Noble High School Revisits theRoaring 20s with Gatsby Party

By Devin Beliveau
Staff Columnist

NORTH BERWICK—
There has never been a high school gym full of better-dressed teenagers. Last Thursday, Janice Eldridge’s 10th grade U.S. History classes, and Joshua Gould’s 10th grade English classes at Noble High School created an evening inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel: The Great Gatsby. From the 1920s styles to the music to the dancing, it was an impressive sight to watch a bygone era come alive.
“Sophomores here at Noble High School read The Great Gatsby in English, and we study the 20s in Social Studies, so we decided it would be a good way to combine both of them in a fun way,” said Eldridge, one of the night’s organizers.
Slick looking black suits were the order of the day for the boys, with the classic “flapper” look the popular attire for the girls. Ties, fedoras and suspenders added to the overall classiness of an event that is now in its fourth year.
1920s jazz and swing music was provided by the 20-piece Noble High School Jazz Band. As the upbeat music blared, students showed off their swing dancing moves, as well as the recently learned “Charleston” 1920s dancing style. “When the right music comes on for the Charleston I can definitely do it,” claimed 10th grader Noelle LaCroix. “I learned (how to swing dance) from the Gatsby party last year, so I helped teach everybody this year.” Girls were being lifted, spun, twirled and tossed, with varying degrees of success.
A lounge with 12 tables was set up in front of the dance floor, allowing for a nice seat from which to watch the dancing. Students could also create 1920s-era jewelry at a table set up for beading. A grand buffet offered a wide array of “20s-era food,” all homemade by the students and set-up potluck style. “We have some movies from the 20s, some Charlie Chaplin that we’ll play later,” added Eldridge. Several parents and teachers lined the perimeter of the gym to take in the lively spectacle.
An exchange teacher added a new element to the annual event. “Ms. Sun is from China, and the game Mahjong became really popular in the 20s, so she brought an actual Mahjong game and is teaching the kids how to play,” Eldridge said.
The best part of the evening “was just hanging out with friends from around school,” according to 10th grader Dana Woodworth.
This 1920s celebration was originally scheduled to take place at the Hurd Manor in North Berwick, which had been offered up by owner Ben Gumm. Uncooperative weather, however, made organizers decide to move it into the Noble High School gym.
Whether they actually finished reading the entirety of The Great Gatsby novel or not, this unique high school project ensured that these students will never forget the high-flying lifestyle of the Roaring 20s.
Photo caption: Noble High School students dressed the part at the school’s Great Gatsby Party (Yuhong Sun photo)

Memorial Day Weekend Gets SummerSeason Off to a Good Start

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist

YORK COUNTY—
The summer season appeared to get off to a good start for area businesses over the long Memorial Day weekend. Although the weather was less than excellent, state officials and businesses said that the weekend attracted a good number of visitors.
“People started arriving on (Tuesday, May 19) and it was a very solid weekend,” said Kathy Goodwin of the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce. “Several (resort) properties were full and the restaurants and gift shops did well. There were quite a few weddings in the area, which also gave us a boost. Those tend to be two to three day events now.”
According to Dan Paradee of the Maine Turnpike Authority, traffic at the York Tolls surpassed last year’s levels, reversing a string of months in which volume at the booth was down. “For the whole of the weekend, traffic at the toll was up 1.1 percent over last year,” Paradee said. “Overall Turnpike traffic was down 1.7 percent over last year. The interesting thing is that on a monthly basis traffic has been down three to four percent each month from last year and the York toll has been down as well, sometimes by a larger amount. The silver lining is that we saw that trend reverse. It was a pretty healthy weekend from a tourism perspective.”
Goodwin’s colleagues at the Ogunquit, Wells, and Kennebunk-Kennebunkport chambers reported varying degrees of optimism. Eleanor Vadenais of Wells said the season was already off to a good start and Memorial Day added to that. “The consensus I’m hearing is that it was a good weekend,” she said. “It was also a good weekend the prior one, the Victoria Day holiday in Canada. Some people said they were even busier then.”
Karen Arel of Ogunquit said businesses there were optimistic for a good summer. “People are holding their optimism for the rest of the summer and were optimistic about the (Memorial Day) weekend,” Arel said. “There were a lot of people around. I heard some (resorts) were running between 85 and 90 percent and others were at 100. It was also nice that the trolley was running. That helped.”
Karen Duddy of Kennebunk-Kennebunkport said she noted a lot of visitors and that it appeared they were careful with their spending.
“I would say we had a significant number of visitors,” she said. “It seemed that they were making smaller purchases, not quite as much on the higher ticket items. Today, everybody is frugal in every aspect of their life. It figures they’ll watch their dollars while on vacation.”
The key to the summer is good weather and the availability of attractions in the area that draw visitors, the chamber officials said.
“If good weather holds that’s all we can ask,” Vadenais said.
Arel and Duddy stressed the area’s diverse attractions. “There are lots of choices here on what to do and that attracts people,” said Arel. “The more positive you are, the better off you’ll be. People are saying they’re looking forward to the summer.”
Duddy agreed. “I believe people will come this summer,” she said. “People need a break (in their lives) so they’ll come and take that break. We’re lucky. We’re only 90 miles from Boston. It’s not far away and is an easy trip for those people. Over Memorial Day, you did see New Hampshire and Massachusetts (license) plates and even some from New York. People were up.”

