Parents perk up Windham Middle School bathrooms with positive affirmations by Elizabeth Richards

When students arrived back at Windham Middle School after their summer vacation, they found the one space they all use a little brighter, a little more pleasant and a little more inspiring. “This summer, a wonderful group of moms came forward and offered to do some work in both the boys and girls bathrooms to make them more positive and affirming places,” said Kim McBride, Assistant Principal at Windham Middle School. 
 

The school was built in 1977, McBride said, and though it’s been well maintained over the years, as any older building does, it’s starting to show its age. 

Tiffany Flibbert, who had the initial vision for the project and organized the efforts, said she has three children and she’s heard complaints about the bathrooms from all of them. The idea for the painting came, like so many things these days, from social media, she said. After seeing a post by a teacher who had done something similar, she decided to take action. 

Flibbert knows the power of positive words. She belongs to a group, Brave Girls Club, which is all about helping women meet their dreams and pursue their goals, primarily through uplifting words. “Young girls need inspiration. They need to feel good about themselves. There are so many things out there working against them,” Flibbert said. “And boys need it too,” she added.

Once the idea had formed, Flibbert spread the word about the project and a group of parents came together to get it done, she said. 

McBride said the many hours of volunteer work the group put in were very much appreciated by the school. “Anytime we can give more positive messages to students, we want to do it. The bathrooms are an often overlooked place that everyone visits every day,” she said. “It was a wonderful surprise for the students when they came in, and they really appreciated the creativity and the time and attention that went into it.”

2016 Halloween adventure was scary fun - By Stephen Signor

Windham Parks and Recreation and the Windham Public Library held the first ever truck or treat contest on Saturday, just after the Windham Primary School . As the theme and main event put on by the Windham Parks and Recreation department implied, those interested in participating decorated their trunk or rear of an SUV in a Halloween theme. Prior, during, and after the judging, treats were available from the rear of the vehicles. 

“This event was a far cry and improvement from last year’s adventure which featured hunting for candy in the dark with flashlights,” said Randi Benish, one of the entries. When darkness prevailed the rear end of vehicles lit up with a variety of flashing lights, luminescent balloons and even a bubble making machine. It was obvious there was no limit placed on the creativity.   

In all there were nine entries with three winners. One of the winners was the Warren family. 

Their theme was not only unique, it was mostly improvisation. Their undersea display, which won most creative, included balloons to mimic air bubbles, incorporated an electric bubble making machine and a handmade jellyfish fashioned out of an umbrella frame, bubble wrap, lights and packing tape. 

“We just wanted to do something fun and really creative. The kids loved the bubbles and balloons so we went with it,” said Sally Warren.

Clearly everyone else had just as much fun. All of the contestants displayed a unique and creative quality making the judging extremely challenging. When it was over the kids reaped the benefits by filling their Halloween containers with goodies from the trunks.

There was more going on than just Trunk-or-Treat, however. An announcement could be heard in the darkness. “There other fun things to do inside after the Trunk-or-Treat, said parks and recreation director Linda Brooks using a megaphone. There’s a table in the gym for registering your costume for the contest,” continued Brooks. There was also a haunted house inside that began on the second floor of the gym where long lines formed all evening.

Entertainment was provided by Flamin’ Raymin and Sizzlin’ Suzzin high energy DJ’s. They have been pleasing crowds and providing unprecedented entertainment for 22 years. “We started out as line dance instructors and still are. But we evolved more as entertainers.” Doing nearly 200 shows a year has kept them busy, especially in the summer months. With numerous environments it’s always different. 

“We try to fit what we do to the crowd or if there is a theme we stick to that and decorate accordingly. During the summer months we do a lot of resorts. We have been performing at Point Sebago for 22 years,” shared Susan Hall, the Susan in Suzzin and controller of the tunes.  

“The town has done a great job with this. I’m impressed. I think Windham did a really good job of getting it going. I think it will only continue to grow,” she added.

The other half, Raymond Dupuis, had the duty of keeping the crowd, especially the kids, entertained. Dressed up as a pirate, he held the audience captive with his swashbuckling mannerisms. When it came to dancing, all ages enjoyed the lessons in choreographic elements of such Halloween favorites as Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Tunes also included other favorites like Bobby Pickett’s MonsterMash.

 

Meanwhile, the best costumes were chosen. Judging was done by Mrs. Maine 2017 Betsy Benish, Sherma Moody, Jennie Butler and volunteer Selena Pelletier. There were numerous visually appealing outfits and several age groups eligible to win making judging very challenging. “Among other things we are looking for the scariest, detail, originality and overall appearance. Some very original costumes are out there,” said Benish. Even Donald Trump made an appearance.

When the finale the kids were waiting for arrived, they were ready. The costume contest winners were announced.  Tina Bean was given the most original title and Elizabeth Benning was most authentic dressed as a cat. 

Although this event was scheduled until 9 p.m., the majority of the crowd made a mass exodus immediately after the judging of the contest, but everyone agrees they had a great time.

New Windham Middle School proposal gains momentum - By Stephen Signor

In May of this year the Facilities Committee of the RSU14 School Board made the following recommendation: To build a new Windham Middle School, keeping the original core, which contains the gym-upper and lower, cafeteria, food service area, the administrative offices, STEM, art rooms and music rooms/office of the school. The inclusion of a design feature for expansion to accommodate future enrollment needs and the expansion into Fields 4 and 5 will accommodate the construction site. At that time no cost numbers were discussed, but became availableon June 15th at a RSU14 Facilities Committee meeting. To this end, further recommendations were brought forth, revisiting discussions that were placed on hold from July 2014. 

