East Windham Conservation Area officially opens Saturday

By Ed Pierce

A dream more than three decades in the making is about to be realized when the East Windham Conservation Area officially opens to the public at noon on Saturday.

Ceremonies for the long anticipated opening of the East 
Windham Conservation Area will be at noon Saturday,
Dec. 2 at the Lowell Preserve Trailhead in Windham. The
site includes 661 acres of forested land and undeveloped
water frontage on Little Duck Pond as shown in this photo.
It also features the 150-acre Deer Wintering Area and the
580-foot Atherton Hill, the tallest hill in Windham.
COURTESY PHOTO  

Land at the site is 99 percent forested and includes 661 acres with 1,545 feet of undeveloped water frontage on Little Duck Pond, some 38 acres of wetlands and numerous headwater streams. Through its conservation the area will directly help protect the water quality for Little Duck Pond, Highland Lake, Forest Lake, and the Pleasant River.

Creating the conserved area has been accomplished as a partnership between the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust and the Town of Windham and a special dedication ceremony will be held at noon Saturday at the Lowell Preserve Trailhead in Windham featuring several guest speakers.

About 10 miles of new multi-use trails have been built at the site by the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust and the land also includes a 150-acre Deer Wintering Area, a traditional site for hunting by permission, and the 580-foot Atherton Hill, the tallest spot in Windham.

With its completion, the East Windham Conservation Area will directly abut more than 1,000 acres of other conserved land in Windham and Falmouth, including Lowell Preserve, North Falmouth Community Forest, and Blackstrap Hill Preserve, providing 20 miles of interconnected trails and five trailheads for public access. It will become part of the largest wildlife habitat and trail access corridor in the Greater Portland area, providing 2,000 acres of conserved land and a 30-mile trail network connecting Lowell Preserve, North Falmouth Community Forest, and Blackstrap Hill Preserve.

Funding to create the area was about $3.7 million and included a $1 million grant from the Land for Maine’s Future initiative. In 2021, voters from Windham approved a $1.8 million conservation bond using open space impact fees and another $400,000 raised privately from public donations. A Land and Water Conservation Fund federal grant for $500,000 was obtained to pay for the infrastructure improvements at the site.

A town-wide survey in Windham conducted over a six-month period in 2021 and 2022 concluded that conserving the land to remain undeveloped for wildlife habitat, water quality protection and rural character was the top benefit to be derived from the project. The second-highest ranked community benefit was to provide multiple-use outdoor recreation and create access for the whole community.

Rachelle Curran Apse, executive director of the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust says that the outdoor experience offered by the East Windham Conservation Area will make it a destination for walking, hiking, mountain biking, trail running, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and bird and wildlife watching.

“This regional scale project, which is both a destination for outdoor recreation and critical for wildlife habitat, has only been possible due to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Land for Maine’s Future Program, the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Town of Windham’s conservation bond, lead business partner Gorham Savings Bank, numerous private foundations, and over 400 local individuals and families donating to make this project a reality.”

Land for Maine’s Future officials say it was exciting to be part of such as expansive and significant conservation project which will provide recreational opportunities for future generations of Mainers.

“We have been excited about this project since the Town of Windham and Presumpscot Regional Land Trust first brought it to our attention in its exploratory phase,” said Steve Walker, Director of the Land for Maine’s Future. “This project embodies the best of public and private partnerships working together to protect the places that support our wildlife, our quality of life, and our economy.”

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said the town is grateful to the Lands for Maine’s Future organization for helping to fund this project.

“The timing of this land being available to be conserved for the future with recreational usage combined with the state’s renewed commitment to funding with the Land for Maine’s Future program has been ideal,” Tibbetts said. “The LMF Board’s award to grant the town nearly $1 million for the acquisition of this property is an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up.”

Windham’s Open Space Plan identifies developing and maintaining open space partnerships and relationships as key mechanisms to grow conservation efforts in the town. When the Windham Town Council formally adopted the Open Space Plan, Windham reached out to the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust in 2021 to be an open space partner by holding a conservation easement and sharing responsibility for the trail management on the adjacent 308-acre Lowell Preserve.

During a Windham Town Council meeting in 2022, Linda Brooks, Windham Parks and Recreation Director, said that the creation of the East Windham Conservation Area would expand the town’s growing tourist economy by creating a new outdoor destination with miles of accessible forested trails and a spectacular 360-degree view from which will be the only observation tower from on top of one of the highest points in the Greater Portland area.

