Volunteer keeps Lowell Farm Field pristine - By Elizabeth Richards

Windham Little League’s Lowell Farm Field is a real life “field of dreams,” due in large part to retiree Bill Ciccarone, who volunteers countless hours every week making sure the field measures up to his high standards.

From April until mid-August when the season ends, Ciccarone is at the field seven days a week doing regular maintenance tasks as well as larger projects. On game days he arrives around 2 p.m, and gets home around 8 p.m. On Saturdays, when there are four games, he is at the field from about 6:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Ciccarone began working on the field when his grandson played Little League. That grandson is now 21. “He left, I stayed,” said Ciccarone. “This gives me something to do. It keeps the mind going, it keeps the body going, and I take pride in it.”

That pride is evident in the appearance of the field and all the special touches he adds. Ciccarone greets teams as they arrive at the field, and goes the extra mile to make everyone feel welcome. Umpires are treated well. Coaches are not expected to do anything to the field so they can spend the time with the kids. He has a sign made up not only for the Windham teams, but for every team that plays on the field, which is placed above their dugout.   At the beginning of each game he plays the national anthem, and then announces the names of each kid in the batting order.

Every year, Ciccarone finds some kind of improvement to make at the field, which was nothing but a simple grass field when he began. Over the years, improvements have included putting in a batting cage with electric pitching machine, gates that lead right into the dugouts, drainage ditches in the outfield and infield, a warning track in the back, and a snack shack with real bathroom. And that’s just a few.

In the winter, said Ciccarone, he plans what he’s going to do at the field in the spring. “The reason this field stays looking so nice is the fact that it gets attention from April through November,” he said. Though the season just ended, he’s already beginning to think about what he’s going to do next year to make things better, he said. Maintaining the field is his hobby, and he said he dreads the day when he won’t be able to do it anymore.

“When [the field] is set up for a game, it rivals anything,” said Ciccarone. Parents tell him their children get very excited when they know they will be playing at Lowell Farm Field. “It’s making them feel like it is special to come here,” he said. He said they like to bring the Minors, who don’t normally play there, to the field for a couple of games a year so they know what they have to look forward to. “They feel like they’re going to Fenway compared to what they’re used to playing on,” he said.

Ciccarone’s dedication is appreciated by those who attend games at Lowell Field. A few years ago, he was presented with a sign that reads “Home of Bill Ciccarone,” which now hangs on the score booth. “What means the most to me is after a game, when I have a whole team walk over and say thank you. What more can you ask than that?” he said.

Teen Arts program produces Shakespeare with style - By Elizabeth Richards

What inspires a group of young people, ages 12-19, to spend a good portion of precious summer moments preparing for a one weekend production of a Shakespeare play?  According to many of the cast members, who have come back year after year, the answer is Eileen Avery. 

Avery has been keeping Shakespeare alive as the director of the Teen Shakespeare Workshop at The Schoolhouse Arts Center for the past ten years.  This intensive workshop introduces students to Shakespeare and culminates in a production that, this year, includes leisure suits and a disco ball.  Avery had a high school theater teacher who opened up the world of Shakespeare for her, and she strives to do that for the students she works with.  “I was so passionate about it after my introduction to it.  I want other high school students to have that same passion for it, and hopefully they’ll have that for the rest of their lives,” she says.  “That makes it all worthwhile for me.”

“Eileen loves Shakespeare, and she really brings that to all of us,” said stage manager Sue Voinche.  “A lot of these kids started when they were 12 and they’re still at it, until they’re too old,” she said. “It’s really cool to come back every year and see some of the same faces.”  In addition to the seasoned veterans, new faces come along each year to keep the workshop going.  “They start doing it and then there’s a whole new group that just stays,” says Voinche. 

The workshop does something quite difficult in engaging teenagers in Shakespeare’s work.  “I think that what Eileen does is incredible,” says Kyah Morrissette.  “We read Shakespeare in English class and it can be the most boring thing ever.  But Shakespeare is incredible and Eileen shows us how amazing it is,” she said. 
Angelica Phipps added, “The thing with Shakespeare is, it’s boring if you just read it out loud.  You’re not going to just read the script of a comedy show.  You’re going to watch your favorite comedy series.  That’s the same thing with Shakespeare.  You can’t get the jokes if you just read it, you have to literally see it,” she said.

The humor they have found in his works attracts many of the teens to Shakespeare.  “I realized when I got into the show how truly witty Shakespeare is and how many jokes he hides that people don’t pick up.  When you do a good job with it, it’s really funny,” said Morrisette. 

Esther Eaton agreed.  “He’s wickedly clever.  He’s so funny.  As an audience it’s harder to catch all of that, so as an actor you really get to get into all of that.  I think it’s really fun to bring out the jokes,” she said. 

The first couple of weeks of the workshop include improvisational work, and an introduction to Shakespeare, particularly his language, says Avery.  “The language can be difficult for a lot of them in the beginning, but what I always tell them is that at the end of the summer you’re going to understand every word you’re acting, and they do. It’s amazing to me how well they do with that, because it is overwhelming at first, but once you dig into it, it’s really kind of fun,” she said. 

