Restored 1802 Windham map focus of historical presentation

By Ed Pierce

Famed American author Brené Brown once said that "Maps are the most important documents in human history as they are the history of human perception." That may be the case right here in Windham as a new presentation on Monday night will examine a 224-year-old map of the town.

During a presentation at the Little Meetinghouse in Windham
on Monday, April 27, participants will be able to see an 1802
map of North Windham drawn on fabric. The map was 
recently discovered by Raymond Philpot of Windham 
among a box of family artifacts. SUBMITTED PHOTO     

Windham Historical Society member Carol Manchester says that earlier this year, Raymond Philpot, a lifelong resident of Windham, discovered the map when he was given a box of historic Windham items by a family member and an 1802 drawing of the North Windham section of town was contained among the artifacts.

“He believes it was sketched on some sort of fabric,” Manchester said.

Because this document is important to the Windham Historical Society, but very delicate and expensive for them to restore, a decision was made to turn the map over to the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine for restoration and display with a commitment that the historical society would be given a representation or copy of the map.

The map was conserved by Green Dragon bindery of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and features an 1802 drawing and manuscript map by Lothrop Snow of the plans of the last division of the town of Windham.

Libby Bischof, Executive Director of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at USM has examined the map and will offer a free presentation open to the public and lead a discussion about the map starting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 27 at the Little Meetinghouse, 719 Roosevelt Trail in Windham. Bischof’s presentation is called “Mapping Windham Across Time.”

Bischof is a history professor and the inaugural University Historian at USM where she has taught courses in Maine History, History and Photography, Popular Culture, and Public History for the past 18 years. A visual and cultural historian of the 19th and 20th centuries, Bischof is interested in the way in which friendship informs cultural production, especially in relation to landscape and place. 

She believes deeply in site-based, hands-on education and the ways in which teaching local and regional history can lead to deeper civic engagement. In an earlier program for Windham Historical Society, Bischof gave a presentation regarding the history and manufacture of postcards.

Prior to being settled by Europeans, most of Southern Maine, including Windham, was land of the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans. Associated with the Algonquin Nation, the Abenaki lived from the Maritime Provinces of Canada through upstate New York and Ontario.

There were many seasonal Abenaki settlements between the White Mountains and Casco Bay with local lakes and rivers used for travel for thousands of years.

Historians say that the Windham area was first settled by Europeans in 1737. Massachusetts Bay colony granted land to a group of individuals and families primarily from Marblehead, Massachusetts. These settlers named the township New Marblehead, and the township was incorporated as the Town of Windham in 1762.

Windham’s early economy in Windham focused on agriculture and forestry, but the next phase of Windham’s growth centered on industrialization and manufacturing driven by power generated by the Presumpscot and Pleasant Rivers.

By 1940, Windham’s population of Windham was about 2,000 people and since then it has increased to more than 19,000.

Those attending Bischof’s presentation will be able to see the newly conserved map in person. Light refreshments will be served and although the event is free, a $5 donation is suggested at the door.

For more details about the Windham Historical Society, visit https://www.windhamhistorical.org/ <

Volunteers provide backbone for Riding To The Top equine therapy center

By Erin Rose

Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center (RTT) is celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Week, marked nationally from Saturday, April 19 to Saturday, April 25, by showcasing the significant contributions their dedicated volunteers give to the center and to the patients who receive equine therapy there.

Volunteers Fran Maxwell, Pat Niboli and Sara
Treat get Carrot cleaned up before a lesson on
a muddy day at the Riding To The Top equine
therapy facility in Windham.
COURTESY PHOTO

“The impact of these volunteers is visible every day,” said Kelly Johnson, Development Director for RTT. “A rider taking their first independent steps, a child gaining confidence in communication, or a veteran finding peace being in the presence of our horses – these moments are made possible because volunteers show up, week after week, ready to give their time without expecting anything in return.”

Last year, the center’s 200 specially trained volunteers donated over 14,000 hours of time to assist its more than 250 clients. The time was spent helping to lead horses while clients ride or in walking alongside the horse to ensure the client feels secure and confident. The volunteers also provide care for the center’s 17 horses, complete chores in the barn, or by helping with administrative support or with special events.

“Volunteer Appreciation Week is not just about saying ‘thank you,’ though gratitude is certainly deserved,” Johnson said. “It is also about recognizing that organizations like RTT simply could not operate at their current level without volunteer support.”