"Four season recreational opportunities will help local business realize benefits from tourists throughout the year,” said Brooks. “Acquisition of this property will protect resources for hiking, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, skiing, mountain biking, picnicking and other recreational activities. In addition to all the recreational benefits for all ages, there are educational benefits to be considered as well. We do have members from RSU 14 who will serve on the steering committee to help us with educational development. The East Windham Conservation Project offers a unique opportunity for K to 12 educational activities in a large and diverse outdoor classroom setting.”

The project will dramatically expand and diversify recreational opportunities in Windham with the purchase and conservation of 661 acres of land. Currently less than 4 percent of Windham is conserved with recreational access.

In addition to holding the conservation easement, the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust will have a shared management agreement for the project land with Windham.

The East Windham Conservation Area’s Phase Two opening will take place in the fall of 2024 once the remaining five miles of trails are built, including a universal access trail, which can be navigated by those with limited mobility and will lead to the scenic overlook and pond views. A third phase of the project is planned for future years and will include an observation tower.

Since the 1990s, Windham residents have identified the East Windham Conservation Area as an important area site to conserve during increasing concerns about local development. It features large undeveloped habitat blocks and superior water quality protection.

Tibbetts said conserving the land ensures that it remains undeveloped as future wildlife habitats and to preserve the town’s rural character while providing a multiple-use outdoor recreation site. <

Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital benefits from WMS Altitude Program book donation

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Middle School’s Altitude Program strives to have students become significant community members with a goal to create hands-on learning opportunities, which aim toward students reaching their highest potential. Last year, the program donated books to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland and this year the group, composed of seventh and eighth graders, decided to do it again.

Windham Middle School eighth graders make a book donation
to Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center
in Portland on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Back row, from left, are
Marcus Farinella, Jo Ricker, Mallory Clement, Jovie 
Jauregui, Sophia McGovern, Mr. Sean Mains, Gloria
Veilluex and Melonie Blackey-Marsh. Front, from left, are
Mrs. Lisa Anderson, Matt Denslow, Sam Day, Mrs. Autumn
Carlsen-Cook, and Miss Bry Warren.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA    

Seventh and eighth graders from the program dropped off a large box filled to the top with books on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

“It really is so important to have gotten all of these incredible books,” said Dana Fadel, Hospital Teacher and School Liaison for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. “They will go into the hands of every patient that we have; and all the patients that we see always ask for books, so this is really critical. It’s much appreciated and will go a long way.”

The patients at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital get to keep the books which are used sometimes in an educational setting or to just pass the time. Fadel asks every student she sees if they’re interested in reading and what they’re interested in - many times, it’s books about subjects she received in the box from Windham Middle School, like Bluey, Taylor Swift, Hardy Boys, or graphic novels.

WMS eighth grader Otis Jordan said donating these books made him feel like he was making a difference.

“I’m helping out kids,” said Windham eighth grader Marcus Farinella. “It feels great.”

The Altitude Program heard that Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital needed books, so they put up posters around Windham Middle School and had boxes where students and staff could donate books. They also made announcements stating there were boxes around the school where books could be donated. Some of the books were donated from members of the Altitude Program, but some also came from a book fair at Windham Middle School where individuals could buy a book and donate a book.

“I wanted to help because I want the kids to be happy and if it means bringing in a few books then I will do it,” said Windham seventh grader Khloe Hardy who helped with the book drive by putting up posters and boxes around the school. “I felt really happy when I helped the kids and that I made a difference.”

According to Farinella, the goal of the Altitude program is to try to bring out the best in every kid in the program and do fun activities, raising their spirits while raising their outlook on life.

“It felt great because you got to give people stuff who might not get stuff all the time,” said Windham eighth grader Julez Jeasey.

WMS eighth grader Jo Ricker agreed.

“When you give, you feel a lot better,” Ricker said. “I like taking time out of my day to help people.”

The goal of the Altitude Program is to try to bring out the best in every kid in the program by performing community building activities, like going shopping or going to the Windham Food Pantry, ice skating or to the Windham skate park. The program teaches life skills and helps them accomplish as much as possible.

“This year we partnered with Ripple Effect ... a kind of outdoor adventure leadership program,” said Altitude Program science teacher Autumn Carlsen-Cook, who is in her second year of the Altitude Program. “We took the seventh and eighth graders to Cow Island last year and they did different outdoor leadership activities where they would challenge themselves to a level of their comfort, so climbing wall, zip line, different games to show working together.”

