Byron’s Bloom Bombs explode with popularity, bringing sunshine to essential workers

Byron Davis with his sister Clara

By Lorraine Glowczak

It all began with a mother’s intent to keep her family active during the stay at home initiative by deep cleaning their house, one room at a time. “I named it the ‘COVID Clean Out,’” stated Stacy Davis. 

On an afternoon about a month ago, while tackling the kitchen, Stacy and her 9-year old son Byron came across papered flower discs made by a former classmate given as a Valentine’s Day gift. “Let’s plant these in our flower garden,” Stacy suggested to Byron. They did, but Byron was inspired to go a step further. “I want to make these discs and give them away to all the essential workers to bring some happiness to them.”

Immediately, they began to search the house to see if they had all the materials needed to make the homemade plantable paper embedded with flower seeds. Stacy and Byron discovered they had enough material to make 50 discs and decided to name their philanthropic efforts, Byron’s Bloom Bombs.

The family, which includes Byron’s 5-year-old sister, Clara and his father, Jeremie, got busy instantly. This also included a surprise from Bryon’s grandmother, June Davis, when she personally delivered several specially designed “Byron’s Bloom Bomb” t-shirts to the Davis home.

A Facebook page was also established to help spread the word and make Byron’s vision a reality. In the first post, dated April 10 at 6:10 p.m., Byron, who is a third-grade student at Windham Primary School shared his thoughts, introducing the idea. “In looking for things to do while stuck at home, my mom and I came upon making papered flower discs. In seeing these, I thought what better way to show those on the COVID front lines that we appreciate them. Flowers always bring brightness to someone, so my hope is that these bloom bombs can do the same.”

Stacy was stunned when she woke up the next morning. “I checked the Facebook page and was shocked to see that we already had 100 likes,” Stacy said. “The news and support that Byron has received has quite literally….’blown up’….excuse the pun.” 

And explode it has! In less than a month, Byron’s Bloom Bombs mission has given away a total 950 paper flower discs to essential workers in and around the greater Windham area. So far, they have delivered to the following locations: Shaws, CVS, Walgreen, Walmart, Maine Medical Center, Spring Harbor Hospital and Maine Urology. The family has also mailed Byron Bloom Bombs to friends and family members who work on the COVID front line in Madison, Fort Kent and Lewiston. 

To ensure they reach as many essential workers in the area as possible, they enlist the help from others through their Facebook page by doing drawings for free homemade bloom bombs, requesting that some of the papered flower discs are given away at a store or medical facility near the winner’s hometown community.

Byron and his family have also highlighted local sport favorites and have shown appreciation to teachers during this COVID-19 time.

When asked what he has learned the most about his charitable adventure, Byron stated, “Front line workers do not always mean they work in a hospital. It includes people who work at grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores.”

Byron was also quick to mention his gratitude to Ms. Fries, his third-grade teacher. “She has always been his cheerleader – always helpful and always encouraging,” Stacy said.

He and his family also recognize and are grateful for the incredible support and encouragement they have received from the community – that has now expanded from as far north as Presque Isle, to as far south as Connecticut. 

“Never in our wildest dreams did we think this would take off as it has, but we are thrilled. It is because of the front like workers and your encouragement that we will continue this project to show our appreciation,” Stacy wrote on Facebook recently.

To support and encourage Byron’s vision, please be sure to like and share the Byron Bloom Bombs Facebook page.

Windham Middle School student reminds community about the importance of social distancing

Lyssi Faith Yekeh

By Elizabeth Richards

Social distancing can be difficult, especially for young people. One Windham Middle School seventh-grade student understands the importance of the safety measures and wants to share her point of view with the community.

Lyssi Faith Yekeh designed a poster to show kindness as well as to point out that taking these steps now can help everyone have a fun summer. If everyone follows social distancing guidelines, she said, things like summer camps, pools, restaurants and other things people enjoy in their everyday lives can begin to open.  People would also be allowed to visit family members, like those in nursing homes, she added.

Yekeh said the hardest part of social distancing for her is not going to school or seeing family and friends. “I like to have fun with everyone I care about,” she said.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t staying connected, however.  “What's working is that I can do zoom calls with my family, teachers, and my friends so we don't forget each other,” she said.

Yekeh has displayed her poster on Facebook and reached out to the Windham Eagle to help her get her message out to the community. “I would like people to know that we can do this if we all work together.” Staying the recommended 6 feet away will help protect everyone, from babies to grandparents, she said.

“This wasn’t a school project. I thought that I could put my voice out there to help others know we are all in this together,” she said. “I hope people will read my poster and understand the importance of the coronavirus and how social distancing is important to keep us alive or safe.”