Ben Plummer said that part of the actor’s job is to translate the language.  “Most of the time the people in the audience have no idea what you are saying and what you’re doing – through your actions and emotions you have to translate what you’re saying,” he said.  

Stefanie Farrington was drawn to the summer arts program because of the workshop format, which allows the students to explore Shakespeare in more depth. “It’s really getting to understand the language of Shakespeare and the theater, what theatre was like during Shakespeare’s time when he was writing these plays.  For me that really helped personally to understand the language and to get a lot out of it, not just for the audience but for myself as an actor and as a scholar. It really helped me to grow a lot that way,” she said. 

This year, the group is performing The Comedy of Errors, but rather than being in the traditional setting, the show will be set in the 1970s disco era.  When asked why she chose this unique setting, a student piped up “She wanted to do the costumes.”  Avery agreed that costuming is her second passion in theater, and she does enjoy that aspect.  But she also quoted a contemporary of Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, who said about Shakespeare, “He was not of an age, but for all time.”  To her, that is the reason Shakespeare works even in modern productions.  “He can be done any time, any place and it works.  I think setting it in the 70s disco era is going to work.”  The show will be very colorful, she said, with costumes straight out of the 70s, a mirror ball, and a big disco dance number at the end.

The show runs for just one weekend, due to scheduling at the theater.  “Every year we say we should do two weekends, but it never works,” said Avery.  “It is a lot of work for one weekend, but I think the process is part of the whole thing,” she added.  This year, the show will open on Friday, August 16th and run the 16th and 17th at 7:30 and Sunday, August 18 at 2 pm.  Tickets can be reserved by calling Schoolhouse Arts at 642-3743 or visiting the website at www.schoolhousearts.com.

Brandon Ladd rocks and infomercial product - By Michelle Libby

Seven years after graduating from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, Brandon Ladd found himself out of shape and tired all the time, not a good choice for a police officer.

“I had P90X. I’d seen the YouTube videos of people losing crazy weight and I wanted to see if it was for real. I gave it 110 percent and got in the best shape of my life,” Ladd said. He submitted his results and won a daily prize of $500.

The program, one of many sold by Beachbody, is sold online and through infomercials, which is where Ladd got his copy. It uses a technique called muscle confusion to strengthen muscles. 

“In my profession it’s easy to develop bad eating habits. You put yourself last most times,” he said.

He did one round of the P90X program for 90 days and lost 34 pounds. After the second 90 days, he had lost a total of 45 pounds and had defined his results. “It wasn’t about looking better, it was about feeling better,” Ladd said.

As the father of a six-month-old, Ladd has a need for extra energy and motivation to be a good role model for his son.

“I’ve developed a huge passion for the programs,” he said. “I did the gym thing for a while, but I didn’t push myself and I didn’t know what needed to be done.” With this program, all he does is press play and follow along, he said.

“There is a convenience factor of getting in shape in your own home,” Ladd said. “I want to share my passion with others. I’ve changed my focus.” Ladd now works as a coach for Beachbody in his spare time promoting programs like P90X, Insanity, Body Beast and T25.

“They reward me for helping other people through the programs,” Ladd said.

He plans to show people how they can finally achieve the results they want. As a coach he shares what helped him the most and he can motivate and encourage people.

“Their programs are hard. There’s no denying that, but it works.” When Ladd started the program he couldn’t do more than two pull ups, but now he does 20 or more.

Recently he traveled to Las Vegas to a convention for coaches. He was able to view new product releases, participate in exercise classes and get updated trainings, he said.

“I’ve helped several people lose over 50 pounds. My goal now is to help someone lose over 100. It’s very rewarding.”

The key to his success this time was nutrition, he said. Seventy to 80 percent of most success comes from what a body is fueled with, he said. “Nutrition is a game changer,” he said.

Motivation is another key. “It all comes down to what motivates you and what your initial thought was for being interested in the program. You have to understand why you started in the first place; that should keep you going,” Ladd said.

Ladd is interested in helping local people with their programs and can be contacted at brandonladd28@gmail.com.

“You don’t know until you do it yourself…it’s all for real,” he concluded. 

Legion State Championship in Windham's hands - By David Field (Photos on sports blog)

AUGUSTA-Windham used five pitchers, strong bats and a solid defense to take the State Legion Baseball Title from Westbrook 9-1 on Monday.

Gardiner native Dennis Meehan who relocated to Windham in the winter took the hill in the first for Windham. Meehan worked two outs on fly balls and walked the third batter. Catcher Jack Herzig was called for catcher’s interference to put runners on first and second. Meehan delivered to Robbie Hamilton and had him ground out to end the first. For Windham, Calvin Field led off with a single and Spencer Hodge dropped a nice bunt to advance Field to second. Joey Francoeur then hit a long single to drive Field in to give Windham the early lead.

Meehan retired the side in order in the second against the Westbrook bottom order. Westbrook pitcher Keenan Lowe did the same against the bottom order for Windham. In the third, Tanner Laberge took the hill. He struggle a bit to start. Leadoff batter Brett Goodnow led off with a single. He was sacrificed to second. Laberge got Zach Bean to fly out to Nate Boyle in Center. Laberge then walked two batters to load the bases. Laberge then got Windham’s own Robbie Hamilton to fly out to end the inning. Windham went down in order in the bottom of the third.

