Raymond Elementary School adds new outdoor classrooms

Volunteers spent more than 154 hours this summercreating three new outdoors classrooms for students
along Raymond Elementary School's popular Frog
Pond Trail. PHOTO BY BRIANA BIZIER

By Briana Bizier

Going back to school looks different this fall across the entire country. For Raymond Elementary School students, this year’s “back to school” means adjusting to a hybrid schedule of attending school two days a week, wearing face coverings, and utilizing three new outdoor classrooms.

In an email to parents in late August, Raymond Elementary School Principal Beth Peavey announced the creation of three beautiful outdoor classrooms along the school’s popular Frog Pond trail.

Set along the banks of Frog Pond, these new outdoor classrooms feature semicircles of socially distanced wooden benches made from large tree stumps interspersed with maple saplings and granite boulders.

“It’s such a beautiful spot, and I’m such a firm believer that kids should be learning from experience and being outdoors,” said Raymond parent Kaitlin LaCasse, who spearheaded the movement toward creating an outdoor classroom at the school.

Well before COVID-19 entered our vocabulary, LaCasse attended a lecture by Richard Louv, journalist and author of the national bestseller Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Louv is now leading a national charge to get students back outdoors.

“It’s so important for our whole wellbeing to be outside more,” LaCasse said. “And you can’t assume
just because we’re in a rural area that kids are getting outside.”

Scientific research supports the importance of outdoor instruction. “When children learn outside, they retain that information longer because they’re using all their senses,” Peavey said.

LaCasse approached Raymond Elementary School in the fall of 2019 to ask about the possibility of constructing an outdoor classroom. As part of her research, LaCasse visited several outdoor classrooms across the state, sent a survey to the RES staff asking what teachers would like to see in an outdoor space, and met with the school board.

When the project was approved, local scout Brogan Danzig volunteered to build a free-standing outdoor classroom with a roof, floor, and benches as his Eagle Scout Project.

Then COVID-19 hit.

Because building a free-standing structure would require working closely with other people, Danzig was forced to abandon his original plans.

“But the idea of an outdoor classroom became even more urgent with COVID-19 as we realized how important it is to get kids outside,” LaCasse said.

So, Danzig adjusted his original plans to create an outdoor classroom without a roof that could be built while observing social distancing.

The second version of his Eagle Scout project, Danzig explained in an email, “involved clearing a 50'x25' area in the woods by the frog pond and building 8 (6 foot) benches. Then project #2 evolved even more to include putting down pea stone for a floor to help with drainage and bench stability and also installing log borders around the perimeter of the classroom area to help with erosion and to make it look nice.”

The first outdoor classroom Danzig constructed, Peavey said, was “amazing.”

However, as she and RES groundskeeper Tom Gumble toured the new space, Peavey wondered aloud if it would be possible to build more than one outdoor classroom. She and Gumble identified a few areas along the Frog Pond trail that could turn into outdoor classrooms without taking down any trees.

“The next thing I know,” Peavey said, “Tom had put down pea stone, and he’d told me all the lumber had arrived.”

Over the next few weekends, volunteers descended on Frog Pond trail to build two additional outdoor classrooms.

As Danzig explained, the project expanded “from one 50'x25' classroom area with 8 benches to three classroom areas (one 50'x25', one 52'x27', & one 38' x16') with a total of 20 (6 foot) benches.”
In addition, the scouts cleared debris from a crumbling rock wall bordering one of the classrooms and then rebuilt the wall.

“Not only did we expand the scope and still get it done within the three- week timeframe so it would be done by Sept. 1 before the kids came back to school,” Danzig wrote, “but we did an amazing job.”
A total of 31 volunteers worked 154.75 hours to complete the three outdoor classrooms, including scouts from Troop 800 and Troop 851 in Raymond, scouts from Troop 805 in Windham, scouts from Westbrook/Gorham, and an Eagle Scout from Connecticut.

Hancock Lumber donated all the materials, and Ryan Crowell of Crowell Construction helped to manage the construction of the benches.

“It was truly a community effort,” LaCasse said. “It just goes to show, if a community really wants something done, they can roll up their sleeves, work together and get it done.”

Raymond Elementary School students and teachers are eagerly awaiting their chance to use the outdoor classrooms.