Raymond Nurse Anesthetist and Windham RN share experiences on the COVID-19 front line

Melinda Zimmer-Rankin at work in the
ICU at New York Presbyterian Hospital

By Lorraine Glowczak

Although no one gets to escape the challenges we face these days - nurses, doctors, and other health care employees are experiencing a new level of stress, tension and exhaustion as they care for COVID-19 patients.

Raymond Nurse Anesthetist Melinda Zimmer-Rankin is currently working at New York–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and Windham Registered Nurse Deb Akerley works in the ICU COVID-19 unit at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Both medical professionals took time out of their 12-hour workdays to share their stories because they believe what they have to say will help provide education on the seriousness of the coronavirus that puts our lives and businesses at a stand-still – and permanently ends life for many others.

Akerley has worked as a Registered Nurse for nine years, beginning her career as a Certified Nurses Aid for three years. Both positions, a total of 12 years, were at Maine Med’s Intensive Care Unit. 

Although she states she is good, for the most part, at compartmentalizing the emotional toll that goes with being an ICU Nurse, she admits these last two months have challenged her usual level of energy. “I have realized that by the third 12-hour day, I need a break,” she said.

The good news is the number of COVID-19 patients at Maine Med have remained lower than what the facility and medical staff have prepared for. However, every life is important, and one COVID-19 death is one too many. “By the time people reach the ICU, they are in a very serious condition and must be put on breathing machines,” Akerley explained. “They are usually intubated for two to three weeks and from there, they move onto intermediate care, often requiring various forms of physical, respiratory and occupational therapy – for quite some time.”

Akerley explained that the COVID-19 virus has been a revolving door of learning experiences. “When we discovered that the virus attacked the respiratory system, it wasn’t long until we then discovered it was also compromising other organs and it’s possible that people will eventually develop blood clots due to their lack of mobility from lying in bed so long (despite working with Physical and Occupational Therapists and being turned in bed every two hours)”.

Most of the individuals who are under Akerley’s care have deficient immune systems. Although there are a few young patients who are currently struggling in the ICU, most are over 60 years of age. And, unfortunately, Akeley has witnessed those who have lost their battle against COVID-19.

Deb Akerley at home on one of her days off. She
stated that she feels lucky to have co-workers
who feel like family.

To maintain a sense of calm in such circumstances, Akerley has a support system among her team members. “I am fortunate that my co-workers and I have worked with each other for quite some time and they have become a family to me. We are there for each other – we vent, we cry, we laugh, we eat all the wonderful food donated to the hospital by area restaurants – and we even check in with each other when we aren’t working.”

But perhaps one of the greatest challenges Akerley faces is not while she is working at the hospital. “I haven’t hugged my parents or have had dinner with them, for over two months.” Her father is 84 and her mother is 76.

When asked her perspective of the current COVID-19 situation and prevention, she hopes that people do not stop social distancing. “I hope people do not think that everything is fine. It is far from it and we need to take this virus seriously.”

She does feel fortunate that we live in a state that is not too populated and most likely will not see a peak in aggressive cases if people continue to social distance.

The very populated New York City, on the other hand, has seen more aggressive cases than one could have ever imaged. “Over 12,900 people have died in New York City as of April 28^th and over 160,000 confirmed cases. This does not include those who have not been confirmed due to limited testing. “stated Zimmer-Rankin.

The good news is the numbers and admissions are slowly receding but it’s still overwhelming and there are still very sick people who are trying to survive. “There are still 100s, and 100s and 100s and 100s of people surviving on ventilators in New York,” she said. “It still feels like I am in a war-zone”.

Zimmer-Rankin who works full-time in the operating room at York Hospital in Maine, recently took a leave of absence without pay. Since elective and non-essential surgeries are being temporarily discontinued due fear of COVID-19, and work was not available at the hospital - she felt compelled to continue working. “I could have stayed at home and got paid but I am aware of what the financial backlash for the hospital will be once this is over, so I began looking to see where I could be best utilized in New York City.”

She applied for a nursing position at a traveling nurse organization and was hired immediately, along with 70 other nurses from around the U.S., at Winthrop University Hospital on Long Island, NY. “I would have loved to stay at home but since I already have a studio apartment in New York, I just believed it was something I was called and should do.” Long Island was considered the “hot spot” for COVID-19.

Her beginning experiences on the coronavirus frontline were difficult and taxing, to say the least. The first three days were spent in virtual training. Training, she said, that was inadequate and did not prepare the nurses for beside orientation such as computer access and where needed medical items were stored within the hospital.  

“My assignment was in the COVID positive unit,” Zimmer-Rankin began. “I oversaw 16 patients that were in a conference room converted in an intensive care unit. All patients were intubated and in serious condition. One of my first patients, a man in his early 40s, was the first person I checked in on. I checked all his vitals and they were fine - and he was following commands appropriately. Within an hour, I was doing CPR. He passed away a half hour after that.”

