated from the US Naval
Academy in 1998 and received a Master of Business Administration from the
Indian Institute for Technology in Mumbai, India. He was deployed multiple
times to Iraq, Afghanistan, and across Africa and Asia on military operational
assignments on SEAL Teams 1, 5 and 8 and Special Boat Team 12. He also had
various staff assignments at home and abroad, including most recently serving
as Deputy Commander of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Iraq.
Commander Wisecup has received the Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal
with Valor, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service
Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service
Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine
Corps Combat Action Ribbon, and various other unit, campaign and personal citations.
He is currently a Presidential Leadership Fellow at Colby College in
Waterville.
Third-grader
wins calendar contest
Lincoln Rulman,
a third-grade student in Mrs. Arbour’s class at Windham Primary School entered
the Casella Waste calendar contest for third graders. Out of 308 entries in
Maine and 2200 entries total, Lincoln’s artwork was selected, and his photo
will be showcased in the Casella Wastes 2020 calendar. Rulman didn’t know he
won until Friday, May 10 when a representative from Casella Waste came to
Windham Primary School and presented him an award alongside some of his
third-grade classmates.
Windham’s softball slugger, Junior Chloe
Wilcox breaks record
Junior, Chole Wilcox
recently broke Windham High’s record for most home runs hit during a high
school softball career. The original record, 13 home runs, was set by Liv Mora
(class of 2017). Wilcox has hit 16 home runs during her career; nine of
which have been this season.
“She’s a hard
worker,” stated her dad and coach, Fred Wilcox. “As a catcher, she understands
pitchers. She’s educated on what pitches may be coming and she’s a numbers kid.
As a lefty, pitchers will work the outside corner of the plate, she’s got
really quick hands to work the inside and she’s a smart, smart player; very
strong with great hand eye coordination.”
Essay
contest winner shares important message with the community
AJ Sweet had a
message to convey: Anybody can be awesome. The third-grade student at Windham
Primary School shared this message in an essay he wrote for a competition
sponsored by the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness. His moving essay
won the third-grade prize. “I was thinking from my heart, and that’s how I was
writing it,” AJ said.
The prompt for
his essay was “We all have different abilities and different challenges. Why is
that a good thing?” The Caring Classrooms Contest was open to any student in a
classroom that has been part of the Cromwell Center’s disabilities awareness
program, which is presented free of charge in schools throughout southern and
central Maine.
AJ said he
wishes everyone could have a chance to feel the way he felt when he learned he
had won. “I might never forget that minute in my life,” he said.
Even more, he said, he wants people to know that they can embrace their true
abilities.
Learning is
just as important as winning for Kregg Jarvais
Reporter, Matt
Pascarella caught up with coach Kregg Jarvais who has taken his knowledge of
baseball and transferred it to softball, where he sees duality. Jarvais stated
that he wants his girls to know the fundamentals of the game. It’s the little
things, or cheats as he refers to them, that can really strengthen a
player.
Jarvis is the
head coach for the Bill Diamond Softball Team. He also coaches in the Maine
Thunder Organization, a U12 travel softball team.
He got
interested in coaching when his kids started getting interested in and playing
sports. That energized him. From that point on, he was watching his kids and
volunteering a lot of time and energy.
“The way I
viewed it was, I was going to be there anyway supporting my kids, and it would
be a shame if I didn’t provide the catalog of stuff I had in my head to help
the progression of children in sports.”
Windham
business owner volunteers with “Military Makeover” on Lifetime® TV
Mindy Zink of
Half Moon Décor and Design Studio used her expertise with Chalk Paint®, a
Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan, along with other home improvement
professionals, were a part of Lifetime’s latest series of “Military Makeover
with Montel”..
“I wanted to
give back in some way,” began Zink, whose father is a veteran of the Airforce.
“I don’t watch much television, but I did see a “Military Makeover” episode and
I realized that I could volunteer my experiences with chalk painting. So, I
simply emailed them to see if they could use my services.”
Zink and her husband,
who donated their time, travel, product and hotel stay, were among many of the
home improvement professionals who worked together on this project – all under
a deadline – with “together” being the key term of the experience. “There was
every contractor under the sun in the house at the same time,” stated Zink.
“There was a specific window of time and we all had to do our projects together
while television crews were filming.”
“There was a
sense of camaraderie among us and no one felt discouraged even as we were
working elbow to elbow,” she said. “It was an uplifting experience. Everyone
was happy. No animosity and no negativity. It’s what happens when you
gather together for a good cause.”
Raymond
Little League wins the “Take Me Out to the Dugout” fundraising contest
It’s been a
friendly competition for the past 10 years as a fundraising event for local
softball and baseball teams. “Take Me Out to the Dugout” sponsored by The Ice
Cream Dugout raised over $1,600 this year, making a total donation to participating
teams of $11,852 over the course of a decade.
This year, the
participating teams were: Windham Christian Academy, Windham High School Softball,
Raymond Little League, Windham Little League and Standish Little League. The
winning team who made the most money was Raymond!
JUNE
The Maine
Blues Festival celebrates its fourteenth year
If there is
anything the Windham and Raymond community loves, it is listening to good music
and supporting local musicians - and the 14th annual Maine Blues Festival that
occurred in Naples from Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16 – is an anticipated
yearly event.
Beginning in
the winter of 2006, the concept to have a festival started as just an idea
between two friends while talking over a couple of beers. Kevin Kimball was
visiting his friend Mike Bray, who was the owner of the former pub, Bray’s, in
Naples (currently Gary’s Old Towne Tavern). “If we are really going to do this,
we need to make it happen,” Kimball recalled Bray telling him. “We had been discussing
this for a while and we both realized that it was time to take action with this
blues festival idea.”
The original
vision was just to have a small mini-festival in Bray’s Beer Garden. “But then
word got out, and various local businesses were asking if they could join in,”
Kimball explained. “It mushroomed beyond our wildest dreams. To be honest, we
were scared out of our wits.”
It was another
fun, family event and was attended by many.
Congratulations
to former Windham Middle School student
Friends of
Anneliese Warnberg were excited to discover that she has been named the varsity
softball Rookie of the Year.
Warnberg, who
was a student at RSU14 but moved with her family to Florida last year, now
attends Allen D. Nease High School in St. Augustine. She not only made the
varsity team, but she was part of the starting lineup as catcher, her favorite
position. In a press release, Warnberg stated that the season shaped her into,
“not only a better player, but a better person as well.”
Warnberg’s
grandparents, Russell and Elaine Warnberg still live in the Windham community.
Volunteers
needed for free summer meal program at Dundee Park this summer
The Summer Food
Service Program provided free summer meals again this year every weekday from Monday July
8 through Friday, August 16 from noon to 1 p.m. The intention of the
summer meal program is to help families save money while providing a fun, safe
place for kids and teens, ages 18 and under, to eat a healthy meal every day of
the week -unless the park is closed.
Statistics
indicate that one out of every five school age children are food insecure. This
includes children in our small-town communities of Windham and Raymond.