In partnering with Ripple Effect, the Altitude Program will do monthly excursions during this school year. They take grades outside of the classroom for a full day of community building activities, but also learn applications from these activities.

Every student involved with the Altitude Program say they should continue donating to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital because it feels nice getting a gift from someone your age who knows what you might like to read.

“We came here to help these kids ... they should benefit from our kindness,” said Ricker. “It makes me feel wonderful. If we give them a book, it keeps their mind occupied, it keeps them happy. It would cheer me up if I was in the hospital and I read a book I really enjoyed.” <

Local boxer overcomes crippling injury to win New England Super Welterweight title

By Ed Pierce

All Casey Streeter can do is smile when he thinks about how far he has come in a few short years. He was rising through the ranks as a professional boxer in 2017 and was looking forward to starting a new job as a correctional officer at the Maine Corrections Center in Windham, but on his final day of work as an arborist, he almost lost his life and his right leg in an accident.

Boxer Casey Streeter, left, beat Joe Farina of Massachusetts
to win the New England Super Welterweight title during
a championship fight at the Portland Expo on Nov. 11.
He had to overcome a crippling injury to his right leg
in 2017 from a logging accident to come back and 
continue his professional boxing career.
STEPHEN SHEA PHOTOGRPAHY    

Originally from Portland, Streeter has been boxing since the age of 9 and turned professional in 2014. He had started in boxing to overcome a challenging and traumatic childhood and was well on his way to achieving his dreams with a record of 9-1 as a professional.

“I became part of Bobby Russo’s Portland Boxing Club in order to have an outlet,” Streeter said. “It literally saved my life.”

But it all came to a screeching halt in August 2017 when a log truck’s grapple suddenly clamped down on his leg.

When the accident happened, Streeter was working dragging logs with a log chain from a ditch in North Yarmouth. He had wrapped one end of the chain around a tree trunk and was walking the other end of the chain up to the log truck’s grapple from a ditch when his co-worker lost sight of him, and the grapple suddenly closed and clamped onto his leg.

His femur and knee were shattered, he sustained a compound fracture, and a chunk of his leg was also torn away by the grapple. Blood erupted from his wound and the grapple’s claw had just missed his femoral artery by a quarter inch. He stumbled down into the ditch and didn’t know if he was going to live. He thought of his wife Abby and his children and wondered if this was the end of his life.

Streeter’s co-worker found him in the ditch, tried calling for help on his cell phone but there was no cell service available. He then ran to a nearby home and used their telephone to summon help.

Rushed to Maine Medical Center, his leg was so mangled that doctors were unsure if they could save it. But his orthopedic trauma surgeon was a military veteran who had worked with soldiers on the battlefield in Iraq. He assured Streeter that he would not lose his leg and reconstructed it carefully using more than 20 metal pins and rods. A severe wound infection and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the accident also had to be overcome by Streeter.

He then began walking again with the aid of crutches and following months of difficult physical therapy, he felt that he had turned a corner and might be able to box again.

Slowly recovering, Streeter returned to his gym in 2019 at the Portland Boxing Club and started working out for his longtime trainer Russo who had known him for decades. He then vowed if he had made it this far in his recovery, he was bound and determined to win a championship and he adopted a new “Comeback Kid” nickname.

“During a training camp, I work six days a week, up to two to three hours of a workout routine,” Streeter said. “I spar, do mitt work, work on strength and conditioning, and can run multiple miles in a week. This is after I’ve already worked a nine-hour shift.”

On Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Portland Expo in Portland, Streeter, 32, fought Joe Farina of Massachusetts for the New England Super Welterweight title at 154 pounds.

Farina entered the bout with a record of 11-1 and the fight went a full eight rounds. It was a tough fight, but Streeter’s strong combinations came out on top, and judges awarded him a majority decision and the championship belt. His record now stands at 11-2-1 and his professional career is back on track.

“What I like the most about boxing is it’s something that helps keep my mental health in check,” he said. “I like the handwork and dedication and my gym family is what I value most.”

Streeter said that he hopes to fight again early in the New Year but in the meantime, he’s enjoying spending time with his family and reflecting on his title. <

Windham dancers to perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City

By Ed Pierce

As millions will be watching on television across America, five girls from Windham will be performing Thursday as part of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Five Windham dancers will be performing in the Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Thursday
as part of a group of 19 dancers from the Drouin Dance
Center in Westbrook. From left are Ellen Woodside,
Autumn Wood, Claire Chartier, Juliana Gagne, and 
Lily Lundberg. PHOTO BY DANIELLLE DROUIN   

The Windham girls will be part of a group of 19 dancers from the Drouin Dance Center in Westbrook who will be joining 680 other dancers from across the country performing a dance routine produced by Spirit of America Productions for the parade.

