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

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

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

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

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

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

A dream job and an opportunity to race By Elizabeth Richards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Legally Blonde, the musical Review By Michelle Libby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

High school students learn survival skills throught science By Elizabeth Richards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesse Jordan and his dog By Michelle Libby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unsupervised skatepark vandalized By Michelle Libby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kaile's Korner heads to television By Michelle Libby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3 on 3 basketball funraiser shoots and scores By Michelle Libby

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

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

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

Windham family hosts Taiwanese students By Elizabeth Richards

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

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


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

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

Diane Leavitt strategizes her way cross country By Michelle Libby

Pulmonary arterial hypertension. Two years ago, those words were spoken to Windham High School teacher Diane Leavitt. She went on oxygen right away and has had to have a portable oxygen concentrator with her all of the time since then.
 
That hasn’t stopped her from living her life. Leavitt has taken a road trip this summer with her middle son, Christopher. However, it’s not just any road trip. She has a mission.
 
Leavitt had breathing problems prior to her diagnosis, she wasn’t sure why she was walking slower and unable to do the things she wanted to do like kayak and canoe. Now she has trouble breathing when she walks into school and when she talks animatedly. “They still don’t know what’s causing it,” said Leavitt.
“I take a break getting into school outside the office, which is about halfway to my room. I get to see a lot of the kids because I’m going slow. I see a lot of good that comes out of people,” Leavitt said.
 

Leavitt is an educator at heart. She also likes to travel, but what’s a woman who carries oxygen around supposed to do? In Leavitt’s case, she packs her bags, Christopher, and heads on a cross country trip to document her journey and to discuss life with people she meets along the way.
 
“Each year I get progressively worse. Next year I might not be able to travel. I don’t expect much. I just experience it,” she said.
 
As a little girl she would walk around the neighborhood in Cambridge and introduce herself to the neighbors. “Finding out about other people, that’s what the traveling is all about,” she said. This trip has brought her back to that time in her life when she introduces herself to people and talks to them.
 
Now she uses her camera to document the stories about people with and without disabilities from all over the country. She hopes that this film will help people who get a diagnosis like hers to learn about and manage what they might go through.
 
“I just think about the early stage and how scary it was. Doctors specializing in this can recommend (the documentary) to their newly diagnosed patients,” Leavitt said.
 
Her new philosophy is “random acts of kindness...no longer random but a way of life. This attitude is a magnet for kindness in return. This states a lot about the project and what we can do for each other.” She has learned about the kindness of others and how people sympathize with her. They want to know where she got her oxygen machine, which she calls R2D2 after seeing a Star Wars display, or they want to help her in general.
 
“I’m really visible. A lot of people are dealing with things that aren’t visible,” she said. “Find that positiveness and stick with it.”
 
“Part of my learning was educating my family and friends. Here I am an educator. I’m on oxygen and some people are way worse. I’m still active. It’s better to keep moving, keep doing,” she said.
 
“I force myself to keep going physically. People have to do what they have to do,” she said. She knows one student that has cancer and when she hears a perfectly healthy teen say that her life sucks and he can’t take it, Leavitt looks at her student and can’t believe it what she’s hearing. “I want to give a message to high school kids. You’ve got to figure out a way around it. Learn to strategize,” Leavitt said.
 
Medically, there was no prognosis given for her condition, but when she Googled it…”It’s very disturbing,” she said. However, her doctor told her that there are no rules.
 
The trip cross country is not part of a bucket list. She doesn’t want to call it that. “I understand my limitations and strategize accordingly,” she said.
 
Many people told her that she couldn’t make this trip. Physically, they said she couldn’t do it. “They’ll try to rob you or take advantage of you.” She didn’t believe her friends. She was determined.
A
t the end of day one she said, “I can’t physically do this…without Christopher. People are going to help me out. It’s a trip instead of an ordeal,” Leavitt said.
 


Their destination is Calfornia, San Francisco and the Redwood Forest. She also got in touch with a group that’s meeting in Sacramento like the support group she belongs to here in Maine. They invited her to stop by and she hopes to get interviews with some of the members.
They left Las Vegas on Wednesday, heading for the west coast. They plan to return to Maine around August 8.
 

Leavitt is best known for her work with the business simulation classes, but she is also the community service coordinator and coordinator for the allied arts at Windham High School.

Solar project at East Windham Fire Station moves forward by Elizabeth Richards

Within the next few months the East Windham Fire Station will have a very different look. The town council voted in late June to move forward with a project that will install an array of solar panels on the roof of the station. Curt Bartram, an energy engineer and member of the town’s Energy Advisory Committee said, “Solar energy systems do work in the State of Maine, and this is going to be a good example of how they can benefit towns, and people in the towns.”

