Local public libraries beef up activities, programs for public heading into fall season

By Elizabeth Richards

The Raymond Village Library resumed walk-in
services on Sept. 1 and the public is encouraged
to visit and check out library materials, use
computers or shop the library's ongoing book sale.
Both the Raymond Village Library and the Windham
Public Library are set for a number of events and
activities this fall. SUBMITTED PHOTO

As fall approaches, the public libraries in Windham and Raymond continue to serve the communities with online programs, curbside pickup, and limited in-person hours of operation.

In Windham, Library Director Jen Alvino said staff members are prepared for the busy fall season ahead.  

“The important thing to note at this time is that all our programs at Windham Public Library are continuing online,” Alvino said. “We have lots going on and something for all ages, but everything will be posted on our Facebook or done with staff through Zoom.”

These online programs include Story Time and Books and Babies either posted or held via Facebook Live at their usual times each week. Story Time happens on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., and Books and Babies is on Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m.

The Windham Public Library has a regular Book Group and Socrates Café program offered on Zoom.  On Sept. 22 at 4 p.m., via Facebook Live, Tim Caverly will present The Allagash – New England’s Wild River, a virtual canoeing experience on the 92-mile Allagash River complete with lore, legends and characters that Caverly experienced as a Maine Park Ranger.

For more information and program links, contact Reference and Technology Librarian Ray Marcotte at rmarcotte@windhammaine.us.

The Windham library also offers a writing group, an Author Talk and Art Nights online, Alvino said.

According to Alvino, the library is still operating with reduced hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday because of the pandemic. Curbside pick-up is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We have a limit of 15 people in the building and we ask that people wear a mask and keep their visits under 30 minutes,” Alvino added.

Because of the limitations on number of people and time limit for visits, the library cannot accommodate students after school as they have in the past, according to a notice on the Windham Public Library website. 

“Winsome Wednesdays,” a program designed for grades K to 6, will feature a new video on Facebook most Wednesdays with “a smorgasbord of interesting activities to try out by yourself, or with your family,” according to the description on the website.

The Raymond Village Library (RVL) is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and

Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The library resumed walk-in services on Sept. 1, and patrons can feel free to drop in and check out materials, use computers or shop the library’s ongoing book sale, according to their September newsletter.

Reserving time for computer access at the Raymond Village Library is highly recommended at this time because of the limited availability of computer stations.

Face coverings and social distancing guidelines are in effect, and access is limited to five people in the library at a time. No-contact parking lot pickups of materials to check out are still available by contacting the library for a pickup time.

While the library isn’t currently offering story time, plenty of activities remain to captivate and entertain all ages, Raymond Village Library Board Member Briana Bizier said.

“The Children’s librarian, Karen, who is amazing, still has the story time packets that parents can pick up, and those are for all ages,” Bizier said. “The packets include books, songs and a craft.”

The library has also set up a new story walk at the Raymond Shopping Center, Bizier said. 

The Raymond Village Library children’s librarian worked with the owner of the shopping center and independent stores to display a page from “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault in storefront windows throughout the center. 

This story walk is in addition to the “Jack and the Beanstalk” story walk in the community garden next to the library.

With community assistance, the Raymond Village Library also recently purchased picnic tables to expand their outdoor seating area. Bizier said this area will be available throughout the fall so that school children, and anyone else, can access the free wifi at the library.

Bizier said that in addition to the indoor book and movie sale the library has going, they are selling “some really cool Maine and Raymond T-shirts” as well.  She said that the library plans to hold its holiday basket fundraiser again this year.

The library also will conduct a “Grow with Google” workshop online from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14.  This workshop will offer tips on selling online, including the benefits of setting up an online store with Shopify and how to list products on Google Shopping.  Registration will open soon. Interested individuals should contact the Raymond Village Library for more information.

The Raymond Village Library will also host a virtual discussion of “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead, on Monday Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. through Zoom. Participants should contact the library for specific meeting information.

For a listing of additional activities this fall offered by both the Raymond Village Library and the Windham Public Library, the public is asked to review up-to-date information on the library websites, as well as on their Facebook pages. <

Windham Pack 805 ready to welcome new Cub Scouts

By Ed Pierce

Windham Cub Scouts Pack 805 gather following
a pack building exercise this summer in which
eight wooden benches were made by scouts that
will be donated to various locations around town. 
SUBMITTED PHOTO

For boys in kindergarten through fifth grade, joining the Cub Scouts will open a world of adventure, make new friends, gain a sense of confidence and is an opportunity to learn new skills in an environment designed to help them succeed.

In Windham, Cub Scout Pack 805 is always welcoming new scouts and new parents that hopefully turn into new pack volunteers. On Monday, Sept. 21, Pack 805 will conduct a registration night at Donnabeth Lippman Park at 6:30 p.m. and pack leaders are hoping for a great turnout of boys looking to take the first step to become Cub Scouts. 

“Scouting teaches kids positive character traits, helps foster relationships, and to be part of the community,” said Pack 805 Den Leader Casey Melanson. “It helps them take their best self, work on self-growth, and try new things. The scout motto is ‘Do Your Best’ and that’s what the kids learn.”

Melanson said that Cub Scout Pack 805 dens meet one night a week for about an hour. The whole pack gets together once a month, usually for a special meeting, like Trunk or Treat, a holiday party, or for the Blue and Gold Banquet or other special events.

According to Melanson, Pack 805 currently has about 36 Cub Scouts who work on several community projects each year. 