Martha Stone, RES’s school counselor, led teachers on a mindfulness walk through the outdoor classrooms during their week of preparation for what will be a very unusual start to the school year.
“Wearing a mask will be stressful,” Peavey said, “so we need to help students to find other ways to regulate themselves and feel calmer.” The outdoor classrooms, Peavey said, are a natural part of that effort. “Being outside in nature is very calming, which is part of our social emotional learning as well,” she said. “When you’re stressed, if you go outside and take a walk in the woods, you feel calmer. And anyone in a calmer state will be a better learner.”

Many of the teachers at RES are already developing plans to use these outdoor spaces with their students.

“Due to the restrictions we face inside because of COVID-19, I plan to take as many lessons as possible outside,” said Olivia Hamilton, a first-grade teacher at RES. “Math and writing lessons can be done outside and we can actually pull from nature by using stones or leaves as manipulative for counting, and nature can be inspiration for a wonderful small moment story.”

Peavey said she truly believes that COVID-19, as negative as it is, did push schools forward in terms of outdoor classrooms.

“For us, it’s really added to our school,” she said. “Now, we’ll always have an opportunity for teachers to take their students outside.”

LaCasse echoes that sentiment.

“These outdoor classrooms will be used by generations of students,” she said.<

Raymond Village Library offers curbside pickup

Raymond Village Library has
launched a new curbside pickup
program for books, audiobooks,
and movies. PHOTO BY
BRIANA BIZIER

By Briana Bizier 

Whether your're heading to the beach, enjoying your backyard hammock, or just trying to ignore the daily news, now is the perfect time to pick up a good book. Happily, the Raymond Village Library is here to help.
This month, the Raymond Village Library started a new curbside pickup program for books, audiobooks, and movies. Library patrons can check out books or movies by calling the library at 655-4282, emailing rvldirector@gmail.com, or visiting the library’s website at raymondvillagelibrary.org. 

The library’s entire catalogue is online, so Raymond residents can browse from the comfort of their own home.
As my 9-year-old daughter Sage discovered last week, the librarians are also happy to offer their suggestions for reading materials.

Librarian Karen Perry suggested that Sage read a book called Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof. After being book-deprived since COVID-19 forced the Raymond Village Library to close their doors in March, voracious-reader Sage was delighted to have a new fantasy novel to devour.

“It was so good,” Sage told me. “It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.”

Of course, we called the library the next day to reserve a new stack of books recommended by the librarians.

Once library patrons have placed their orders, either online, through the website, or over the phone, the books or movies they have reserved are placed in a labeled bag by the north-facing handicapped entrance for a safe, contact-free pickup. On the morning we returned Epoca, several other library orders were awaiting pickup by the backdoor.

“The curbside pickup has been very popular,” said Library Director Allison Griffin.

In addition to the Raymond Village Library’s books, movies, and audiobooks, children’s librarian Karen Perry has created special activity packs for young children who have been missing the library’s regular baby and preschool story time. The Baby Time Bundles each include three board books, an index card with a song or bouncy game, and a second card with a related activity parents can do with their child.

Karen’s Story Time Sets, made for preschool-age children, have also been very popular. These weekly pre-packaged sets focus on the alphabet and include activities like making an ABC dinosaur or a FeedMe paper bag puppet. Older children, like my six-year-old Ian, love the library’s activity backpacks that are filled with Legos, building sets, robots, or everything you need to be an outdoor explorer. The Baby Time Bundles, Story Time Sets, and activity backpacks are also available for curbside pickup. They can be reserved by calling or emailing the library.

Finally, for library lovers with limited mobility, the Raymond Village Library is also offering limited home delivery service. Please contact the library for more information about their home delivery program, or to schedule a delivery.

Despite all the changes COVID-19 has brought to our little corner of the world, it’s encouraging to know that we can all still relax with a good book thanks to the efforts of the Raymond Village Library. <

Donations help to protect Raymond’s Emergency Medical Services

Carol Dennison, Paramedic/Firefighter and 

Connor Glavin, EMT/Firefighter wear the face shields 

made and donated by Scott Trebilock and 

the fabric mask donated by Fred and Susan Miller, 

all three of Raymond.

By Briana Bizier

Emergency services in Raymond can breathe a little easier now thanks to two generous donations of protective face shields and fabric “over masks.” The face shields were created by South Portland High School teacher Scott Trebilcock using the school’s 3D printer, and Raymond residents Fred and Susan Miller donated the “over masks,” which can be used to cover the department’s N95 respirators.

These shields and masks will help to protect Raymond’s first responders against the coronavirus.

“We have dealt with several confirmed cases,” said Bruce Tupper, the chief of Raymond’s Fire and Rescue Department. Tupper explains that his department offers full emergency medical services, which includes emergency medical transport to a hospital. “We should be called the EMS department who occasionally deal with a fire,” Tupper joked.

