Raymond Select Board takes public comments and concerns about withdrawing from RSU14 - By Michelle Libby

Tuesday night the Raymond Select Board held a public hearing about the proposal to look into withdrawing from RSU14. They will have a question on the ballot on November 4 asking, “Do you favor filing a petition for withdrawal with the board of directors of RSU14 and with the Commissioner of Education, authorizing the withdrawal committee to expend $25,000 and authorizing the Raymond Board of Selectmen to issue notes in the name of the Town of Raymond or otherwise pledge the credit of the Town of Raymond in an amount not to exceed $25,000 for this purpose?”
 

The money would come out of the selectmen contingency, said chair Michael Reynolds. “This hearing is step four of a 22 step process.” 

The vote would give the town the permission to create a committee of four which would look into the feasibility and pros and cons of withdrawing from the RSU. Voting yes does not mean that Raymond wants to leave, it means they want to explore what that would look like, said selectman Teresa Sadak, who took out the petition and turned it in with 352 signatures on it. 

In the audience was superintendent Sandy Prince and assistant superintendent Don Davis along with RSU14 board chair Marge Govoni and school board member Diana Froisland, co-chair and Raymond resident.

Former RSU14 board chair Catriona Sangster spoke. “This vote starts the investigation process. It can take up to two years. Consolidation has been challenging and has been disruptive,” she started. She was concerned if this was a two year process. “Our teachers are going to go bonkers. They’re just figuring out how to work with teacher teams districtwide. This would mean up to two years of insecurity. What about our children’s education?”

Sadak said the reason Raymond gave the State Board of Education was that Windham wanted to build a middle school without state funding. “It’s about a lot of things and various reasons,” Sadak said. 

Sue Accardi, Windham High School nurse said, “I’m very saddened over all of this. I remember when we didn’t know where to send our middle school kids. Our kids were sent out all over the place. I’m thinking of the benefits – food service, I’m thinking of the pictures of the kids in the cooking class, collaboration of health services and the work that has gone into the policies.”

A few of the speakers were concerned about the lack of representation they would have if they were not part of an RSU. They would have control over their own K – 8 system, but beyond that they would not. As it stands, Raymond has three seats on the RSU14 school board. 

“There was a lot of hurt over the redistricting. I hope this is not what it’s about,” said Accardi. 

Grace Levitt wanted to see the $25,000 ear marked for investigation to be used for more staff for the students. “You lose all local control after eighth grade. You’re not part of the school committee,” she said. 

Right now Raymond has school choice for high school and they are able to send their children to any number of high schools in the area, but the town must pay $7,900 for each of those students who do not choose to go to Windham High School. 

“Maybe we rushed into it a little bit, but I wanted this to be in a major election cycle,” Reynolds said. If they town says to start the process, the committee can return to the select board and the town at any point and say that they want to stop the process. 

In the end it will take a two-thirds vote of all voters in the town to pass the withdrawal. 

Windham resident Michelle Jordan spoke about the suggested middle school proposals. “I encourage you to talk to your neighbors, talk to your friends. Understand, contact a member of that committee. This will have a huge impact on your children.” She encouraged all parents and community members to get involved. 

Board co-chair Froisland added some dollar figures to the discussion. Looking at the six years prior to consolidation the tax increase was $1.6 million. After consolidation it was $450,000. If Raymond were to withdraw, it would have to put back additional staff and that could be over half a million dollars, she said. With 172 high school students at $7,900 for tuition waivers the cost would be $1.3 million just for tuition. 

“I’m depressed that this has gone through so quickly,” Froisland said. 

“If they don’t want it, then vote no,” Sadak said. 

There is information about the cost sharing formula, the middle school advisory committee and all RSU14 board meetings on the RSU14 website and all school board meeting are open to the public.

“The students are more important than money,” said Marleen Turner, who was one who signed the petition. 

“A lot of miss information got out there. I hope people will consider what they heard,” Sangster said.