In addition to the stress associated with losing a patient 1 and ½ hours after starting her first shift, other challenges included not being about to sit down during her 12 hour shift, having only a few minutes for lunch and rarely having time for restroom breaks. “What the h… was I thinking,” she wrote on her personal Facebook page three days after her assignment.

Feeling she needed more of a supportive environment, she accepted another job offer from the same organization – this time as a Nurse Practitioner at New York–Presbyterian Hospital. This hospital was closer to her studio apartment, requiring less travel time.

Although still stressful and traumatic for all medical staff, Zimmer-Rankin states that she received more adequate training at the well-known research hospital and now works with the same medical team, often caring for the same patients for three days in a row, all of which makes the job less nerve-wracking. Additionally, the tasks now required of her are much more manageable. “My responsibilities are to assess the patients, look to see if there's been changes within the last 24 hours, manage the vents, the drips, put orders in for everything and make consultations.”

But even in the midst of this harrowing crisis, Zimmer-Rankin has experienced some charming moments within the past six weeks. She recalls the day not long after she began working at New York Presbyterian, she decided to walk home from work. “Rite-Aid had placed flowers outside their doors, and they were free to anyone who needed something to lift them up. I chose the most beautiful orchid because orchid flowers tend to keep their bloom for a long time,” she said. That orchid now sits on her kitchen counter in NYC to remind her that beauty still exists in the world.

Zimmer-Rankin also has her very own, dedicated NYC Uber driver to take her to work in the mornings. “I could easily walk to work, but I like to arrive early – at least by 6 a.m., to study my patients and go over all the charts before my shift begins,” she explained. “My Uber driver speaks little English, but we manage to communicate. He told me that he needs gloves and facemasks to give to his passengers who climb in for a ride and do not wear any protective gear.”

She continued, “He has a young family and wants to keep them safe – while at the same time, making the money they desperately need. We’ve made an arrangement that if he picks me up at the same time every day, I will reach out to my friends who make masks and provide him with those. Only once he was late, and that was because he was wiping down his vehicle from the last drop off. It’s been a perfect passenger/Uber Driver relationship. Last week, I was able to give him six homemade masks. 

So, he only charges me $10 rather than the normal $30 ride that only takes about five minutes.”

And then, of course, there is the food. “There is plenty of food being donated from fabulous restaurants to hospital staff so, needless to say, I'm eating well.”

Although Zimmer-Rankin is still compelled to help others, she admits she is not a savior. “My expectations are that I'm not going to save everyone, but I’m here to provide care in the best compassionate way I am capable. That’s all I can do.”

As for her perception on social distancing measures, she encourages people to self-isolate as much as possible. “Continue to wear a mask and avoid public places where there are large crowds,” she said. “If and when things do open up, continue to use caution and wear a mask – especially for those who have autoimmune disorders, diabetes, asthma, COPD or any other chronic health conditions.  I also encourage people to listen to the advice of Dr. Shah of the Maine CDC.”

Thank you, Melinda Zimmer-Rankin and Deb Akerley, for taking the time to share your experiences, stories and thoughts with our readers.

This article is dedicated to all medical staff and other essential employees, who risk their own lives, to care for the lives of others.

Donations help to protect Raymond’s Emergency Medical Services

Carol Dennison, Paramedic/Firefighter and 

Connor Glavin, EMT/Firefighter wear the face shields 

made and donated by Scott Trebilock and 

the fabric mask donated by Fred and Susan Miller, 

all three of Raymond.

By Briana Bizier

Emergency services in Raymond can breathe a little easier now thanks to two generous donations of protective face shields and fabric “over masks.” The face shields were created by South Portland High School teacher Scott Trebilcock using the school’s 3D printer, and Raymond residents Fred and Susan Miller donated the “over masks,” which can be used to cover the department’s N95 respirators.

These shields and masks will help to protect Raymond’s first responders against the coronavirus.

“We have dealt with several confirmed cases,” said Bruce Tupper, the chief of Raymond’s Fire and Rescue Department. Tupper explains that his department offers full emergency medical services, which includes emergency medical transport to a hospital. “We should be called the EMS department who occasionally deal with a fire,” Tupper joked.

Under current circumstances, personal protective equipment is essential for Fire and Rescue workers responding to a medical emergency that may turn out to be complications arising from a coronavirus infection. The Raymond Fire and Rescue Department uses surgical gowns or Tyvek suits as well as N95 respirators on any call that is ruled “high risk.”

The CDC now recommends using a cleanable face shield over an N95 respirator to help preserve the N95 masks and increase their reusability. Thanks to Raymond residents Fred and Susan Miller, the Raymond Fire and Rescue Department now has an excess of thirty fabric “over masks” to use on top of their N95 respirators. These three-layer masks were hand-sewn by Susan Miller in a variety of different patterns and colors and then donated to the department.

