The Youth Enrichment Center at Hilton-Winn Farm Honored by the State of Maine

CAPE NEDDICK —

The Youth Enrichment Center at Hilton Winn Farm is proud to announce that it was recently honored with a proclamation by the State of Maine. Nancy Breen, its executive director, was recently presented with a Legislative Sentiment from the 123rd Legislature of the State of Maine.
The Sentiment was introduced by Representative Dawn Hill of District 149 and passed by the Legislature and the Senate. Representative Hill presented Nancy with the document at a ceremony held at the farm. Community members as well as twenty children from Club Chameleon in New Market, N.H. were on hand to see the presentation and hear speeches from Representative Hill and Nancy.
Nancy Breen purchased the 1907 Hilton Winn Farm house and 48 acres from the Hilton family in 2002 to begin her dream of creating a nature based learning experience for children from all walks of life. After hundreds of family and friends gathered for thousands of hours volunteering, the house and barn were renovated. The Youth Enrichment Center at Hilton Winn Farm was established as a 501(c)(3) corporation in 2003. Their mission is to create a country farm experience to enrich the hearts, minds and spirits of our children.
Hundreds of children and their families who come to the farm every year enjoy environmental, educational, team and esteem building exercises, and nature based development activities aimed at fostering a sense of stewardship and personal connection to the natural world and to one another.
Nancy Breen and the community of volunteers are dedicated to shaping the leaders of the future through cooperative efforts that teach young people about caring for and appreciating nature.
The sentiment closes with the following: “ We acknowledge Ms. Breen’s dedication to the Youth Enrichment Center and to her community. We extend our best wishes for the continued success of the Youth Enrichment Center. And be it ordered that this official expression of sentiment be sent forthwith on behalf of the 123rd Legislature and the people of the State of Maine.”
The Youth Enrichment Center at Hilton Winn Farm is located at 189 Ogunquit Road, Cape Neddick, Maine. For more information, please call (207) 361-1385. Or visit our web site www.hilton-winnfarm.org.

Photo Caption: Nancy Breen, executive director of The Youth Enrichment Center at Hilton Winn Farm (left) was presented by Representative Dawn Hill (middle) with a Sentiment from the 123rd Legislature of the State of Maine. Unidentified woman stands to the right. (Courtesy photo)

WHS Student’s Work Selected in Maine Department of Education Photo Contest

WELLS —

On a weekend in late July of 2006, Wells High School student Erik Cady was on a visit to Maine’s Baxter State Park. A while after entering the southern entrance to the park, Cady stopped at a turn off and walked to the shore of a nearby lake. There, just a few feet in front of him, was a large frog clinging to a stick; perhaps enjoying the warm sunshine. While the frog remained motionless, Cady snapped a photo of the big-eyed amphibian and added the digital picture to his growing collection of images.
For Cady (and the frog) it became a situation of being in the right place at the right time. In January of this year, the MLTI Screen Saver Contest, sponsored by the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, selected Cady’s frog photo to be one of 20 to appear as screen savers on thousands of Apple laptops distributed to Maine middle school students and teachers during the 2009-2010 school year.
Cady’s art teacher, Vanessa White-Capelluti, was notified of Cady’s selection from MLTI Project Manager for the Maine Department of Education Stephen Vose. According to Vose there were 192 entries in this contest this year.
“Congratulations,” stated Vose’s letter in all capital letters. “We are thrilled with the quality of the work and are VERY excited about Maine student artwork being placed on the 45,000 MLTI laptops.” The letter indicated that a photographer, an art teacher, and a college professor comprised a panel of judges that helped to make the selections.
Cady indicated that he has been snapping photos for about five years. He said that by seventh grade he had saved up enough money to buy his first digital camera, a Kodak Easy Share camera. Recently, he says he “wore out” a Sony Cypershot DSC H2 when an important part of the camera broke off. He said he took over 8,000 pictures with that camera in just one year alone. Today he still uses a Sony but has moved up to a Sony Cybershot DSC H9.
“I was kind of surprised,” answered Cady when asked for his reaction to being selected to be featured on the MLTI laptops. He said that he entered the contest on the day of the deadline for entering.
“I will always do photography whether I major in it or not,” said Cady about his future plans which include working on his Associates Degree in Architecture at York County Community College (YCCC) after graduating from WHS.
“He is a prolific photographer” commented White-Capelluti of Cady in a brief interview. Capelluti went on to add that Cady also videotapes many events that happen at the school. “He has done so much for the school. It was really nice to have him get credit for his work,” said White-Capelluti who later added, “I love the (frog) picture.”
When asked about his other interest Cady said he was a Boy Scout in local troop 390 and reached the rank of First Class. Today he is active in “Venturing,” a program of the Boy Scouts of America. It is an activity for boys who are 14 and have passed the eighth grade through age 20. This past summer Cady spent time at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico where he was a “Venturer” on a venture crew.
Cady, has a website of his photography on display on his newly created website found at www.redleafpics.com. His frog photo, titled “Jump” can be found in his gallery on the site called “Water.”
This article was submitted by Reg Bennett, the Public Information Officer of the Wells Ogunquit Community School District.
Photo caption: Sitting for a photo with his winning digital picture on is laptop in the computer lab at Wells High School is senior and photographer Erik Cady. (Reg Bennett photo)