According to
the Economic Research Service division of the United States Department of
Agriculture, the following is what is known about food insecurity in the U.S.
“The
defining characteristic of very low food security is that, at times during the
year, the food intake of household members is reduced, and their normal eating
patterns are disrupted because the household lacks money and other resources
for food. Very low food security can be characterized in terms of the conditions
that households in this category typically report in the annual food security
survey.
Volunteers stepped forward to help with this important
initiative.
Another
successful year for Windham and Special Olympics
Eight excited
Special Olympics athletes made their way through the crowd of celebrating
students, faculty and staff on Friday morning, June 7 to the vans that would
take them to the University of Maine at Orono for the 50th year
of the Special Olympics Maine State Summer Games.
The weekend
began with a huge parade and opening ceremonies on Friday night. Saturday was
filled with great competitions. Many awards and personal bests were achieved.
Saturday ended with a 1969-themed dance.
“All the athletes participated in three individual events and all did a
fabulous job with some personal bests,” stated Coach, Anne Blake. “Thanks to
all the support from RSU14 athletic boosters, administration, our volunteer
assistant coaches, Margie Dionne, Nikki Rogers, Olivia Latham and Mitch Hodge,
the parents and athletes.”
Congratulations
to all the athletes: Mary Greslick, AJ Mains, Kayla Fillinger, Dani Iaconeta,
Eric Loftin, Austin Rice, James Tucker and Cam Malone.
World War II
pilot’s remains found after 75 years: Memorial services to be held in Windham
Pearl Grant, a
resident of Windham for the past 93 years finally felt some closure this summer
when her cousin, Burleigh Curtis, was laid to rest in Windham, next to his
parents – 75 years after his death.
According to a
DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) Public Affairs press release, “Army
Air Forces 1st Lt. Burleigh E. Curtis, killed during World War
II, was accounted for on December 13, 2018.”
“The last time
I saw Burleigh was when he graduated from high school in 1939,” Grant said, who
spent summers with her cousin and other family members on the family farm on
Highland Cliff Road in Windham. “We all had fun. We played games, joked,
laughed – a completely pleasurable experience on the farm as a family,” Grant
said.
Curtis’ name is
recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Brittany American Cemetery, an
American Battle Monuments Commission site in Montijoie Saint Martine, France,
along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his
name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Everyone was
invited to the memorial service held at Highland Cliff Advent Christian Church
on Tuesday, June 25. Interment was at Chase Cemetery, next to the church.
Ron’s
Mexican Cantina and Grill will continue to make a positive impact in the
community under new ownership
When Ron Eby of
Windham Automotive built Ron’s Mexican Cantina and Grill for the first
Summerfest celebration in Windham, he never imagined it would be a catalyst for
raising nearly $700,000 dollars for Camp Sunshine. But in the years since he
created the food cart, that’s exactly what has happened. And although the cart
has now been sold, new owner Jose Chavez of A La Mexicana plans to continue the
tradition of giving.
When Chavez
expressed interest, Eby said, “I told him I’d love to see it still used in some
capacity to raise money for Camp Sunshine.”
Chavez said
that continuing to support Camp Sunshine is in their plan, but they haven’t yet
determined exactly how that will happen. He added that he wants to help the
community, especially since they have helped him so much. “I want to
give back a little bit too,” he said.
Windham
Middle School softball team makes history
The Windham
Middle School softball team made history this past season by becoming the first
team at WMS to go undefeated all season, winning eight consecutive games. The
team is made up of mostly eighth graders with the exception of a couple seventh
graders.
“This group of
young ladies have been playing together as a unit for [a while]. I've seen less-talented
teams succeed because of strong team chemistry, and this team combines that
chemistry with elite talent,” remarked parent, Matt Shardlow.
Congratulations
to Emile Allen, Anne-Marie Andrews, Haley Atherton, Kailey Chalmers, Isabella
Clapp, Casey Downing, Odessa Files, Hannah Heanssler, Savanna Heanssler,
Jayden Kimball, Bella Lorenzatti, Chloe Manette, Rielly Russell, Gianna West
and Ella Wilcox!
Reconstruction
and maintenance to begin on River Road - historical sites preserved
Although the exact
schedule and start date was uncertain in June, the River Road reconstruction
project, which has been awarded to Shaw Brothers Construction, will begin soon.
The area of River Road to receive the update includes the Doles Bridge over the
Colley Wright Brook as well as a 3 mile stretch of the road, beginning at the
Westbrook line and extending north. The entire project is scheduled to last two
years with the completion date set at June 19, 2021.
As the
reconstruction and widening has been discussed over the past four years,
concerns regarding the many historical sites along that portion of River Road
have been expressed to representatives of both the Maine Department of
Transportation (MDOT) and the Windham Delegation by members of the Windham
Historical Society (WHS). It had been decided to save the historical sites.
JULY
Tenth annual
food drive a success
Field-Allen
Post 148 in collaboration with the Joint Military Cadet of America (A co.1st BN
3rd ACTB) Windham High School, held its 10th Annual
Food Drive at Walmart North Windham in support of the Town of Windham Food
Pantry Summer Youth program. The Cadets and Post members filled an M-37 Dodge
Military Vehicle with food products and received $1500 in cash donations for
the cause.
Windham Area
Clergy encourages everyone to help neighbors as part of July 4th
festivities
Clergy serving
churches in the Windham area agreed to provide three collection sites at Faith
Lutheran Church, St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, and Windham Hill United Church of
Christ to accept donations of toothpaste, toilet paper, bar soap and
suitcases/duffel bags for the Asylum Seekers. They delivered everything donated
to Gateway Community Services in Portland for distribution to the families
seeking asylum.
“Jesus was pretty
clear,” Faith Lutheran’s pastor, Rev. Jane Field, said, “We are to love our neighbors—no
exceptions! And he taught that when we welcome a stranger, we welcome Him.
So, we don’t believe expressions of generosity should be thought of as
‘either/or.’ They can be ‘both/and.’ That’s the thing about love—when it’s
shared, it isn’t used up; it expands. We can love both our neighbors
nearby and our new neighbors.”
Local
volunteers continue a 32-year tradition beautifying the Windham rotary islands:
Enough funds to last only two more years
With the help
of a few community volunteers - local residents and visiting motorists come
upon a colorful display of scenery at the round-a-bout at the intersection of
Routes 302 and 202 in Windham every summer for the past 32 years. The Windham
Eagle took a look at who are the landscaping creatives and how did it all
begin?
In his June 6,
2017 article, Reporter Walter Lunt shared the following: “The rotary gardens
have their roots in Windham’s 250th year celebration back in
1987. The town went all out with lectures, historical programs, open house
events in old homes and churches, various entertainment venues, a parade,
festival and gardens featuring red, white and blue plantings. (The color theme
is retained in the current rotary gardens.) Gary Plummer, General Chair of the
1987 event, said the rotary flowers were well received by the public, so it
became a spring tradition.”