Under current circumstances, personal protective equipment is essential for Fire and Rescue workers responding to a medical emergency that may turn out to be complications arising from a coronavirus infection. The Raymond Fire and Rescue Department uses surgical gowns or Tyvek suits as well as N95 respirators on any call that is ruled “high risk.”

The CDC now recommends using a cleanable face shield over an N95 respirator to help preserve the N95 masks and increase their reusability. Thanks to Raymond residents Fred and Susan Miller, the Raymond Fire and Rescue Department now has an excess of thirty fabric “over masks” to use on top of their N95 respirators. These three-layer masks were hand-sewn by Susan Miller in a variety of different patterns and colors and then donated to the department.

“It really does help to protect us,” Tupper explained. The cloth face masks extend the life of the department’s N95 respirators while the face shields help to protect the eyes and face from any air-born virus-harboring droplets without obscuring vision. “We have been amazed at the number of people going above and beyond in support of emergency services,” Tupper continued. “It is deeply appreciated.”

Raymond resident Scott Trebilcock, a Technology teacher at South Portland High School, created the
donated face shields using two of the school’s 3D printers. 3D printing, which is the process of creating a three-dimensional model using computer aided design, might sound like something from the science fiction television show Star Trek, but this futuristic technology is proving its practical applications in the fight against the coronavirus. In addition to the face shields Trebilcock donated to Raymond’s Fire and Rescue Department, he is also making extenders to keep face masks secure without the annoying elastic straps that go behind your ears and almost invariably cause skin irritation.

The coronavirus pandemic has made personal protective gear for emergency medical personnel, like face shields, harder and harder to find. In an email exchange, Deputy Chief Cathy Gosselin said Raymond Fire and Rescue had been unable to find any additional protective face shields to replenish their supply before Trebilcock’s donation. “There’s a shortage of supplies,” explained Don Willard, Raymond’s Town Manager. “You can’t even buy some of these things. That’s just one reason why we’re incredibly appreciative for these donations.”

In the face of these shortages and complications, Raymond residents have pulled together to protect their town’s emergency medical personnel. “At a difficult time like this,” Willard continued, “it’s really gratifying to live in a small town where people step up and help one another.”

Raymond welcomes new Recreation Department and Director

Joseph Crocker (right)

By Briana Bizier

Raymond residents are eagerly anticipating the latest addition to their town: a new Recreation Department headed by a new Recreation Director. Joseph Crocker, the Town of Raymond’s most recent hire, will begin his tenure leading Raymond’s newly-created Recreation Department later this month.

“We’re really excited about this opportunity,” said Don Willard, Raymond’s Town Manager. “It’s an

enormous step forward for the town.”

Originally from Old Orchard Beach, Joseph attended Saint Joseph’s College, where he earned a degree in Exercise Science. He then continued his studies at New England College in New Hampshire, earning an MBA in Sports and Recreation Management. Although he grew up on the Maine coast, Joseph has always felt a connection to the Lakes Region.

“My family has been camping in the Lakes Region for 28 years,” Crocker said. “It’s been a special place in my life. I love the area and the community.”

After graduating with his MBA, Crocker went on to teach a Business in Sports Management class at Saint Joseph’s. He also worked for recreation departments in Saco, Auburn, and Kennebunk. Most recently, Crocker held the position of Program Coordinator for the City of Lewiston.

“Coming from an urban environment might seem like disparate experience,” Don Willard explained, “but I believe he will fit well with the Raymond municipal ethic. Raymond prides itself on doing a lot with a little as would likely be the case in a small city. We have a fiscally responsible attitude, while also striving to maximize the effectiveness of our programs. Joseph will have that ability.”

Crocker’s time in Lewiston also taught him how to coordinate with the community’s volunteer groups in order to create new programs. “We’ve grown things organically by connecting with outside groups who don’t have the means to grow by themselves,” Crocker explained. As an example, he has helped to coordinate the Lewiston Sparks recreational cheering team, which has become an affordable, entry-level program thanks to the combined efforts of community members and the Lewiston Recreation Department.

Working in Lewiston, Crocker regularly relied on volunteer support. “You definitely have to work as a team,” Joseph said as he explained his plans to work with and strengthen Raymond’s existing recreational programs.

“Raymond seems very involved,” Crocker continued, “and the town wants to have someone to be a resource to help with these programs.”