“Volunteers are not just helpful additions, they are the backbone of the organization, making it possible for RTT to fulfill its mission of improving the health and well-being of children and adults with disabilities through equine-assisted services,” she said.

The center’s programs include therapeutic riding, where patients are helped through horsemanship and riding activities. Therapeutic Carriage Driving provides the opportunity for patients who cannot ride to harness and drive a horse from a cart or carriage. RTT also offers Equine Assisted Learning, where interaction with the horse, both mounted and unmounted, helps in the development of life skills, and Hippotherapy, where the horse’s movement is used as a therapy tool.

“Volunteer Appreciation Week serves as a reminder that behind every success at RTT, there are volunteers helping to make it all possible,” Johnson said. “Each volunteer brings unique skills and heart to the program, forming a community rooted in kindness and purpose.”

The volunteers gift the center with a precious resource, and through their generosity, help enable RTT to provide high quality services for its patients. 

“In a world where time is often one of the most valuable resources, the volunteers of RTT demonstrate what it means to give selflessly,” Johnson said. “Their dedication ensures that RTT continues to be a place where challenges are met with encouragement, and where every rider has the opportunity to reach new heights.

“It reflects commitment, patience, and a shared belief in the transformative power of human-animal connection,” she said. “Each hour volunteered helps create a safe, supportive environment where participants can grow physically, emotionally, and socially.”

Founded in 1993, RTT is the only center in Maine accredited by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) solely dedicated to Equine Assisted Services. The center’s facility includes a heated indoor arena and an outdoor riding ring on 50 acres of land on Lilac Drive in Windham.

“Human-Animal Interactions are at the core of RTT’s work and are made possible because of our professional staff, dedicated volunteers and incredible horses,” said Sarah Bronson, RTT’s Executive Director. “We witness on a daily basis the health and wellness benefits of Human-Animal Interactions for our clients, their families, our volunteers and our staff.”

To learn more about RTT, its programs, make a donation, or to inquire about volunteering, visit www.ridingtothetop.org or call 207-892-2813. <

Local robotics team ‘brainstorms’ way to regional championships

By Erin Rose

A group of seven local high school students will be competing for the first time in FIRST Robotics’ New England District Championship in West Springfield, Massachusetts which started Wednesday, April 15 and runs through Saturday, April 18.

A team of area high school students, including some from
Raymond, are part of a new team led by Maine Community
Robotics competing this week for the first time in the
FIRST Robotics' New England District Championship
in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Being selected to be one of the 100 teams competing at the district event in the team’s rookie year was a surprise for Stephen Goss, the Executive Director of Maine Community Robotics (MCR), a non-profit organization that was founded to support the FIRST Robotics program locally. He organizes and manages the team.

“I didn’t expect that we would get the invite this year to go to the district championship,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised by that and excited, because it’s well deserved for their hard work.”

Members of the team, named Brainstorm after heavy debate by its members, are Eli Mattia, Cloe Wayne, Shaylee Wayne, Avery Sands, Ben Friedlander, Zach Friedlander, and Nathan Getchell. The team also has six adult mentors, including several who are alumni of the FIRST Robotics program, Erin Friedlander, Arin Friedlander, Beau Fairbrother, Isaac Friedlander, Steven Goss, and Frank Mattia. Their first competition was the Northeast District’s Pine Tree Competition Qualifying Event, which was held at Falmouth High School from March 6 to March 8.

The students, in grades 9 to 12 from Raymond, Standish, and Gray, receive a very basic kit of items from FIRST Robotics, a program that provides STEM education to students internationally from kindergarten to eighth grade. They must build a machine to complete specific tasks. Each year’s challenge differs, so the teams must create new mechanisms annually to achieve the goal. This year, the teams must create a machine that collects balls and then throws them into a large hopper to score points over several rounds. Points are also gained by adding the ability to climb the machines up a structure with three levels.

“There isn’t a manual or instructions from the kit to build it,” Goss said, explaining that the students created their own gears for their robot with the help of adult advisors, computer aided design software, and a 3D printer. “They designed these gears to be the right ratio needed for speed and strength.”

The team’s design depends on the ability for the motors to switch directions, allowing the robot to collect and then throw balls into the central hopper. 