In the fourth, Laberge again took the hill. Keenan Lowe flew out to center. Derek Bouchard drew a walk and stole second. Blake Austin hit a single. With runners at the corners, Austin attempted a steal and Jack Herzig threw him out. Bouchard stumbled at third and didn’t advance on the throw. A pitch later, Bouchard attempted to steal home on the throw back to the mound. Catcher, Jack Herzig, kept the ball and a rundown ensued. Bouchard got tagged out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Windham had runners on, but couldn’t convert. Shawn Francoeur was thrown out at the plate to end the inning after Nate Boyle hit a long single to the outfield.

In the fifth, Laberge started on the hill again. Laberge walked two, but managed to get out of the inning with no damage. In the bottom of the fifth, Windham broke the game open. With one out, Jack Herzig reached base on an error. Calvin Field drew a walk. Spencer Hodge dropped another sacrifice bunt to advance the runners into scoring position. Joey Francoeur stepped to the plate and ripped a double to score Herzig and Field to give Windham a 3-0 lead. Cody Dube then drew a walk. Shawn Francoeur, not wanting to be outdone by his brother, ripped a double to score his brother and Dube to give Windham the 5-0 lead. Although confident, Windham knew this game was far from over.

Laberge came out in the sixth and faced three batters. He struck out the first and allowed a hit and then walked on. With the potential of runners in scoring position, Windham went to Joey Francoeur. Francoeur threw a fly ball out and struck out the next batter to get Windham out of the jam.

In the seventh, Francoeur retired the side in order. Keep in mind here that the Windham defense was spectacular behind these pitchers. There were diving catches in the outfield by Boyle and Field and the infield stopped everything batted at them. In the bottom of the seventh, Westbrook was still pitching Keenan Lowe. Calvin Field drew a walk. Spencer Hodge, grounded out to the third baseman to advance Field. Joey Francoeur drove a ball deep to center field that was dropped. Cody Dube hit a single to drive Field in. 

Shawn Francoeur flew out to left field and Tanner Laberge drew a walk. Nate Boyle hit a single to drive in Dube to give Windham an 8-0 lead. With the mercy rule within inches, Windham was foaming at the mouth to end the game. Dennis Meehan drove a single to get Laberge to the plate for the 9-0 lead. Jack Herzig flew out to center to end the inning. However, the smell of victory was six outs away.

In the eighth, Shawn Francoeur took the hill. Sam Stauble led off with a single. Robbie Hamilton hit into a fielder’s choice to reach base. Keenan Lowe hit a single to advance Hamilton. With two runners on, Derek Bouchard hit a tall fly ball that was called in infield fly out. With two outs, Blake Hamilton hit a long single that Hamilton scored on to erase the shutout. Windham was ineffective in the bottom frame of the eighth.

In the top of the ninth, Windham went to their fifth pitcher and ace Cody Dube. Dube struck out the first batter. Zach Bean hit a single to show some threat. Kyle Heath hit a fielder’s choice to gain first. 

Westbrook’s number four batter came to the plate. Dube delivered and Stauble hit a tall fly ball to right field. Calvin Field caught the final out to end the game.

Tournament award winners included tournament MVP Robbie Hamilton, who played for Westbrook, but lives in Windham. Code Dube was named tournament State team outfielder. Joey Francoeur named State team first baseman. Nate Boyle named State team pitcher.

Windham advances to the regional tournament in Middletown, CT. They faced the Connecticut champion at 8 p.m. on Thursday night.

Letter to the editor - Stop vandalizing the skatepark By Josh Warren

The picture the front page of The Windham Eagle shocked and upset me. It was a picture of the Windham skatepark covered in garbage, vandalized and sadly disrespected. The picture and the message it portrayed sadden me, as if I had just seen an old childhood friend bullied and beaten to shame. The article describes vandalism that occurred when the Windham Council decided to stop funding the payroll to have the skatepark supervised during the day. I am sure that when budget cuts were going around, I am not surprised that the skatepark would be one of the first to get the chop. I am also not surprised that this sort of vandalism and disrespect could come from young people, who like to live fast, take chances, and push themselves to extremes. However, this sort of act is like biting the hand that feeds you. I have more faith in young people these days that the fact that someone skates does not make them a bad, violent or destructive person; at least that was the message I, and many others, were trying to convey when we fought hard to open and keep the skatepark.

I remember when I was in middle school and a skateboarder, the only places I and my friends were able to skate was loading docks, curbs, stair sets, handrails and any other entertaining slab of concrete or asphalt from North Windham to Westbrook to the streets of Portland. At a young age I began making a name for myself with the local police of these areas as a trespasser, vandal, punk, lowlife, troublemaker, burden to society, and received numerous tickets, citations, and arrests for simply doing what I loved: Skateboarding. My defense when a police officer rolled up to the spot? “Well, if we had a skatepark we wouldn’t be out here on the streets getting in trouble! We aren’t hurting anyone!” or my favorite, “Well where the hell are we supposed to go?”

