Local business owner's generosity helps three families - By Elizabeth Richards

Three local families will have a brighter holiday season thanks to the generosity of a local business owner. Jason Rickett, owner of JT Construction, LLC in Gorham, is helping to make Christmas a little bit merrier for these struggling families by donating gifts and oil to help get them through the winter.
 

Rickett said that last year his company decided to help out a grandmother they’d heard of, who had recently adopted her two grandchildren right before Christmas and was unable to do much for the holiday. “It was just a good deed, and a good way to give back to the community,” he said. 

This year, the company decided to help out once again, and do a little more. A message was posted to their Facebook page asking if anyone knew of a local family that could use some assistance to make their holidays a little better. Rickett said they had many responses from that post, and narrowed it down to try and do the most they could for as many people as possible. 

That’s how they ended up with two Windham families in need of gift assistance. One is a single mother with two children, and the other is a two parent family with two children, where one parent is unable to work due to recent health issues. A third family in Gorham was having trouble keeping oil in their tank for the winter. Rickett is working with Pit Stop Fuel to provide oil for all three families. Pit Stop will match any fuel that Rickett purchases gallon for gallon. 

Being able to help other families feels great said Rickett. “My family is very fortunate for what we have, and the greater Portland community has helped me build what I have now,” he said. Helping others during the holidays is a way to give back and say thank you, he added. “It just feels good to be able to give others a Christmas that they wouldn’t have been able to have if we weren’t able to assist them,” he said. 

Rickett is a 2001 graduate of Windham High School. He said he has worked in construction since he was 16 years old, and started his company eight years ago. In those eight years, he said, he’s been able to build a successful company. JT Construction does mostly residential work, and can do anything from roofing, siding, additions, and remodels to building a house from the ground up, said Rickett. “We’re a smaller construction company, and we try and help out our customers as much as possible with keeping our prices down, which has helped us out a lot in staying busy,” he said. Rickett lives in Gorham with his wife and two children.

Everlasting gratitude: Wreaths across Windham for Veterans who gave all - By Michelle Libby

With a light covering of snow, volunteers from scout and veterans organizations joined together to lay wreaths at every grave of Windham’s veterans. Scouts from Boy Scout troop 805 canvassed Arlington Cemetery next to the North Windham Fire Station, searching for placards, bronze stars or other items that denoted a veteran was laid to rest there. Each wreath with a red, white and blue bow was placed against the stone or flag holder. Boy Scout troop 51 worked at Chase Cemetery and Girl Scout troops worked at Smith and Mayberry Cemeteries. 

Libby Sawyer, owner of Studio Flora, had the idea to put wreaths on all of the veterans’ graves in Windham for the holiday season, an idea she based on the Wreaths Across America program that sends wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery to adorn those graves. What she didn’t realize was that there were over 600 veterans whose graves were scattered all over Windham. 

“We wanted to give back to all the people who have given to us,” Sawyer said. “I met with Anne Jordan and became overwhelmed with the numbers.”

Sawyer contacted Roger Timmons from the veteran’s organization in Windham to see if he could help. Dave Tanguay from the America Legion Post 148 took over and organized groups of Boy and Girl Scouts to place the wreaths at each of the larger cemeteries in Windham with help from veterans. It was a massive project, Tanguay said. 

“There are 30 cemeteries in Windham, 24 have veterans in them,” Tanguay said. He said that some are far off the road or might have only one or two veterans. Those are being placed by himself or another veteran. “Even the remote sites, we’ll still visit them,” he said. 

“Everyone should feel good about doing things in the community,” said Sawyer. “It’s 100 percent American. We want to make sure the next generation is understanding what these people gave,” she said. 

The project is expected to cost approximately $3,000, of which they have raised about $1,000, including a $500 check from the Windham Police Department. To donate or for information call 650-7484 or make checks out to American Legion Post 148.

Sawyer hopes to make this an annual event and expand to Raymond as well.

 

Chamber Singers, Norm Lewis, Dan Strange and Ashley Liberty usher in the holidays at Am Fam - By Michelle Libby

In a sold out concert, the Windham Chambers Singers brought in the holiday season with joyous music and some Christmas fun. Guest stars were Tony-nominated Norm Lewis, who is known for his Broadway run in “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” and now plays Senator Edison Davis on the ABC television show “Scandal”, and regulars Windham graduate pianist Daniel Strange and his talented violinist, wife Ashley Liberty. Channel 13s Kim Block acted as master-of-ceremony. 

The program was a blend of holiday favorites (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) and chamber singers standards like “Caledonia” and “O Holy Night.”

The evening opened with the chamber singers performing “Puer Natus” on a darkened stage, lit only with Christmas lights. 