“Their robot sucks orange dodgeball balls into a hopper and then they can reverse some of those motors and that allows them to shoot the balls into the target hopper,” Goss detailed. “They also added a hook onto the side of the robot, so they’re able to climb up the first rung of the ladder.”

In addition to designing and building their machine, the teens also must write the code that tells the robot what to do during the competition. They can add aesthetic details to their robots and team apparel, to show a unified theme. The team added an infinity mirror to their design to help pull the theme together. As a result of the addition, the students won the Imagery Award at the Pine Tree competition in March. The “award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance; incorporated into all aspects of the team,” according to FIRST Robotics’ website.

Adding the mirror was part of the more than 200 hours that the students spent over the first 10 weeks of the year building their machine. Goss said that the students work three or four days per week after school to complete the robot build in such a short time. There’s also planning before the season begins to develop new ideas based on past designs. 

“There’s lots to be done to get a robot designed and built in 10 weeks,” he said.

The team is seeking both new members and new sponsors to help build the program. Teens interested don’t necessarily have to be interested in STEM or robotics. There are opportunities for teens to build business acumen, through helping to develop a business plan for the team’s year, opportunities to build marketing campaigns to help attract sponsors, and learning to write grants, where the team can receive from $1,000 to $5,000 in grant monies to help pay for the expenses required to compete.

“While the design and the driving piece are the ones that everyone focuses on, it’s not the only important piece” Goss said. “All of it together is what makes a successful team.”

Fundraising is especially important, as the team is entirely self-funded. Registration fees, parts and raw materials for fabrication, tools and equipment, and costs associated with traveling to the different weekend-long events are all paid for by the team. Sponsors are welcome to help the team offset those costs, along with donations from the community. 

“We are always looking for sponsors, since it’s not cheap,” he said, adding that a group of individuals could band together to help sponsor the team. “Being a nonprofit, registered by the IRS and Maine, allows us to accept donations easily.”

MCR will be hosting some open houses in North Windham over the summer which will feature some skills learning activities and computer assisted design (CAD), to allow interested students to check out the team before signing up.

“It’s not just for the nerd herd,” Goss said. “You don’t need to know how to code and you don’t need to know how to fabricate metal to join the team. We’ll teach you what you need to know, and we’ll help you find what you’re passionate about on the team and enable you to go do it.”

More details about Maine Community Robotics, including how to join, a link to donate, and sponsorship information can be found at https://mcrobotics.org. <

Lodge’s ‘Charity Dinner’ event to fund several college scholarships

By Ed Pierce

The underlying belief of Masons from Presumpscot Lodge 70 in Windham is to practice charity and to care, not only for their own but also for the community through charitable giving and volunteer efforts to become better men and to forge a better world. To that end, the lodge’s upcoming Charity Dinner promises laughs, great music and an awesome meal while raising money to fund two scholarships for Windham High School students

Masons from Presumpscot Lodge 70 in Windham are hosting
a Charity Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at Erik's
Church, 824 Roosevelt Trail in Windham to fund 
scholarships for Windham High School students. The event
features appetizers, an Italian buffet and desserts, with
entertainment by comedians Nick Gordon and Mark 
Turcotte and music by the 43 Degrees North band.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE   

The Charity Dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at Erik’s Church, 824 Roosevelt Trail in Windham and features delicious appetizers, and Italian buffet and desserts, comedians Nick Gordon and Mark Turcotte, and music by the 43 Degrees North band. There will also be a silent auction, and tickets are priced at $65 per person.

According to Gaige Hamilton of Raymond, a member of the lodge, planning for the Charity Dinner began earlier this year and the event was created for the purpose of offering college scholarships to deserving students from the area.

“Everything we do revolves around charity and to benefit the community,” Hamilton said.

Besides comedy and music, guests at the Charity Dinner will be able to enjoy Hor D'oeuvres; Antipasto Skewers; Spanakopita; Chicken Marsala; Garlic Bread; Caesar Salad; Chicken Broccoli Alfredo; Bolognese; Buttered Pasta; and Dessert with cookies and pastries.

The 43 Degrees North band is donating their time to entertain at the Charity Dinner, Hamilton said. It was created by three members of the band “Wednesday Night Project.”

The goal of this acoustic group is to share their love of music and performance with others in the community. Before forming this group all three members had various levels of performance experience and amalgamated their talents to create a very fun and entertaining trio. The music is an eclectic mix of country and classic rock songs that lend themselves to the sound and harmonies of the three performers.