“We have assisted in celebrating the grand opening of a retirement home, picking up trash after Summerfest, and we will usually host a toy drive for a family for Christmas,” Melanson said. “We also participate in Scouting for Food each November to collect needed goods for the Windham Food Pantry.”

Pack 805’s dues are $100 per scout for the year, half of which is due at sign up and the other in December.  Of that $100, most of it covers national registrations, insurance, and
other expenses.  The rest stays with the pack to help toward achievements by local members.

“During the year, the pack does fundraisers to help with the cost of awards and to pay for some of our activities, like camping and overnights at EVO,” Melanson said. “We do pizza sales, popcorn sales, and bottle drives.  Our last bottle drive raised over $1.200/”

According to Melanson, Cub Scout uniforms consist of a shirt, a rank neckerchief, and a rank slide. Pants and rank hats are optional. Scouts are encouraged to have a belt (not necessarily a scout belt) to be able to display their beltloop achievements. 

“There is also a handbook for each rank that the scout will need to be able to learn, perform, and complete each achievement,” Melanson said.  “Prices for these items start at around $6 and go up from there. There is a Scout Shop right in South Portland by the Jetport that carries everything that a budding scout would need.” 

She said that Cub Scout activities emphasize having fun and learning useful life skills.      

“Cub Scouts can do anything they put their minds to. We have gone winter camping, hiking, ice fishing, and built lean-tos in the winter woods,” Melanson said. “We also have our annual Pinewood Derby where the boys design and build their own cars and then compete against one another.  As a pack we have had beach outings, cookouts, movie nights, and EVO Rock Gym overnights.”

Serving as Pack 805’s Den Leader, Melanson said that she became involved with the Cub Scouts when her son joined as a Tiger in first grade. He’s now in fifth grade and part of the Arrow of Light Den, which is second-year Weblos, the highest rank of Cub Scouts. He will be crossing over to Boy Scouts at the end of this year, she said.

“I was just a scout mom, but soon became part of and then Chair for the Fundraising Committee.  I am also now the Den leader for this year’s second-graders, the Wolves,” Melanson said.

Joining the Cub Scouts is almost a rite of passage for boys in Windham.

“Our pack is a great group of scouts and parents.  We care about each other, push each other, and just all around have fun,” she said. “We want our scouts to learn what is means to be part of something important, what is means to help their community, make new friends, build relationships, and most importantly grow as a young man.” 

Over the summer, members of Cub Scout Pack 805 worked on completing their achievements so that the scouts could move up in rank. 

These included First Aid, safety, teamwork, nutrition, and other topics, Melanson said. 

“We did have a few Zoom meetings when possible just to stay in touch with our scouts,” she said. “And the scouts worked on completing a different outdoor activity each month in order to earn their National Summertime Pack Awards.”

For Pack 805’s registration night on Monday evening, the registration table will be staffed through 7:30 p.m. 

“We have asked that only one parent comes to complete paperwork, to make sure that we can social distance appropriately,” Melanson said. “If someone has a new potential scout who is interested, they may come with the parent. We are asking that masks be worn also. If someone is interested in joining but is unable to make the registration event, they can reach out to us through Facebook or email.

For more information about Cub Scout Pack 805, visit their “Pack 805 Windham Maine” Facebook page or send an email to  scoutpack805me@gmail.com <

RSU 14 obtains grant for school violence prevention

The COPS School Violence Prevention Program Recently has announced the 160 awardees of the 2020 SVPP Grant, and RSU 14 (Windham and Raymond) is one of only two Maine school districts to receive funding.

According to Lanet Hane, Director of Community Connections for RSU 14, this competitive award program is designed to provide funding to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs. 

 

RSU 14 has been awarded a $475,000 grant by
the COPS School Violence Prevention Program.
COURTESY PHOTO

Lane said that RSU 14 was awarded just over $475,000 to be disbursed over a three-year time period.

 

The school district will use these funds to provide increased training and to make building modifications to improve emergency response time during critical incidents, she said.

 

Specific improvements include the addition of external public address systems, external warning lights, improved room numbering systems, a district-wide risk assessment, and full-scale police trainings on-site, Lane said.

 

In addition to the SVPP grant, Lane said that Windham Police Department also has received a grant to fund a second school resource officer position in the school district.

 

All states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies such as police and sheriff’s departments and school districts are eligible to apply for SVPP grants. 

The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) gave the COPS Office authority to provide awards directly to states, units of local government, or Indian tribes to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the jurisdiction of the grantee through evidence-based school safety programs.

Up to a total of $50 million in funding was available for grants during the FY 2020 SVPP cycle. <

 

Windham awards two retail marijuana licenses at special town council meeting

By Ed Pierce

Shaw Dwight is the owner of Paul's Boutique
in Windham, one of two businesses that were
awarded adult-use retail marijuana licenses
by the Windham Town Council on Tuesday.
CannaRX Windham also received a retail
license from the town. Retail marijuana
sales open in Maine on Oct. 9.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Capping a long application process and review, the Windham Town Council awarded two adult marijuana retail licenses at a special council meeting on Tuesday evening.

Following a two-hour discussion and lengthy examination of seven different applications and a council vote to clarify the term “retail” as outlined in Windham’s marijuana ordinance, councilors scored each application based upon operational plan, security measures, safety, experience, product handling, any violations on record and other specific criteria.  The top two businesses scoring the highest, Paul’s Boutique and CannaRX Windham RSL, were then awarded provisional one-year retail licenses pending verification of the collection of sales taxes in other communities.

Before any scoring was unveiled, Councilor Clayton Haskell said he would abstain from voting or scoring applicants. 