This is exactly the reason why the Windham skatepark was built. One day after school, Keegan Smith came up to me with something that resembled building plans of a skatepark on the back a piece of homework paper. Mostly spearheaded by Officer Matt Cyr, for once in my life I was working together with the police to create a positive space for young people like me to develop and do what I loved without ending up in jail.
Over the next few years it was a struggling battle to get that skatepark approved by the town, funded, built, opened, maintained, litter and drug free, as well as free of charge, with concessions, and available for as many hours in the day as we could. Some friends and I became the Skatepark Committee with the guidance of Cyr and his connections. So to me, this sort of vandalism seems personal.

I feel like all that time so many people had spent, trying so hard to convince others that this project is a good positive place for generations to come, has been slowly going to waste. The very ramps that sit there are the starting points for many people my age that used that space as a launch pad to an amazing life. People for the first time rolled their wobbly legs across that pavement, have grown into professional snowboarders, professional skaters, ramp builders, and the skills they learned there have brought them around the world and famous. People, who get paid to skate, started out here. People who live all over the country skating and doing what they love, visited and used the park daily for years. Life-long friendships were made within that square of tar. Challenges were overcome. Confidence was learned there. Dreams that were sparked here, resonated and began here, against all odds, were able to come true. This skatepark gave direction to a generation that was always being told to “move along” before its existence.

I just hope that if I speak the importance and love I have for the skatepark and the people who helped make it happen, the ones that use it today can have a respect for what it actually represents. It represents hope, action, direction, confidence, positivity, faith and future. That is why the skatepark needs to be kept as a treasure to pass along to future generations, respected and cherished, if not for us, than for others in the future to have the same opportunity of being a member of society, rather than casted to the sidewalks. Don’t let the skatepark be taken away and stop the Windham skatepark destruction!

A dream job and an opportunity to race By Elizabeth Richards

Windham native Derek Kneeland has been racing cars since he was eight. “I grew up racing,” he said. Last weekend, he got the chance to take a break from his spotting career for NASCAR and to race again in the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, where he placed 15^th.

Kneeland graduated from Windham High School in 2004. He was a regular driver at Beech Ridge, and drove sometimes at Oxford when he got older, but when racing got too expensive for the family-owned team he drove for, he decided to do something different. He moved to North Carolina, where he first got a job in the decal business. Then he worked his way into spotting for NASCAR. The spotter is the person communicating with the driver and making sure the driver knows what’s happening on the track while racing. 

Kneeland spots for Juan Pablo Montoya in the Sprint Cup Series, the most well known of the NASCAR series. He also spots for drivers in other series as well. Spotting for Montoya fulfilled his goal of spotting in the Cup Series by the time he was 30. That happened for him last year at age 26. Now, at 27, his goals include continuing to do what he loves as long as he can. “The next thing, I guess, is getting cup wins and getting championships,” he said. 

Kneeland said his first love is driving, but he’s not trying to make it as a professional driver anymore. “I just love to go and have fun doing it at least once or twice a year, whenever I get the chance to.” His Cup schedule is very busy, as they race almost every weekend. This year, his off weekend coincided with the race at Oxford Plains. In February, he put together a deal to run a late model at Oxford. 

This isn’t the first year Kneeland has attempted to get into the TD Bank 250, but it is the first time he has qualified for the race, doing so in his second chance race. 

The big race, he said, went very well. The field was built up with provisionals, from 36 cars to 42. Kneeland started 28^th, got as high as the fourth place position, and finished 15^th. While disappointed to drop back after making it to the fourth place position, Kneeland said he was very pleased with the results. “I’ve never raced the 250. I’ve just seen it a lot as a kid. I’ve tried to make it twice back when it was the ACT Series race, and this was my best opportunity at it. I just wanted to make the race and then anything else after that was a bonus,” he said. He said that as long as the race falls on his off weekend, he will continue to try to race in the 250 each year.

Kneeland had a lot of support for the race, which can be a very expensive endeavor, especially when coming from North Carolina rather than already owning a car and already being in Maine. He said he has a lot of racing friends who helped him out. Brian Scott, who Kneeland spots for in the Nationwide Series, supported him with a sponsorship from the Shore Lodge, his family company. Montoya also contributed, along with other friends who came together to enable Kneeland to run the race without having to come up with a lot of his own money. 

Beyond the financial aspects, a lot of work went into getting ready for the race, he said, including getting the right pit stop team together and getting the right guy with knowledge of the cars for a crew chief. “It was kind of stressful until we finally got to the track. You’ve got your regular weekly job, and then you’re trying to plan this race, and you want it to go so well because so many people have helped out and it cost so much money,” said Kneeland. “Once I got to the track, it was a little less stressful and finally once I made it into the race it was like all the weight was lifted off and it was a dream come true.” His family was there to cheer him on, and they all camped together at the track, he said.