Nick Gordon is a writer, podcaster, and voice actor. He is a founding member of Great Falls Comedy Club and a regular at the Woolen Mill Comedy Club, McCue's Comedy Club, and Empire Comedy Club.

Mark Turcotte is the founder of Maine Event Comedy and the Bricks & Bridges Comedy Fest. He was a finalist in the Funniest Comic on the East Coast Contest and has performed for the Gotham All-Stars Show in New York City.

The Presumpscot Lodge at 964 River Road in Windham is the gathering place for Masons from Windham, Standish and Raymond.

Currently the lodge has 280 members and is proud of its long history and charitable works for the community.

Formed in 1864, the first lodge building was located at Windham Hill and took its name after the Presumpscot River which played a prominent part in the town’s early formation. In 1887, the original Masonic building was dismantled and reconstructed at a location near 725 Roosevelt Trail in North Windham. That lodge remained at that location until 1970 when the current lodge building at 964 River Road was built. 

The history of Masonry in Maine goes back even further. In 1762, the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Grand Lodge of England (now the United Grand Lodge of England) issued a charter to form a Lodge in Falmouth, which eventually became Portland, at the request of several Masons living in the area.

In 1819, the people of Maine voted to withdraw from Massachusetts and form a separate state. There were 31 Maine Lodges at the time, active and thriving, who then met in convention and voted to follow suit and form their own Grand Lodge of Maine when the separation took place.

Hamilton says that Windham’s Masonic Lodge is made up of men who share similar values for their own well-being, and for the overall health and welfare of the inhabitants of their community. He said that Masons contribute time and resources to charity and participate in many outreach programs designed to better their community.

He said the Charity Dinner is yet another demonstration of Presumpscot Lodge 70’s commitment to making the community a better place to live.

“We also changed the scholarship requirements to give more students an opportunity,” Hamilton said. “We lowered the GPA required to 2.7 overall. Many top students will receive multiple scholarships when awarded on Scholarship Night, but academics are only one component to student success. Our scholarships will be based on many factors, including community involvement, athletics and more. We’ve opened it up to make these two scholarships available to even more deserving students.”

The Presumpscot Lodge 70 scholarships will be presented for the first time on Scholarship Night at Windham High School in June and Hamilton said that the Masons expect to present two scholarships annually thereafter.

To obtain tickets for the Charity Dinner event, call 207-318-4056 or 207-245-0234. <

Windham pitcher earns bullpen spot for Florida State League’s Daytona Beach Tortugas

By Ed Pierce

Windham’s Brady Afthim is yet another step closer in his quest to play Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds.

Brady Afthim of Windham pitches for the Daytona
Beach Tortugas during a Florida State League game
against Jupiter on April 2. Afthim was drafted by the
Cincinnati Reds last summer and is in his first full
season of playing professional baseball.  
PHOTO BY NADIA ZOMORODIAN/
DAYTONA BEAVCH NEWS-JOURNAL

After a solid showing during the Reds’ spring training in Arizona, Afthim, 23, was assigned to the Reds’ minor league team, the Daytona Beach Tortugas in the Florida State League, and appeared in the Tortugas’ first game of the season last week against Jupiter. He faced five batters and struck out two as the Tortugas defeated the Jupiter Hammerheads, 4-2.

A right-handed pitcher, Afthim signed with the Reds last summer for a $150,000 bonus after Cincinnati selected him in the 13th round of the 2025 MLB Draft last July. He graduated from Windham High School in 2021 and went on to a stellar career serving as the closer for the University of Connecticut Huskies.

While playing for Windham High under then WHS coach Cody Dube, Afthim racked up honors as Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, USA Today Player of the Year in Maine, and First Team All-Southern Maine Athletic Association as both a pitcher and a catcher. He also won the John Winkin Award designating him as the top senior high school baseball player in Maine in 2021 and he was named as the recipient of the 2021 Mr. Baseball in Maine Award.

The son of Shelly and Phil Afthim, Brady started playing baseball in the Windham Little League and his older brother Bryce, also pitched for Windham High School and played in college for the University of Southern Maine.

Throwing a fastball between 93 to 95 mph and touching 97 mph at times, Afthim can mix in a changeup when needed and he also keeps batters guessing by throwing a slider effectively.

He says he’s found playing professional baseball is different from college.