Prior to scoring each application for the adult-use licenses, each applicant was given three minutes on Zoom to present their last-minute arguments for why they should be awarded a license by the council. Representatives of six of the seven applicants spoke, with each one thanking councilors for their diligence in carefully reviewing volumes of documentation regarding each application.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said that each application was well over 100 pages and that the review process was extensive and time consuming.

“Hours were spent reading through them,” Tibbetts said. “Councilors spent more than two days reading applications and I want the public to know that a tremendous amount of work and effort went into getting us to this point tonight.”

During the meeting, town attorney Kristin Collins advised councilors on how to score categories, including how to rate one section of the town ordinance that asked applicants to list retail experience in locations other than in Windham.

Town Council Chairman Jarrod Maxfield said he understood the ordinance term “retail” as having a storefront and clearly defined hours of operation with customers coming and going, but other councilors suggested that they understood “retail” to mean having paid sales taxes for transactions to other communities. A vote was taken, with councilors David Nadeau, Nicholas Kalogerakis, David Douglass, Timothy Nangle and Brett Jones voting for sales tax collection to define “retail” and Maxfield voting for it to mean an actual storefront elsewhere.

Under the scoring system, Paul’s Boutique accumulated a total of 15.58 points, with CannaRX Windham RSL coming in with 14.67 points. Next in line was Jar Co. at 14.33 points, followed by Kind & Co. with 13,67 points, Sticky Bud with 12.75 points, Legal Leaf at 10.25 points and Maine’s Alternative Caring with 9.83 points.

Before a motion was made to award the licenses, Councilor Timothy Nangle told applicants that the
town would ensure details contained in the applications were being adhered to.

“We’re going to hold you to everything you submitted in your application,” Nangle said.

Councilor Brett Jones said he was glad to see the application and review process finally come to an end for the adult-use retail licenses.

“Personally, I would give licenses to all the applicants,” Councilor Brett Jones said. “I don’t feel this is the right way of going about it but that’s my personal opinion. I followed the criteria and made decisions based upon what was in front of me.”

Maxfield said he was grateful to all who participated in the process.

“I just want to say thanks to everyone, to the council, the staff and to the community,” Maxfield said. “We’ve done the best we can.”

Under state law, the first day that adult-use retail marijuana sales may be made is Oct. 9. Under terms of Windham’s marijuana ordinance adopted by councilors in May, successful applicants must pay $2,500 to the town for the adult-use retail licenses.

Previously Tibbetts has said that Windham will use money collected from the licensing fees for substance-abuse education and prevention, but the specifics for that have yet to be worked out by the council.        

Councilors also voted during the special meeting to extend a public hearing regarding the awarding of caregiver licenses and four medical marijuana storefront licenses in town to the council’s Sept. 22 meeting. <       

Cornerbrook II residents dedicate new flagpole for community

Members of the American Legion Color Guard line up prior
to the dedication of a new flagpole honoring the
contributions of veterans at the Cornerbrook II
condominium complex on Sept. 4 in Windham.
From left are VFW Post 10643 Commander Willie
Goodman, American Legion members Richard Drapeau,
Linwood Bailey, Craig Pride, Dave Rendell, and Walter Braley,
who is one of the oldest VFW Post 10643 and an
American Legion member and a resident of Cornerbook II.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Ed Pierce

Across the nation for the past 244 years, the American flag has been flown as a tribute of remembrance and a reminder of the freedom that Americans cherish. And flying the flag is a great way of expressing appreciation for the men and women who have served the United States while protecting that freedom and liberty.

On Friday, Sept. 4, residents and a contingent of veterans from Windham’s VFW Post 106443 gathered near the entrance of the Cornerbook II condominiums to dedicate a new flagpole created for the community by volunteers.

The flagpole project was funded through donations and used available space in the existing Cornerbrook II rock garden at the entrance to the condominium complex.

Those instrumental in getting the project off the ground were Walter and Nina Braley, Jerry and Cindy Beaulieu and Phil and Janice Perry, all Cornberbrook II residents.

Janice Perry has lived in Cornerbrook II for the past 2 ½ years and said the initiative was launched to remember the contributions of veterans living in the complex.

During the dedication ceremony, Walter Braley, a member of Windham VFW Post 10643, raised the new flag for all to see entering the Cornerbrook II community.

At the age of 88, Braley is one of the oldest members of the VFW post and served in the First Marine Division Dog Company during the 1950s. He was stationed in Korea for 14 months, mostly in the Demilitarized Zone and proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years.

He is a member of both American Legion Post 148 and VFW Post 10643 in Windham.

Braley asked VFW Post 10643 Commander Willie Goodman if he could attend the event and conduct the flag-raising ceremony.

“I then asked our color guard to participate and we are all honored to be a part of this ceremony,” Goodman said. “The flag will be a reminder of our great country and the special patriotic community of the people of Cornerbrook II.”

Goodman said that Braley is known at the VFW post as their “Membership Guru" because of his commitment to the VFW and his larger than life personality.

Since the national VFW organization was founded in 1899, Goodman said that the VFW has enacted many programs and services geared to meet the current needs of America's service members, veterans and military families, as well to meet community needs worldwide, Goodman said. By assisting with Department of Veterans Affairs claims assistance, legislative advocacy, troop support programs, youth activities, community service and scholarships and assisting in local events such as the Cornerbrook II flagpole dedication are some of the ways the VFW works to give back to veterans.

According to Goodman, the VFW Post 10643 currently has 77 members.