Preserving Raymond’s existing programs is extremely important to Town Manager Don Willard as well. “We really want to support our active and committed volunteers,” Willard said. “We are depending upon keeping our strong group of volunteers across all our programs fully engaged. This position, and the Recreation Department, will provide program and administrative support as well as
upgrading and maintaining our facilities and working cooperatively with other towns.”

“We are also planning to create new programs for adults,” Willard continued. “We want to network with the already active Raymond Age Friendly group and Windham-Raymond Adult Education to get enhanced programming for adults and particularly older adults, as they are a large component of Raymond’s demographic.”

One of the first responsibilities for Raymond’s new Recreation Department is overseeing Tassel Top Park, which is owned by the State of Maine and operated under a long-term lease by the Town of Raymond. “We want to maintain the rustic woodsy aesthetic,” explained Willard, “while possibly creating a new children’s play area at Tassel Top Park. We’re going to expand the opportunities there without compromising the natural beauty.”

For Crocker, there is also a personal connection to Tassel Top Park. A resident of Windham, he and his family have held a seasonal pass to the beach for the past two years. “Tassel Top Park is a real hidden gem,” Crocker said. “My daughter is nine months old, and I’m excited for her to grow up near a beach like that.”

Willard acknowledges that starting a Recreation Department from ground zero is a big job, but he feels confident that Joseph Crocker is up for the task. “He’s got a lot of experience, and he’ll have a lot of input from other active and retired area recreation professionals” Willard said. “Not only does he have the proper qualifications, he has shown tremendous enthusiasm already. I think he is going to be great.”

Crocker echoes Willard’s optimism for Raymond’s new Recreation Department. “It’s very exciting for everybody,” Crocker told me. “As soon as I said yes to the job, I’ve been approached by multiple people reaching out and being excited about the position and the department. That’s definitely what you want when you take a job!”

Joseph Crocker will begin his position as the Director of Raymond’s new Recreation Department on February 18.

New trail opens in Raymond Community Forest

At the ribbon cutting. The trail, "Grape Expectations",
is named for the wild grapes the grow abundantly in the area

By Briana Bizier

A cold, wintery mix of rain and sleet didn’t stop a group of devoted outdoors-loving hikers and bikers from celebrating the opening of a new trail with a joyful ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday, November 24. The new trail 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.

“This may not be the best weather,” said Jon Evans, Loon Echo’s Stewardship and Volunteer Coordinator. “But this is a great day for Loon Echo Land Trust.”

Most of the trails on Loon Echo’s land have been inherited from the land’s previous uses, Evans told the crowd. Being able to design and build a trail from the ground up was a very exciting opportunity. This new trail adds a pleasant one-mile extension to the existing Spiller Homestead Loop, a flat and mild trail in the lower Raymond Community Forest that’s easily accessible for even the tamest hikers. 

The new trail expands on the previous loop and offers several bridges over marshy sections of the
community forest.

As the crowd applauded, 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.

Grape Expectations was designed to accommodate pedestrians and mountain bikes alike, with gentle curves and plenty of scenic appeal. Evans voiced his hopes that members of the community would make the trip to the Raymond Community Forest to visit the new trail.

“Riding season is not over,” Evans said, as the crowd assembled for the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Fat tire bikes are welcome, mountain bikes are welcome, anything without a motor is welcome here.”

The new trail begins roughly a hundred yards from the parking lot on the Spiller Homestead Loop, and it ends on the Spiller Homestead Loop as well. As the audience of volunteers and Loon Echo Land Trust supporters clustered beneath Grape Expectation’s trail blaze - a yellow diamond with a black circle in the center - Evans spread a red ribbon over the new trailhead. Dowler cut the ribbon, and the crowd applauded.

“Welcome to the coolest new pedestrian trail in the state of Maine,” Evans announced.

In the name of journalism, my five-year-old assistant and I inspected the entire trail. We discovered that Grape Expectations is an easy, enchanting hike that winds through the forest for slightly over a mile, crossing several bridges, climbing gentle hills, and circling a beautiful pool that was just closing over with ice. The ease of following this new trail, even in less than ideal conditions, belies the tremendous effort that must have gone into building the loop. There’s a section cut into a hillside that
is especially beautifully done, and that looks like it would be a heck of a lot of fun on a mountain bike. It would also make a wonderful, family friendly post-Thanksgiving stroll, or the perfect way to avoid the crowds on Black Friday.