“The biggest adjustment for me, being someone who came out of college, has been the approach to pitching in games,” Afthim said. “In college the goal is to win. And priority number one for pitchers is to throw strikes, try to walk as little batters as possible, and be efficient. All things that make sense when you’re trying to win games. In the minor leagues, especially at the lower levels, it’s all development based.”

Afthim said he’s found that in minor league baseball, results come second to player development.

“So, for me, an example would be throwing my slider above 87 mph,” he said. “In college if I was throwing my slider above 87 mph and it was all over the place and my fastball was getting hit off the wall, that wouldn’t be seen as good. Seems pretty obvious. Here my goal is to throw that slider above 87 mph and it’s hit all over the place that would be seen as a step in the right direction. The mindset is eventually I’ll learn to throw that 87 mph slider in good spots, and then I’ll have a really good pitch to go to. So just understanding the process of developing into a better pitcher is the top priority and not necessarily my Earned Run Average or winning games is definitely a change for me.” 

Becoming an even better pitcher is something Afthim started working on after hearing his name called by the Reds in the draft. He initially spent time at Cincinnati’s training complex in Goodyear, Arizona last summer before being assigned to Daytona Beach in late August. Afthim appeared in two games near the end of the 2025 season for Daytona Beach, pitching 3 innings, striking out two and posting an EAR of 3.00.

The 2026 season started for Afthim in February, joining the Reds for spring training in Arizona and he even appeared in a spring training game for Cincinnati against the Cleveland Guardians on March 22. During that game, he faced five batters, throwing 23 pitches, 13 of which were strikes, and only allowing one hit – a home run by Cleveland’s Kyle Manzardo on a 93.1 mph fastball.

Now into the regular season, he’s been working with Tortugas’ pitching coach Jason Immekus to come up with some solid goals for him for the year.

“Obviously my goal is to stay healthy and just enjoy this whole process,” Afthim said. “It can be pretty challenging, but it’s been a blast so far and hopefully that continues.” <

'SpongeBob Musical’ makes a splash with Raymond audiences

By Briana Bizier

Over the weekend, the gymnasium at Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond was transformed into a quiet corner of the ocean floor named Bikini Bottom as students performed the SpongeBob Musical. Returning director Tyler Costigan, along with choreographer Patricia Valley and music director Andrew Sawyer, had spent the past months leading the young cast and crew through blocking, dancing, singing, and the occasional forgotten line or cue.

Students at Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond had fun
presenting the 'SpongeBob Musical' last weekend at the 
school. The production was a humorous song-filled visit
to Bikini Bottom and both Friday and Saturday's  
performances ended with standing ovations from
the audience. PHOTO BY BRIANA BIZIER 

On Friday night, the excitement was palpable as the cast pulled on colorful costumes designed by Cloey Osborne of Clover’s Home Creations, complete with tights, wigs, and even a massive burger costume and an inflatable pufferfish outfit. “I feel like I’m wearing one big sock,” one actor said after struggling into his bright red tights.

Backstage, the young crew sorted through a vast array of props, from a remote-controlled snail to an Avalanche Maker 3000. Led by stage managers Rosa and Sabby Shamaoun and crew manager Stella Redmond, students Olivia Beal, Eli Dulude, Myra Hammond, Joel Mbayagu, Jordyn Morris, Molly Redmond, Cash Salazar, Eva Salazar, Elyse Silvia, Madison Smith, and Grayson Valente somehow managed to keep everything organized, even completing backstage costume repairs with a hot glue gun and tracking down an ice pack after a cast member suffered a minor injury. Tech director CJ Payne and a team of volunteers from Windham High School, including Erica Lin and JSMS alumni Ari Green and Lucy Payne, checked microphones and prepared to run the lights for the show.

When Costigan announced the audience was arriving on Friday night, several cast members screamed. “How many of you are nervous?” Costigan asked. Almost every hand went up. Costigan told them not to worry. “You have a fantastic show,” he said. “It’s very you. And it’s going to be the same show you did yesterday, and the day before. Maybe even a bit better.”

With a last-minute reminder to make sure they knew where their props and costumes were, not to peek through the curtains, and not to eat cupcakes while in costume, the directors and choreographer joined the audience, leaving the play in the hands of the young actors and stage crew.

