WHS counselors create four-year plans for students to guide them to success

By Kaysa Jalbert

It’s hard enough being a three-sport-juggling, chess club-playing, my-mom-can’t-pick-me-up-so-I- need-a-ride teenager, so the last thing most high school students want to stress about is life after high school, and that’s why Windham High Schools counselors focus their efforts in working with students from before they enter high school, to create a plan that shapes their current goals and guides them to a future of success.

Members of the Windham High School
Counseling Department are, from left,
Steve Ginn, Kerry Kowalczyk, Christa
Haberstroh, Megan Fleming and 
Mollie Glaus. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Building a path to a promising future starts in the eighth grade when students first meet with both their middle school and soon-to-be high school counselors where they start the process of registering for courses. Before this, students are given presentations and meetings to discuss the importance of high school, and the different courses offered for college and career paths they can explore.

Freshmen students begin meeting with their counselors discussing topics such as what they look forward to in high school, what they might want to accomplish as a student and what are their professional aspirations now.

“We preface everything to say that as a 14-year-old, changing your mind a million times is normal and expected and that’s part of what is the fun of being in high school is finding interests and passions and we want to encourage that,” says Meghan Fleming, the School Counseling Director at Windham High School.

In the meetings with first-year high school students, counselors aim at developing a four-year plan with students that is based on their current future aspirations. Fleming repeated that it is normal and encouraged for students to change their mind over the course of four years, but the plan helps maintain students on a track that will keep them interested in their courses and meet requirements to graduate.

The WHS Counseling Staff works with college and career specialists to develop programs for students throughout the school year. Students also have access to a variety of tools to explore their post-secondary options. A program called Naviance is one of these tools that helps align students’ strengths and interests with post-secondary goals. Students are first introduced to this tool as freshmen to start making informed choices about their futures.

In the spring, sophomores take part in college and career fairs and field trips to introduce themselves to different options available to them and their futures. They also view vocational presentations and take tours of the vocational centers in the winter.

During junior year the plan gets more in depth, said Fleming. Students and their families are invited to junior meetings that begin in January, where they discuss future goals, how to prepare for the college application process, building resumes, and other post-secondary goals.

“The goal at this time is to typically have a plan,” says Fleming. “We don’t want to pressure one way or another about college or career training or two-year or four-year schools, but rather just making sure each kid is working on a plan that works for them so we can support that plan however we can and need to.”

Building the plan to follow your dreams is just the first step, but the biggest concern for many of these students and their families is the financial aspects of executing their plans, that’s why Windham High School works with the Finance Authority of Maine to put their costly concerns at ease.

“Being cost conscience is always the goal,” said Fleming. “Since community colleges are now free, a lot of students are now seeing college as more of a possibility, or even post-secondary training is available at some of those schools. Our goal is just to make sure students and their families are aware of their options.”

During a student’s senior year, counselors and college and career specialists work closely with students on college applications, or meeting the requirements of military, apprenticeship, and training programs.

Tuesday, Oct. 3 was financial aid night at Windham High School where students and their families discussed the new financing guidelines and the steps that they will need to complete applications. The college-bound student uses net price calculators to help them figure out how much a school might cost them. Fleming says this can be helpful tool especially for lower income families to prepare for how much colleges might cost and explore their more affordable options.

Windham High School’s College and Career center grants students the opportunity to talk and work with college and career specialists that help guide them through the college search and application process, financial aid, military enlistment, career exploration, job shadows and apprenticeships, job search, application, and interview help. <

Academics a cinch for Windham’s Agneta siblings

Four siblings from one family have finished among the top
three academically in their class over the years at Windham
High School. From left are Christina Agneta Imbrogno, 
Melissa Agneta, Dominic Agneta, and Monica Agneta, who
was the WHS Class of 2022 salutatorian, finishing second
academically among her classmates. COURTESY PHOTO 
 

By Ed Pierce

To have a member of a family finish in the top three academically in high school is a significant accomplishment, but in 2022 a Windham family has established a new record that may stand for some time as a fourth family member ended up among the top three of her graduating class at Windham High School.