So what’s next for Kneeland? He just signed an extension for his contract on the Cup deal, and is happy to continue doing what he loves. “I want to continue spotting until my eyes give out or my voice goes on me. I’ll continue spotting for as long as I can. It’s a good living, something I really enjoy doing. I can actually wake up and look forward to doing what I do.”

Legally Blonde, the musical Review By Michelle Libby

Windham Center Stage Theater (WCST) has a hit on their hands with Legally Blonde, the musical, directed by Rob Juergens and staring many of Windham’s local talent.

“It’s not a princess show,” said Juergens, who hoped that parents realized that the show is rated PG for a little language and some themes that might be inappropriate for young children.

That being said, the audience of close to 100 on Sunday afternoon was impressed with the show, which had something for everyone. One woman from Livermore Falls brought her daughter and granddaughters from Tennessee to see the play.

Catchy tunes and witty dialogue rolled off the tongues of the actors. The story opens with sorority president Elle Woods, played by Janelle LoSciuto, expecting to get engaged to her boyfriend, Warner, played by Dillon Bates, who in turn dumps her because she’s not serious enough. He’s heading off to Harvard Law to make something of himself.

Elle follows him there, getting in with her creative application. She is befriended by Emmett, played by Tony Ennis, who helps her with her studies and stands by while Elle pines for Warner. Warner has a new girl friend, Vivienne, played by Shelbi Wassick, who is as vindictive as they come.

The cast was filled in with other stand out performances by Beth Gaudet, who was one of my favorite actors in the show, playing Paulette the hairdresser. Her singing was spot on and her acting and accent created many laughs over the course of the two hour, 40 minute show.

My favorite part, as well as for the woman sitting next to me, was the UPS man, played by Peter Perzel. Though he wasn’t on stage for much of the show, when he was there he had the crowd laughing and impressed with his comedic timing. One older woman called him “walking porn.” 

The live band did a great job with the tremendous amount of musical accompaniment. They were able to set the mood and help with the energy of the show. Although, the band was a bit loud at times, covering some of the singing and making it hard to understand some of the lyrics.

LoSciuto (Elle) and Ennis (Emmett) did most of the hard lifting of the show and did it with style and abilities that made the audience root for them to succeed.

Other actors switched between parts, but did so in a way that I wasn’t sure if they were the same person on not – A sign of good actors.

Another highlight was the court scene with Nikos, the pool boy, played by Andrew Shepard. Latin-accented, fashion forward, gay Nikos with his boyfriend played by Brad Meader, had everyone laughing out loud with their song, Gay or European.

It was an enjoyable show with good acting and lots of laughs. The catchy songs stay with you long after the musical is over. Kudos to the behind the scenes crew from props to lighting and costumes, it all helped to sell the show.

Tickets are still available for this weekend, August 2, 3 and 4, which is also the closing weekend for Legally Blonde.   Tickets are on sale at the door or online at www.windhamtheater.org. For more information, email wcsttickets@gmail.com. The show takes place at the Windham Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for seniors and students and $12 for adults.

Legally Blonde is what community theater is all about. Go see neighbors and friends perform in this fun show.

High school students learn survival skills throught science By Elizabeth Richards

Twenty-one high school juniors and seniors from New England and New York are learning the science of survival this week at Saint Joseph’s College. They are participants in the first Science Island Extreme summer program, which culminates in a mock shipwreck and rescue simulation on Little Chebeague Island in Casco Bay.

    The program was developed after Lynn Brown, dean of enrollment at St. Joseph’s, heard about a course, Science Island, that high school teacher Russel Taylor was teaching. Taylor was inspired by Dr. Jonathan Hare, a British physicist and television presenter, after watching Hare shoot his voice across an island on a light beam on an episode of the BBC’s Rough Science. When he couldn’t replicate the experiment, Taylor emailed Hare to ask how he had done it. Hare responded, and a friendship began. Together, they developed the curriculum for Science Island.  When Taylor teaches the course, Dr. Hare visits his classroom from England via Skype. This summer, Hare has joined the staff of Science Island Extreme.

    After Brown approached Taylor, a committee was formed, and after a year and a half of organizing and planning, Science Island Extreme was launched. Brown said that the program was developed for several purposes. “We wanted to develop another recruiting strategy, as well as generate some summer revenue, and utilize the wonderful campus we have here,” she said.

    Taylor, who is the co-director of the camp, said there was originally some pressure to have the program last summer, but it was quickly determined that that wouldn’t be possible. “We wanted a quality product, we wanted something that was really good, and to do that takes a lot of time,” he said.

     Taylor said the committee didn’t want this to be just another survival camp. “We wanted to focus on science and STEM (Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology) and put a real twist in the survival,” he said. In order to do that well, they had to find a faculty which included experts in their fields, who could also teach. Taylor brought together a team of highly skilled instructors who fit that bill.

    Maureen LaSalle, director of Alfond Center, events & wellness for Saint Joseph’s College, is the camp’s co-director, and the organizational guru for the program. Her role was to work out scheduling and all the details essential to planning this kind of program, including making sure parents felt comfortable dropping off their kids for a week, and making sure campers knew the expectations, as well as where to be and when. 
 
