Two local students set sail for Cuba during winter break by Lorraine Glowczak

Ellen Clarke in center (wearing pink)

The Katahdin Program, a RSU#14 high school alternative education school, is proud to announce that two students, Owen Shepard, junior, and Ellen Clarke, senior, have been selected to participate in a 12-day sailing trip aboard the Tall Ship, Oliver Hazard Perry, from St. Petersburg, Florida to Cienfuegos, Cuba.
 

As part of Tall Ships Portland, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to maritime youth education, Shepard and Clarke as well as Katahdin teacher Christine Caputo and Katahdin headmaster, Rich Meserve will set sail with approximately 30 other Maine students on the round-trip educational adventure on Friday, February 16. This hands-on learning experience will provide discovery and study in the areas of leadership, culture, self-reliance, responsibility, team-work and much more.

To help defray some of the costs for the students and educators, the Katahdin Program is hosting a number of fundraising efforts. One such fundraiser, a variety show, will take place this Saturday, February 10 at the Windham Center Stage Theater, 8 School Road in Windham at 7 p.m. The show will include local talent and the cost is on a donation basis.

Originally known as the Real School, the Katahdin Program is based at Camp Hinds in Raymond, and provides alternative education programming for students, grades 9-12, in the RSU #14 Windham/Raymond School District.

Owen Sheard

This alternative program recognizes all variety of learners and focuses in students’ strengths, assets and interests. According to their website, “We believe that every individual is an important part of our learning community, in which our core values of integrity, safety, respect, responsibility, and kindness are central. We strive to foster meaningful relationships among our students and staff, through which we are able to provide individualized, standards-based programming for every student. Our practice is experiential and builds upon the integration of therapeutic adventure, service-learning, restorative practices, and community partnerships into classroom instruction.”

“This program has changed my son’s life,” stated Laurie Shepard, who is the mother of Owen. “He told me recently that the Katahdin Program, and the sailing experience to Cuba specifically, has opened doors to his awareness and interest in possible career opportunities that would not have been known to him otherwise.”

Students, Shepard and Clarke, both participated in a Tall Ship Portland Program this past October. “It was their dedication to the educational experience along with showing high interest in the program that contributed to their selection on this trip,” Laurie Shepard explained.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for local teens to experience an entirely different world on many levels,” said Paul Wolf, Events Director for Tall Ships Portland. “Unplugged from technology, they quickly learn about teamwork, vigilance and harnessing the forces of nature.” 

While learning navigation, meteorology and sail handling, a one-week sailing voyage equates to one semester credit. “This is a great way for these teens to learn outside the classroom,” said Jon Radtke, Assistant Principal at Falmouth High School and Coordinator of the Cuba voyage. “Experiential learning has a profound effect on a student because they learn a lot.”

If you are unable to attend the Variety Show this Saturday and wish to contribute monetary donations to Shepard and Owen’s adventure, please send contributions to The Katahdin Program, 54 Hinds Rd., Raymond, ME 04071 or call (207) 655-6903.

Remember that these students are the ones who hold the future. Sir Andrew Martin is quoted as saying, “Our young people hold the future of the nation in their hands and deserve all the help we are able to give them in their developing years.”

Katahdin School opens - By Michelle Libby

Last week, the Katahdin School at Camp William Hinds in Raymond, opened its doors for family and friends at its first open house. 

The Katahdin School is an off shoot of the REAL School on Mackworth Island. The district  brought the 21 students from Windham and Raymond who were attending the REAL School to the newly created Katahdin School.

The new location is a partnership with the Boy Scouts of the Pine Tree Council and RSU14. The school is located in the finished walkout basement of the new dining hall on Plains Road in Raymond. The dining hall is due to open this summer. Everything the REAL School improves on will be shared, like its hoop house or proposed bike trails, and everything the Scouts have, like the ropes course and kayaks, will be used by the students.

“We’re really lucky to offer something like this to our students,” said principal Rich Meserve.

“To have young people use this as a school really completes the benefit and investment. It also makes our donors especially happy,” said Scout executive Eric Tarbox. “This isn’t just a business relationship. It’s outdoor experiential learning and helping kids become more, and be more,” which is the same mission as Scouts. 

The school opened on September 1, but in the old dining hall on Panther Pond, with no heat. Once it got too cold, they bounced around, all the while having experiences like fishing on the first day of school, where one student caught an 18 inch bass. They also went white water rafting, mountain climbing and ziplining. All of the unsettled moving around was considered “building character,” said Meserve. “We feel right at home in this space,” he added. 

“It’s a beautiful area,” said Marie Reidman, who teaches English.  The opportunities are endless. “They can swim, canoe or fish if it’s not going well in the classroom.”

Four students addressed the crowd. Julia, a junior, struggled with depression and anxiety. “I’m very thankful for having this opportunity from the teachers to the students to the van drivers.”

Ellen rarely attended school before the Katahdin School. “I’ve been every day. There are a lot of opportunities,” she said. 

 

Melinda has an anger problem. The school has helped her in school and outside of school. “I get enough attention from the teachers,” she said. “There is a lot of encouragement to go outside of our comfort zones.” 

Tyla was expelled from school as a freshman. Now as a senior, she will be the first person in her family to graduate from high school. “Thank you for making this a possibility,” she said. 

The school is based on a relationship model with experiential learning a key focus. Rod Nadeau holds 14 licenses and certifications in outdoor activities. He mixes his teachings with other educational standards. Paul Field is the STEM teacher, where students experience some science and math through the use of a 3D printer and a 3D pen. 

 

Ben Woodman was one of the first graduates from the REAL School in 1988. As an employee for Lowe’s he was able to help negotiate a great deal for the materials including providing the paint and drywall as well as the crew. “(The REAL School) was the best thing that could ever happen,” Woodman said. 

Work on the dining hall was primarily done by the military and the IRT program. Camp ranger Scott Martin over saw the completion of the interior work by his crew.  

Both Meserve and Tarbox hope that this will be a joint venture far into the future, which will be mutually beneficial.