Ellen Woodside, Autumn Wood, Claire Chartier, Juliana Gagne, and Lily Lundberg are all juniors at Windham High School and say they are excited to travel to New York City to perform with the Drouin Dance Center group.

“We have been rehearsing for the event for the past few weeks, after learning in February that our dancers would be performing in the parade,” said Danielle J. Drouin, the owner and director of Drouin Dance Center. “We are very excited to be part of this monumental event, and our dancers have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience.”

She said that performers from Drouin Dance Center were first invited to participate in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and have performed in the 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021 parades prior to this year.

Woodside said that the routine she’s had to learn for this year’s parade performance in New York City has been formidable.

“We have to know every single detail and pinpoint off of it in three different parts,” she said. “It has been so exhausting but so much fun at the same time.”

She is the daughter of Chanda Turner and Ryan Woodside of Windham.

“The thing I like most about dancing is getting to express myself through the movement and the fun of a high energy performance,” Woodside said. “I am most looking forward to seeing Broadway shows with all of my friends as well as getting to meet the 700 dancers we will be working with in the routine.”

Chartier is the daughter of Amanda and Geoff Chartier of Windham.

“I'm most looking forward to seeing the Rockettes at the famous Radio City Music Hall,” she said. “I'm also looking forward to seeing SIX the musical.”

She said the most difficult routine that she’s had to learn so far is the dance she’ll be performing in New York City this week for the parade.

“I had to learn it through a video, and it includes different parts with different choreography,” Chartier said. “What I love about dancing is not only the community surrounding it, but it's also rewarding. I feel accomplished and refreshed after a long day of classes. Ballet is my favorite because the gracefulness and strength it requires is very therapeutic to me.”

Gagne said she’s looking forward to just being in New York City overall, being in all of the busy streets and seeing all of the tall buildings, but also being able to meet 700 other dancers and making friends with people from all over the world.

She is the daughter of Krystal Williams and Thomas Gagne of Windham.

“The thing I like most about dancing is all of the opportunities that come with it like being able to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and having this opportunity to meet choreographers from around the United States and seeing the Rockettes,” Gagne said.

Since she first started dancing, Gagne says the most difficult dance routine she’s had to learn has been the dance used for this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“It has been fun to learn the dance, but it is very stressful because we have to learn it in such a short time,” she said. “We have to have every movement sharp, and we have to learn all of the formations perfectly for when we get to New York so the choreographers can make sure they can make changes if they have to and make sure everyone knows what they are doing.”

Wood is the daughter of Raymond and Irrae Wood of Windham.

She said she loves how dancing has given her such a creative outlet.

“I cannot think back to which routine was the most difficult because with enough practice, one can have the routine as close to perfect as possible,” she said. “I have never been to New York, so I am excited to see everything that I can. The things I am most excited about are the Broadway shows and seeing the balloons in the parade in person.”

Lundberg is the daughter of Gretchen Lundberg of Windham.

She said that she’s most looking forward to seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall during her trip to perform in the parade.

“When I am dancing, I feel like I can express myself in different ways than I could verbally,” Lundberg said. “I also enjoy the friends that I have made from dancing.”

According to Lundberg, one challenging dance routine she’s learned stands out above all the rest.

“The most difficult piece that I have ever had to learn was the 19-minute-long piece choreographed by Barbie Diewald that I learned at the Bates Dance Festival for the Young Dancers Workshop in 2022.”

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States and along with towering balloons and colorful floats, it also features live music and other performances and is broadcast live on NBC Television. <

Windham salutes young ‘Patriot’s Pen’ essay winners during annual Veterans Day observance

By Ed Pierce

Veterans Day is an acknowledgement that those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation deserve our admiration and respect and several area students have done just that by submitting this year’s winning essays in the Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy contests sponsored by VFW Post 10643.