    Putting the camp together was a true team effort according to Taylor and LaSalle. “Without the really strong teamwork that took place, it would not have come together so well,” said LaSalle. “We all sort of ran with our own expertise in putting the camp together. It really was a partnership,” she said. 

    Students had to go through an application process similar to what applying to college would be like, said LaSalle, because along with the hands-on learning experiences, they are earning three college credits for their participation. Additionally, there is some SAT prep work built into their schedule for the week.

     Taylor said that he knew they would need to “ramp up” the Science Island course to make it a successful camp experience.  “Kids don’t want just a science camp, they want to do something cool,” he said. “We wanted them to use all their knowledge at the end on something really big. A lot of camps you learn it and then you go home, but you never apply it.”

    That is not the case with this program. On Friday, the participants will be taken by barge to Little Chebeague Island, split into two teams for a friendly competition, and put through a series of challenges which will force them to use the skills they have learned. They will attempt to get a message to the Coast Guard, who along with the Portland Fire Department, have agreed to conduct a rescue training exercise that day. “It will be a thrilling ending because you get to use all this stuff, you have a competition, you have all these challenges, plus you get the real rescue, what the feeling would be. It’s the closest you could come to actually being shipwrecked and learning those skills with the most competent professional people you could find,” said Taylor.

    In preparation for their big adventure, participants will rotate through four one-hour classes daily that will teach them the skills they will need to get through the challenges presented to them on the island. They are working in labs and classrooms, as well as outdoors on the campus.

    On Tuesday morning, the second day of camp, students were dispersed throughout the campus. One group was gathered on the campus green. Dr. Hare was leading the group through the light beam experiment that had first inspired Taylor to seek him out. He will also work with students on skills such as Morse code and radio communications, among other things, throughout the week.

The second group was working with Nancy Cripe and Steve Engstrom, who are teaching skills in water purification, botany and foraging for food. The first day was spent learning what the students already knew about different plants, and then getting out and collecting edible plants, said Cripe. On Tuesday, they were working with “critters from the sea,” such as periwinkles, mussels and clams, learning how these creatures live, as well as how to safely prepare them to eat. Thursday, said Cripe, they will learn how to make water potable, and Thursday will be spent preparing them for their island adventure.

A third group gathered at the edge of the woods, where a rope strung between two trees served as an outdoor classroom. Instructor Wade Ward led the students through information essential to rope rescues.  In addition to rope rescue skills, Ward will teach orienteering and navigation as well.

A steady squeaking sound came from the final group, located in the woods behind the campus, as students tried to start a fire with friction using a bow. The group was focused and engaged, adjusting the length of their bows or their technique after suggestions and encouragement from instructor Mike Mutchie. In this session, students were going to learn other methods of fire starting as well. On Monday, Mutchie had taught shelter building, and the evidence of this class was scattered throughout the wooded area.  Mutchie will also teach wilderness first aid skills to the students throughout the week.

LaSalle said that camp is going very well. During the camp session, she is on hand to make sure students are safe, where they need to be, and entertained with some evening presentations, though they don’t want to add too much into the already full schedule. “We’re not trying to fill the camp with a lot of extra things because the academic piece is challenging. It’s exhausting, because these instructors have them all day long,” she said. “The curriculum is pretty intense. They’re learning a lot in a short period of time,” she added.

Participant Brianna Russell from Falmouth, said she found out about the program from a pamphlet at school, and was drawn to the hands-on experience it offered. She’s looking forward to the island experience on Friday, but said “I think it’s really important that we learn the skills too. I’m glad we’re learning the skills.” On this second morning of camp, she said she was having a lot of fun. Adam Josselyn, a student from Oxford, agreed. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in a while,” he said.

The goal for the program is to have it grow, and continue to take place at Saint Joseph’s year after year. “We want it to be something that Saint Joseph’s can look at and say this is something very unique, very high quality that will attract a student that’s really interested in survival and science. I think that we’ve succeeded on a small scale the first time through,” said Taylor.

Jesse Jordan and his dog By Michelle Libby

Jesse Jordan has been in a wheelchair for almost 10 years. For eight of those years he has had the help from his constant companion Wini, a golden retriever who has helped Jesse grow up and become independent while living with muscular dystrophy.

The service dog helps Jordan pick up items, turn on lights, open doors, get the phone, open the refrigerator and other things that Jordan can’t do for himself. “Wini can’t do much of this anymore,” said Jordan. About the middle of last year Jordan noticed that when he asked Wini to do something she would hesitate and look around to see if anyone else might do the task.

Wini’s hips began giving her trouble a few years ago and she wasn’t able to do everything he needed, Jordan said.

The decision was made to let Wini retire and find another service dog. Service dogs are not inexpensive. It costs about $25,000 to raise a dog until they are trained according to Jesse’s grandmother, Jude Elliott. Jordan and his family have to raise $9,500 to pay for a new dog. To date they have raised approximately $4,000 through various fundraisers like ice cream socials, Facebook, car washes and Clinks bags. .

“It’s worth it for what the dog can do,” said Elliott.

“I do like to be as independent as I can,” Jordan said.