SEALs for
Sunshine undertake 16-mile swim to help military families enjoy Camp Sunshine
Mike Wisecup
started SEALs for Sunshine to raise awareness of what Camp Sunshine offers to
military families with children facing life threatening diseases. The first
event in 2014 coincided with Camp Sunshine’s 30-year anniversary campaign,
“Going the Distance”. “’Going the Distance’ seemed to fit with a 13-mile
half marathon swim across Sebago Lake,” Wisecup said.
Every year
since then, SEALs for Sunshine has held at least one intense physical challenge
to support the goal of raising money for military families to attend Camp
Sunshine. Just over $500,000 has been raised through these events, prompting a
significant increase in military families – both active duty and veterans –
attending camp. Many of these families would not have known about
Camp Sunshine without the publicity surrounding these events.
The funds
raised through SEALs for Sunshine events directly supports both attendance at
the camp and travel costs to alleviate the financial burden of getting to and
from camp.
Windham
resident hopes to spread awareness of mental illness through her 2019 Caregiver
of the Year Award
On Wednesday,
June 19 Rumo, who is a Psychiatric Technician at Spring Harbor Hospital in
Westbrook received the Caregiver of the Year award at the Maine Hospital Association’s
(MHA) annual Summer Forum held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. News Center
Maine Anchor Sharon Rose Vaznis presented the award.
Rumo, a 1984
graduate of Windham High School, was nominated by a longtime coworker and
friend, Claudia Henry. Henry, who wrote the required 500-word essay and
collected testimonials for the application process, is the one who called to
let Rumo know the good news. “When Claudia called to tell me I had been
selected, she said, ‘Karen! This is like winning the Oscars in Hollywood!’”
Her hope that
the attention she has received with winning this award can bring about more
awareness in the mental health field. “There is still so much stigma
surrounding mental health and it is my hope that this perception changes,” Rumo
stated.
Rumo’s greatest
message is kindness, understanding and sympathy. “No matter who you come in
contact with, everyone has a story, and everyone has something to contribute.
Since we don’t know the whole story of an individual’s life, it is best that we
do not judge – but to be kind to one another.”
Rep. Corey’s
bill to allow spouses to provide home and community-based services is now law
Rep. Patrick
Corey (R-Windham) announced his legislation, LD 84, Resolve, Directing the
Department of Health and Human Services To Allow Spouses To Provide Home and
Community-based Services to Eligible MaineCare Members was signed into law by
Governor Janet Mills. The new law directs the Maine Department of Health and
Human Services to request a federal waiver allowing spouses employed as
personal support specialists to provide services to their spouse.
For Rep. Corey,
this was his second attempt to pass legislation in response to the plight of
constituents, John and Linda Gregoire of Windham. John has amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease and requires
round the clock care from his wife Linda.
"John and
Linda Gregoire really opened my eyes to the hardships that a spouse with a
debilitating disease can place on a family,” said Rep. Corey (R-Windham).
"While getting spouses paid for caregiving through Medicaid seemed pretty
straight forward, it took two attempts, strong advocacy from many interests,
and some really creative thought regarding who will employ this new workforce
to keep the costs down. LD 84 brings us one step closer to allowing
spouses to be paid for caregiving activities.”
Before the
memory fades: Boy’s plunge into icy South Windham pond saves two lives in 1961
In his
bimonthly historical series, Walter Lunt spoke to Philip Loura, who at the age
of 14 saved two young girls from drowning in a small man-made pond in South Windham.
“It was just a
day out on the ice – we were whipping each around and having fun,” said Loura.
“Then we heard a scream.”
Apparently, a
young Doreen Nealey had fallen part-way through thin ice and was struggling to
lift herself out. When her friend, Kathy Smith skated over to help, the ice
gave way beneath her too. Now both were in about seven feet of freezing water,
hollering for help.
Loura was first
to respond. “I knew the same thing could happen to me. They were about 15 feet
from shore, so I skated like a mad-mother to the shore and started busting up
the ice until I had an open water path out to where they were.”
Maine Governor
John Reed recognized Loura with a special plaque. The Carnegie Foundation
awarded him a medal for heroism. From the American Legion, another
medal for heroism. And then, the crown jewel of tributes: the Young American
Medal for Bravery, to be presented by the President of the United States, John
F. Kennedy.
Braxton Cassidy
chosen to play in 30th Annual Lobster Bowl
Braxton Cassidy
of Windham played at the 30th Annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl
Classic on July 20th. In a
letter recommending Cassidy to play, Coach Matt Perkins stated, “In my 20 years
of coaching, Braxton is one of the most unique kids that I’ve ever coached,”
Cassidy’s Team,
The East played against The West. Although The East team lost 60-14, Cassidy
said it was an honor to play the game, none-the-less. “It didn’t end the way I
wanted it to, but it was for a good cause. I got to play one more football game
and that’s what I really enjoy,” explained Cassidy, who was also chosen to be a
co-captain for his team.
Next year,
Cassidy will attend Bridgton Academy and after that he plans to attend the
University of Maine at Orono to play Division 1 football. Cassidy is interested
in Zoology and wants to study animals
AUGUST
Five-year
old to receive portion of proceeds from the Tenth Annual Kelli’s 5K
Griffin Cochrane, a five-year-old from Windham, was diagnosed
with leukemia on June 25, 2017, and is in the process of receiving his
three and a half years of chemotherapy sessions. He was a recipient from this
year’s annual Kelli’s 5K.
In its 10th year, the proceeds from the
run/walk are distributed in a number of ways. First and as always, monies
raised are contributed to the anticipated growth of the Kelli
Hutchison Memorial Playground, located on the grounds of St. Ann’s Episcopal
Church, 40 Windham Center Road. In addition to funding the playground, a
portion of the funds raised is given to a community organization or an area
family facing extraordinary challenges.
“We’ve been so touched by the community’s response” began
Danielle, Griffin’s mom. “People we’ve never met have reached out to see what
they can do to help. We are honored to be chosen by Kelli’s family. It means so
much to us.”
Varsity
girls’ soccer win Northern New England Challenge Cup 2019
The Windham
Lady Eagles won the Northern New England Challenge Cup, which was held
Saturday, July 27th and Sunday, July 28th. This
tournament is hosted every year at the end of July and this year’s competition
was held in Yarmouth. Sixteen teams entered from Maine and Massachusetts.
During the playoffs, Windham started the day by beating Gorham 3-0. They then
beat Bonny Eagle in penalty kicks. In the finals they beat Scarborough 1-0.
“It’s a great
way to wrap up the summer season and it’s a fun way to start seeing where
younger players might find a role on the team. We were excited about the
outcome because we only had 5 returning varsity players participate,” commented
coach Deb Lebel.
Miss
Southern Maine Princess uses platform to promote anti-bullying campaign locally
Adelynn Elwell’s of Raymond won Miss Southern Maine Princess in
February and prepared for USA Nationals. When asked for the key
message she would like to share with others, her immediate response was, “I
want to create a respectful environment in schools.” Her message echoes that of
The Crown CARES program.
The Crown CARES (Creating a
Respectful Environment in Schools) program is specifically designed for
pageant systems to promote awareness internationally, on the number one problem
facing youth and children in school and today's society: bullying and
harassment.