Shipyard’s Economic Impact onYork County Increasing

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
KITTERY—
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has long been a key factor in the economic health of the Southern Maine and southeastern New Hampshire, especially when other portions of the economy are struggling. In the last three years the shipyard story has been a positive one with overall employment remaining virtually the same but the dollars pumped into the economy are continuing to rise.
According to figures released by the Seacoast Shipyard Association, the civilian payroll at the shipyard for last year was $361,600,759, of which $210,997,710 was paid to Maine residents, $192,873,619 of that to people living in Southern Maine towns. (See Fact Box for Details.)
Of the 4,867 civilian employees, 2,795 were Mainers, by far the largest number from any area, and nearly 2,100 of those lived in Southern Maine with a payroll of $172,873,619.
With the addition of nearly $3 million in purchased goods and services and more than $18 million in utilities, mostly to Maine companies, the financial impact of the Naval facility exceeds $230 million in Maine alone.
Already underway at the shipyard this year is the recruiting and hiring of more than 400 additional workers.
According to a shipyard spokeswoman, in the last four years approximately 1,200 new employees have been hired, including 553 for the apprentice program. In February of this year 176 apprentices were hired.
The mechanics/worker skills progression program and secretarial positions have been filled for 2010 and recruiting for engineering and miscellaneous positions continue.
The Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School that was housed at Brunswick Naval Air Station and the United States Army Recruiting Battalion - New England are being relocated to the shipyard.
The shipyard’s workload will not increase when the relocations are complete, as the school and battalion are different than the shipyard’s mission, which is the overhaul, repair and modernization of nuclear-powered submarines.
When the relocation is complete, the Coast Guard, the Army, Navy and members of the Marine Corps will all be working from one central location in a joint-service atmosphere.
“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is committed to providing exceptional service to our Fleet customer,” Capt. Robert Mazzone, the shipyard commander, said. “We continue to focus on process improvement to ensure the deliveries of submarines are on schedule and on budget.”
The shipyard has received $24.4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for repair projects to strengthen its ability to more efficiently execute its mission by upgrading and modernizing critical infrastructure and gaining energy efficiencies.
Other scheduled construction projects include the renovation and demolition of the current waterfront support facility in three phases to support ongoing submarine overhauls. Phase I, for which $20.7 million has already been approved, will consolidate production shops.
Phase II, part of the Department of Defense five-year plan, will demolish 65,000-plus square feet of the current waterfront support facility and construct a 46,000 square foot addition to Phase I.
Phase III is not currently part of the Department of Defense five-year plan.
The consolidation of structural shops is a planned Military Construction project in the Department of Defense five-year plan and is not part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The consolidation and renovation will provide efficiently configured facilities for improved process flow of steel fabrication, forging, heat-treating, sheet metal work, welding training and lab operations that support submarine overhaul.
There are currently four submarines at the shipyard. These include the USS Greenville, the USS Oklahoma City, the USS Dallas, and a Naval Research Vessel that is being inactivated.
The shipyard is also doing intermediate level work on submarines belonging to Squadron Eleven in San Diego, Calif., at Portsmouth Detachment Point Loma.
Portsmouth’s scheduled workload for the remainder of 2009 and 2010 includes projects for the USS Helena, USS San Juan, and the USS Hampton and USS Topeka at Portsmouth Detachment Point Loma.
Finally, the USS Virginia, the first of its class, will arrive for work in the fall of 2010.