As the curtain rose on a beautiful Bikini Bottom day, narrator Ian Bizier introduced the titular yellow sponge, played by an enthusiastic Alison Largay, his best friend Patrick Star, played by Rian Borella to great comedic effect, and SpongeBob’s gloomy, artistic coworker Squidward, played by a fantastically morose Allie Lebourdais. 

SpongeBob and Patrick greeted their friend Sandy Cheeks the squirrel, played by a cheerful Ashling Feeney with a very convincing Texas accent and her cowfish friends, played by Ariel Sampson, Grace Gillies, Olivia Gurney, Rylee Odom, and Ella Jacobson. After singing a catchy song about being BFFs with Patrick, SpongeBob headed to work at the Krusty Krab.

Played by a very convincing Marley Hebert wearing custom-made crab claws, the owner of the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs, told his adopted daughter Pearl, played with fantastic adolescent angst by Acadia Vingers, that she’ll be the manager of the Krusty Krab once she graduates. But Pearl announced through their powerful duet, “Daddy Knows Best,” that she has dreams of her own.

This Bikini Bottom day was suddenly interrupted by red lights and rumbling. Perch Perkins, a reporter fish played by a very dramatic Zoe Decker, announced that Mount Humongous the volcano is about to erupt. The end was nigh and the plot was set in motion.

Bikini Bottom’s mayor, played by a stately Mikel Gilbert, called an emergency town meeting and asked for ideas about how to prevent the catastrophe. Patrick suggested that everyone just close their eyes, winning him the admiration of a school of sardines, played by Araia Peterson, Ella Moreau, and several ensemble members doing quick costume changes.

On the other side of the stage, Plankton, the owner of the Krusty Krab’s rival restaurant Chum Bucket, played with a perfect evil laugh by Lauren Inman and his computer wife Karen, played by Alexa Largay with a lot of digital attitude, plotted to find a way to turn this threat to their advantage. After discrediting Sandy’s plan to use science to stop the volcano and turning the fish against her, especially Old Man Jenkins, played with an excellent hobble by Haylee Irish and a belligerent Larry the Lobster, played by Alice Thibodeau in a muscle shirt, Plankton announced his dastardly scheme in a catchy song and dance called “When the Going Gets Tough” that featured the entire cast and is probably still running through audience members’ heads.

With the villagers either filled with terror, including a screaming fish in a crabby patty costume played by a perfectly panicked Grayson Waisanen, or preparing for the upcoming fundraiser concert featuring the Electric Skates, SpongeBob decided it was up to him, Patrick, and Sandy to save Bikini Bottom, singing the song “Hero is my Middle Name,” although the adoring sardines pulled Patrick away by singing that he was their “Super Sea Star Savior.”

Meanwhile, the Electric Skates arrived in town to practice the “Bikini Bottom Boogie.” Played by Aiden Carroll, Arlo Keane, and Ben LeBel, these rock stars placed ridiculous demands on Squidward, smashed their instruments, and got some huge laughs from the audience. When one of the Skates told Squidward he can’t play on stage with them, Squidward chased the band away and then sang the hilarious and surprisingly moving “I’m Not a Loser.” 

On Mount Humongous, SpongeBob and Sandy sang “Chop to the Top” as crew members moved blocks for them to climb, creating authentic suspense. Plankton and Karen attempted to interrupt their progress by firing the Avalanche Maker 3000 from deep within the audience, but Patrick came to their rescue. SpongeBob dropped Sandy’s Eruption Interruptor into the volcano, the volcano erupted in bubbles instead of lava, and the entire ensemble gathered once more to sing “Best Day Ever” and perform a final rendition of “Bikini Bottom Day.”

Both Friday and Saturday’s performances ended with standing ovations and several surprised comments from fellow audience members about how professional the Jordan-Small students looked on stage. Backstage, as the curtains fell, the young actors ran into the cafeteria screaming and hugging. “We did it,” they shouted as their friends and family gathered in the hallway to congratulate them. “We actually did it!”

SpongeBob might even say it was the best day ever. <

Katahdin students present veterans’ interviews to Library of Congress

By Ed Pierce

Historian David McCullough believed that studying America’s military history and those involved in the service of our nation can be a guide to surviving perilous times and shows us who we are and why we are the way we are. It’s a valuable lesson that students in Windham High School’s Katahdin Program have taken to heart.