“We sponsor Windham's Boy Scout Troop 805 and they use our facility to hold their meetings.  All veterans are encouraged to contact the VFW for whatever their needs may be and either we will help them or know where to direct them,” he said. “Even though we are located in Windham, the VFW slogan is ‘Veterans Helping Veterans’ and we strive to live by that motto so any veteran in any town should feel free to contact us.”

He said that many times the VFW find veterans who aren't aware of services they could benefit from or don't know who to call to answer specific questions they may have.

“Our members are more than comrades, they genuinely care about each other and we want veterans to reach out to us if we can be of any assistance,” Goodman said.  

In all, about 30 to 40 residents of Cornerbrook II attended the flagpole dedication event and Perry said it was a fitting and patriotic way to cap off work performed by the volunteers in transforming the project from an idea to a reality.

“For everyone who worked on this, it certainly was a labor of love,” Perry said. “Our community is indebted to the members of the VFW for sending the color guard and for being so committed to this project. All of us in the Cornerbook II community are very grateful for their help with this.” <

Windham to issue two adult-use marijuana retail licenses next week

The Windham Town Council will review applicants
and award two adult-use marijuana retail
licenses during a special meeting at the Windham
Town Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 15. COURTESY PHOTO

 By Ed Pierce

A long and complicated road for the Windham Town Council could be in the rear-view mirror next week as decisions about applicants for two adult-use marijuana licenses will finally be determined.

Windham Town Manager Barry A. Tibbetts said that a special meeting of the Windham Town Council will be conducted at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Windham Town Hall to review applicants for several marijuana business licenses in the town. All other marijuana license applications will be discussed or approved by councilors on Sept. 22.

“These are the two adult use licenses,” Tibbetts said. “By our ordinance we will only award two and those applications per the ordinance were due at the end of July.”

A revised town ordinance addressing the sale of Recreational Adult-Use and Medical Marijuana Storefront facilities, along with business and personal marijuana outdoor cultivation was approved and adopted by Windham town councilors in late May. The new ordinance officially took effect on June 26.

Tuesday’s license review caps a four-year process for the town after voters in Maine approved a statewide referendum in 2016 to legalize marijuana for recreational use for adults over the age of 21. A string of lawsuits and time-consuming legislative reviews further delayed the process to this point, although the state already had an existing medical marijuana program.

There are currently nine marijuana businesses in Windham which will be grandfathered into the town’s existing land use ordinance. The land use ordinance also was approved in May and requires that licensed marijuana facilities have a minimum of 1,000-foot setbacks from schools and a minimum of 250-feet setbacks door to door from day care facilities.

Under the provisions of the new marijuana ordinance, Windham will license seven different kinds of marijuana establishments including two adult use retail stores, a cultivation location, a manufacturing location, a registered medical caregiver cultivation location, home medical caregiver cultivation, a testing facility and a medical marijuana caregiver shop.

The new ordinance prohibits growing plants outdoors and mandates that vendor and personal licenses must be obtained before marijuana can be grown.

Councilors also established an annual town fee structure for marijuana businesses as follows:

** Adult-Use Marijuana Store - $2,500

** Marijuana Cultivation Facility - $1,000

** Marijuana Manufacturing Facility - $1,000

** Medical Marijuana Registered Caregiver – On-site cultivation - $300

** Medical Marijuana Registered Caregiver (Home Occupation) – with cultivation not conducted on site - $150

** Medical Marijuana Caregiver Retail Store - $2,500

** Marijuana Testing Facility - $1,000

Tibbetts said that the license fees will be directed at substance use education and prevention, but specifics on that have yet to be determined by the council.

The first day that adult-use marijuana may be sold legally in Maine is Oct. 9. <

Raymond Elementary School adds new outdoor classrooms

Volunteers spent more than 154 hours this summercreating three new outdoors classrooms for students
along Raymond Elementary School's popular Frog
Pond Trail. PHOTO BY BRIANA BIZIER

By Briana Bizier

Going back to school looks different this fall across the entire country. For Raymond Elementary School students, this year’s “back to school” means adjusting to a hybrid schedule of attending school two days a week, wearing face coverings, and utilizing three new outdoor classrooms.

In an email to parents in late August, Raymond Elementary School Principal Beth Peavey announced the creation of three beautiful outdoor classrooms along the school’s popular Frog Pond trail.

Set along the banks of Frog Pond, these new outdoor classrooms feature semicircles of socially distanced wooden benches made from large tree stumps interspersed with maple saplings and granite boulders.

“It’s such a beautiful spot, and I’m such a firm believer that kids should be learning from experience and being outdoors,” said Raymond parent Kaitlin LaCasse, who spearheaded the movement toward creating an outdoor classroom at the school.

Well before COVID-19 entered our vocabulary, LaCasse attended a lecture by Richard Louv, journalist and author of the national bestseller Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Louv is now leading a national charge to get students back outdoors.

“It’s so important for our whole wellbeing to be outside more,” LaCasse said. “And you can’t assume
just because we’re in a rural area that kids are getting outside.”

Scientific research supports the importance of outdoor instruction. “When children learn outside, they retain that information longer because they’re using all their senses,” Peavey said.

LaCasse approached Raymond Elementary School in the fall of 2019 to ask about the possibility of constructing an outdoor classroom. As part of her research, LaCasse visited several outdoor classrooms across the state, sent a survey to the RES staff asking what teachers would like to see in an outdoor space, and met with the school board.

When the project was approved, local scout Brogan Danzig volunteered to build a free-standing outdoor classroom with a roof, floor, and benches as his Eagle Scout Project.

Then COVID-19 hit.