Homecoming 2014 at Windham High School - Saturday morning parade

A night with international sensation The Celtic Tenors at the Windham Performing Arts Center - By Michelle Libby

With haunting melodies and cheery ditties, The Celtic Tenors bring their global talent to the stage at the Windham Performing Arts Center this Saturday at 7:45 p.m. 
 

With songs like Danny Boy and Opera classics like Nessun Dorma, The Celtic Tenors hope to move the audience with their harmonies and sense of fun. 

The trio has been to Maine before, but this will be their first trip to Windham after the persistent invitation from Windham Chamber Singers’ director Dr. Richard Nickerson, who tried for a “long, long time,” said tenor James Nelson. “He’s been a great supporter of us,” Nelson concluded. 

On Saturday night, the concert will consist of two songs with the chamber singers in addition to a full-length show as well. “The set for the show is classical, spiritual, pop, Irish and Celtic songs, a huge mix and a cappella. If you don’t like classical music, they’ll be back to Celtic songs another time,” said Nelson. “We don’t take ourselves seriously.” When they got a review that their jokes were terrible, Nelson shrugged it off. The tenors are having fun and it shows in their performances. 

The tenors have performed all over the world, most recently in Europe and then with the Columbus Symphony in the Ohio Theater, a 2,500 seat venue with red seats and gold trim. The enjoy playing that type of concert, but Nelson said that the group also plays blues and jazz clubs. “We’re very excited to come to Windham.” The Celtic Tenors have been a group for 15 years and have toured in America for 12. They have yet to play Alaska, Hawaii and Alabama. 

The other two tenors that make up The Celtic Tenors are Matthew Gilsenan and Daryl Simpson. All three men are from different areas in Ireland and despite the religious turmoil that has taken place there, the group is made up of one Catholic and two Protestants, according to Nelson. When they travel they also include pianist Henry Colm and sometimes their manager from Fargo, ND.   

They have just been signed by Decca/Universal Records out of Australia and are currently working with award-winning producer Charles Fisher on their 11^th album of a four album deal. The untitled album will be released in Australia this February. 

The new album is more “poppy”, according to Nelson, with covers from John Denver, the Bee Gees and Dolly Parton. “We’re very happy with it so far,” said Nelson. 

“The trio has been weaving together an eclectic repertoire of Celtic, operatic and popular songs for audiences worldwide since 2000.” 

“We’re a very harmony based group. None is the high or low harmony. We’re a democracy. We’re all equal,” said Nelson, who added that they often joke about “me and my two backup singers.”  

Each of the artists has a musical background and training. Nelson and Simpson got their start in churches, singing when they were young. They both have degrees in music. Nelson spent 10 years singing opera. Simpson is more “jazzy”. Gilsenan is more “folky”, according to Nelson. 

The Celtic Tenors have traveled all over the world drawing huge crowds especially on the Symphony Tour of China. “There was a culture shock. Anything new excites us,” Nelson said. They do concerts in the Netherlands and Germany a lot, and travel to the Middle East to perform for ex-pats who have moved there.

Outside of the group each is keeps themselves grounded in reality. Gilsenan is married with three children (11, 8, 6) and does some charity work, but mostly, during his free time, he works his farm with his family.

Simpson has a brand new baby with his primary school teacher wife. He runs a peace choir that brings together people of different religions and backgrounds. The group tours around the world. 

Nelson’s passion is “The education and feeding of orphans in Nairobi, Kenya.” He builds orphanages and hope that “With kids like that I can give them proper hope for the future. It’s lovely to see them.” The first group of orphans he worked with is now going into university. He feels a tremendous sense of pride.

This tour is partnered with SOS Children’s Villages, which “wants for the world’s children: That every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security.” Nelson does not want to be pushy, but at every concert someone sponsors a child or a village. 

The Celtic Tenors last CD release, Feels Like Home, celebrated the uplifting music of Ireland , Scotland , England and Wales , while borrowing a few songs from other cultures along the way. 

Nelson said his favorite song is Dutchman, “a beautiful old love song. The man in the song has Alzheimer’s, dementia. My dad had dementia. It’s a special, simple love song. She kisses him on the cheek and puts him to bed. It’s a lovely song with a haunting chorus.”