“It really does help to protect us,” Tupper explained. The cloth face masks extend the life of the department’s N95 respirators while the face shields help to protect the eyes and face from any air-born virus-harboring droplets without obscuring vision. “We have been amazed at the number of people going above and beyond in support of emergency services,” Tupper continued. “It is deeply appreciated.”

Raymond resident Scott Trebilcock, a Technology teacher at South Portland High School, created the
donated face shields using two of the school’s 3D printers. 3D printing, which is the process of creating a three-dimensional model using computer aided design, might sound like something from the science fiction television show Star Trek, but this futuristic technology is proving its practical applications in the fight against the coronavirus. In addition to the face shields Trebilcock donated to Raymond’s Fire and Rescue Department, he is also making extenders to keep face masks secure without the annoying elastic straps that go behind your ears and almost invariably cause skin irritation.

The coronavirus pandemic has made personal protective gear for emergency medical personnel, like face shields, harder and harder to find. In an email exchange, Deputy Chief Cathy Gosselin said Raymond Fire and Rescue had been unable to find any additional protective face shields to replenish their supply before Trebilcock’s donation. “There’s a shortage of supplies,” explained Don Willard, Raymond’s Town Manager. “You can’t even buy some of these things. That’s just one reason why we’re incredibly appreciative for these donations.”

In the face of these shortages and complications, Raymond residents have pulled together to protect their town’s emergency medical personnel. “At a difficult time like this,” Willard continued, “it’s really gratifying to live in a small town where people step up and help one another.”

Windham ASL Interpreter for Maine CDC briefings shares personal life visions

By Elizabeth Richards

Dr. Regan Thibodeau, ASL Instructor at the University of Southern Maine’s ASL Lab and a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) and Translator, is committed to helping the Deaf community get all the resources and support they need. This is apparent in her interpreting for the Maine CDC briefings on COVID-19 as well as in the work she has done throughout her life.

Thibodeau has garnered a lot of attention recently for the expressive way she interprets at the Maine CDC briefings. In a conversation with Jeff Parsons published on wjbq.com, she explained the importance of using such animated expression in her interpretation.  “…most of our ASL grammar such as punctuation, intonation, tensing, transitions, even run-ons, occur within the face and head tilting. Shoulder shifting shows dialogue, for example. If you covered a signer’s face and only had their hands shown, it would not mean anything.”  Interpreters who sign smaller and use less expression typically are those for whom ASL is a second language, and didn’t grow up using sign language, she added.  “This means we will miss getting this critical information to a huge group of people that need ASL access.”

Thibodeau is also involved in a project with dpan.tv on Facebook, to be sure that CDIs are provided for white house briefings. This project has very limited funding, she said, and they don’t know what will happen when that runs out. “Really, the White House should be paying for it,” she said. “We are so lucky that MEMA and the State of Maine recognizes the use of CDIs!”

In an email exchange, Thibodeau shared snippets from her life, her views on her work, and her personal vision.

Thibodeau is bilingual, fluent in both spoken English and ASL. Typically, she works with a Hearing Interpreter who interprets the spoken English to her. She then interprets that expressed signing to her team.

Thibodeau, who was born deaf, has been a member of the Deaf community since childhood. Throughout her life, she has encountered many different signing styles and skills. “This is an asset to my job as it gives me language flexibility to meet my clients at their place of understanding and their world view to better connect the two people using me to communicate with each other,” she said. 

“I am working very hard to include and meet all the needs that I can,” Thibodeau said. “For example, those who can read the captions or learn about what is going on via Google do not depend on me, so I try to focus more on the visual components of ASL,” she said.  Thibodeau received interpreting training from the University of Southern Maine, and teaching of ASL training from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Thibodeau said a difficult childhood made her an overachiever. “I had to make a choice to unlearn misconstrued beliefs because they made me respond out of fear,” she said. “To unlearn, I had to read and talk. A lot. My dad made sure of one thing, though – that my being Deaf had nothing to do with anything, much like my having brown hair has nothing to do with anything.”

She harnessed that fear and other difficult emotions, she said, and turned them into a form of logical, productive energy. “I still get anxious about the power of misconceptions amongst people who don’t really  know what they don’t know,” she said. This led her to get a Ph.D, and she was the first Deaf person in Maine to do so.  

As a Deaf expert, Hearing experts cannot tell me they know more about Deaf people than I do,” she said.

Watching parents be educated by hearing people on how to deal with their deaf babies is difficult, Thibodeau said.  “If I, as a bilingual Deaf person, can model that giving your deaf baby everything gives them more opportunities in life, then just maybe they will be inspired to give their baby everything,” she said.