Because building a free-standing structure would require working closely with other people, Danzig was forced to abandon his original plans.

“But the idea of an outdoor classroom became even more urgent with COVID-19 as we realized how important it is to get kids outside,” LaCasse said.

So, Danzig adjusted his original plans to create an outdoor classroom without a roof that could be built while observing social distancing.

The second version of his Eagle Scout project, Danzig explained in an email, “involved clearing a 50'x25' area in the woods by the frog pond and building 8 (6 foot) benches. Then project #2 evolved even more to include putting down pea stone for a floor to help with drainage and bench stability and also installing log borders around the perimeter of the classroom area to help with erosion and to make it look nice.”

The first outdoor classroom Danzig constructed, Peavey said, was “amazing.”

However, as she and RES groundskeeper Tom Gumble toured the new space, Peavey wondered aloud if it would be possible to build more than one outdoor classroom. She and Gumble identified a few areas along the Frog Pond trail that could turn into outdoor classrooms without taking down any trees.

“The next thing I know,” Peavey said, “Tom had put down pea stone, and he’d told me all the lumber had arrived.”

Over the next few weekends, volunteers descended on Frog Pond trail to build two additional outdoor classrooms.

As Danzig explained, the project expanded “from one 50'x25' classroom area with 8 benches to three classroom areas (one 50'x25', one 52'x27', & one 38' x16') with a total of 20 (6 foot) benches.”
In addition, the scouts cleared debris from a crumbling rock wall bordering one of the classrooms and then rebuilt the wall.

“Not only did we expand the scope and still get it done within the three- week timeframe so it would be done by Sept. 1 before the kids came back to school,” Danzig wrote, “but we did an amazing job.”
A total of 31 volunteers worked 154.75 hours to complete the three outdoor classrooms, including scouts from Troop 800 and Troop 851 in Raymond, scouts from Troop 805 in Windham, scouts from Westbrook/Gorham, and an Eagle Scout from Connecticut.

Hancock Lumber donated all the materials, and Ryan Crowell of Crowell Construction helped to manage the construction of the benches.

“It was truly a community effort,” LaCasse said. “It just goes to show, if a community really wants something done, they can roll up their sleeves, work together and get it done.”

Raymond Elementary School students and teachers are eagerly awaiting their chance to use the outdoor classrooms.

Martha Stone, RES’s school counselor, led teachers on a mindfulness walk through the outdoor classrooms during their week of preparation for what will be a very unusual start to the school year.
“Wearing a mask will be stressful,” Peavey said, “so we need to help students to find other ways to regulate themselves and feel calmer.” The outdoor classrooms, Peavey said, are a natural part of that effort. “Being outside in nature is very calming, which is part of our social emotional learning as well,” she said. “When you’re stressed, if you go outside and take a walk in the woods, you feel calmer. And anyone in a calmer state will be a better learner.”

Many of the teachers at RES are already developing plans to use these outdoor spaces with their students.

“Due to the restrictions we face inside because of COVID-19, I plan to take as many lessons as possible outside,” said Olivia Hamilton, a first-grade teacher at RES. “Math and writing lessons can be done outside and we can actually pull from nature by using stones or leaves as manipulative for counting, and nature can be inspiration for a wonderful small moment story.”

Peavey said she truly believes that COVID-19, as negative as it is, did push schools forward in terms of outdoor classrooms.

“For us, it’s really added to our school,” she said. “Now, we’ll always have an opportunity for teachers to take their students outside.”

LaCasse echoes that sentiment.

“These outdoor classrooms will be used by generations of students,” she said.<

Drum & bugle corps tradition aims to return to Maine

After a 40-year absence in Maine, a group
is forming a new drum & bugle corps
 to be based in the Greater Portland area. Called
'The Maine Regiment,' the new unit will
be open to all age groups.
COURTESY PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

If Charles Thompson has his way, soon the skies over Maine will be saturated with the bold sounds of brass, the clashing of cymbals and the persistent thumping of bass drums. Thompson is among the organizers of The Maine Regiment, a new version harkening back to the heyday of popular drum & bugle corps in the 1970s.

As originally conceived, a drum and bugle corps is a musical marching unit that consists of brass instruments, a color guard, electronic instruments and percussion instruments. Operating as an independent non-profit, a drum & bugle corps is usually made up of young musicians who perform in competitions, parades, festivals, and an array of community events.

When Thompson was 12, he joined the pre-eminent Maine drum & bugle corps of the day, The Defenders of Portland, where he played the baritone bugle from 1967 to 1976.

“Sadly, no drum & bugle corps have been around in Maine since about 1979 or 1980,” Thompson, a retired school bus driver from Gorham, said. “It is our goal to revive a sustainable drum and bugle corps community in the state.”

Years ago, drum & bugle corps participants were strictly limited to the ages of 12 to 22 and spent much of the summer touring, training and preparing for upcoming shows. But to get the new program off the ground, Thompson said all ages and areas in Maine, including from Windham and Raymond, will be welcome to perform for The Maine Regiment.

According to Thompson, his interest in reviving a drum & bugle corps for residents of Maine was sparked about five years ago when he met someone trying to do just that, but that person passed away and Thompson has organized a small board of directors to promote and make the idea actually happen.  

      

“The Maine Regiment will be made up of people who are interested in learning and expanding their knowledge of music and the performing arts,” he said. “Each corps member will experience the benefits of teamwork and discipline gained through access to music education and marching arts. Each corps member will embody the principles of respect, responsibility, cooperation, and commitment.”

He said that every Maine Regiment participant will exhibit good citizenship at all times and through the experience will gain a lifelong appreciation of music.