They have only written one original song, a somewhat controversial song about the death penalty, but the trio arranges their own songs with harmony and piano parts. 

One song that is always on their set list is Caledonia, which they have been singing for at least 14 years.

“The music does come first. We’re not in it to be famous. That’s a recipe for disaster in the long run. We’re in it for the love of music,” Nelson said. 

“It’s very hard to label us. My hobby became my career and I want it to last as long as I can,” he added.

The show in Windham is Saturday. Come out and see The Celtic Tenors at the Windham Performing Arts Center on October 11th at 7:45 p.m. For tickets call 892-1810 x306 or online at www.WindhamChamberSingers.com. For more information on the Celtic Tenors visit, www.celtic-tenors.com.

Students get in the kitchen with after school cooking club - By Elizabeth Richards

Since last year, students at Raymond Elementary School (RES) have had the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen, whipping up some healthy snacks as part of the after school cooking club led by chef and School Nutrition and Wellness Coordinator for RSU14 Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro and RES kitchen manager Kim Williams. 

The overall plan is to offer the cooking club experience at every school in the district said Cowens-Gasbarro. An unanticipated response to the club kept the program at RES all of last year, with over 80 children signing up in response to a listserve announcement. The club is a free after school activity which runs for an hour and a half each Tuesday for four weeks. Sessions are run at the school until each child who signs up has had a chance to participate. 

Cowens-Gasbarro needed to cancel the last session of last year due to her maternity leave, so she picked up where they left off at RES, allowing the children who had missed that final session a chance to be involved. When this session is over, they will move on to Jordan-Small Middle School, and then into Windham, beginning with Manchester School.

The club began as an initiative by the nutrition department. They quickly realized that it was so successful they needed some outside support, said Cowens-Gasbarro. They applied for and received a $3,500 grant from Berlin Auto Group to sustain the program. While the club doesn’t cost too much to operate, the grant provided them the opportunity to purchase some equipment, such as mixers, as well as supporting each session.

 

The club allows children to try their hand at making a variety of healthy recipes, such as homemade granola bars, fruit dip, chicken tortilla soup, mozzarella sticks, and healthy cookies. “I’ve had them eating vegan banana oatmeal cookies and they really love it. When you get kids making it, they want to eat it. They want to try it,” said Cowens-Gasbarro.

Running a cooking club is natural for Cowens-Gasbarro, who helped to run a cooking school for children while she was a personal chef in the Boston area. “With all the school nutrition stuff that was so foreign, this was the old shoe that felt good,” she said with a laugh. 

One great outcome of the program, she said, has been the close relationship that the children have developed with the kitchen staff, and the positive connections they have made to school nutrition. Parents have also learned more about what the school nutrition department is doing, and the initiatives they have to get kids interested in and excited about trying new things. 

The kitchen staff at the schools is willing and excited to step up and do the extra work that comes with trying to make food fun, said Cowens-Gasbarro. One example of this is the enthusiasm with which they participate in occasional themed Fun Friday Breakfasts. “They are just so happy to do it, and so excited when their counts go up. They’re just great,” said Cowens-Gasbarro. 

Breakfast has been an area of focus for the nutrition department to be sure all kids are getting a nutritious meal to start their day. In addition to the theme breakfasts, a breakfast cart was started in the Windham Middle School Field Allen building for the sixth graders. This allows kids a second chance to grab something to eat if they missed the cafeteria in the morning. The program has been so successful that they are expanding it to the rest of Windham Middle School, said Cowens-Gasbarro.

 “It’s been really great to get out and see the kids,” said Cowens-Gasbarro. “We want to promote and tell kids what wonderful things we’re doing so that stigma of school lunch is slowly fading into the distance,” she added.