Another committee member, Rocky Ackroyd, spoke in favor of the initiative at the June 25 town council meeting. “It is a perfect pilot project for the community to move into the solar world,” he said.

The project is a joint venture between the Town of Windham, and Portland-based ReVision Energy, which approached the committee with the concept of doing a solar project using none of the town’s money, said Bartram. The company purchases the system at its estimated cost of $117,000, and will own and operate the system for the first six years. Windham will purchase the energy generated at a discounted cost of one cent below Windham’s indexed market rate during this six-year time frame, after which the town will have the option to purchase the system for $35,000. The panels will create as much energy as is used by the East Windham Fire Station and the North Windham Fire Station combined, said Ben Smith, assistant town planner in Windham.

“Part of what makes this work for both the town and ReVision is that there are solar energy credits available to the company whereby they sell discounted electricity to the town, and then after six years the town has the option to purchase the solar panel and all the equipment that goes with it at a very discounted rate,” said Smith. While the final contract is still being reviewed, and there is no construction schedule in place yet, Smith said that the panels will be installed before winter.

The goal is to have the town take ownership after the six years, he said. “That’s certainly where the town would see the greatest energy savings dollar wise, but having that six year time period to basically evaluate the system, see how much it’s actually going to generate, will inform that decision when the time comes,” he said. There is a projected savings of approximately $100,000 over 30 years, said Smith, and an estimated $5,500 annual savings once the town owns the system.

While cost savings may be the reason the energy committee could get the proposal on the council agenda, the energy committee was also interested in energy projects that the town can do from a model standpoint, said Smith. “The benefit of generating electricity that’s not fossil fuel based is certainly one of the objectives that the energy committee was looking at,” he said.

“The committee thought it was an excellent way to promote alternative energy sources and to save energy for the town at the same time,” said Bertram. “We’re trying to promote alternative energy, trying to reduce energy consumption within the town, and trying to promote the concept of alternative energies to the folks that live in Windham – that’s really our goal,” he added.

In his comment at the council meeting, Ackroyd said that while there is potential for several years of “free” energy if the town purchases the panels. That’s not what it’s all about. “It’s not the free energy. It’s the modeling of conservation and that the town is willing to do this, which is a great incentive for other people to see the need for us to start looking at alternatives to our traditional fuels that we use for electricity,” he said.

An initial meeting in April left the council with some questions around installation, snow removal, financing and payback that were answered satisfactorily by the time the council voted on the project on June 25, according to Smith. The council voted 6-1 in favor of the project.

Community Garden fills a blooming need by Michelle Libby

Two women stood in the middle of the Windham Community Garden. “I heard on the weather channel there’s late blight in New Jersery. I called Blue Seal to see about some copper.”
“We should get on that,” the other woman said. When gardeners get together they talk about the weather and the crops. It’s no different at the Windham Community Garden where there are 75 beds on Route 202.

The Windham Community Garden is run by a 10 person committee. Each committee member is in charge of overseeing the food pantry beds and making sure that someone around one of those beds is watching out for those crops.

The gardens are all organic. Gardeners are not allowed to use pesticides or harsh chemicals per the organization’s bylaws. They do care about getting rid of the pests. They use surf and turf compost from Benson’s Farm, lime to regulate the soil, Neem Oil and Surround crop protectant.

“There is a misconception,” said committee member Marge Govoni. “We live in Maine, why do we need a community garden? We have a lot of trees. Trees and woods are not compatible with growing, they provide a lot of shade. Gardens need sun.”

What is grown at the community garden is everything and anything. Tomatoes, carrots, beans, peas, cucumbers, garlic, corn, zucchini, squash, broccoli, flowers and more. Fourteen of the total beds grow crops for the Windham food pantry. Last year the garden donated over 2,100 pounds of produce including tomatoes, carrots, string beans, peas, cucumbers and two types of squash. Last year they planted winter squash for the food pantry, but a farm nearby also grew and donated winter squash, so they chose something else this year, said Govoni.

The land the garden is on is town-owned. “If the town required it back, we would give it back at anytime,” Govoni said. From an aerial view the garden is all beds except for the middle. There is a hill where the gardeners have built some rock sculptures, although they tried using it, it is all ledge and nothing could grow there.

After the first year, 2010, with no water at the garden, Fire Chief Charlie Hammond gave permission to have a water line hooked into the fire department and now there are 12 spigots for easy access to water. 