Berwick Area KindergartenersGet Their Book Bags

NORTH BERWICK —

More than 200 children who registered for kindergarten in Berwick, North Berwick and Lebanon this spring were given brightly colored fabric book bags stuffed with literacy materials to celebrate their launch into the “big kid’ world of public school.
This is the sixth year Noble Adult and Community Education has coordinated its popular project, which receives broad community support and is a big hit with the children.
Celia Momenee, 5, registering at the Primary School in North Berwick, chose a patterned pink bag bulging with a storybook, coloring book, crayons and pencils, a ruler, magnetic letters and numbers, a toothbrush, a Frisbee that folds into a pouch—and a coupon for a free haircut.
“She’s been waiting two years for this bag,” said her mother, Jessica. “We still have her older sister’s in a special spot at home. She said, today’s the day I get my bag.”
“A lot of people contribute every year to make this happen,” said Louise Burns, literacy coordinator for Noble Adult Ed who plans and oversees the three-town project. “All the bags are sewn by local women, area businesses donate paper and pencils or money to purchase books and other items, people donate fabric and ribbon. It’s a big production. We’re already planning ahead for next year.”
The kindergarten bag tradition started in 2004 after Adult Ed director Brenda Gagne heard about a similar project in another district.
“We didn’t have money to purchase bags and there wasn’t time to write a grant to buy bags,” she recalls. “Being a lover of fabric, I went through my stash, asked my quilting friends for help, and the process began. Dolly Bolduc and every friend who could sew made a dozen or so bags the first year. As people saw these jewels, staff and quilting friends joined in and the word began to spread.”
This is the second year six members of Adult Ed’s Do Your Own Quilt Thing group devoted a three-hour session to making more than 100 bags, and several participants in Quilter’s Weekend also helped out. The regulars include Nancy LeClair, Ilya Thomits, Kelly Munroe, Becky Hanson, Jacki Lavachhia, Lisa Huestis, Nancy Hay, Jean Whitaker, Joanne St. Pierre and Alice Eaton.
Businesses that contributed to this year’s book bag project are P.Gagnon & Son, Gateway Gas, Farwell’s Auto, Ray’s Barbershop, Kennebunk Savings Bank, North Berwick Physical Therapy, Allard’s Market, Red Leaves, Welch’s Hardware, Chix Salon, Goodrich Insurance, and SAD 60 Title I, also Rachel and Ronald Smith, Alice Eaton, and Kelly Monroe and Lucas.
Photo caption: Alexandria, who will attend North Berwick Primary School in the fall, considers her book bag selection at kindergarten registration recently. The bags, a gift of Noble Adult and Community Education, are sewn by volunteers and filled with literacy materials donated by area businesses. (Courtesy photo)