As part of The Crown CARES
Program, each titleholder spends their year visiting schools and promoting
awareness, reading to children and helping them to understand how to stand up
to bullying.
Elwell commented, “As a pageant winner, I’ve
had the opportunity to read the book “Sticks, Stones and Stumped” (authored by
Deb Landry) to preschool and kindergarten classes and make friendship
bracelets. I’ve also joined a couple of parades and we held a ‘Unite against
bullying’ dance party to get the message out.”
Celebrating
20 years of Food and Fellowship at Dundee Park this coming Monday
The idea of a
free Monday meal officially began from members of the Windham Hill United
Church of Christ in 1998 but it wasn’t long until other churches joined in and
together formed, Food and Fellowship, Inc. a non-profit ecumenical
organization. Food and Fellowship has sponsored the free Monday Meal program in
the Lakes Region since 1999.
“Although we
began as a monthly program, we realized that what we provided was more than
food for those who participated,” Seder explained. “We realized that people
were also longing to connect with others – they were feeling isolated and
alone. We had people come up to us, saying that this gathering was the first
time they got to talk to others that day – or even in over a week. It’s at that
point we understood that we were not only feeding people nutritious meals, but
we were serving individuals who longed for connection and conversation. We decided
at that point to provide Monday Meals on a weekly basis.”
Food and
Fellowship’s free Monday Meals currently serve approximately 50 individuals
every week.
Windham
Parks and Recreation senior campers’ program: A big summer success
This past
summer, Windham Parks and Recreation’s Senior Campers Program celebrated its
fourth year as part of the Adventure Camp for grades six through eight. The
Senior Campers Program is a next step for rising high school freshman who are
interested in working towards becoming a Windham Parks and Recreation camp
counselor.
Recreation
programmer, Sarah Davenport and counselor, Lauren Syphers oversaw the program.
“Our goal is
for them to start to take that next step and transition from campers into more
of a leadership role; to work on leadership skills, character development and
still have a really fun time getting to be a part of the summer camp program,”
explained Davenport.
During a
regular day, they were given additional responsibilities such as activity set up,
helping counselors/directors with special projects, and holding their fellow
campers accountable for their words and actions.
Little
Sebago Lake Association promotes water safety in significant but fun and
hands-on ways
Late last
summer, the Little Sebago Lake Association (LSLA) shared the importance of
water safety and why they began a safety patrol program 15 years ago. Like most
lakes in Maine, Little Sebago Lake is becoming a popular spot for water
activities. “Over the years it has become more and more crowded and congested,”
President Lamontagne of the LSLA. “Many people, especially new members or
renters who are not seasoned boat drivers and not are aware of the boating laws
with the State of Maine - we wanted to serve as a gentle reminder to know the
laws and to stay safe.”
According to
the 2019 LSLA’s yearly newsletter, accidents occur on Maine lakes every year.
The State of Maine had a total of four boat crashes that involved more than
$2,000 in damages and 10 personal injury crashes that involved the Warden
Service last year.
The Water
Safety Program includes a working relationship with the Cumberland County
Dispatch service center and has created six entry points onto the lake so
medical personnel can easily respond to any emergency. “The Safety Patrol
Program has even increased our membership and has provided a sense of community
among us,” stated Lamontagne.
Former Town
Clerk Rita Bernier retires at the age of 81 after a total 44 years of service
to Windham
The well-known
and well-loved former Town Clerk, Rita Bernier, shared her story with The
Windham Eagle, about the 44 years of services she has given to the Town of
Windham.
Many will
remember she was a bus driver for the Windham school district, but Bernier
eventually became a town clerk in a round-about way. “I worked for an oil
company as an office manager,” Rita said. “It was a fun job that I loved with
no plans to leave any time soon.”
One day, the
Windham Town Clerk at the time, Barbara Strout, had decided to run for state legislature
and asked Rita if she’d be interested in being the next elected official for
the town clerk. Rita accepted Barbara’s proposal.
I
was elected immediately,” Bernier began. “I was elected on a
Friday and went to the town office the following Monday.”
Rita states
that the townspeople are what made her job. “I’m telling you – I fell in love
with the people. If there is anything, I miss the most after my retirement - it
is the people I came in contact with on a daily basis.”
Although
Bernier has retired in the traditional sense, she has not slowed down. “She is
the energizer bunny,” Morrill said of her former co-worker and close friend.
For anyone who may be interested in learning how to make rag rugs, Bernier
would love to share her skill with you. For more information, call Bernier at
894-8114.
Long
standing challenges of Gore Road in Raymond coming to an end
A long-standing
issue came to an end this past summer. Briefly, Gore Road included sections of
ownership and maintenance by the Town of Raymond, residents of Raymond,
residents of Gray and the Town of Gray. As stated by Nathan White, the Town of
Raymond’s Public Works Director, “We have over 200 miles of private roads in
Raymond and Gore Road was the only private road connecting Raymond to another
town.”
Don Willard,
Raymond’s Town Manager, reinforced, “Gore Road has long been a public safety
issue as it was almost impassable. The privately-owned portion of the road
(part of a through way between the two towns), known as “no man’s land, had
long since deteriorated beyond the residents’ ability to implement the
necessary improvements”.
In fact, White
explained that last winter a plow truck fell through a culvert on Gore Road.
Improvements to
the road included: tree work, excavation, putting in place proper drainage and paving.
Willard
emphasized, “As a result of this work we now have a public road connecting the
two towns: a win-win for residents of Raymond and Gray.”
Instrument
donations needed to help Little Kids Rock
An announcement
was made that an addition to was added to the music curriculum at Manchester
School – called “Little Kids Rock”. Using guitars as a basic
instrument, the focus is for students to learn chords and strumming patterns so
they can accompany popular songs. Students do not need to read traditional
music notation, but the approach does include icons that guide
performance. In late August, Manchester School had ten guitars to assist
in the success of that program. While ten guitars were a good start, more
instruments could be used. Music Teacher, Charles Oehrtmann asked the
community for any spare instruments such as guitars, ukuleles, keyboards, drum
sets or anything else that might work in a rock band ensemble, to contact him
so arrangements could be made for drop-off at Manchester School. For more
information, call Oehrtmann by phone at 892-1830 and leave a message, or
contact him by e-mail: coehrtmann@rsu14.org
RAA to host
inaugural artist scholarship fundraiser
The Raymond
Arts Alliance (RAA) hosted its inaugural artist scholarship fundraising concert
on Saturday, September 7 at 1 p.m. at 163 Raymond Hill Road. The purpose of the
concert is to raise funds to support local artists in need.
The concept was
inspired by the aspirations of David Young, a local singer/songwriter, Raymond
resident and 2017 graduate of Windham High School (WHS). David has
performed in clubs for several years and has developed a strong local
following. He studied guitar for a year at the University of Southern
Maine and now will be moving to Nashville in the first week of November.
The RAA hopes
to donate part of the proceeds raised from this event to help with his move and
start his new life, while also seeding a fund to assist others in the
future. David, along with his brother, Devon - a drummer who is a 2019 WHS
graduate, is also moving to Nashville and will be performing with David.