If you’d like to check out the coolest new pedestrian trail in the state of Maine, head north from Route 85 on Raymond Hill Road. Turn north on Conesca Road. The trailhead for Raymond Community Forest is just past Hancock Road. Be sure to wear your blaze orange if you hike the trail in November, as hunting is allowed in Raymond Community Forest.

About Loon Echo Land Trust:

Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) was formed in 1987 to protect land in the northern Sebago Lake region to conserve its natural resources and character for future generations. LELT protects over 6,700 acres in Raymond, Bridgton, Naples, Casco, Sebago, Denmark and Harrison through land acquisition and conservation easements. LELT is a community supported non-profit organization.

New librarian brings love of books and artistic talent to JSMS

Mari Dieumegard with the two
books she has illustrated

By Briana Bizier

Not many librarians can showcase their own work in their library’s collection. Yet this is true for Jordan Small Middle School’s new librarian, Mari Dieumegard, who has also illustrated two children’s books.

“I’ve always loved books,” Mari Dieumegard, with a smile. “I love reading young adult books, and I love making children’s books. This job is really the best of both worlds.”

Originally from Alaska, Dieumegard has fond memories of visiting her grandparent’s camp in Monmouth, Maine over the summers. She attended Lewis and Clark College, located in the other Portland, before moving to Maine to attend the Maine College of Art. After graduating with her BFA, Dieumegard began teaching in an independent school in Portland.

“My mom was a teacher,” Dieumegard stated, “so working with kids came naturally.”

While teaching, Dieumegard was also developing her career as an independent artist and illustrator. In a process familiar to many who work in the arts, she sent out innumerable query letters and samples of her illustrations to publishers and agents. She also moved away from the independent school in Portland and began working as a substitute teacher in the RSU14 system of Windham and Raymond.

When a position opened up in the Raymond Elementary School library, Dieumegard applied and was hired. Then, three years after sending out her many query letters, Mari was contacted by Islandport Press of Yarmouth. Would she be interested, they wondered, in providing the illustrations for a new children’s book written by Jean Flahive? Dieumegard accepted their offer, and her first publication, “The Old Mainer and the Sea”, was released in October of 2017.

“We had a book birthday party at the elementary school,” Dieumegard recalled. “It was really fun.”

My personal Raymond Elementary School insider, Sage Bizier, still remembers this book birthday party, so I can verify that it was indeed very fun. Dieumegard’s collaboration with the author Jean Flahive resulted in a second children’s book, “The Canoe Maker”, which was released earlier this year. Naturally, both books are available at the Jordan-Small Middle School library and the Raymond Elementary School library. You can also find signed copies of both books at Mari’s website: http://maridieumegardart.com.

Although her illustrations focus on children’s books, Dieumegard’s love of young adult literature shines through her thoughtful book recommendations. She gave me a tour of the library while Lisa Schadler, the previous librarian at Jordan-Small Middle School, re-organized the book selection by genre to make it easier for young readers to find the books that appeal to them.
offering several recommendations for the voracious nine-year-old reader at my house.

“I personally like fantasy and realistic fiction,” she said, “but I am trying to push my boundaries and read more horror and spooky stories so I can help the kids find what they want.”

Dieumegard also brings her considerable artistic talents to her position as a librarian. As the advisor to the Jordan Small library club, the LitWits, Dieumegard is currently sponsoring a logo design contest for the middle school students. She plans to teach students in the library club how to use Google Draw to create their own logo for the library. In a process that is a bit similar to Dieumegard’s own experiences submitting her illustrations to publishers, the students’ designs will then be posted online, and the school will vote to choose the winner.

“This library is really a community space,” Dieumegard said. “Teachers will send their classes down here to work on projects, or students will come down with a library pass.” She smiled as a few young library lovers poked their heads into the sunny, open room.

“It’s a job that doesn’t feel like a job.”

Lifelong love of local library inspires Eagle Scout project

Jamie Louko (photo by Tammy Louko)

By Briana Bizier

Not many seniors in high school can say they have led a construction project, submitted building permits, or faced the town board. Yet Windham High School student and Raymond resident, Jamie Louko has done all three as part of his process to become an Eagle Scout.

“Think of getting the rank of Eagle Scout as going through high school with a very big project at the end,” said Dr. Nick Bizier, Eagle Scout and Windham High School chemistry teacher. “By the time you apply for an Eagle Scout, you have to have shown proficiency in many different areas.”

That big project at the end must be a contribution of value to the community. Prospective Eagle Scouts must propose their project to the BSA and then execute the project themselves by leading other scouts and members of the community.

“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.