Usually it takes a long time to find the right match between owner and dog, but luckily a match was found for Jesse quickly. Radar, a 16-month-old yellow Labrador retriever, is in Massachusetts finishing his training at one of several prisons in New England that train service dogs.

“We have been told that Radar has been trained by a woman at a medium security prison in Massachusetts, who we will have the opportunity to meet while we are down there training. I think it is a great experience for both the puppy raiser as well as Jesse,” said Jesse’s mom, Tina Gagnon.
The family will go to Massachusetts to NEADS, the National Education for Assistance Dogs Services, where they will train with Radar for two weeks. During that time he will be trained specifically for Jordan’s needs, said Elliott.

The training consists of learning commands, going to crowds and going to the food court of a mall and dropping food on the ground and Jordan has to make Radar not eat it.

“I’m pretty excited. I think it’s going to be cool,” said Jordan.

Having a male dog was recommended, according to Elliott. “Wini will watch to make sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing and that he’s doing it right,” she said. Radar should be home in Standish with Jordan by mid-August.

“It will be weird to have a new dog with Wini around,” said Jordan.

Jordan has an aide who works with him five days a week. Ben Anderson is like a second member of the family, said Jordan.

Jordan is attending college having just completed his first year in a drafting and design program. He also runs his own decal business making stickers for cars and printing them off on his printer. Jordan also spends time playing Xbox and fishing and working with his van, which he just had painted. 

Wini’s retirement job is as a welcome dog at Jesse’s step-father’s Black Bear Auto Care shop. “She’s the greeter,” said Elliott. Wini is part of the family and will stay with them, even after Radar arrives.
“I want to say I am determined to be independent. I want to say thank you for helping me to raise money to get a service dog,” said Jordan.

Unsupervised skatepark vandalized By Michelle Libby

As July 1, 2013, the Windham skatepark no longer was supervised. The Windham Town Council voted to no longer pay to have someone on site and allow the teens who use the park to police themselves.

This past week, the DARE concessions trailer was broken into and $300 was stolen, and in another incident the storage shed was also broken into and two skateboards, bought with a PEP grant, were taken.

Over the weekend, more damage was done to the park including damage to signs, ramps, a basketball hoop and trash was left all over the area, according to town manager Tony Plante during his report to the Windham Town Council Tuesday night.

“I’d say this is really discouraging and disappointing to see how little respect somebody has for community assets,” said Plante.

The no bikes sign was torn down and the no music sign was bent in half to hide the words. “The activity I’ve seen at the park (since July 1) has mostly been bikes,” Plante said. Donated bike ramps that were stored on the outskirts of the park were brought into the park.

“The park is designed for skateboards, it was not designed for bikes,” Plante said. “Very early on we learned bikes and boards don’t mix, so we limited it to skateboards and skates.”
 
In addition to the litter and vandalism, whoever was doing the damage also turned on the lights by breaking into the electrical panel inside the shed.
Plante said that the town is having the electrical service disconnected and the concession trailer has been removed from the site.
“We are doing what we can to oversee it and clean it up. This is still a work in progress,” said Plante.

“Obviously we thought it would police itself,” said councilor David Nadeau. Councilor Tom Gleason spent many hours taking notes of who used the skatepark. He said that many who used the park were in their mid-20s and were from Portland.

“I had a feeling this was going to happen,” said councilor Dennis Welch.
“The council made a leap of faith and trusted that people would be respectful,” said Plante. “If they are from Windham, they should be deeply ashamed of themselves.”

“If you don’t respect it, it won’t be there,” said councilor Scott Hayman.
According to police, the matter is still under investigation and they could not comment.

Kaile's Korner heads to television By Michelle Libby

Beginning in September Kaile Warren will be the host of his own TV series, Kaile’s Korner, onWPXT and WPME. Kaile’s Korner, the same name as his column in The Windham Eagle, will be a half-hour home improvement show, according to president of the stations Tom MacArthur.

The show will air multiple times through the week on both stations.
Warren is a nationally recognized home improvement guru having worked at the CBS Early Show for 10 years and made appearances on HGTV and wrote for Parade Magazine.

“I want to start a dialogue about people working in the construction trade. I want parents to look at it as a destination for their children, not something they fall into,” said Warren.

MacArthur hopes to make the show interactive using texting and email to help people with their home improvement problems.

“We are always keeping in mind the universal appeal to all people,” said MacArthur. “The show will be entertaining, informational and educational in nature. Kaile has the personality everyone can relate, understand and learn from and go out and do it after the show,” he said. “He’s a professional. You want him as a friend and you definitely want him as a next door neighbor to
help with home projects.”

Warren sees his audience being do-it-yourselfers and enthusiasts and college-educated females between 25 and 55 years old.

“What I’m looking to do is bring my passion back after four years of being dormant and bring it to this TV series. I’m ready to get to work and deliver something the viewers can get behind here in Maine and I’m glad to be from Windham,” Warren said.

“I hope to be a leading voice and a leading force in the industry,” he added.
The set is still in the design phase, according to MacArthur. “We’re not sure how elaborate or minimalistic it will be,” he said. What he does know is that there will be a camera that will be able to take pictures from above the table Warren will be working on. There will be a Kaile’s Korner sign and many different camera angles.