Mary-Therese
Duffy, RAA Chair, stated that the scholarship program is in the early stages
and that the organization hopes to collect enough funds to support all artist
and ages.
SEPTEMBER
GWBE Wing
Challenge crowns first winner
Greater Windham
Business Exchange hosted its first GWBE Wing Challenge at All About Kids in
Windham. The event brought in stiff competition with The Beacon in Raymond
winning the popular vote and taking home bragging rights and a plaque to be
hung in their restaurant for the year.
The wing
challenge partnered with area businesses to raise money for Hannah Warrior
Princess’ mission of raising money to purchase fun play sheets to be giving to
children at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.
Hannah was
diagnosed with Leukemia and spent a lot of time at Barbara Bush Children’s
Hospital. She’s home now and wants to give back to other children staying at
the hospital. The play sheets go home with the children after they use them at
the hospital.
The event
raised over $600 with admission and donations combined. This will purchase at
least 60 sets of sheets for ill children.
Windham parish
collects over 2,500 food items to help feed local children
Thanks to Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham, many local children were able to
enjoy healthy snacks during their summer fun.
Created in the
spring of 2016, “Operation Summer Snacks” is an initiative of the parish,
located on 919 Roosevelt Trail, that collects food for children in need who
receive bags of food from the “Backpackers” program during the school year but,
in many cases, do not have the snacks during the summer.
“We totaled more
than 2,500 individual snack items, bagging 226 gallon-sized bags that included
31 nut-free bags, 30 nut- and gluten-free bags, and 165 bags with no food
restrictions,” said Jill Russell-Morey, a parish catechetical leader. “Each bag
contained a mix of 10 snack items, and we tried to include a fruit and juice
pouch in each while donations lasted.”
Russell-Morey
also stated that the project
makes the issue of hunger in the community clearer to both the children and
adults at the parish.
Senator Bill
Diamond helps to pass law to keep hands on the wheel
According to
the American Automobile Association (AAA) website, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration estimates distracted driving kills an average of nine
people and injures 1,000 every day.
This past fall,
Senator Bill Diamond introduced and passed LD 165, a bill “To Prohibit the Use
of Handheld Phones and Devices While Driving.” This bill will go into effect on
September 19, 2019.
The bill was
created out of a similar law that Senator Diamond sponsored in 2011, that made
texting while driving illegal. However, while it was illegal to text and drive,
it was not illegal to use your phone or have it in your hand.
“We talked with
law enforcement and the biggest problem is texting while driving; the crashes,
the injuries are just exponentially increasing,” stated Senator Diamond. “What
this says is you cannot have your phone or device in your hand. Everything in
this bill is all about hands-free. You look down for two seconds, often times
it’s three or four seconds – and in that short amount of time a lot can happen.
And that’s a problem. This fixes it.”
Raymond
Elementary School dedicates new playground
The first day
of school is always exciting, but the first day of school at Raymond Elementary
School and Jordan Small Middle School had an especially memorable event to mark
the beginning of their academic year. As the bright September sun glittered off
Panther Pond and Sebago Lake in the distance, students left their classrooms
and walked to a new fenced field behind Raymond Elementary School.
Randy Crockett, the principal of Raymond Elementary
School, welcomed students from both the
elementary and
the middle school. After offering his heartfelt thanks to the community,
parents, and local businesses whose generous donations helped with fundraising
events such as last summer’s ice cream social and the annual holiday pie sale,
Crockett described the elementary school’s new playground and play field.
A new balance
apparatus was installed as well as a climbing Webscape and two new sandboxes.
Food
insecurity continues for displaced veterans: Windham Veterans Center still
taking food donations
Food Insecurity
among the homeless and displaced Veterans in the Portland area continues to be
a concern of the American Legion Field-Allen Post in Windham. For the
Past two plus years the Legion Post has been collecting food items in support
of the Portland Vet Center, Homeless Vet Food Pantry, a small, but crucial
support system for many local homeless and food insecure veterans.
Chuck Whynot
and Bill Cassidy are two of these Post members who work tirelessly in
collecting, sorting and the distributing the food items each week. Over the
last two plus years, they have delivered almost two tons of food items to the
Portland Veterans Center. Staff at the Portland Veteran’s Center indicates that
they fill 20 to 30 requests each week.
How can you
help? Each Wednesday, Whynot collects non-perishable food items at the WVC from
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Want to give a financial donation? Not a problem, Whynot
keeps a ledger of donations. Checks should be made out to the Legion Post 148.
Historic
Casco schoolhouse rises from the ashes and now is open to the public
After more than
a year of resolute and reverent reconstruction, a replica of Casco’s old Quaker
Ridge Schoolhouse, or Friends School, was opened to the public in September on
the grounds of the Casco-Raymond Historical Society museum.
Nearly 100
visitors attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the museum complex on Route
302 in Casco. Society curator Rose Andrews-Symonds said she heard the comment
“How beautiful” numerous times during the three-hour open house event.
Andrews-Symonds, who also curated the original building before it was destroyed
by fire in 2018, continued, “It’s quite breathtaking to it see (back) almost in
its original state.”
The original
Quaker Ridge Schoolhouse was built in 1849 on Quaker Ridge Road. Run by the
Society of Friends (Quakers), it operated continuously until 1942, except for
the year 1920 when it closed temporarily due to low enrollment.
Raymond
residents honor Betty McDermott at dedication ceremony
In late fall,
the Raymond Village Library dedicated their new gazebo to the memory of
long-time Raymond resident Betty McDermott and the spirit of community service
that she embodied.
A devoted
volunteer and advocate for Raymond, McDermott served the town in many
capacities. She was a member of Raymond’s Board of Selectmen for nine years,
serving as the Chair for two of those years. She was also a charter member of
the Raymond-Casco Historical Society, and she served as the Treasurer of the
Raymond Women’s Club, which built and ran the Raymond Village Library.
“This library
exists because of Betty,” Sheila Bourque, head of Raymond Village Library’s
Board of Directors, told a crowd of over sixty people at Saturday’s dedication
and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Sheila praised the efforts of local volunteers not
only in the library by also in the Raymond Recreation program, the Raymond
Lions Club, and the Raymond Arts Alliance.
Maine State
Senator Bill Diamond and
state Representative Jessica Fay also praised Betty’s service.
Daddy
Warbucks fundraiser
To really get into his role of
Daddy Warbucks in the Windham Center Stage Theater's production of "Annie", Randy Hunt shaved his
head for a cause. He raised money for St. Baldrick’s foundation.
According to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation website: “Every
two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer – about the time needed to log
onto your laptop, order a coffee, or get through a TV commercial break. It’s
also about the same amount of time it takes to have your head shaved to support
childhood cancer research. Join the fight against childhood cancers by participating
in a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event near you.”
The head-shaving fundraising event occurred Sunday,
September 29th, at 12:30 p.m. at the Windham Town Hall. Randy Hunt stated, “I’m
trying to raise $1,000 to help with the Baldrick's mission of fighting
childhood cancer.