However, as Louko discovered during the course of the gazebo’s planning and construction, building Louko’s original plan for the gazebo proved to be too close to a land lot line, and his application for a building permit was turned down by the select board. This setback forced a creative reevaluation of his original plan.
projects are rarely straightforward.

“We were forced to move to the front of the library, which ended up being an even better place to build,” Louko told me. “I am very thankful because I think it was for the better.”

After submitting his revised plans to the select board and finally acquiring his building permit, Louko needed to contact donors willing to provide supplies for the actual construction. Several organizations generously agreed to provide the building materials, including P&K Sand and Gravel, Hancock Lumber, Roosevelt Trail Garden Center, Machine Lumber, and Louko’s neighbor David Lind.

In order to turn a pile of donated supplies into a beautiful gazebo, Louko turned to the other members of Troop 800. “The only workers I had to help build my project were either scouts or scouts' parents,” Louko said. “Leading my fellow scouts is an important step in doing my project because it teaches me so much about how to lead effectively and what my leadership style is.”

“The Eagle Scout project gets at the heart of what experiential learning really is,” Dr. Bizier added. “It teaches you to make lots of those little adjustments that are necessary to bring a complicated project to life.”

In the case of Jamie Louko’s Eagle Scout project, his gazebo both embodies and honors the spirit of community service. Before construction began on the gazebo, the Raymond Village Library Board approached Jamie about dedicating the structure he planned to build to Raymond resident and longtime volunteer Betty McDermott. Louko agreed, adding that the McDermott family are his next-door neighbors.

“This is a great example of how Eagle Scouts can honor the past and contribute to the future through service to their community,” Dr. Bizier, Louko’s former chemistry teacher, adds. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to be an Eagle Scout.”

The new gazebo is open to the public and can be found just outside the Raymond Village Library at 3
Meadow Road.

Raymond residents honor Betty McDermott at dedication ceremony

Eagle Scout Jamie Louko, who built the gazebo in
Betty McDermott's honor, shared his memories of the well loved volunteer

By Briana Bizier        

Can one person truly make a difference in their community? Last Saturday, the answer to that question was a resounding yes as 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.

“These programs are all made possible by the efforts of our volunteers,” Sheila said.

Maine State Senator Bill Diamond and state Representative Jessica Fay also praised Betty’s service.

“To be honest, I was pretty intimidated by her,” Fay admitted as the audience laughed. “Betty was smart, powerful, and had the courage of her convictions.” Fay also applauded Betty’s extensive service. “Volunteers hold our community together,” she concluded.

Don Willard, Raymond’s current Town Manager, echoed Jessica’s assessment that Betty McDermott could be intimidating. However, he also spoke of his close relationship with the McDermott family. “I consider myself a surrogate McDermott,” Willard said.

Willard recounted several of the many projects McDermott helped to advance, from extending the water line to improving Route 302 to constructing the new fire station and elementary school. “Betty loved the town, she had a vision for the town, and she wanted to move the town forward,” Willard told the crowd as he stood in front of the gazebo dedicated to McDermott’s memory. “She really tried to make a difference.”

Frank McDermott remembers his wife

This new gazebo was built over the summer by Raymond Scout Jamie Louko, along with the members of BSA Troop 800, as part of Louko’s Eagle Scout project.

“When I thought about my childhood,” Louko said at the dedication, “I spent every weekend here at the library. There was no doubt in my mind that my project should be here. I want kids to have the same great experience I had.”

Betty McDermott was also a part of Louko’s childhood. Louko lives next door to the McDermott family, and he told the audience that he remembered selling popcorn to Betty as a Scout fundraiser.

“We live in a very rural part of Raymond,” Frank McDermott, Betty’s husband, explained. “And Jaimie was the only kid who ever came to our house for Halloween.”

McDermott’s oldest son, George also recounted his memories of her involvement in the library, from organizing rummage sales to their family’s frequent visits to the library’s previous location. Just like Jamie Louko, the Scout who built the gazebo, George shared fond memories of childhood afternoons spent at the Raymond Village Library looking for the newest Hardy Boys book. Thanks to the efforts of Betty, Jaime, and the many volunteers who are following in their footsteps, the next generation of Raymond children will be able to enjoy their favorite books in the shade of the library’s outdoor gazebo.

“This gazebo is not just for Betty,” Frank McDermott declared shortly before cutting the red ribbon and officially opening the new structure. “This is for anyone who’s ever donated their time. People ask, ‘What can I do?’ You tell them: ‘You can volunteer.’”