“I’m really excited about the way it will be shot,” said Warren.

The show will be produced by Dan Seaver and show times are scheduled to change, but to start the show may run Sundays at noon and Saturdays at 7 p.m. The original plan is to shoot 22 shows, Warren said.

“That’s a testament to how much we think about Kaile and what he can bring to a station like ours,” said MacArthur.

3 on 3 basketball funraiser shoots and scores By Michelle Libby

Thirty-three teams turned out to compete and raised $2,560, which will be split between the Windham Primary School Playground Fund and the Dan Giguere Family Fund in the first annual Sonic Co-ed 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament. The tournament was sponsored by Windham Youth Basketball and Windham Millwork.
 
“You’re never quite sure how it goes when you invite a bunch of people to your party,” said Patrick Moody, president of Windham Youth Basketball. “It was a lot of fun.”
 

The tournament was named after teacher, father and Windham athlete Dan Giguere, whose nickname in high school was Sonic for how fast he was. Giguere died in February after a car accident in Florida. The number twelve on the logo was Dan’s number when he played.
 
Crusher from the Red Claws came to cheer teams on and concessions were run by Michelle Jordan who heads the playground fundraising committee. Rob Donato of Sebago Sports helped managed brackets, which helped when teams who weren’t signed up came to play, said Moody.
 
A year ago, we, at Windham Youth Basketball, started discussing a 3 on 3 tournament. This year we made it happen. “Make it happen” was one of Dan’s favorite sayings, Moody said.
 
“We give to the community with the playground, but we help to support his family too,” Moody said.
The tournament from “here on out will be held annually looking to support local programs and charities,” said Moody.
 
Jordan told Moody that when they “purchase the basketball hoops for the court that will be built at the primary school for the playground, she is planning on having them donated in Windham Youth Basketball’s name.”
 
“Next year it’s going to be bigger and better,” said Moody.
 

Thanks go out to supporting sponsors Bob the Screenprinter, Poland Spring Water, Walmart, Award Champs, Mad Mike’s Custom Detail, Maine Red Claws and Everlast Hardscapes. Windham Little also helped with the porta-potties. “It was a real community deal,” Moody said.

Windham family hosts Taiwanese students By Elizabeth Richards

Imagine welcoming a group of 10 international students ages 8 to 16 and a couple of their parents into your home for an entire month. Imagine coordinating schedules for these children to attend educational camp programs, visit tourist sites, and experience life in a small American community. For the Bennett family of Windham, this is reality, as they host a group of Taiwanese children and parents in their home for the month of July.
 

Nathaniel and Nini Bennett met in Taiwan when Nathaniel was teaching there. The experiences that Nathaniel shared about growing up in Windham were the inspiration for hosting groups in their home, said Nini. “My husband came from here. He had a good experience when he grew up and he shared his experience with us. We would like to share his town with all the Taiwanese kids,” she said.
 
The group is connected to a small English school the Bennetts operate in Nini’s native Taiwan. Nathaniel said the children are either students at the school or friends of students. They invite students from their school to spend a month with them, and use that time to introduce them to Windham and to Maine, letting them experience the American education system, food and way of life, said Nini.
 
“We can teach them over there, but there’s only so far we can go,” said Nathaniel. “They have to come over here and interact with the other kids, they really have to.”
 
There’s a lot of pressure in school in Taiwain, Nathaniel said. While their test based system works well for some students, for others it does not, but they could do well here in the US. “We’re trying to introduce them to another choice,” he said. Though there is an adjustment period for the kids when they first arrive, Nathaniel said they love it. “They see a new way,” he said.


 
This isn’t the first summer the Bennetts have opened up their home. Nathaniel said they’ve been bringing groups from Taiwan to Windham since they returned here to live. They want to introduce an international element into the community, which can be difficult, said Nathaniel. “We want to mesh with the community somehow,” he added.
 

Nini agreed. “What we would like to do is we would like to develop Windham,” she said. “We see many opportunities.” For example, she said, they would like to have long term educational opportunities in the community for Taiwanese students, rather than just a month in summer. The summer is an opportunity for them to try it, she said. Nathaniel added that they have already hosted students for longer time periods, and these students studied at Windham Christian Academy and Cheverus High School.
 
This group arrived in early July, and will stay with the Bennetts until July 30. The first five days the group was in town was a whirlwind of activity, with visits to Aquaboggin, Portland Headlight and Cliff Island, among other activities.
 
After those first days, the students settled into their summer programs. Two students left for Amherst, Massachusetts to participate in the Great Books program at Amherst College. Seven others are participating in the summer program at Waynflete, and another student has spent time in art programs at both the University of Southern Maine and the Maine College of Art. Another Taiwanese couple is staying with their son for 45 days in an apartment over the Bennett’s garage, and taking him to the same program at Waynflete.
When asked what their goals are in bringing the groups to Windham, Nathaniel said, “We just want to introduce them to the community, and we hope the community can be open to it. Our goal is to have the community embrace other cultures and be open to that.”