Though there is a common myth amongst hearing experts that learning ASL prohibits learning English, Thibodeau says that simply isn’t true. “I had it all: total communication, speech training, sign language, lipreading, ASL literacy, English literacy. It’s as if I learned Spanish, English, and French. No confusion at all. Ask any other Bilingual D/HH/DB person!” Thibodeau said. She added that the fear that Deaf/Hard of Hearing/DeafBlind (D/HH/DB) children will continue experiencing language deprivation is something she is still working on overcoming. 

Thibodeau co-wrote a bill with Karen Hopkins of Scarborough to help the State of Maine pass legislation on Kindergarten Readiness for D/HH/DB Children last year. 

She said she is excited to have recently submitted a final version of the world’s first textbook chapter on CDIs in the K-12 settings.

In addition to having a standard for ASL in all kindergarten classrooms, Thibodeau

wants to launch a pilot program to get more CDIs into K-12 settings across the United States, with the hope that as schools experience the benefits of having Deaf and Hearing Interpreting teams, the bilingual-bicultural interpreting model (having Deaf and Hearing interpreting teams), they would hire the CDIs  permanently.

She also has a goal for all senior citizens to consider having sign language as a tool in case they experience aging effects, such as losing their hearing, that make communication in spoken English harder to use and access. “My grandmother went deaf and blind in her last years and experienced isolation that she would have been able to avoid had she known sign language,” she said. Thibodeau wants to develop free classes for the aging population, their families, and their medical providers to ensure that their golden years really are golden, she said.

Thibodeau has traveled to 16 countries, including backpacking across 6 European countries when she was 18. She studied abroad in Costa Rica for five months. While there, she did a community service to inspire artistic confidence in the local Deaf community by teaching a group of Deaf women a choreographed dance so they could put on a show. “At the time, nothing like that had been done before. It was so much fun,” she said.

She also took college classes in Spanish literacy taught by Deaf teachers using their native sign language, Lenguaje de Senas de Costa Ricannese (LESCO). On weekends, she explored Costa Rica and conducted field research to find natives not yet exposed to LESCO and trying to document their language on camera.

When she returned from Costa Rica, Thibodeau took a 3-week trip to Taiwan to document Taiwanese sign language variations by those who were not exposed to Mainland Chinese signing influence. “I feel really blessed to have been able to find these hidden gems,” she said.

Thibodeau also spent nine-days in Peru with Polly Lawson of Windham and Dr. Judy Shepard-Kegl of Yarmouth.  “We worked together to present before the Congress of Peru the importance of officially recognizing the sign language of its people and how it supports their economy to do so. Two years later, the Deaf Peruvian community could celebrate an official recognition, and of course, more schools and occupations opened as a result,” she said.

Recently, Thibodeau has been showing up regularly in the Facebook group “Quarantine Karaoke.”  She first participated in live Karaoke with friends at the Midnight Blues in Auburn, when she was in her early twenties, signing alongside whoever was doing vocals. When she discovered Quarantine Karaoke, she decided to participate there as well.      

  

On the dance floor at Midnight Blues is also where she met her husband, Thibodeau said.  “Typically, when I went out dancing, I preferred my own space so I could dance the way I wanted to. But I had so much fun dancing with him that we ended up dancing all night long. The rest led to an adventurous 16 years together.”

In addition to traveling, dancing, karaoke, and researching languages, Thibodeau said she enjoys soccer, mountain biking with her son, and painting.

Thibodeau and her family have lived in the Forest Lake community since 2007. There are many things she likes about living there, she said, including the privacy of the roads which makes it safer for her to run, having the lake right there, and the summer people who make the place come alive with a different energy.

“One other thing I really like about this community is that there are many types of leaderships focused on parts of what makes the lake living so special,” she added. “We have the Road Association, Lake Association, and most recently we formed the Friends of Forest Lake which was set up by a few of us who really rallied against a proposal for a quarry.”

She said that many in the community may have seen her speaking up rather passionately at town hall meetings on this topic. A number of people met and developed valid, factual concerns and ideas for her and Cathy Worf to propose in the quarry policy committee they were appointed to.  “Without them, we wouldn't have been as successful in stopping that proposal. Most people are not aware that Forest Lake is a back-up drinking water source for Portland/Windham residents. Why would anyone allow any margin of risk for contamination?” she added.  

Of her many accomplishments in life, Thibodeau said some proud moments for her include getting her BA while working 60 hours a week, going to school full time, and dealing with the effects and aftermath of a toxic relationship; giving her commencement speech at the Multi-cultural graduation ceremony; and running the Beach to Beacon for the first time despite having suffered back injuries. Now, she added, it makes her happy to be able to do home projects such as replacing her own kitchen sink. “And when my family says I pulled off a good dinner,” she added.   

Thibodeau said she feels blessed with the gift of life.  “It sounds corny but all the bad things that happen to us are the thorns that make the rose that we are,” she said.