“Our name, The Maine Regiment, was voted on by members, and was chosen in part to honor our serving military personnel, and to commemorate our veterans of all eras, back through the Civil War era,” he said. “It also commemorates the legacy of two of the last drum & bugle corps to be active in Maine, The 5th Maine Regiment, which was named after a civil war unit based on Peaks Island in Casco Bay, and the 20th Maine Regiment from Oakland. 

The actual 20th Maine Regiment had an illustrious record of service in the Civil War and history and is primarily known because of the exploits of legendary Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, a Maine college professor who rose through the ranks to become a brigadier general.

“By building around the military aspect, and also being an all-age drum & bugle corps with members starting at age 13 and up including adults, we will strive to compete in parades and other events, as well as competitive events within the abilities of our resources,” Thompson said. “We hope to instill a sense of patriotism, a respect for both our flag and what it means, and the military who fought to preserve the freedom our country is known for.”

Since announcing the formation of The Maine Regiment earlier this year, Thompson and the board have been lining up uniforms, musical instruments, equipment and searching for a director.

“We’ve had blue marching uniforms with a silvery blue sash donated to us already,” Thompson said. “We’re working trying to get some horns and drums and some have been donated already as have some marching cymbals.”

Thompson said The Maine Regiment also has had a band director from South Portland step up and commit to write music for the new drum & bugle corps.

He expects costs to participate to be around $25 for a membership fee and in the range of $100 a year for parade corps and competition.

“For me, the drum & bugle corps was an amazing experience,” Thompson said. “First off, there is a special camaraderie among the participants. You get to meet and become friends with people from all across the country and take great pride in what you can accomplish working together.”

For more information about  The Maine Regiment, call Thompson at 207-409-4460 or visit their website at www.maineregimentcorps.org < 

  

Raymond seeks feedback as initial RSU 14 withdrawal proposal approved

If approved by Raymond residents in a referendum
on Nov. 3, Jordan-Small Middle School, shown, and
Raymond Elementary School would fall under
the control of a new Raymond School Board and
officially withdraw from RSU 14. High school
students living in Raymond would be given
a choice of where to attend high school under
the proposal. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Lorraine Glowczak

In May 2018, Raymond resident Teresa Sadak began circulating a petition among the town’s registered voters to begin a process to withdraw from RSU14. She collected 353 signatures and presented those signatures and the petition to the Raymond Select Board on June 19 of that same year. The select board voted to accept the request and move forward on the withdrawal effort at that time.

Last week the Maine Department of Education gave its initial approval to Raymond for its withdrawal plan, which now moves forward to a process of public hearings and workshops prior to a town referendum vote on the issue on the November ballot. 

“I have been very concerned about Raymond’s level of input and the lack of local control we have had regarding the school district’s decisions,” said Sadak, who is also a member of the Raymond Select Board. “When the new Windham Public Works Building was voted on two years ago and is now newly built, we as members of the RSU were not given a say on how that would increase Raymond’s school funding. Additionally, Jordan-Small has plenty of space to share with Windham students and the RSU is not making use of space available to them. Instead, they are placing portable buildings to address overcrowding in the Windham schools which increases tax revenue. These are my concerns and I think it is time to be self-sufficient, having control over our own schools.”

Sadak’s petition was the first step in a 22-step process required by the State of Maine’s Department of Education. All municipalities must adhere to this process as part of a withdrawal from a regional school unit or school administrative district. 

After about two years of meetings with direction from Educational Consultant, Dr. Mark Eastman and Town Attorney Dan Stockford, members of the RSU Withdrawal Committee are ready for step number 17.

Informational meetings will be held to allow for public hearings on any withdrawal question and concerns Raymond citizens may have.

Members of the Withdrawal Committee include: Sadak as the petitioner, Rolf Olsen represents the Raymond Select Board and is Chair of the committee, Kate Leveille is member of the RSU14 Board

and Joe Bruno fills the role of Raymond citizen.

The dates for the RSU14 withdrawal committee informational meetings are:

** Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Meeting will be via Zoom.

** Monday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. Meeting will be via Zoom.

** Thursday, Sept. 17 at noon. Meeting site to be announced.

** Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. Meeting at the Jordan-Small Middle School auditorium.

** Monday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. Meeting will be via Zoom.

“If people wish to e-mail a question ahead of time, which will be read and answered at the meeting, it can be e-mailed to RSU.Withdrawal@raymondmaine.org,” Olsen said. “Information for getting into the Zoom meetings will be posted on the Town of Raymond website at www.raymondmaine.org.”

Under the proposed withdrawal plan, Raymond, which first consolidated with Windham schools in 2008, would form a new school board, hire a superintendent and administer Raymond Elementary School and Jordan-Small Middle School. Raymond students could choose the high school they want to attend if the new high school district is able to accept the new Raymond district’s tuition payment. Right now, a total of more than 80 percent of high school students in Raymond are attending Windham High School.     

There are some concerns about the possible withdrawal from the school district and Leveille shared

some of those apprehensions.

“As a parent of a young child at Raymond Elementary School, I have been extremely pleased with the education and services that my child has received as an RSU and see no need to add more change to our child’s lives especially during the current pandemic,” Leveille said. “I also have concerns about the quality of administrative staff currently available in Maine. If the withdrawal does occur, we would need to hire a new superintendent in a time when quality superintendents are scarce. Additionally, while the current proposal guarantees that teachers will have the same contract, it is a one-year guarantee. As for the concern that because there are only three Raymond representatives on the school board that votes can never go in Raymond’s favor - I can assure you, that in the two and a half years that I have been on the school board, no one votes with a Windham or Raymond motive.”