Students and teachers from Windham High School's Katahdin
Program met with U.S. Senator Angus King during a visit
to Washington, D.C. in March. The Katahdin students
interviewed local U.S. military veterans and presented
videos of those interviews to be included in the Veterans
History Project at the Library of Congress. From left are
Justin London, Brandon Feyler, Senator Angus King,
McKenzie Harris, Ava Blanchard and Katahdin teachers
Richard Meserve and Marie Reidman. COURTESY PHOTO   

Katahdin students McKenzie Harris, Justin London, Ava Blanchard, and Brandon Feyler traveled with several Katahdin staff members to Washington, D.C. to present several veteran’s history videos they worked on to the Library of Congress for permanent enshrinement in March. 

The students interviewed local veterans in February at Windham High School as part of the Veterans History Project, which collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans in the Library of Congress.

Along with stopping at the Library of Congress, the students met with U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine and toured some of the memorials and museums while in Washington.

The student’s work was part of an ongoing effort for the past 14 years by the Katahdin program to meet local veterans and record their stories for the Veterans History Project.

“I am not sure how I originally heard about the Veterans History Project, but it seemed such an obvious way to connect our students with members of the community that had experiences which included many of the things we are learning about in our humanities classes,” said Richard Meserve, who is the Katahdin Program’s head of school. “We also like to pair our students with adults who can share their knowledge whenever possible.”

He said this was the third time that videotaped Katahdin interviews with veterans have been delivered in person to the Library of Congress with the remainder having been mailed there in completed packets.

The Katahdin group drove from Windham to Washington on Monday, March 16 and walked to the Library of Congress the following day where they met with a representative from the Veterans History Project. 

“She showed us around their offices and shared information about the program's history,” Meserve said. “We handed in our completed forms and videos, and they checked to make sure everything was in order.”

According to Meserve, having Katahdin students participate in the project has been valuable for several reasons.

“It is important to preserve the stories of our veterans and what better way to do that than to share those stories with students from the community in which they live,” he said. “It is a win-win scenario for all.”

The Katahdin Program provides alternative education programming for students in grades 9 to 12 enrolled in the RSU 14 school district. It is a small, community-focused school dedicated to addressing the social, emotional and academic needs of all students.

Incorporating the Veterans History Project for Katahdin students has not been without challenges, Meserve said.

“The Katahdin Program is flexible in its ability to introduce, integrate, and execute an idea or unit. Teachers collaborate often to allow for new projects to occur,” he said. “The Veterans History Project was just a part of the trip to Washington. Students also created a budget for our four-day trip, raised money, made meal plans, shopped and packed food, developed our trip agenda and explored and navigated the different monuments and museums we visited.”

Meserve and teacher Marie Reidman accompanied the students on the trip and say the feedback they received from the group was positive.

“The students enjoyed the project for many reasons: meeting community members, facilitating the interview process, transcribing the interviews, and then delivering them to the Library of Congress,” Meserve said. “The students felt this project was authentic, important and should be continued.”

Senior McKenzie Harris said until interviewing area veterans and hearing their stories, she didn't realize how much the military does.

“I knew about the things that the military does in wars but did not know about the things they do in their everyday duties that impact the lives of ordinary people,” Harris said. “Hearing the veterans explain their experiences, stories and lives was very touching. It was nice that they could share that with us and show us what their lives were like. I learned a lot of great things. It made me more appreciative of veterans, and I was able to see a side of veterans that you don't see on the surface.”

She said the trip to Washington was a very positive experience. 

“I learned a great deal more about the world than I would have otherwise, both from the Veterans History Project as well as our trip to Washington. Seeing all the people working in government, and the city in general, really opened my eyes to all that is going on in the world. We sometimes don't see that living in Windham and Raymond. All these people are in the environment together walking, taking public transportation and interacting professionally. I was very grateful to have gone on the trip and to see and do all the things that we did.”

Meserve said these Katahdin students are aware that there are veterans all around us every day and deserve our appreciation in helping to preserve our freedom.

“These are regular people who serve their country in numerous ways and deserve to be recognized and remembered for all that they have done. <

Women's four-part a capella chorus set to launch in Windham

By Erin Rose

Harmony is coming to Windham. Standish resident Denise “D” Dyer is forming Harmony 207, a women’s four-part acapella chorus, and will be hosting the inaugural meeting of the group at the Windham Hill United Church of Christ from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5.