Windham High School graduate participates in unique Navy exercise

Hunter Anderson with some of the crew members of ICEX. Some individuals brought their state flags to represent their homes. Here, Hunter holds the original Maine Flag (since it has made a comeback to celebrate Maine’s 200th year). He is also wearing a hat to represent the company where his father works (Foglio, Inc.).

By Elizabeth Richards

Though Hunter Anderson didn’t join the Navy with the goal of joining a submarine team, he’s glad that that’s where he ended up. Recently, being part of this team offered Anderson an opportunity to participate in a multinational maritime ice exercise (ICEX) in the Arctic Ocean.

An article by Geoff Ziezulewiz in the Navy Times said ICEX “helps boat crews stay sharp in an Arctic region that officials believe is becoming increasingly vital to national security.”

The exercise, held every two years, was based out of Camp Seadragon, a temporary military outpost
on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean.

Two U.S. boats participated in ICEX 2020: the Connecticut, based out of Bremerton, WA and the Toledo (Anderson’s boat), based in Groton, CT.

Typically, U.S. boats won’t participate in two exercises in a row. The Toledo was scheduled to participate in the last one, Anderson said, but had been unable to do so, which is why the opportunity arose this year.

The boat was underway for about two and a half months, Anderson said. In addition to testing under ice warfare tactics, and potentially finding new tactics that may work better, they worked with a team of researchers from MIT to support a scientific research project, Anderson said.

Anderson said ICEX was something he looked forward to when joining the submarine force. It’s not
something a surface ship could ever do, he added. “It’s a cool experience to work with the other submarine on the west coast that we usually don’t work with because we’re so far away – It was just a cool experience all around,” he said.

Working on a submarine presents some unique challenges, Anderson said, and it takes a certain type of person to handle the working environment and close quarters. It’s difficult, he said, to get into the submarine force and stay in, making it an undermanned part of the Navy. The upside, he said, is that you know that the people you are working with have been through extensive training, have the necessary knowledge, and won’t crack under pressure.

“You’re working with, hands down, the best people in the Navy,” he said. The downside, he added, is that you are constantly busy because there are so many things only the submarine force can do, and so few people to do them.

Anderson is a 2017 graduate of Windham High School, and his family still lives in Windham. His mother, Vicky Anderson, said she was excited that Hunter had a chance to experience ICEX 2020. “Not many people can say that they’ve been on a submarine, and not many people can say they’ve been on a submarine above the arctic circle,” she said.

Vicky said that Hunter is a true Mainer. “He’s a cold weather guy, so to experience something so extreme like that was right up his alley,” she said. “I was really thrilled for him to get the opportunity
to experience something so unique.”

His whole family is very proud of Hunter, she added, not just because of his participation in ICEX, but because he’s part of the submarine force’s readiness to protect our national security interests. “We’re thrilled that he had the opportunity to experience something like that, but also really proud that he’s part of keeping us safe,” she said.

Windham High School senior produces inspirational video message for the Class of 2020

2020 Senior Tony Hernandez, and Ken Levinsky,
class advisor celebrating before COVID-19 disrupted
normal and everyday routines.

By Elizabeth Richards

Knowing they won’t return to school for the remainder of the year is a major adjustment for all students, teachers and families. But for high school seniors, it’s heartbreaking to hear that they will not walk the halls with their friends one last time.

WHS senior Anthony Gugliuzza created a video that he shared via YouTube early last week.  Now, with distance learning continuing through the end of the year, the video is even more poignant and relevant.

Gugliuzza said he’d been thinking a lot about senior year and the uncertainty that surrounded it.

Looking at pictures of teachers and friends on his phone made him smile, he said, and inspired him to create the video to share. “I thought that if I put something together for the whole class, it would be a means to helping everyone through such tough times. I wanted people not only in our school but throughout the community to know that we will get through this together, even if it means [that] right now we have to be apart.”

The news that school would not reopen this year was tough, Gugliuzza said.  “Our school is like family, the kids, the faculty, we all care about one another. However, I know our school system is filled with some amazing individuals who will find a way to make our senior year special,” he said. “Sometimes you need to lose something to know what you have. Although it's not ideal to lose your
senior year, there is always a plan. Things seem to have a funny way of working out,” he added.

Though Gugliuzza said he wishes he had known that March 12th would be their last day together, he believes that being a senior this year is special in a way no one could have imagined. “I think being a senior this year will mean that we’ll be more battle tested, we’ll be better equipped to handle the curve balls and the adversity that life sometimes throws us. I think it will make us more resilient. I think this class is a memorable one and with all that’s happened this year, I think the spirit of this class will really live on in a special way,” he said.  “The reality we are living now will eventually be a story...one heck of a story.”