Whatever point of view one may have regarding the RSU14 withdrawal, both perspectives want the best for the students and their families.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the town,” Raymond Town Manager Don Willard said. “Raymond was once nationally recognized for its schools of excellence, prior to the RSU merger and I would like to see us achieve this distinction once again. When you combine local control and schools of excellence with school choice, you have a formula that will make the town an even more desirable place in which to live.”

The 18th step will take place during the Nov. 3 general election which will provide Raymond residents with the opportunity to vote for or against the RSU 14 withdrawal.

For more information about the proposed RSU 14 withdrawal, contact the Raymond town office at 207-655-4742. <

Schools' nutrition department prepares for unconventional year

Jeanne Reilly, left, the Director of School
Nutrition for RSU 14, and David Boger,
Windham Middle School kitchen manager,
gathered in June to give out food to families
as part of the district's backpack program
distribution. With RSU 14 students back in
school Wednesday, Reilly said serving
safe and delicious meals is one of the
district's top priorities this fall.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Elizabeth Richards

When school reopens for area students on Sept. 9, the RSU 14 school nutrition department will be feeding students in a whole new way. As they adapt to the changes, meals will look different than in the past.

Under the hybrid learning model, only 50 percent of students will be on campus to receive school meals, said Jeanne Reilly, RSU 14 Director of School Nutrition. “This will, without a doubt, affect participation, which will also significantly impact our budget.”

The district will be offering meals to families on days when children are learning at home, whether they are participating in the hybrid model or have chosen full remote learning, Reilly said.

Families can order breakfast and lunch by 9 p.m. the night before and will pick up at various locations throughout Windham and Raymond.

Orders can be placed using the Nutrislice App, or online at https://rsu14.nutrislice.com/.

Elementary students will be served meals in the classroom, while the middle schools and high school will use the cafeteria following social distancing protocols.

Reilly said that in order to allow the team to adjust to the new service method, the start-up menu consists of almost 100 percent cold food such as sandwiches, yogurt parfaits and other things that are easy for students to eat in the classroom, while also easy for the nutrition program to maintain proper temperature and food safety protocols.

“After the first several weeks of school, we will gradually start to add in hot foods that can be transported safely and easily,” Reilly said.

Choices at the middle and high schools will also be more limited, with no salad bar and self-service limited to packaged foods.

The biggest challenge right now, Reilly said, is providing meals that are appealing and delicious for students while also easy to deliver both in school and via their Mobile Meals van.

“Our goal is to continue to provide high quality meals safely and efficiently to all students and to maintain our reputation as a program that delivers nutritious, delicious, kid approved, convenient and affordable meals in the same way we always have, even though things might look a little different then they have in the past,” she said.

The theme for this year is flexibility, Reilly said.

“We are preparing our team to be flexible and able to adapt to the changing situations,” she said. “Our team are experts at food safety and efficiency. Serving safe and delicious meals to the students in RSU14 is our priority.”

With so many things to manage while setting up breakfast, lunch and mobile meals, the RSU 14 backpack program won’t begin right away.

“We certainly plan to continue to provide food on the weekends via our backpack program,” Reilly said. “We just need to get everything else organized first.”

The district also is exploring different scenarios for student lunches to maintain social distancing guidelines at lunchtime, ranging from eating in the classroom to finding larger spaces in the schools for lunchrooms to accommodate social distancing mandates. For some schools, RSU 14 has purchased additional picnic tables for students to eat lunch outdoors.

About 3,200 students attend RSU 14 schools in Windham and Raymond. <

Windham, Raymond students and teachers return to classes Wednesday

RSU 14 school buses have been cleaned and
prepared in advance of students returning
to in-person instruction under a hybrid model
at the district's six schools starting on
Wednesday. RSU 14 has about 3,200 students
 and 750 teachers and staff members.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE
suAdd caption

By Ed Pierce

On Wednesday thousands of students in Windham and Raymond will return to classes under a hybrid schedule while adhering to guidelines put forward last month by the Maine Department of Education and Maine Center for Disease Control in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The framework for students returning to in-person instruction mandated meeting six requirements including symptom screening at home before the school day; physical distancing at school; wearing masks and face coverings; hand hygiene and sanitizing; use of personal protective equipment by teachers and school staff members; and establishing a policy of home isolation for staff and students until they recover from a COVID-19 diagnosis.   

Last month RSU 14 Superintendent Christopher Howell recommended that the school district adopt a hybrid model for the start of the school year. To operate under a hybrid model, Windham and Raymond students would be grouped alphabetically with last names from A to K having in-person classes in school on Mondays and Wednesdays and those with last names from L to Z attending in-person classes in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When RSU 14 students are not in school, they will be following up online with their teachers to the best extent possible.

“I am proud of the work that has been completed by RSU 14 staff and administrators over the past couple of months,” Howell said. “In a short period of time, they have worked diligently to redefine school programs that meet the safety guidelines that have been established by the Maine CDC and the Maine Department of Education.”

To help area families screen for possible COVID-19 symptoms, RSU 14 has made available a pre-screening tool identifying questions to be asked of children each morning. 

It’s been a summer like no other for RSU 14 administrators and Howell, who have been examining how to best transition students back to in-person instruction after spending much of the spring months receiving instruction from teachers online using Zoom after the pandemic struck.

“Our challenges mean every student and every staff member has to wear a mask,” Howell said. “We’ve also had to undertake the challenge of managing and ensuring that the district has a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment ready and available. Like everyone else this summer, we’ve been thinking about what school will be like this fall and will students be safe.”