OCTOBER
Lifelong
love of local library inspires Eagle Scout project
Windham High
School student and Raymond resident, Jamie Louko, tells the story as to why he
was inspired to build at gazebo at the Raymond Village Library for his Eagle Scout project. “There was no doubt in my mind that my
Eagle Scout project would be at the library,” Louko told an audience of over sixty
community members at the dedication of his completed service project, an
outdoor gazebo dedicated to the memory of Raymond volunteer and community
leader Betty McDermott.
When Louko spoke to the audience at the gazebo’s dedication, he shared fond childhood
memories of reading the Warriors children’s book series in the back of the
Raymond Village Library while his parents browsed the adult sections. With his
Eagle Scout project, he hoped to share his childhood love of reading with the
next generation of Raymond children. Inspired by the gazebo in the Raymond
community garden, Louko decided to build a similar structure closer to the library. Louko presented his service project plan to
the Raymond Library Board of Trustees in May of 2018 and received their
enthusiastic approval.
Broadway
veteran Norm Lewis to perform with Windham Chamber Singers at An American
Family Holiday
This year’s
headliner for the Annual American Family Holiday event was Norm
Lewis. Lewis is a Broadway veteran who was recently seen in NBC’s live
broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar. He made
history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African American Phantom on
Broadway. “We are excited to welcome back Norm Lewis and
continue our tradition of bringing the highest quality performers to
Windham," said Nickerson. This will
be the third time Norm Lewis has appeared at An American Family Holiday and,
according to Nickerson, he is always a crowd favorite. Also
welcomed back was Daniel Strange. Strange is a WCS alumnus and on the
faculty at the University of Miami and violinist Ashley Liberty.
Little
Sebago Lake Association successfully keeps milfoil under control
Little Sebago
Lake Association shared with The Windham Eagle how they have come to grips on
the overgrowth of milfoil in the lake. Using an innovative ‘vacuum’ type
Venturi pump attached to a 50 foot hose, they are able to extract the milfoil
as a professional diver swims to the bottom of the lake to pull the invasive
plant roots from the lake floor. The milfoil then flows through the hose and
into a trough on the boat. The trough has a set of four gates that allows the
milfoil to drop into onion bags twice filtering the water before going back
into the lake. The boat has become a model that LEA and other lake associations
have re-developed to fit their needs in order to work on their own milfoil
extraction.
Once the
milfoil is removed, it is taken to be used as compost. In recent years,
co-milfoil director, Tim Greer, personally takes it to the town of Gray’s
compost – where townspeople can use the nutrient rich compost in their gardens.
Little Sebago
Lake residents who wish to learn more about milfoil extraction, help with an
adopt a shoreline program or to become an active member in the association,
visit littlesebagolake.com, contact Pam Wilkinson at pwilkinson@littlesebagolake.com or call
207.809.4706.
Survey
results are in: Windham Age Friendly community forum to begin action planning
from feedback
Windham’s Age
Friendly Community Committee completed their first major step in creating a community
action plan. On September 13 – the deadline for the survey, the committee
received feedback from over 320 individuals to express the types of human
service needs experienced by Windham residents.
The results
have been tabulated by Patricia Oh, AARP Maine's Age-Friendly Consultant with
the help of her intern, Yacov Aviv. All Windham citizens, young and old, were
encouraged to join and attend the Community Forum that was held Monday, October
21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Windham High School’s Open Cafe to review the
initial results. The forum will start the process for developing a community
action plan to address needs for older members in the community. Refreshments
will be served.Topics to be discussed will include: Community support, housing,
health services, transportation, employment, outdoor spaces and buildings,
communication and information.
Katie Frost
Franzoni inducted into the USM Sports Hall of Fame
For the past 12
years, Katie Frost Franzoni has been a sixth-grade teacher at Windham Middle
School. Franzoni is a graduate (2006) from the University of Southern Maine
(USM) and played basketball for the Huskies during her time there. In September
of this year, she was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame, for her
accomplishments on and off the court.
Created in 1985, with the first inductees in 1986, to honor coaches,
administrators and former student athletes, the Husky Hall of Fame identifies
excellent athletic achievement by graduates of USM and its predecessor
institutions.
Katie Frost Franzoni was a four-year starting guard for the Huskies’ women’s
basketball team. She helped guide Southern Maine to a record of 118 wins 11
loses from 2002-2006.
Production
begins on Mary Poppins, Jr. with new Drama Director at Windham Middle School
Suzy Cropper,
the new Drama Director at WMS is no stranger to the drama scene in Windham. In
addition to owning and operating a performance studio, Cropper was the musical
director for Windham Middle School’s annual musical for the past eight years.
Cropper has been teaching both theater and voice for close to 25 years. Her
studio, MainStage
Academy, was based in Windham for several years before she closed it. For three
years, she was the chorus teacher at the Manchester School. “I’ve done a
lot of directing kids for a long time. I’m excited to be able to work with
these kids in this capacity,” Cropper said.
Cropper enjoys
middle school students, she said, because they are teachable, excited about
learning new things, and willing to try things they haven’t done before.
“They’re just at a time of great exploration, so it’s nice to give them lots of
opportunities while they’re still trying to figure out what they love,” she
said.
Gonzalez
family from Raymond create memories with Halloween costume tradition
Since 2013,
Kaela Gonzalez and her family get in on the Halloween fun by dressing up in
theme inspired costumes that are cleverly created and hand-made by Kaela and
her family.
Kaela admitted
that the family Halloween tradition can be a bit daunting and overwhelming at
times, acknowledging that it takes a village to create costumes of this extent.
Kaela hopes
that this Halloween family tradition imparts on her children the importance of
making hand-made gifts for others and taking time for those they love and care
about. “I hope my children will see the value of giving to others and how it
can make others happy.”
Tiff
Theriault has a love of field hockey to pass on to others
In his Coach
Spotlight, Sports Reporter Matt Pascarella spoke to coach Tiff Theriault.
The benefits of
seeing the athletes grow and learn the sport is one of the many things she
enjoys about coaching. What Theriault wasn’t expecting was the player’s
eagerness to learn and the connection she would make with the team.
“We have a great team, both JV and varsity
this year, they really are incredible. I love the connection with them, I love
being a part of it again. Win or lose...watching them grow throughout the
season has been more of a rewarding experience than I ever thought it could be.
My hope is coach DiDonato and I are playing some small role in their lives to
making them better humans and I want to be a part of that – I want them to be
successful. This is what drives me to be a better coach each season.”
NOVEMBER
Community
organizations collaborate to keep Lake Region residents warm
The Raymond
Village Library, Raymond Village Community Church, Age Friendly Raymond and
the
AmeriCorps volunteer based at Saint Joseph’s College will be combining efforts
and organizing a Window Dressers event to help individuals who live in the
greater Sebago Lakes region to stay warm this winter and save on energy costs.
Eligible families are being provided with free custom window inserts.
Briefly, the
above local organizations collaborate with the WindowDressers.org organization.