Monica Agneta was the WHS Class of 2022’s salutatorian, finishing second academically, and joining her brother, Dominic, and sisters, Christina and Melissa, as top academic standouts in their classes at WHS.

Finishing third academically for the Class of 2010 at WHS was Christina Agneta Imbrogno while Melissa Agneta was ranked third overall at WHS for the Class of 2016. Dominic Agneta was the top-ranking student academically at WHS for the Class of 2018 and was that year’s valedictorian for the school.

Monica Agneta will attend the University of Maine at Orono this fall and is aiming for an eventual career in cybersecurity.

She said her favorite classes at WHS were Russian Language 1 and 2 and that the most challenging aspect of high school for her was to prioritize sleep to escape stress.

“My favorite teacher was Jeff Conant, and though I never had him for class, he impacted me simply by being one of my biggest supporters,” she said. “He gave me many pieces of advice, shut down my self-doubt, and his positivity brightened many of my mornings in advisory.”

Christina Agneta Imbrogno is married and now lives in Southeastern Connecticut. She works as a Systems Engineer at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipbuilding company and previously worked at 3M for four years as a Product Development Engineer and Safety Engineer.

She says that AP Chemistry was her favorite class at WHS, and Lisa McLellan was her favorite teacher.

“My favorite teacher was Mrs. McLellan because her classes were challenging, but interactive, and she explained chemistry in a way that made sense and inspired me to major in Chemical Engineering in college,” she said. “Her classroom was also a welcoming place to hang out in and she led the Science Olympiad team.”

Dominic Agneta graduated from the University of Maine in May and is moving to Dallas, Texas this month to work as an Equipment Engineer for Texas Instruments.

He’s single and says his favorite class at WHS was Physics and his favorite teacher at WHS was Wayne Rathbun.

“I took Physics 2 with him, and I was one of six students,” he said. “The lessons were rich with professional knowledge, but still personal which made it a joy to attend class.”

Melissa Agneta recently got engaged and now lives in Central Connecticut. After graduating from college, she’s worked as a Quality Engineer on hydrogen fuel cell power plants and during the pandemic she served as a virtual high school biology teacher.

Her favorite class at WHS was AP Chemistry and like her sister Christina says that her favorite WHS teacher was Lisa McLellan.

“She taught lessons that were really hands on. I always loved going outside with my classmates and watching Mrs. McLellan combine things like sodium, metal and water to make explosive reactions,” she said. “Going to chemistry class was always really fun and it had a big impact on my future after high school.”

All four siblings offered advice to WHS students looking to excel academically in the future.

“Find a sport or activity outside of academics that you enjoy. It's important to have an outlet that can take your mind off school every once in a while,” Melissa Agneta said. “I danced competitively throughout school, and though it took up a lot of my free time, it made me really happy and always gave me something to look forward to that was outside of academics.”

Taking AP classes will help to prepare students for college courses, said Christina Agneta Imbrogno. She also suggests that WHS students learn new study techniques to help boost their academic skills.

The best advice that Dominic Agneta said he can offer to WHS students trying to determine a major for college is to look at job postings that they are interested in and then look at the qualifications you would need for those jobs.

And he offers some simple advice to become a better student at WHS.

“Attend every single class, and challenge yourself,” he said.

Monica Agneta’s advice to those seeking academic success is to not shy away from taking tough courses.

“To improve academic standing, students should challenge themselves with the classes they sign up for and always turn in their best work,” she said. “Make sure that there are things to look forward to in your schedule, as it will keep you motivated and make the harder days more bearable.” <

Windham author drawing national attention for her inspired storytelling

Windham resident Kristine Delano's unpublished short story
'Glimpse of Lace' has been chosen as a finalist for the 2021
Cascade Awards for literary work. Delano also has written
three novels since retiring from a high-powered Wall
Street career and moving with her family to Maine.
COURTESY PHOTO  

By Ed Pierce

A Windham author is about to make a splash nationally for her writing, but Kristine Delano’s own life story is nearly as compelling as the stories and novels she hopes to tell. 