A  new four-part a capella women's chorus called 
Harmony 207 will have its inaugural meeting from
6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 5 at Windham Hill
United Church of Christ, 140 Windham Center
Road in Windham. SUBMITTED PHOTO

“The meeting will be an introduction to our parent organization, Harmony, Incorporated, and to the genre,” she said. “People can feel what it’s like to experience those harmonies.”

The chorus is the realization of a longtime goal for Dyer, as in the past, she has had to travel more than an hour north or south to participate in an affiliated chorus. She is a lifetime member of Harmony, Incorporated and has also served as the organization’s International President from 2010 to 2012.

“The feeling that you get when you lock and ring a chord is absolutely amazing,” she said. “You have people who each sing a different part; they go off and learn their part, and when they come together, it all locks, and it’s magic the way that it fits together. That’s the magic of the seventh chord, the barbershop chord. It is just absolutely amazing when it’s done well and done right.”

Harmony 207 has been accepted as a prospective member of Harmony, Incorporated, an organization of 2,000 women and more than 65 chapter choruses in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1959, the organization hosts area and international competitions and provides educational resources for its membership.

The dues for membership are less than $100 annually, Dyer said, explaining that it would be little higher for new members. However, no fees will need to be paid until April 2027, as the group’s charter will not be official until the organization’s new year, which begins in April.

The inaugural meeting will include the attendance of two Harmony, Incorporated-affiliated choruses, Maine-ly Harmony, based in Gardiner, and Sounds of the Seacoast, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Dyer said that their attendance helps show the bond that forms between members of the choruses.

“The women I sang with in Gardiner and in Portsmouth are coming on May 5 because it’s more of a sisterhood than an organization,” she said. “They say, ‘Music brings us together, harmony unites us.’”

While the organization hosts competitions, that is not the immediate goal of Harmony 207, as Dyer is seeking to start by building a community of like-minded women.

“It’s not mandatory to compete or attend conventions,” Dyer said. “My short-term goal is to get a group of women together that like to sing four-part harmony.”

During the inaugural meeting, attendees will be given a welcome packet which will include music for two songs, “Happy Birthday” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” written in four-part harmony.

“Everyone knows the words and everyone knows the melody” for Happy Birthday, Dyer said, adding that ensuring everyone can sing along will help “gauge which parts they find most comfortable to sing.”

Dyer explained that the vocal ranges for the chorus will differ from the standard soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts, to accommodate the female singers.

“It’s tenor, lead, which is mostly melody, the baritone that fills in the chords in the middle, and then the base, which is a low alto,” she said.

While many people think of classic barbershop music in association with older music, Dyer said that the chorus will look at songs from popular Broadway musicals, including “Wicked,” and movies like “The Greatest Showman” and “Pitch Perfect.”

“We have to overcome the idea that barbershop singing is hokey and old fashioned,” she said. “This isn’t the barbershop that people know. It’s the structure of the chords that make it a barbershop song, not the era its written in.”

To start, members of the chorus will be learning holiday music, as the familiarity helps newer singers as they learn to navigate singing in four parts.

“We’re going to try to aim for the holiday music, and make it as much Maine as we can,” she said. “People already know the words and recognize the melody, so it will be easier to memorize over the course of the summer.”

Dyer says that the chorus will perform at the Windham UCC Church during the holiday season, in exchange for the use of their space to rehearse the rest of the year.

A perfect selection for the group is “The Maine Christmas Song,” written by Con Fullam of Windham about Christmastime in Maine. The song was arranged in a four-part harmony at the request of Maine-ly Harmony, and Dyer worked to receive the songwriter’s blessing to use the piece as part of their repertoire.

“He’s thrilled that we would use his arrangement and that we asked permission,” she said.

The Harmony, Incorporated charter requires a minimum of 14 members, so Dyer is hoping to recruit at least that many members from the inaugural meeting. There is no maximum number of members, and Dyer noted that the largest groups are 60 members. In competition, there must be 12 members performing on stage.

“I have no idea what to expect” as far as turnout, she said, “but I have welcome packets prepared for 100 people.”

The group’s Facebook page, Harmony 207 Windham, Maine, is helping to reach interested women, and there are already other local members of Harmony, Incorporated looking to join the chorus.

The Windham Hill UCC Church is located at 140 Windham Center Road. More information about the group or meeting can be found via its Facebook page or by reaching out to Dyer at [email protected]. <