The mission of that organization brings volunteers together to improve the
warmth and comfort of homes, lower heating costs, and reduce CO2 emissions by
producing low-cost insulating window inserts that function as interior-mounted
storm windows. Staff supplies, trains, and supports teams of community
volunteers as they build affordable, insulating window inserts at local
workshops.
Before the
memory fades: The recycling of a Windham one-room schoolhouse
In his
"Before the Memory Fades" history series, Walter Lunt shared the
story of an old school desk - and how, after 85 years, it makes its way to the
Windham Historical Society's Village Green Museum. But that's not all! The
story also includes a one room schoolhouse where the desk came from - and how
it was recycled to make a home.
What do we know
about the Bodge School? Very little, it turns out. But one thing we do know,
said Windham resident Gary Plummer, is that when the town closed down and sold
Bodge School in 1934, his father bought it for the sum of
$100, disassembled the structure and utilized the
materials to build a house the Plummer family lived in for the next 80+ years.
Becky (Plummer)
Delaware said the rebuild was done over a period of two years as time and funds
permitted. “The floor downstairs was a beautiful fiddlehead maple from the
schoolhouse.”
New administrative
team hard at work for RSU14
On July 1st,
2019, a new administrative team took the reins at RSU 14. Christopher Howell
stepped up from the assistant superintendent position he had held for a year to
become the district’s Superintendent and Christine Frost-Bertinet stepped into
the role of assistant superintendent.
Howell said in
the interview that it’s important for the community to know that the
administrative team loves working with their students. “I know that Windham and
Raymond are very special places to raise kids,” he said. “We really enjoy being
a part of that process. We’re going to do whatever we can to make sure that
every kid has every opportunity to be successful,” he said.
Howell said the
combination of their experiences make he and Frost-Bertinet a great team. With
experience at different levels of education, they can be more efficient, he
said. They both appreciate the opportunity to work in the district,
and feel the community support they receive, he added.
Local
volunteer project part of nationwide Celebration of Service campaign for
improving the homes and lives of veterans
On Friday,
November 1, The Home Depot Foundation partnered with the Windham Veterans
Association to transform the Windham Veterans Center, which serves local
veterans and the community as a whole. More than six members of Team Depot, The
Home Depot’s associate-led volunteer force, supported the project on their day
off.
The repairs to
the Windham Veterans Center have upgraded the building so that it is more
attractive for the community to host various events and functions in the space.
The venue rentals will in turn support the association’s mission to help local
veterans and provide scholarships to youth in the community.
This project in
Windham is part of The Home Depot Foundation’s ninth annual Celebration of
Service
WHS Senior
Evan Glicos becomes a Triple-Impact Competitor Award Finalist
On Sunday,
November 10th, 14 New England high school seniors were named
finalists in the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) Triple-Impact Competitor
Scholarship Award program. The finalists were recognized at the Harvard v.
Maine basketball game at Lavietes Pavilion in Allston, Massachusetts. One
of the finalists recognized was Windham senior, Evan Glicos.
Triple-Impact
Competitors are selected by the PCA based on essays with three parts of
criteria: personal mastery (making oneself better), leadership (making one’s
teammates better), and honoring the game (making the game better). A
testimonial must be given from a school administrator, a coach and another
individual who can speak to the student athlete’s character and embodiment of
the Triple-Impact Competitor principles.
After Glicos
heard about the scholarship, he did some research and decided it would be worth
applying because he liked what the PCA stood for.
“It was pretty
crazy to be a finalist because there are 3,500 applicants and only 14
[finalists], so I felt honored,” remarked Glicos.
Eight-year-old
Odyssey Angels on the move to raise funds and make a difference
The Windham
Odyssey Angels consists of seven eight-year olds from Windham Primary School.
They are teaming up with the Windham PTA and Raymond PTO to not only help raise
awareness about adding stop arms to school buses but are determined to help
raise the funds too.
Windham Odyssey
Angels became an official organization at their first meeting on Monday,
November 4th and took immediate action by visiting area
businesses to raise those funds.
There is a
reason for their enthusiasm. “Right now, the stop signs on the buses only stick
out about two feet,” explained one Windham Odyssey Angel, Harlie Menard, “The
stop signs we are trying to raise money for will come out six feet which will
make it harder for cars to pass the bus.”
It is a part of
their mission that every person in their community become an angel with them.
“This is very exciting for the kids,” stated Carrie Menard. “These kids are
amazing and want to make a difference in our community. I could not be more
proud of them.”
For more
information or to make a donation to the Windham Odyssey Angels, contact the
group at Windhamodysseyangels@gmail.com.
The last
lesson: Daughter shares wisdom from former Raymond Boston Cane Award recipient
To offer an
honorary farewell to the previous Raymond Boston Cane Award award recipient,
Elizabeth “Betty” Stetson, who passed away in October at the age of 101, we met
up with Stetson’s daughter, Becky Almstrom, also of Raymond. She shared some of
her mother’s life lesson that family and friends have incorporated into their
own lives.
“There were
many things our mother and grandmother taught us,” began Becky. “One lesson was
the importance of food, family, friendship and hospitality. She always believed
that there should be enough food in the house for unexpected visitors. And, she
never failed to spontaneously host a wonderful spread of food if guests stopped
by. As a result, she taught me well and I always have plenty of food in my
pantry for any guest I may find at my doorstep.”
Stetson easily
and readily slipped into that very possible next life on October 3, 2019. But
she left this life – sprinkling it with joy, laughter, adventure and love for
family and friends. And a lesson or two. Not only for her family, but for
anyone who might listen and learn from a woman who lived a long and eventful
life.
Wrestling
Coach John Nicholas's goal is to teach the lesson of "work hard and never
give up"
Wrestling coach
John Nicholas has been involved with wrestling, in some manner, most of his
life. He wrestled in high school and afterwards began coaching wrestling. He’s
been a wrestling coach for 22 years and is currently entering his second year
as the coach for the Windham/Gray New Gloucester (GNG) co-op wrestling team.
Nicholas stated that he was drawn to wrestling, and coaching,
because he likes all that wrestling has taught him. It’s taught him to work
hard and not give up.
“It really prepares
you for life in general; it’s prepared me for work, for family and eventually
coaching. It’s been such a big part of my life; growing up I knew I wanted to
give back and I’m so glad that I did. Once my wrestling career was done, I
wanted to continue, and coaching seemed like the right avenue to go.” A Windham
resident, Nicholas has also coached travel soccer for his two daughters. He
teaches physical education at Scarborough High school and is a big New England
and Windham sports fan.
New Interim
Town Manger believes Windham has encouraging future ahead
It was
officially announced on Thursday, November 21 by the Windham Town Council that
Mr. Barry A. Tibbetts will be filling in as the Interim Town Manager. He began
his post December 19th. Tibbetts stated that believes Windham has an
encouraging future ahead. He also stated that he looks to the Council for
direction and plans to listen and learn from the them as well as from town
staff and community members about the goals, desires and opportunities for
Windham.