While no decisions have been put into stone, progress has been made in gathering details. On top of the list was the cost sharing of the project. This entails Windham absorbing the $42,496,975 price tag for a new school through a municipal bond. In a preliminary and tentative tax implications scenario, owners of a $250,000 house would incur a $426 a year increase in taxes with this amount decreasing slightly over a period of 20 years. Raymond on the other hand would not incur any construction cost and only be liable for operational costs of the new school. 

To even the playing field, the agenda of this meeting included discussion of the alternative option. This would involve major renovations of the Windham Middle School core. As a renovation, under statutes, the cost of this would be borne by both Raymond and Windham. However the cost for renovations would total $37,739,057. After an intense review between September 2015 and June 2016 it was felt that the difference of $4,757,918, although substantial, represents the difference between renovating a poorly constructed and inadequate school versus building a new one. 

During the session many valid points were made and agreed upon, leaning members toward the new building. For instance, it was presented that “the cycle of a new building is 40 plus years as compared to 20 to 25 of a renovated building.” It was also concluded that “a new building would address 21st Century educational programs that benefit students and community in the long run, while avoiding the inherent risk/cost of renovations”, as one member put it. As another put it, “The Windham Middle School is teaching 21st Century classes in a seventies building environment. Science teachers have no lab, running water or the proper equipment, if any, to conduct experiments.” 

To further examine the issue of new versus renovation was the contents of a letter from Lyndon Keck, PDT Architects review of the WMS condition that was conducted in May of this year. As no stranger with new school construction and renovation Keck’s letter revealed a laundry list of faults with the school. In summary it was reiterated the school was built in 1977 making it 40 years old and at the end of its cycle. Reference was also made that interior walls were made from lumber, not steel with no air space between inner and outer exterior walls to allow for proper insulation. The windows are residential grade as are the roof shingles.

 

The end result was that after further review, in a board meeting on June 22, the following week, the RSU14 Board of Directors approved the Facilities Committee recommendation to go forward with the proposal. On September 7th there will be a board update with a communication plan to be finalized.

WMS Principal Drew Patin found the decision encouraging. Patin is no stranger to the logistics that now face Windham Middle School. He was involved with a similar situation as assistant principal of Sanford School Department. 

“While at Sanford the concerns, logistics and goals were the same. The only difference was that project was state funded,” Patin explained. 

When asked what his primary goal was Patin replied, “Our goal right now is to inform students and the community as a whole about the importance of how a building can influence the level of education. For instance the science labs in the present school are not equipped with running water making experiments difficult to perform. Students have to excuse themselves to retrieve water from the bathrooms or water fountains.” There are also safety concerns. As Patin put it, “there is no sprinkler system because the code was grandfathered.  

Additionally, there is a matter of the distance students have to go between the main building and Field Allen. The walk may seem short but in the winter months or other seasonal storms the trek can be hazardous. With a new school that concern would be eliminated. On top of that, “currently the school is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.”

“It is imperative that the proposal being presented reaches the ears of everyone. In order to help facilitate this, a survey is being planned and other means of communication such as a media campaign, face to face conversations, presenting material at polling places, community events and forums, and digital methods such as Twitter, Facebook and mass email. It is challenging to reach out because everyone has their own take on this proposal,” said Patin. “At least we are at a point now which can be considered full steam ahead. It is no longer a case of being one step forward and two steps back.”

On September 21st there will be a meeting held in the Superintendent’s Conference room from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The public is welcome. Patin expressed hope that there will be interested generated by attendants. Until then, more information and updates will become available, as it becomes available.

Business community and education - By Michelle Libby

At a workshop last week, principals Drew Patin from Windham Middle School and Kyle Rhoads from Windham Middle School presented to businessmen and women in Windham and Raymond how education has changed in the last 20 years. 
  

“Education of our students today impact businesses tomorrow,” said Rhoads. The plan for the presentation was to inform the business community about what is going on in schools and how the perspective of employers might need to be adjusted. 

“The factory model of schooling is dead,” Rhoads said. “The world has become customized.” He used Amazon and Pandora as examples of that. Amazon tells us what we might like in a book, in products and more. “Pandora is trying to create the idea listening experience for me,” he added. 

“Companies are trying to create the ideal shopping experience. We’re trying to do the same with education.” 

Memorization is no longer needed, said Patin. Everything is at our fingertips. Employers should want employees who can communicate, persevere and can problem solve. “We have the kids go through relevant, real life solutions,” he said. 

Teachers are more of a guide through education, giving students the opportunity to fail by not giving them instant gratification. “It’s not just can they do calculus, but can they apply calculus,” Patin said.

They showed a multi-media presentation of examples of learning across the district. “There’s been a change in our culture,” said one high school teacher. Another pointed out that teachers need to teach 21^st century skills. 

We have to do authentic lessons that utilize skills that are relevant, said WHS teacher Jeff Riddle. Teachers are creating standard operating procedures that allow the student to know what to do when they finish a lesson. It allows each student to move ahead that their own pace. “It will serve its purpose to make them independent thinkers,” said Manchester School teacher Kelly Williamson. “The kids are happier and more engaged,” said another teacher. 

“Regardless of what you call it a good teacher, is a good teacher, is a good teacher. You teach a child where they’re at and show them where they can go,” said Rhoads. 

The school is asking that business people be mentors to students to give them the opportunity to see what different professions are like. There has to be a balance between the knowledge the students need to know and the skills they need to be effective problem solvers, Rhoads said.

Volunteerism has increased at all of the schools over the last few years and parents are encouraged to be engaged in their children’s learning.