When social distancing guidelines are finally relaxed, Gugliuzza said, “I [want to] see the laughs and the smiles, and I am certain we will because that’s who we are, that’s who this community is,” he said. “High school has been an incredible experience and I just don’t want it to fade away into the night.”

Gugliuzza said it’s not just the senior class going through this difficult time. “We all thrive on social
interaction, so this is tough on everyone,” he said.  “I think we just need to be kind, check in with our neighbors or the people that you know and often see around the community. Check in with classmates, even those that maybe you didn’t ordinarily interact with outside of class. We all need to have our spirits lifted from time to time. I think we as a class, we as a community need to band together.”

“I think great things often come out of the most trying of times, so that’s what I hope for most...that this will bring out the very best in all of us,” Gugliuzza said.

Gugliuzza wants to remind his class to stay strong, safe and have faith. He urged them to remain close even from a distance. “The news that distance learning will continue for the remainder of the year is tough, but I’ve heard from teachers and faculty already that want to help, some who are already talking about plans to ensure we have those senior milestones. I’m not giving up on this class or our senior year,” he said. “This story isn’t finished yet. We’re going to get through this together, because our class is family, and that’s what families do.”

He added that he wants to be sure his classmates know that Windham cares about them, and the community is hurting for them too. And he wanted to thank the community and let them know that the Windham High class of 2020 appreciates their care and support, and they’re going to be ok. “Hopefully when this is behind us, we can all celebrate together,” he said.

Community programs strive to keep students active and engaged with “Book Bus”

By Elizabeth Richards

Since school closed on March 16, the RSU14 backpack program has been very busy. As the school closure continues, other programs are piggybacking on the distribution times to offer other resources as well.

Director of School Nutrition Jeanne Reilly says the backpack program is distributing food on Tuesdays and Fridays in both Windham and Raymond. The program offers three bags of food: one with fruits and vegetables, another with milk and possibly other dairy items like yogurt and cheese, and a third with shelf stable items such as peanut butter, cereal, soup, tuna and pasta.

“Any family with children is welcome to come. They do not have to be a previous recipient of the backpack program,” Reilly said. “We do ask that it be families with children in the home, since we are operating with funds that were donated for the express purpose of feeding children.  Families do not need to sign up, they can just come to one of our sites during the hours that we are open.”

On Tuesday, March 31^st, a “Book Bus” began distributing grade level books for K-3 students in conjunction with the backpack program.

Julie Young, instructional leader for Windham Primary School, coordinates the book bus. She said 100 bags of books were packed the first week and 80-100 more, which also included some basic school supplies such as paper, pencils, glue sticks and construction paper, had already been packed for the second week.

Families can pick up a new set of books each week, Young said, and books should not be returned. The books being distributed are from a large supply of retired curriculum materials, she said, and include individual paperbacks as well as anthologies.

On the first week of distribution, there were enough bags assembled for every family who asked for one, Young said. Bags were also sent to Raymond Elementary School for distribution. Young said that they have enough materials for every child, though they haven’t been packing that many since they didn’t know how many would come. “We’d love for every child to come and get a bag,” she said, adding that delivery is also possible.

Distributing reading material is important, Young said, because it’s difficult for parents to have leveled materials, especially for younger children who go through their material quickly. Although digital libraries are available, not all children have access to those, she said. “We wanted to make sure that we have some non-digital opportunities for our kids to continue to learn,” she said.

Reilly added that though the official book bus is on Tuesdays, there have also been some boxes of books and other reading materials that families can take available on Fridays.

Windham Parks and Recreation is also offering resources to families during this difficult time. This week, they began to add their weekly edition of “Useful News” to the lunches being sent home, so that families who may not receive it through email have access, said director Linda Brooks. This newsletter offers tips on enjoying the outdoors safely, as well as information on events and available resources.

“We continue to offer programming opportunities to our residents, but in many new ways, since people suddenly have much more leisure time in their lives,” Brooks said. “Parks and Recreation is all about helping people develop healthy leisure lifestyles, and outdoor activities are still being encouraged as an effective manner to manage this crisis. Moving forward, we are working on other activities that we can make available for children to do at home.”

Reilly said they are working to provide recipes, nutrition information, and culinary videos on social media channels and their website. “These will be ideas and tips for families to come together and experience some of the food we are sending home in our bags. We hope families will do some cooking together and some nutrition education, and even incorporate some science and math lessons with the food and recipes,” she said. 

The backpack program is not accepting food donations at this time but welcomes financial support for the project. The bags provide each family with about $20 worth of food, and participation in the program is growing, she said. On Friday, April 3, they served 122 families, which is an estimated 300-400 students served.

Food can be picked up at Windham Middle School on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and at Raymond Elementary School on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:30 to 3 pm. They are delivering to families in quarantine or who do not have transportation, Reilly said. If transportation is an issue, families can reach out to Reilly at jreilly@rsu14.org or district chef, Ryan Roderick at rroderick@rsu14.org.