High Conspiracy in the Ocean Depths

By Chip Schrader
Book Review Editor
NEW ENGLAND –
Jack Rutledge’s Coverup is a cool story. In two hundred pages the author crams World War Two conspiracy theories, submarines, scuba diving, investigative journalism and a potential “oil slick the size of Texas” into one compact novel.
The opening chapter depicts the covert mission of a doomed French vessel manned by a German Valkyrie mission hoping to inform the United States of an internal plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler. As a commercial American plane spots it outside of Cape Cod, the allied forces go in to sink it after a similar ship approached London indicating surrender and attacked instead. The American forces succeeded in sinking the friendly vessel.
Years later, a roughed up Maine scuba diver and history buff named Jerry Scott is asked to help a fisherman untangle his equipment from an unexpected obstacle outside of Cape Cod. Thus begins Jerry’s journey to uncover what he figures are French Nazi-sympathizers in a sunken submarine that the Navy has long obscured. Scott reasons this was to maintain the calm of the American public from the proximity we came to an “Atlantic Pearl Harbor,” or to mask a fatal error.
In order to get funding for this deep sea excavation he and his friend Greg Rivers intend to execute, they needed some publicity to generate interest in their possible discovery. In comes the beautiful, young, and hard-headed reporter Ashley Powell.
Ten years younger, Jerry knows there is no chance, and she is not one for unclean fishermen who carry the stink of booze, misery and the sea. But she is intrigued by a man who knows what he’s talking about.
When he mentions that the ocean is filled with sunken tankers from the war that are slowly leaking, she is all ears. Her story in progress is an exposé of said oil that she figured was coming from modern oil tankers, and she is sure this is her ticket to the big time. Gradually, he works to lure her into his own story so that his expedition could begin, and perhaps to land her interest.
From there, people involved in the sub’s fate come out of the woodwork to fill in the details of the story, to try and trespass and take claim to the wreckage, and friendships change and weave within the narrative. All the while the reader is hoping Jerry and Greg get everything they are seeking, and that Ashley catches the stardom for which she reaches, but first they need to get out of exposing this conspiracy alive.
Rutledge fleshes out the characters’ back stories nicely without them reading like digressions. Moreover, he cleverly uses Ashley’s lack of military expertise to allow for Jerry to more clearly explain the convoluted logic that is involved in the military strategy. Simultaneously, Rutledge portrays Ashley as having an acute ear and razor sharp logic, a fine nuance that avoids the negative stereotype some authors might inadvertently give women.
Rutledge’s respect for his characters reveals his evolved sensibility as an author, and his capability to integrate the finer semantic distinctions of the human psyche. All the while, he has no problem to poke a little fun.
Taking place in areas surrounding Portsmouth, Portland and Boston with several mentions of the Portsmouth Naval Yard, Rutledge will immediately engage the reader familiar with seacoast locales.
From the action packed first chapter, Rutledge hooks the reader in like a seasoned fisherman, and does not let up on the questions, the facts, and the speculations that make this read so compelling. As with any novel with a tough guy at the center, there is romance and flirtation tastefully infused for some narrative flavor.
Fans of Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and Clive Cussler will appreciate the details and research the author has put into this story, and will enjoy the opportunity to look just beyond their back yard knowing that is where it all happens. It will surely be compulsively read from page one.
Photo caption: Cover of Coverup by Jack Rutledge. (Courtesy photo)

Designers Focus onFamily Room, Guest Bedroom

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
YORK—
Two of the decorators at this year’s Decorator Show House sponsored by the Old York Historical Society were working this week on their assigned areas. The McIntire Farm on Cider Hill Road is the 20th show house presented by Old York. It will be open to the public from July 18 through Aug. 5. The Decorator Show House is the largest fund-raiser annually for Old York.
Valerie Jorgensen of V. Jorgensen Design of Wells and Frank Hodge of F. D. Hodge Interiors of Boston, Mass., were working on the family room and guest bedroom respectively.
The family room, located in the rear of the house with windows overlooking a vast area of woodlands, salt marsh, bog areas and many pastures, was nothing more than bare studs and insulation when the process began.
“This is a wonderful professional challenge,” Jorgensen said standing in the room early this week. “I can do anything I want.”
Last year she did an entry hall at The Ledges in Kittery Point and this year entered a proposal for the dining room. When that area was assigned to another decorator, Carol Coles, the chairwoman for the project, asked Jorgensen to use her ideas on the family room, which she was more than happy to do.
She said she is taking part in the show house because “it is good exposure” and she wanted to support Old York Historical Society because “they do a wonderful job.
Ms. Jorgensen has been in business for herself since 2006.
Mr. Hodge did the master bedroom at The Ledges a year ago and this year had been given the guest room and the kitchen at the McIntire Farm.
“Basically we can do whatever we want to do,” he said standing in the upstairs room.
He plans to finish the bedroom before moving on to the much larger kitchen area of the farmhouse.
He likes doing the show house because of the exposure it gives his work.
The Show House will be open from July 18 through August 5, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays.
Photo caption: Valerie Jorgensen of V. Jorgensen Design of Wells measures spaces in the family room at the McIntire Farm on Cider Hill Road in York, this year’s decorator show house for the Old York Historical Society.