The Betty McDermott Memorial Gazebo outside the Raymond Village Library at 3 Meadow Road is open to the public. If you would like to check out a book to read while you enjoy the gazebo, the library is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Raymond Elementary School dedicates new playground

Ribbon Cutting ceremony on the first day of school

By Briana Bizier

The first day of school is always exciting, but last week students 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.

“We’ve installed a new balance apparatus,” he told the assembled crowd of teachers, students, parents, and community members, “as well as a climbing Webscape and two new sandboxes.”

That towering blue Webscape, which immediately drew the interest of many of the children walking past the new playground, has an especially touching story. The entire structure was made possible by a generous gift from Raymond Elementary School kindergarten teacher Stephen Seymour, his wife Karen, and their family. This journalist can confirm that both the balance apparatus and the climbing Webscape appear to be much more fun than anything found on school playgrounds when I was
growing up.

The elementary school’s new sandboxes were built as an Eagle Scout project by Alex Brooks, who was once a student of Raymond Elementary School and now attends Windham High School. A second Eagle Scout project is planned to replace the playground’s storage shed that holds jump ropes, sporting equipment, and sleds.

Principal Crockett also took time to generously thank the Maine National Guard. Members of the 262nd Engineer Company (Horizontal), which is based in Westbrook, did the original earth work to clear the new play field, hauled in over 500 loads of gravel, and turned what had previously been a steep, forested slope into a grassy, level field.

“It’s always great to give back to the community that supports us,” Major Kerry Boese of the Maine National Guard said at the opening ceremony.

Alissa Messer, a parent volunteer who was instrumental in overseeing the playground’s construction, emphasized gratitude as she spoke to the students. “This playground is a labor of love,” she said. “Today, we are grateful for what we’ve been given.”

As the crowd applauded enthusiastically, the speakers held out their scissors and cut a wide, red ribbon, officially opening Raymond Elementary School’s new playground. The air filled with cheers as the students followed their teachers for tours of the playground equipment.

If you’d like to view Raymond Elementary School’s new playground and play field for yourself, it is open to the public after school hours and on weekends.

Raymond Garden Tour: Nestled in the verdant forests off Raymond Hill Road lies a true oasis

By Briana Bizier

           

April Fey’s garden, which has been a labor of love for the past thirty years, is an enchanting space filled with flowers, birds, unique artwork, and the sound of running water. On Saturday, June 22, for the first time ever, Fey will join the biennial Raymond Garden Tour and open her garden to the public to benefit the Raymond Village Library.

Her decision to join the Garden Tour all started with a simple Facebook post. “When we finished the

dry stream bed in my garden, I posted a picture of it on Facebook,” Fey explains. “Sharon Dodson saw it and asked if I’d like to join the Raymond Garden Tour!”

Her garden, Fey told me, is inspired by her family’s globe-spanning travels. Her husband Robert is a pilot, and their family loves to travel. Many features from the sites that they have enjoyed during their many excursions have found their way home to join her beautiful garden.

Fey built her stone stream bed, which leads from a dry well near her porch and is home to three cheerful salmon sculptures, after admiring similar features in gardens during a trip to Japan. The colorful glass balls grouped near her rose bushes were inspired by a Chihuly exhibition, and the tiki statue she decorated herself is an homage to her family’s love of the Hawaiian Islands.

Several other sculptures adorn Fey’s garden, including a cheerful metal silhouette of three children. “That sculpture was a Mother’s Day present,” Fey explains. “Our three children are grown now, but the sculpture is right next to the path they used to walk to school.”

Although Fey’s children are now adults, her yard is still home to a young gardener. Fey’s two-year-
old grandson visits frequently to play with the miniature barn and farm animals in her flower bed or to move Fey’s collection of ceramic mushrooms. During my visit, the mushrooms were clustered artistically behind an enormous fern in what must have been the perfect place for a two-year-old to practice his own garden design.

Fey’s magnificent garden, which now wraps around her house and contains hundreds of flowers, all began with a muddy bank. “The slope in front of our house was a mess,” Fey explains. “My husband and I took apart an old rock wall to build a terrace, and that was our first garden bed.”

That first terrace is now home to poppies, daylilies, columbines, and a hops vine inspired by an urban garden in Portland that Fey visited for her daughter’s wedding. It’s also home to a few surprise volunteers.

“I didn’t even plant these,” Fey tells me, gesturing to a thriving clump of purple columbine flowers. “That’s another gift from Mother Nature.”