The winners of this year's local 'Patriot's Pen' essay contest
for students in Grade 6 to 8 were honored during the VFW
Post 10643's Veterans Day observance at the Windham
Veterans Center on Saturday, Nov. 11. From left are  
first-place recipient Shea Carey, an eight-grade student
at Windham Middle School, and second-place recipient
Lance Lake, a homeschooled seventh grader.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

Shea Carey, an eighth grader at Windham Middle School, was honored at the VFW’s Veterans Day observance as this year’s first-place recipient in the local Patriot’s Pen competition. Carey’s 400-word essay on the topic "How are you inspired by America?" was singled out by judges to be the best this year and qualifies her for the upcoming district competition.

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society.

District winners compete in the VFW’s annual state competition while trying to secure a berth in the national competition with a chance to win thousands of dollars in college scholarships. The first-place VFW state winner also receives a four-day trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national Patriot’s Pen contest.

“I thought it was such an amazing thing to be recognized in this way,” Carey said. “I have always loved writing and because many of my family members served in the Army, I wanted to express my gratitude to them through this essay.”

She said that her best friend Taylor encouraged her to enter the contest and encouraged her as she was writing it.

It took about three days to compose the essay and almost a week to read it over and make revisions before submitting her entry.

“I’m not sure what my chances will be in the state because there are so many amazing writers in Maine,” Carey said. “I am fully committed to doing this and am grateful to have won and to have had a chance to read my essay at this event today.”

Carey said she enjoys writing to express her creativity but thinks she may ultimately pursue a career in teaching and education when she is an adult.

She received a check for $200 for winning the local contest and intends to save the money for when she attends college.

Lance Lake, a seventh grader from Gray who is homeschooled, took home second place in the local Patriot’s Pen competition for the second consecutive year. In 2022, he won second place as a sixth-grade student at Windham Christian Academy.

Lake said it took him about a week to come up with an idea for his essay and he wanted to enter the contest again this year because it has helped him grow as a person.

“It’s important because it proves responsibility and maturity,” Lake said. “I had my grandparents read it before I turned it in though.”

In his essay, Lake mentioned how the sacrifices made by veterans and military members inspire him daily.

“I’d like to serve in the U.S. Air Force someday myself,” he said. “I would like to be a USAF pilot.”

He said that in writing essays for the contest over multiple years, he’s learned that it’s a process that requires effort.

“It takes a lot of patience and a lot of thought put into it,” Lake said.

The VFW Post 10643 winner of this year’s Voice of Democracy contest in Windham is Anna Seavey, a senior attending Windham Christian Academy. Because of a previous commitment, Seavey was unable to attend the event, but her essay was read aloud to the audience attending the VFW Veterans Day festivities and she was awarded a check for $200 from the VFW.

The Voice of Democracy competition is open to all high school students from Windham and Raymond, in Grades 9 to 12, including those who are home-schooled. Students are asked to write and record a 3- to 5-minute essay (on an audio CD) on this year's theme " What are the greatest attributes of our Democracy?"

Like in Carey’s case in the Patriot’s Pen competition, Seavey’s Voice of Democracy audio essay will advance to the district-level and if successful there, she would qualify for the state-level contest hoping to secure a berth in the national Voice of Democracy contest. The first-place VFW state winner earns a four-day trip to Washington, D.C.

Each year, nearly 25,000 students in grades 9 to 12 from across the country enter to win their share of more than $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the Voice of Democracy program.

The first-place winner nationally receives $5,000 for the Patriot's Pen winning essay and the first-place winning essay nationally for the Voice of Democracy receives a $35,000 college scholarship.

Prior to the essay awards, retired Air Force Colonel Bob Chapin delivered the keynote address to those attending the Veterans Day observance.

Chapin told the audience that Veterans Day is more than just a day off from work.

“It’s a day of action,” he said. “Former President Barack Obama said that our debt to these heroes can never be repaid but we can honor their sacrifice, and we must. We must honor it in our own lives by holding their memories close to our hearts and heeding the example they set.”

Members of Windham’s delegation to the Maine Legislature attended the Veterans Day observance including State Senator Tim Nangle and State Representatives Jane Pringle and Barbara Bagshaw. Windham Town Councilors David Nadeau and Bill Reiner were also on hand, as was former State Senator and State Representative Gary Plummer of Windham.

The Windham Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Richard Nickerson provided patriotic songs during the observance and scouts from Windham Boy Scout Troop 805 served handed out programs and delivered the colors at the event.