The group holds regular educational sessions led by cooperative extension on pest control and other topics important to the success of their gardens.

This year, the community garden board had to return to the town council to get permission to expand the garden. There is usually a waiting list for beds in the garden. However, due to people moving or lack of ability to care for the garden there isn’t one. The process for getting a plot of land begins in the middle of the winter, said Govoni. An application must be filled out and submitted and applicants must agree to abide by the rules and bylaws. “We supply all the tools,” Govoni said.

The group does charge for a bed, but they also offer two fundraisers each year, a fall harvest supper and a chili challenge in February. They also have been awarded a grant for a new “group house”, which is a cross between a green house and a hoop house for winter plants and extending the growing season.

The garden is looking for more members to be on the committee and is always looking for volunteers who need community service hours. “We want people who care and who have a passion, one, for gardening and two, for helping folks. We make a commitment for our gardeners to be successful. We ask that they be healthy and can work,” said Govoni. “And taking care of this garden is work.”
For more information on the Windham Community Garden, visit www.windhamcommunitygarden.org 

Local nonprofit offers cancer support by Elizabeth Richards

On the last Monday of each month the Windham Cancer Support Group meets at the Windham Public Library, welcoming anyone dealing with cancer to ask questions, find information or simply vent. The nonprofit organization was formed seven years ago when two women determined that there was a need for a local support group. Now, the group has a core membership of 10 to 12 people.

Kim Murray and Rachel Phinney have been involved in the group since the very early days. They had known each other before their cancer diagnoses, and were diagnosed around the same time. The group helped them become stronger in their journey, said Murray. Phinney has only missed one meeting in seven years.

Murray stressed the importance of having a local group available. During cancer treatments, she said, the Cancer Community Center (CCC) in South Portland is just too far to travel. “I never made it there, but I was able to get to this group, which was really nice,” she said.

Bob Beane joined the group five years ago, after receiving a diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer and a prognosis of three months. He recalled walking in to the meeting the first night, seeing a group of about 14 women, and wondering what he was doing there. Now, however, he feels differently. The group includes a few men now, and they would love to add more. “This is home. It’s local. As long as we keep the door open, there are people in this community, this surrounding area, this lake region area that we hope will hear about us and come in,” said Beane. “If we can come in and tell our stories and give somebody else hope, then that’s what it’s all about.”

Even though her treatment is complete, Murray said it’s nice to see what they give back by sharing their experiences with others. “We get just as much from them, and it makes us feel good to be able to give back because it was there when we needed it,” she said.

Phinney added, “We laugh, we cry, we try to make it very light, so people will come.” The toughest aspect, she said, is getting the word out there so that people know the group exists. “We’re there in Windham for people anytime they want to contact us. We have an open door policy, and everything is confidential,” she said.

Murray added that the members of the group rely on each other. “This is our network now, this is our community – it has made me feel a part of the community in a way that supports me, but also in a way that we can give back,” she said When a cancer diagnosis comes, she said, sometimes people have no idea what to say or do. Because the people in the group have been through it, they know how much something like a gas or Hannaford gift card can mean. And the connections they’ve made matter as well. “I can’t stress enough the friendships and the bonds that we have now,” she said.

“This group is a family. We’re always there talking to each other,” added Beane. “If somebody’s got a problem there’s three or four people standing there saying ‘what can we do to help?’ That’s what it’s all about.”

The group also offers education and resources, such as speakers at every other meeting, with topics ranging from reflexology and Reiki to nutrition and laughter yoga. The education piece is important, said Beane. “For those of us who have been diagnosed and are dealing with this stuff, about 80 percent of our knowledge of this disease, what it does, and what it’s doing to us comes from support groups. It does not come from the medical community. I have learned volumes of information about my type of cancer from support groups,” he said.

The Windham Cancer Support Group supports caregivers as well, with special meetings and the opportunity to connect with other caregivers. The group participates in American Cancer Society (ACS) events, such as Relay for Life and Making Strides, and helps connect members to resources available through the ACS and the CCC.

The group is also involved in fundraising, both holding their own and participating in local fundraisers to support individuals. With these funds, and funds donated to the group, they are able to provide some support as needed, as well as supporting a couple of local families affected by cancer around the holidays.

The Windham Cancer Support Group meets on the last Monday of each month. In December, they hold a social event instead of the meeting. The support group is active throughout the summer as well. “The cancer society stresses that cancer doesn’t sleep,” said Phinney. “We try to make it as accessible as we can if somebody really needs to talk.” The next meeting will be held on Monday, July 29, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.