$2 Million Gift to Berwick Academyto Support Financial Aid

SOUTH BERWICK—
Berwick Academy is pleased to announce a major gift to support financial aid for the next twenty years. Former President of the Berwick Academy Board of Trustees, Mary Z. Schleyer, has donated $2 million from The Schleyer Family Foundation to establish the Mary Z. Schleyer Scholars program. During a time when affordability is a major concern for all private educational institutions, the Academy is delighted to receive this kind of support and generosity from a family that has held Berwick Academy close to their hearts for many years.
Mary and Bill Schleyer sent their three sons Will, T., and David to Berwick for a combined total of 26 years. All three sons have continued to find great success in their endeavors after Berwick Academy, receiving educations from Yale University, Amherst College, and Vanderbilt University, respectively. Prior to serving on the Board, Mary was a president of the School’s parent organization. Her years of service and her love of Berwick continue long after her boys have left the Hilltop, and her legacy has been one of continually finding strategies to maximize the potential of the Academy while creating ways to improve the experience for all students.
Mary Schleyer commented, “Access to quality education has always been important to our family. Both Bill and I were recipients of scholarship funds when we were young and it made such a difference in our lives. We are honored to assist Berwick in its quest to find and nurture talented local students to reach their highest potential. Berwick is such a special place; the relationship between faculty and students is magical. To be able to offer this experience to students who may otherwise not be able to attend is so rewarding. In these difficult economic times it is incumbent upon all of us to invest in the next generation, each to the best of our own ability. These investments are important to our future.”
The Mary Z. Schleyer Scholars Program was created specifically to assist students who demonstrate financial need and a potential to graduate in the top 10% of their class at Berwick, along with a significant talent in at least one of the following areas: Athletics, Arts, Service, or Student Leadership. Two students will be awarded with the scholarship each year, a boy and a girl entering ninth grade. This annual restricted gift will be provided by the Schleyer Family Foundation for immediate use, and therefore has immediate impact on the school’s financial aid budget and admission process. Berwick Academy has recently enrolled the first two Schleyer Scholars for the 2009-2010 academic year: Kelsey Hayden of South Berwick and Ben Muthig of North Berwick.
Head of School Greg Schneider commented, “This gift from the Schleyer Family Foundation is nothing short of transformational for Berwick Academy. By supporting our financial aid budget in such a creative way, the Mary Z. Schleyer Scholars program has been able to make a Berwick education more accessible to the brightest students in the Seacoast. We are particularly thrilled to award the first two Schleyer scholarships to students from North and South Berwick.”
Kelsey Hayden is currently attending Marshwood Middle School in South Berwick. She is a straight A student and a member of the Gifted and Talented Program. She contributes to the life of her school by playing flute for the school band and as a peer mentor. Her greatest passion lies in the pool, ranking as a top ten swimmer in New England three times. She also possesses a dedication to community service, which includes greeting troops at Pease Air Force Base, preparing Christmas baskets for needy children, and volunteering at a local soup kitchen. For fun, Kelsey skis and enjoys reading and writing.
Ben Muthig attends Noble Middle School in Berwick. When discussing his advanced math placement in geometry, he gave the credit to his father who is a math teacher. Ben contributes to the life of his school on the baseball field as a star pitcher, hockey rink, and cross-country trails. During the summer, Ben volunteers his time at a YMCA family camp by delivering mail, assisting with program activities, and helping out on the waterfront. On his own, he began a camper recycling program. For fun, Ben enjoys football, archery, and swimming.
Berwick Academy believes that these two recipients will be the first in a long line of incredible Schleyer Scholars on the Hilltop.