The wish of a dying veteran is granted through the generosity of a “Brother in Arms”

Joe Bernard just prior to joining the Marines

By Lorraine Glowczak

“Yesterday, I wrote a post seeking a set of Marine dress blues for my dying uncle,” the post began in the Windham Maine Community Board Facebook page. “He loved being a Marine and worked very hard on veterans’ support issues his entire adult life. The outpouring of support from the Windham community brought a tear or two to my eye.”

That was a post written recently by Barry Bernard, a Portland man who also has a camp on Pettengill Pond in Windham and is the treasurer for the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club. The previous day, he reached out to the Windham community, asking if there was anyone who might know of where the family could find the well-known and honored Marine dress uniform.

“It was my uncle’s desire to be buried in dress blues,” Barry stated. “We searched and couldn’t find his uniform. We wanted to do our best to make sure to locate a uniform for him and hoped we could do that before he passed away.”

In just over an hour after making the original Facebook post, Bernard had those dress blues donated by, none other than, another Marine. Ryan Salamon, who dedicated his life to the United States Marine Corp from 2010 to 2014 and now lives in Manchester, Maine responded to Barry’s request.

“My wife, Rachel, follows the Windham Community Board and saw Barry’s post,” Salamon said. 

“She thought it would be a good idea to offer my dress blues to Barry’s uncle – and I agreed so we immediately reached out to Barry.”

Marine dress blues as described by Medals of America consists “of a long-sleeved navy jacket with standing collar over a plain white shirt and white, webbed belt on top. Enlisted soldiers will have red trim on the coat and a gold waist plate corresponding to rank. Officers will have a gold M-buckle on their jacket belt. Pants are sky blue in color for enlisted Marines and midnight blue for officers. The red stripe down the trousers, also known as a “blood stripe,” varies in width depending on rank”

Barry stated that Salamon was not the only one who responded to his request. “My neighbor at Pettengill Pond who lives in the Boston area stated that he would help me in my research to find dress blues. But because the need was immediate, we elected to use Ryan’s uniform.”

The Marine dress blue owned by Ryan Salamon
and donated to Joe Bernard

Barry’s uncle, Harry Joseph (Joe) Bernard, Jr. joined the Marine Corp Reserves from 1964 to 1970. Joe was a combat engineer with the 10^th Engineering Company where he honed his skills on covert missions building airstrips and base camps during the Vietnam War era throughout the Philippines and Puerto Rico. During his deployment, Joe handled and worked with the chemical, Agent Orange, in his role as a combat engineer, and thus had possible exposure to it. “This was of great concern to him and he talked about it often,” Barry said.

When he returned home to civil life, Joe began his 30-year career as a Crane Operator, working for Cianbro Construction. “He laid the steel for the Casco Bay Bridge and worked on the decommissioning of Maine Yankee [Maine’s only nuclear power plant],” Barry stated proudly of his uncle.

Known as a practical joker and the life of the party, Joe continued his Marine-like devotion to the Country. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America as a troop leader. As the Commander of his local American Legion, he sponsored many scouting activities and projects for America’s young men. 

“He also was highly involved in the Honor Guards at funerals for veterans and was very engaged in the development of the Veterans Home in South Paris,” Barry stated. “He was committed to Maine’s veterans, helping out in any way he could.”

It was in that same vein of helping a Maine veteran that Salamon donated his dress blues. “I feel honored and am very happy to give my dress blues to a fellow Brother in Arms,” Salamon said. “To be honest, the uniform was just collecting dust and now it is serving a better purpose. If I am lucky enough to live into my 70s, perhaps one day another Marine will donate his dress blues to me.”

Upon completion of the service in the Marines, both Salamon and Barry’s Uncle Joe ended their military career as Sergeants. As a result, Barry pointed out that the stripes on the uniform are correct. Salamon did remove his medals and ribbons but his dress blues are in concert with Joe’s rank.

Joe passed away on Thursday, April 2^nd but he did so peacefully - knowing that he was going to be buried in Marine dress blues. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, funeral services will be placed on hold until this summer. However, family members will be allowed to view Joe’s body in his dress blues, five at a time, in keeping with social distancing guidance. There will likely be a burial service later this spring, but the funeral home has worked closely with Joe’s son, Bob, so that the family can properly grieve.

Before his uncle died, Barry got the opportunity to FaceTime him. Barry shared his experience with those who had been following the story on the Windham Community Facebook page. “I was so pleased to let him know that his wish will be granted [before he passed away]. Uncle Joe smiled and said, ‘thank you’.”

“And, I thank you, Ryan Salamon and all the Windham community that was willing and ready to assist our family in meeting our uncle’s dying wish!”

Source: https://www.medalsofamerica.com/blog/marine-corps-uniforms-101/