RSU 14 has 3,200 students and 750 staff members at six schools, including Windham High School. Windham Middle School, Jordan-Small Middle School, Windham Primary School, Manchester School and Raymond Elementary School.

As of Sept. 1, Maine had the second-lowest total of COVID-19 cumulative cases in the nation at 340 per 100,000 people and 4,548 since the pandemic began. In the final week of August, Maine also showed the 16^th smallest increase overall among U.S. states for the seven-day period of Aug. 24 to Aug. 31 at 3.9 percent.

To come up with a plan to safely get students back into the classroom, RSU 14 administrators had to work around a number of limitations that restricted the number of students allowed on school buses to 26 and no more than 50 students allowed in a group together at one time. They also had to comply with social distancing requirements for desks in classrooms, create new medical isolation rooms at each school, install new plexiglass protective barriers in schools, upgrade air filtration systems at each school, and ensure frequent cleaning of physical surfaces throughout the schools.

“We recognize kids can’t spend all day in the classroom,” Howell said. “We’ve also looked carefully at classroom space to keep students 3 to 6 feet apart and only 10 students in a classroom.”

For student and families choosing to opt out of in-person instruction because of COVID-19 concerns, the district will provide distance learning and laptops for students. Technology sessions are available for parents and students to help them navigate the distance learning process.

“RSU 14 continues to work to provide a mix of hybrid, distance, and multi day programs for our students.  The staffing of all of the positions that are required for a mix of programs is monumental,” Howell said. “Through some creative problem solving and flexibility, we will be able to offer a variety of school attendance options for families in our district.” <  

Be the Influence and Windham Parks and Recreation create banner for skate park

Be The Influence and Windham Parks and
Recreation worked with student campers
this summer to  create a banner for the
Windham Skate Park. Displaying the banner
from left are camper Molly Nelson, camp
counselor Archie Medina and camper Cynthia
Flaherty. SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Elizabeth Richards

As the pandemic limits socialization among youth, the Be the Influence coalition continues to work towards its mission “to promote community collaboration and positive choices in reducing youth substance use.”

Providing healthy alternatives for youth is a key strategy, and coalition community partners play a big role in helping create opportunities for youth engagement.  This summer, campers at Windham Parks and Recreation helped finish a banner designed for the skate park.

BTI Executive Director Laura Morris said that the project was started with the goal of displaying it at the grand opening of the skate park.  The Parks and Recreation department had put together a skate park task force because they knew it was a good place for youth to be outside and making healthy decisions, Morris said.

"Even law enforcement had noticed that without the skate park, youth didn’t have an outlet, and so they were engaging in more risky behaviors than before,” Morris said. Be the Influence was helping with the skate park efforts and Morris said one thing they wanted was to get youth involved by creating a banner that would hang at the park. 

The idea came from a previous project, where BTI took a large banner to schools throughout Windham and Raymond and encouraged all youth to be part of it through health and art classes as well as after school. “When we did that, we saw a lot of youth come out of the woodwork that wouldn’t regularly engage in anything, but everyone could color” Morris said.

The skate park was a good reason to get kids engaged again, Morris said, but when COVID hit, the banner hadn’t been completed.  She contacted Parks and Recreation to see if their campers could finish it, which they agreed to do. “We all thought it would be a great way to engage youth,” Morris said.

Parks and Recreation Director Linda Brooks said that although the grand opening event where the banner was supposed to be displayed couldn’t happen as planned in the spring, the skate park has been open since June and is quite popular. The skate park efforts in the past couple of years were to provide something for youth who like to take risks and challenge themselves, Brooks said. “That is a healthier risk than some of the alternatives,” she said.  

Brooks has been involved with the coalition since she began with the department in 2015.  “We’ve tried to put a focus on keeping youth active in this community,” she said.

Their summer camp program, for instance, has a place for youth of all ages.  While some departments won’t hire high schoolers, she said, that is not a philosophy they share.  They offer a senior camper program for 14-year-olds, a CIT program for 15-year-olds, and hire students part time once they are sixteen and up.  This allows them to remain a part of that community all the way through, Brooks said.

Keeping kids involved and healthy this summer required a lot of creative thinking said Kaleigh Warner, the middle school camp director for Windham Parks and Recreation.  “Similar to previous years of summer camp, we pushed our campers to get outdoors as often as possible, but with a twist due to COVID restrictions to keep all our campers, staff, and families healthy and safe,” she said. 

“This summer we encouraged campers to connect with nature and to give back to the community,” Warner said.  Some of the ways this was accomplished was through exploring the cross-country trails and building forts; partnering with Toby Jacobs of the Black Brook Reserve in Windham to help clean up trails; and weekly scavenger hunts that required kids to collaborate and exercise their brains through puzzle/riddle solving, word scrambles, and hunting for clues both indoors and out, Warner said.

As a result of the pandemic and the lack of socialization, Morris said there has been a spike in both youth substance use and stress.  BTI had intended to offer programs in the schools around resiliency, refusal skills, and education about all substances in health classes, but that’s been put on hold.  Instead, Morris said, they hope to do a community event outdoors, with movies, activities around resilience, community building games and COVID safe physical activities, in conjunction with a resource fair to showcase resources available in the community.  “That’s what we’re thinking right now for the community, but we’re dying to get back into the schools,” Morris said.  “We know it’s a tough time for youth.” 

Be the Influence offers resources on their website, www.betheinfluencewrw.org,  for addressing stress and anxiety regarding COVID-19. <