Fey’s original terrace garden has now been joined by many more flowerbeds. In addition to her roses and a garden by the shed filled entirely with divides from her many perennials, Fey has a bed devoted
entirely to lavender, another bed for cutting flowers, and several high bush blueberries.

“We come out in the morning with a bowl of cereal and pick blueberries for it,” Fey told me.

Even the old swing set in Fey’s backyard is host to an unusual variety of forsythia with red flowers that came from the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay as well as a container overflowing with purple blossoms. “This spot just needed a bit of color,” Fey explained.

Fey’s garden also includes a whimsical bottle tree, which Fey calls, “the easiest plant I grow.” From what this journalist can tell, Fey’s entire garden looks like it grows beautifully, although she laughed at the compliment.

“I’m a big believer in mulch,” Fey tells me, with a smile. “I just plant what I like, and I don’t worry too much about it.”

If you’d like to see Fey’s garden as well as the other featured gardens, the Raymond Garden Tour will take place this Saturday, June 22, with a rain date of Sunday, June 23. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the tour, and they can be purchased at Raymond Village Library. All proceeds will benefit the library.

Windham High School students get nerdy at science

By Briana Bizier

On a blustery Saturday in late March, a team of Windham High School students traveled to the University of Southern Maine’s Gorham campus to compete with mousetraps, calculators, and batteries. Maine’s annual Science Olympiad competition, which dates back to 1986, brings together teams of students from middle and high schools across the state.

“There’s no other competition like it,” explained Pamela Ferris-Olson, one of the two directors of the 2019 Maine Science Olympiad. “The events run across all STEM disciplines, from the build competitions to biology to physics. At least two students compete in every event, so kids learn how important it is to cooperate. The students win on the strength of their team.”

Maine Science Olympiad’s events range from tests on subjects as far-ranging as herpetology and forensics, which are written, administered, and graded by a group of dedicated volunteers who follow national standards, to “build” competitions where students design and construct something beforehand which is then tested and evaluated by volunteers on the University of Maine campus. The entire event is a celebration of math, science, and engineering. Windham High School’s team T-shirts poked fun at popular perceptions of science by using the symbols for nitrogen, erbium, and dysprosium from the Periodic Table of the Elements to spell out: NErDy.

“We have 23 events covered by 15 kids,” explained Daniel Wirtz, one of the two teachers who serve as coaches for the Windham High School team. “So, our team has to have a wide range of knowledge
and experience.”

For the build events, Wirtz said, students are required to bring their completed machines as well as their test and run logs to the competition. As we spoke, the Mousetrap Car competition ran in the background. For this event, high school students constructed a vehicle powered entirely by the snap of two mousetrap springs. To compete, the mousetrap car needed to push a cup eight meters, then stop, and then travel in reverse.

Another popular build event is called Mission Possible, where students construct a complex Rube Goldberg machine in order to accomplish a simple task. This year, the task was lifting a nine-volt battery. Extra points were awarded to students whose machines included details like using vinegar

and baking soda to inflate a balloon, filling a container with water in order to lift a golf ball, or using electricity to break a string.

My young assistants and I watched the Windham High School team set up and run their Mission Possible machine. As we waited, the volunteer judges examined the machine carefully and asked a few questions about the batteries.

“Those batteries are hooked up in parallel,” Windham High School student Evan Desmond explained, “so the voltage doesn’t add, it’s just the amperage.”

Clearly, these Windham High School students already know much more about electricity and

The Mousetrap car that won second place.

batteries than this reporter!

After a few last-minute adjustments, Desmond and fellow student, Cordelia Inman put their Mission Possible machine into action. A water balloon inflated, balls rolled down ramps, a string snapped, and finally a little engine whirred into action, slowly raising a wooden platform holding the single nine-volt battery.

“I want to see it again!” my four-year-old assistant declared. I promised him that, if he works hard enough in school, he could one day be on the Windham High School Science Olympiad team.

The Windham students’ dedication and hard work paid off during the Science Olympiad award ceremony. Students Annika Johnson and Landon Leclerc took a gold medal for first place in the Anatomy competition. Haley Froisland and Joshua Mora took silver, second place, for their Mouse Trap Car, and Desmond’s and Inman’s battery-lifting Mission Possible machine won third place. \

Students Owen Flibert and Kiril Perederil also took third place in the Forensics competition.

The Windham High School team is generously sponsored by State Farm Insurance in Windham, thanks to Tricia Zwirner. The Windham team thanks you for your continued support of math, science,
and engineering!