Ashley Liberty took the stage to play a few songs on her violin bringing many in the audience to tears with her beautiful interpretation of the music as her fingers flew over the strings. She also was accompanied by her husband, Dan Strange on the piano. Together they preformed “Lullaby”, a song they co-wrote for their 15-month-old son, Harrison. Strange called it some of the most honest work he has done. 

“When I come back, I suddenly feel like a child again. All that goes into the performance,” said Strange. “I’d keep doing this for 25 more years.” 

Strange also performed with the chamber singers as they sand “An American Family Holiday”, a song he wrote. 

Lauren Doering was the featured soloist from the chamber singers in the first half of the show.

 

Norm Lewis entertained the packed house with “Before the Parade” a song he uses when he auditions, he told the audience. He had to make life choices, he said. He studied business in college and went into the advertising field. “I always had my foot in the musical theater,” he said. 

David and Sandra Daigle of Windham were given tickets to the concert as a gift. Although they hadn’t attended an Am Fam concert in a few years, they have followed the singers all along. “It’s always awesome,” David said. 

After intermission and costume changes, the chamber singers returned to the stage to sing two songs, one featuring Jennifer Bernier as a soloist. 

Norm Lewis made “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” a crowd pleaser by leaving the stage and walking through the audience posing for pictures, talking to the “cheap seats” and making sure one photographer got his “good side” all the while never missing a beat. 

Kim Block was slated to read a children’s book, which she does every year, however, in a surprise move, Block and chamber singer director Richard Nickerson sang “We Need a Little Christmas” to the delighted crowd instead. 

Norm Lewis returned to the stage to sing “We Live on Borrowed Time.” With the deaths of Paul Walker and Nelson Mandela, we as a society need to “give flowers while they’re still here, before you can’t,” Lewis said. “Tell them you love them. Give them praise.” 

One of the highlights of the evening was a rendition of “Santa Went Down to Georgia” with new lyrics and arrangement by Strange and Liberty. The song had the audience clapping and laughing along with the original lyrics. 

Strange and Liberty are working on a new CD of all original work together. There is no release information available at this time. They are also working on continuing to raise Harrison, Strange said. 

“I love (American Family Holiday). I look for it every year. It really gets you in the mood,” said Donna O’Brien of Westbrook. 

The concert has become Windham’s answer to the Magic of Christmas for the PSO. No holiday is complete without seeing the Windham Chamber Singers and guests. Watch for tickets for next year’s concert to go on sale, they are bound to sell out again.

Alternative school inspires students with love and individual attention - By Elizabeth Richards

How does a school inspire students, staff and alumni so much that they even show up during school break? A conversation with Pender Makin, principal of the REAL School, shed some light on what this alternative school is able to accomplish, and how they do it.
 

The REAL School, based on Mackworth Island, is part of RSU 14. It is a regional alternative and day treatment school serving students from many districts throughout southern Maine. There is no “typical” REAL School student. The school serves a range of students, some with no disabilities and a 160 IQ, and some with some significant disabilities, said Makin. The one thing they share is that they were not successful in their prior school settings, struggling with cognitive, social or behavioral issues throughout their years in school.

How does the REAL School inspire these students to succeed when other schools couldn’t? Makin says love has a lot to do with it. “You don’t hear the L word in public education very often. But love and happiness are really critical to learning for kids, especially for kids who have struggled to be successful or feel connected in their previous settings,” she said.

Showing this love for the students happens in a variety of ways starting with an enthusiastic welcome to school each day. Staff members gather outside to greet the vans waving, fist bumping and welcoming kids in a way that shows them that the staff is happy to see them. “If they want to walk a wide circle around us they can, but we’re never going to walk a wide circle around them,” says Makin. Just making sure they know that people are happy to see them can set up a positive dynamic, she added.

Makin said she emphasizes the love and happiness because she thinks it makes the critical difference. “There’s a lot of ineffective treatment out there,” she said. “I think maybe it’s because it isn’t offered with real open hearted acceptance and respect for the individual person.” Many treatment centers try to apply standardized approaches to the students they serve, she said. Makin said that although these approaches can offer short term behavior modification solutions, it’s not lasting. “They can pretty quickly get people to comply behaviorally, but it’s not touching their heart or their investment in themselves as a human,” said Makin.

At the REAL School, they ride out behavioral challenges and work without punitive discipline – no detention or suspensions happen at the REAL School – to create longer lasting change. They also treat each student as an individual.

This approach makes a difference to students. Curtis Arnold, who is in his first year at the REAL School said he feels as though he’s treated like a young adult, where his opinions are valued. “In this school, they give service to your one to one individual needs,” he said. 