Before concluding the event with a luncheon donated by Chick-fil-A of Westbrook and Kentucky Fried Chicken of Windham, the American Legion Post 148 Honor Guard played “Taps” and fired a 21-gun salute. VFW Post 10643 Commander Willie Goodman and Legion Post 148 Commander Tom Theriault placed a wreath in the Windham Veterans Center Memorial Garden to pay tribute to veterans from Windham who have served in the armed forces of the United States through the years. <

JSMS student broadcasters air ‘What’s the News?’ reports

By Lorraine Glowczak

The airwaves are busy over Raymond as a group of sixth-grade students prepare news reports on the latest developments at Jordan-Small Middle School (JSMS). Whether the young reporters and anchors are interviewing teachers, students, or staff, Jennifer Potter’s English Language Arts class is having fun while learning written and verbal communication skills through an innovative curriculum based upon the everyday tasks of broadcast journalists in their new school show, “What’s the News?”

A new English Language Arts hands-on curriculum in
broadcast journalism not only teaches Jordan-Small 
Middle School students written and verbal communication
skills, but is helping students master the art of filming and
editing videos and learning to collaborate with others.
On air, reporting the news are, from left, Jordan Buxton,
Franklin Murray and Araia Peterson.
SUBMITTED PHOTO      

Potter was inspired to create this curriculum after her son graduated from Windham High School.

“I was reflecting on his valuable experiences in middle school,” she said. “He loved using technology to create iMovies and news shows. I then started brainstorming how to bring broadcast news to the sixth grade at Jordan-Small.”

She mentioned the idea to Richey Vickers, Windham Middle School’s Instructional Technology Leader. He also wanted to create a news show at the middle school level, and they decided to work together.

“At the start of the unit, I posed the question to my students – ‘what is broadcast news, and how do we as viewers stay informed?’” Potter said. “We watched three short local news stories and analyzed their overall structure and how anchors transitioned between stories.”

The students also learned a few tips from two guest speakers, Jessica Conley, a former WCSH 6 meteorologist who is now a math teacher at Windham High School, and former WMTW 8 meteorologist Matt Zidle, who is currently a Windham Middle School math teacher.

After the students gained an understanding of broadcast journalism, the class brainstormed topics they were interested in reporting for JSMS. This activity helped students develop their critical thinking and writing skills and gave them a better understanding of how the news is created.

Each student journalist is assigned work based on their strengths and interests, whether it be as a news reporter or a behind-the-scenes creator.

Sixth grader, Miles Moreau is a news reporter and he interviewed Jed Bloom’s science class students about their rocket launch experiments.

“We reported on why some rockets went farther than others and why some didn’t go very far,” he said. “We learned that the rockets made of card stock and smaller nose cones went farther than the ones with printer paper and bigger nose cones. We had to try a lot of times to make the news story because we kept on messing up and saying the wrong words. We solved it by memorizing the script.”

Poppy Macijauskas, also a student in broadcast journalism, works on the animation part of the news.

“It took some time to finish my storyboard and start animating, but I created my first full-color animation, and I am very proud of that,” she said. “I am very excited about what I am doing next.”

Besides learning verbal and written communication skills, students acknowledge that they are learning much more.

Sixth grader Addy Elwell said that learning about the tasks involved with broadcasting taught her valuable lessons in unexpected ways.

“You must be educated on the topic you are learning about and speaking on,” she said. “I also learned about the five W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why), and that really helped me while filming my part of the newscasting show.”

Vickers pointed out that students are also learning about time management.

“They are learning that they must prioritize and make choices on how to spend their time,” he said.

Other lessons learned have come from challenges faced and finding ways to overcome them. The use of technology has been one of those obstacles.

“Technology is always challenging when starting something new,” Vickers said. “Students have learned to record and edit their videos. This includes the visual and audio portions of the project. Sometimes speaking loudly or more clearly is what is needed and other times noise cancellation from the software is needed. Students are learning how to balance these to get the product they approve.”

Potter shared a moment when the student anchors of an hour-long news show filmed all their story transitions on a student's computer.

“Unfortunately, the computer was damaged, and they lost all their hard work,” she said. “The students were understandably disappointed, but they took it as an opportunity to learn an important life lesson – to always back up their work. This experience taught them the importance of being prepared and adaptable, and they emerged from it stronger and more resilient than ever before.”

Challenges or not, all lessons are lessons learned for a lifetime.

“From learning how to film and edit videos to collaborating with others, students are gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience that will serve them well in the future,” Potter said. “Not only will they be able to communicate their learning in an additional mode, but they will also have an infinite number of ways to be technologically creative, something that they will use in their personal and professional lives. By mastering these skills, students are setting themselves up for success and are better equipped to navigate the changing world of technology.” <