Delano’s new short story, “Glimpse of Lace,” has just been selected as a finalist in the Short Story category for the Cascade Awards, a writing competition open to any author nationwide. She’s also working on three different novels she hopes to publish while appreciating family life at home on the shores of Highland Lake in Windham.

Life these days is vastly different and somewhat slower from the hectic 20-plus years she spent as working for Wall Street companies before retiring, giving up her panoramic view of New York City and moving north to Maine to pursue her passion for writing.     

Growing up as a military dependent, Delano became a voracious reader as she frequently had to pack up and relocate as a child with her family and having to make new friends wherever the family moved to. It left her with many untold stories in her head she always wanted to tell, but as she progressed in her financial services career, finding the time to devote expressing herself creatively through her writing posed a problem.

“When I worked on Wall Street, I used my writing in more of a technical way,” Delano said. “When I retired, my family was surprised with what I wanted to do because they expected me to go into consulting or to open a small business.”

While working for financial companies, she often mentored young staff members about their careers, but paid attention to what they had to share with her about their lives. It became the inspiration for some of her future stories.

“They spoke to me about their fears and their lives,” Delano said. “They shared their experiences. It was a good genesis for me as a writer.”  

Married to an architect and the mother of three children with one in college, one starting college in the fall and the other a freshman in high school, Delano also continues to sit on the global board of a 6,000-member financial services organization focused on women’s empowerment. She also is active as a speaker, mentor, and strategic planner for many businesses, churches, and parachurch organizations, but writing and developing ideas for stories is now front and center for Delano.

“I typically get four or five ideas a day and then have to figure out which one can stand the test of time,” she said. “I kind of write it in my head and before putting pen to paper I’ve already kind of worked out the character’s voice.”

She says that she’s found that writing is a world away from her former Wall Street career.

“It’s surprising for me. I thought I had a thick skin. I worked on Wall Street and always succeeded,” Delano said. “Writing is very different. Sometimes you don’t know that you don’t like what you’ve done. It’s overly complicated or pedantic or subjective. I’ve found though that you can’t write to please everybody.”   

The ability to connect with readers though is what inspires and motivates Delano’s writing.

“The best impact I can have on one person is through their eyes or how they see themselves with what I write,” she said. “I’m trying to find an authentic voice that will speak to somebody.”

The plot of her short story selected as one of three finalists for the 2021 Cascade Awards is as genuine as it gets and Delano’s keeping her fingers crossed for when the award recipients are announced in August.

In “Glimpse of Lace,” Annabelle has a unique blessing, or perhaps it’s a curse. For almost five years, since 10th grade, she’s gotten glimpses of the end of her romantic relationships before they’ve even begun. This has made her weary of men. While sipping hot chocolates before their last runs on the mountain, Brian, a recent finance graduate from Bates, brushes up against Annabelle. She glimpses herself in lace and Brian next to her in a tux. Brian is exactly the kind of guy Tara, her best friend, would choose for her, so why can’t Annabelle believe this glimpse got it right?

According to Delano, the reactions she’s received so far about her storytelling keep her motivated to write more.

“In the beginning my goal was to get stories out of my head and onto paper,” she said. “Now I want feedback about my writing. I want to get better at my craft.”

Writing her first novel gave Delano great practice of the discipline, patience and time required for writing.

“I had a misconception that as soon as you finish a novel you should publish it,” she said. “To gain the attention of an agent is a long process and now I believe you shouldn’t publish anything until you know that it’s the best that you can do.”  

She’s just completed writing a second novel and a third one while she continues looking to get them published.   

Her writing regimen for a short story is a bit quicker.

“I can finish a first draft of a 2,000-word story in about three hours,” Delano said. “It can then take weeks and months though to work through the voice of the story and pieces of the plot.”

On any given day, Delano can be found finding ideas for stories or sitting down at her computer to write. Compared to the hustle and bustle of her Wall Street career, her new lifestyle evolves at a slower pace, but she’s able to derive a great amount of satisfaction from turning an idea into a literary expression and in much different surroundings.   

“We live in such an amazing place and Maine’s life is sometimes hard,” she said. “There are beautiful people and families here and great stories to tell. I’m available to listen.”

If you would like to follow her writing journey, like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KristineDelano.Writer <