Emily Denbow agreed. “I’m excited to go to school because I know that I’m going to get here and the teachers are going want to see me. They accept everybody, but beyond that they’ll do whatever it takes to get through to you on an individual basis,” she said.

On Monday morning during Thanksgiving break several current students, alumni, and staff were at the school preparing to shop for a Thanksgiving feast being held on Tuesday afternoon. Some were baking in the kitchen, others worked on a written gratitude project, and still others popped in and out to chat and make connections. Conversation flowed easily, and activity never stopped. 

The connections between all members of the school community can be felt in every interaction. Arnold said, “You can relate the REAL School to being a second family, a second home.” He added, “If you were to ask any student that walks through this building if they love this school, they will most certainly 100 percent say ‘yes’.” 

Denbow said that attending the REAL School was her alternative to dropping out. Unhappy where she was, she said that when she was given this option she decided to give school one more try. “I haven’t regretted it since,” she said. “For the first time in my high school career, I’m passing every class this semester.” 

It can be difficult to run this kind of program with the mandates set out for public schools both federally and statewide. Makin said they focus on interpreting those mandates through the filter of what is right for the kids. “We’re really a values based organization within the larger public school framework. It’s not an easy balance to maintain, but all of our teachers have tremendous professional courage, and it’s about our kids,” said Makin.

There are four programs that house 60 students at the REAL School. Approximately half the students are in the regular program. Their day begins in a homeroom setting, with breakfast, morning meeting and goal setting for the day. From there, the students work on their interdisciplinary service learning projects.

There are many of these projects being worked on simultaneously. One group is planning all aspects of a medical and educational relief trip to the Dominican Republic; another is working on a Veteran’s history project where they interview veterans of wars, edit the video interviews, and plan to deliver these to the Library of Congress where they will be archived; and a third group working on a project for the Portland Water District to raise and rebuild a boardwalk over an estuary. 

In addition, there are students with individual projects. Arnold, for instance, is working on a project with Generation On to facilitate a ropes course experience for a group of middle school students from Portland.

At the end of the semester, the students have a capstone presentation, where they take ownership of demonstrating the standards they have achieved, said Makin. After lunch, the students in this program spend time in more traditional classes

The second largest program at the REAL School is the Agriculture and Culinary Arts Program. These students plan, prepare and serve breakfast and lunch to all the REAL School and Baxter School students three days a week. There are gardens and a hoop house, built by students, where fresh vegetables are grown and used as often as possible. On days they are not serving, these students are planning, doing prep cooking, evaluating the nutritional aspects of their menus, and attending regular classes. 

Most of the courses at the REAL school are multi-age and interdisciplinary, where students work within their individual capacities towards individual goals said Makin, similar to the old one room schoolhouse style.

A third program is the REAL school preparatory academy, which is comprised of students who need a very structured, individualized program for a variety of reasons. These students have one adult per student in the classroom, which may include a teacher, educational technician and Americorps volunteers.

The final program offered at the school is a long term restorative learning program. This is for students with ongoing egregious behaviors that routinely interfere with the teaching and learning of others, said Makin. The teachers work with these students in what they call a restorative learning process, to help them earn back the privileges of the larger school setting.

Because the school has a variety of non-traditional programs, they must get creative with finding funding streams. Approximately one-third of their operating costs come from RSU 14. Another third is from tuition and transportation revenue from other districts. The final third comes from a combination of grants, which the staff is constantly writing, professional development services provided by REAL school staff, private donors and fundraisers.

The workplace readiness program is funded by an anonymous donor. Through this program, students are able to train, apply for and hold down jobs and get paid in Hannaford gift cards. Another private donor supports the teen aspirations fund, which can provide money for things like an outfit for a job interview, a test fee, or a college application fee. In short, it can help with “any little barriers that would get in the way financially of having our kids having the best chance at anything they want to do with their lives,” said Makin.

And what do REAL School graduates do with their lives? Every graduating student has a plan in place so that they can answer the question “what are you doing tomorrow?” said Makin. The range is as wide as students from any school. 

There are graduates who have completed four-year degrees, said Makin, who recently received an invitation to a former student’s graduation from an RN program. They have graduates in the service, in community college, and who have gone right to work after school.

George Mann, a 2013 graduate, went straight to work in a store in Biddeford after graduation. Of his REAL School experience, he said “It’s not all about authority figures here like it is in other places.” He added that the staff at the REAL School listens, rather than treating the students like kids who don’t know anything. He said he comes back to visit, “Because I love these guys.”

The feeling is clearly mutual. “We are lucky to have the sweetest, nicest most interesting young people ever – it’s an amazing way to live your life,” said Makin.