To follow all the fun the cooking club is having, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Windham-Raymond-School-Nutrition-Program/408394675849951

Trail Mix Krispie Cups

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons honey

2 cups rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1/4 cup thin pretzel sticks

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

2. Add the sunflower seeds, rice cereal, raisins and pretzels to the saucepan and fold the ingredients to evenly coat with the sauce.  Place paper liners in a standard 12 cup muffin time. Scoop mixture into muffin cups, dividing mixture evenly and gently pressing down with the back of a spoon to pack mixture into cups.  Gently press the chocolate chips onto the top of each of the trail mix cups.  Let the granola mixture set in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes, then peel off paper liners and enjoy!

Asian Noodle Salad

1 lb Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin

1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin

1 cup snow peas, sliced

1 cup grated carrot

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 whole Lime, Juiced

8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2-3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped

1 cloves Garlic, Chopped

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Banana Ice Cream

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 large ripe banana

Start with ripe bananas: They should be sweet and soft. Peel the bananas and cut them into pieces.

Put the bananas in an airtight container: Like a freezer-safe glass bowl, or you can use a freezer bag.

Freeze the banana pieces for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight.

Blend the frozen banana pieces in a small food processor: Pulse the frozen banana pieces.

Blend until smooth and whipped.

Once whipped, add any mix-ins, like peanut butter or chocolate chips

Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid: You can eat the ice cream immediately, but it will be quite soft. You can also transfer it back into the airtight container and freeze it until solid, like traditional ice cream.

Third annual community coin challenge in full swing - By Elizabeth Richards

The third annual Community Coin Challenge has begun, with the goal of raising money for the food pantries in the ten towns served by the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.Chamber board member and organizer of the event Sheri Huff said approximately 200 jars have been distributed and are out in the community.  Additional jars are available at the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce at 747 Roosevelt Trail in Windham.  As the jars fill up, they can be taken to Gorham Savings Bank to be counted, dropped off at the chamber office, or returned at Octoberfest, the grand finale of the challenge.  
 

Every time a full jar is taken to Gorham Savings Bank for counting, said Huff, the bank will donate an additional $5 to the cause. As of September 22^nd, $7,269.40 has been raised, including a significant donation from the Sebago Lake Rotary Club after their Feet for Food walk, which was held on September 21^st.   This year’s goal, said Huff, is to raise $25,000 for the food pantries.

Octoberfest, a free family event, will be held in the Buck’s Naked BBQ parking lot on October 18^th, 2014, from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. The day will be filled with fun activities, food, and plenty of opportunity to drop coins in the donation jars that will be at each booth. Each business who participates agrees to have a tent/table with an activity or giveaway, decorations and trick or treat candy for the kids costume parade and contest, and everything must be free of charge, said Huff. 

Some of the featured activities include crafts, games, a dunk tank, chair massage, bouncy houses, face painting, and a cupcake eating contest. Horse drawn wagon rides will be available, as well as musical entertainment by deBree’s and Keys and Montgomery Road. There will be a photo booth and a pumpkin carving contest as well. Huff said that on Friday, October 17^th from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., free pumpkins will be available at Bucks Naked BBQ while supplies last. Contestants should return the carved pumpkins on Saturday at 1 p.m. to be entered into the contest.

The event will also feature plenty of free eats, including pizza, hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, subs, popcorn, cotton candy, donut holes, apples, snow cones, and a dessert tent. Beverages available will include cider, lattes, water, coffee and soda.

Helicopter rides will also be available, with a $35 donation per person. Tickets for these rides are available online or can be purchased at Octoberfest.

This year marks the third annual Community Coin Challenge and Octoberfest. In the past two years, $38,039.28 was raised. All of the funds collected are directly donated to the area food pantries. 

This year’s signature sponsor for Octoberfest is Windham Weaponry, who will have four different booths at the event this year. Other sponsors are: Lee’s Family Trailer Sales & Service; Gorham Savings Bank; Aubuchon Hardware; Buck’s Naked BBQ; and Hometown Heat from Raymond, who will be donating 5 percent of their equipment sales between September 15^th and October 15^th to the cause.

“The community has really stepped up to make this event a success,” said Huff. “It’s not just the efforts of one person. It comes down to a community effort.”  For more information on Octoberfest and the Community Coin Challenge, visit www.octoberfestme.org.