“I believe
it is important to listen first, then work with the Council and staff (team)
finding consensus, planning and the appropriate support mechanisms to move
forward,” Tibbetts said. “From what I have heard and read, Windham has
tremendous potential and the Council is looking to move the community
forward.”
As the Town
Manager of Kennebunk, he is known and appreciated for developing and
reinventing the downtown area. He, along with elected officials and the
community, collaborated to increase the town’s economic development, producing
over 700 jobs during his tenure.
New trail
opens in Raymond Community Forest
There is a new
trail to explore! The is part of Loon Echo Land Trust's Raymond Community Forest, a 356 acre
permanently conserved area off Conesca Road in Raymond, and it is open to
pedestrians and mountain bikes.
As the crowd
applauded at the grand opening a month ago, Evans handed a wooden plaque to
Dave Dowler, who spearheaded the trail building efforts. Dowler turned the
plaque over and revealed the name of the new trail: Grape Expectations.
When Loon Echo
Land Trust analyzed the potential trail site, Evans explained, they discovered
an abundance of summer grape, a native grape species. Raymond is on the far
northern edge of the wild grape’s habitat, so the trail builders took care to
conserve the wild grape vines. In addition to providing a clever name for the
trail, these native grapes are an important food source for wildlife.
DECEMBER
Magic is
happening again this year with Santa’s mailbox in Windham neighborhood
Sometimes Santa
needs a little help gathering stories and answering letters. Windham residents,
Joanne Mattiace and Maggie Terry, were at it again this year assisting a very
busy Santa. As they had done the year before, the couple had set up a festive
holiday display outside their home, complete with a mailbox to collect letters
for Santa.
Mattiace and
Terry encouraged children to write letters telling Santa what Christmas means
to them. Children who dropped off letters received a personalized response.
“I really
think that Maggie and I focus on charity at Christmas time because we adopted a
young boy years ago…and Christmas has meant a lot to him,” Mattiace
said. “Everybody needs a little holiday cheer, whether you’re
Christian or Jewish or whatever, whether you’re old or young, straight or gay.
We all just need to be a little kinder to each other,” she said.
Christmas
Caroling in the Barn with the Friendly Beasts event
Faith Lutheran
Church of Windham invited the community to a Christmas Caroling in the Barn
event that took place on Sunday, December 15 at The Hartwell Farm, 443 Sebago
Lake Road in Gorham at 1 p.m.
It was an old-fashioned
community carol sing held in a cozy barn with live animals, storytelling, hot
cocoa, Christmas cookies and special treats for the children.
Based on an
ancient European legend that at midnight on Christmas Eve animals can speak,
the carol gives each animal in the Bethlehem stable a voice to tell of the gift
they gave the Christ child.
“We will sing
lots of other carols, too, and enjoy Christmas cookies and hot cocoa,” stated
Faith Lutheran Pastor, Jane Field.
Every family
who joined in on the fun received an ornament to take home, and we had a
present for each child who participated.
Windham Pack
805 sponsored a local family for Christmas
Windham Pack 805
sponsored a local family for Christmas (seven-year-old boy, ten-year-old
girl, 12-year-old girl, a mom and grandmother). The Scouts gifted the family
with winter coats, snow pants, boots, gloves, toys for the kids, gift
cards and goodies for mom and grandma, and more! They definitely exceeded
expectations!
Area elected
officials work to increase safety at dangerous intersections in Windham
In late
November, Windham’s Legislators met with Chief Kevin Schofield and Captain
Andrew Williams of the Windham Police Department along with Town Council Chair
Jarrod Maxfield and members of MaineDOT (Department of Transportation) and the
owners of All In One Insulation, for an on-site visit at the dangerous
intersection of Route 302 and Albion Road.
Rep. Mark
Bryant explained that the on-site visit was requested by the Windham Legislative
Delegation. “We reviewed crash data and discussed short- and long-term
solutions to improve safety at this dangerous intersection as well as other
roads in Windham,” Bryant state.
According to
Chief Schofield, there have been 25 crashes at that location in the past five
years. “Twenty-four out of those 25 had some level of personal injury,” he
said.
“Having MDOT
safety officials actually come to Windham to see firsthand the dangerous
intersections like Route 302 and Albion Road and the Falmouth Road and Route
202 makes a big difference in securing safety improvements,” stated Sen Bill
Diamond. “The Windham Legislative Delegation works as a team and we will
continue to engage state agencies whenever necessary to protect the safety of
our citizens.”
Windham
Clothes Closet: A hidden gem offering resources to many communities
The Windham
Clothes Closet, located at 377 Gray Road, provides not only infant, children
and adult clothing but also shoes, blankets, afghans, coats, curtains, books,
sheets, decorative pillows and much more. Although a wonderful resource, it is
not known by many in the community.
Rene Daniels,
General Assistance Coordinator, stated that both the Windham Food Pantry and
the Clothes Closet are hidden gems and realized that concept even more during
the construction of the new maintenance building when the trash/recycling
containers were moved to the Windham Resource Center’s Parking lot.
“I was amazed
when the receptacles were relocated to our parking lot. I don’t know how many
people told us they didn’t know the Food Pantry and Clothes Closet existed.
Having the trash bins moved to our location during the construction was
probably the best advertisement we received.”
The Windham Clothes
Closet, which is visited by 100 people per month, is available for everyone,
not only those who live in Windham. “We also provide free clothing for the
other surrounding towns,” stated volunteer Pat Vigue said. “This includes
Westbrook, Gray, Gorham, Raymond, Standish, and other towns that touch the
boundary of Windham.”
Before the
memory fades: Jackass Annie’s epic horseback ride to the Pacific – Windham
stopover yields support, encouragement
In what has
been described as one of America’s most remarkable equestrian journeys, a
63-year old down-on-her-luck woman from Minot, Maine rode out of her hometown
in a quest to fulfill a life-long dream: to see the country and swim in the
Pacific Ocean. Along with Mesannie (aka Annie) Wilkins on that chilly November
day in 1954, were ‘her boys,’ an aged horse, Tarzan, and her energetic and
faithful dog, Depeche Toi, a Spaniel/Dachshund mix. In his "Before the
Memory Fades" series, Walter Lunt shared excerpts from Annie's diary about
her stop here in Windham which included a night spent with Dr. and Mrs. Laurence Bennett who ran a nursing home on Windham
Center Road.
Mesannie
Wilkins successfully completed her journey and remained in the West for a long
time; eventually returning to Maine and settled in a town near Minot. A
doctor’s diagnosis that she would die before reaching retirement age proved to
be unfounded. She passed away in 1980 at the age of 89.
According to
Annie, “Doctors, they don’t know everything. Most things in life are
foreordained.”
One
weekend, she visited a friend who was a student at Yale Divinity School. “I
went there as a visitor and returned home as an optimistic future student.”
Rev. Foran applied, was accepted and received her Master of Divinity degree
three years later
She
recalled the many activities, community gatherings and journeys in which the
church has participated as opening their doors to Raymond community events, collaborating
with other organizations to provide more inclusiveness and support among the
citizens of the town.
