Mission for Third Graders at EES:Help Save Endangered Species

By Devin Beliveau
Staff Columnist
ELIOT —

The New England Cottontail is on the Maine endangered species list, and 19 local third graders have decided to do something about it.
In mid-January, Melanie Dodge’s third grade class at Eliot Elementary began a six-week service-learning project. The first job was to choose the way they would serve their community.
“We started with 30 project ideas,” Dodge explained, “but children love animals. That is definitely where their passion lies. They decided they wanted to save an endangered species.”
Selecting which animal to save turned out to be an easy decision.
“I researched what actual endangered species there are in Eliot, and there was only one, the New England Cottontail, which is a little gray and brown rabbit. It’s already extinct in Vermont and there are only about 250 left in Maine,” according to Dodge.
After deciding to help the New England Cottontail, the students split up into groups, and worked on various tasks to start fighting for their cause.
One group has focused on making posters. “They’ve completed - and I’ve laminated - over 30 signs already. They’re going to put them up in businesses, municipal buildings, telephone poles, and also in the Eliot schools,” Dodge explained.
Tech-savvy students focused their efforts on creating a PowerPoint presentation about the endangered bunny. The presentation will be shown in all the Eliot Elementary classrooms, and it will also be sent to teachers at the Marshwood Great Works School, Middle School and High School.
“We’re going to put it online too, and it will be part of the Eliot Elementary web site, www.msad35.net/ees,” added Dodge.
Another student subcommittee composed letters to get the word out. They already sent one letter to the Portsmouth Herald.
“Next, there will be a letter to Eliot residents, and also one for President Obama. They will send those letters after school vacation because they’re not finished editing.”
One student wanted to write his own letter to President Obama and hand-deliver it.
“That would have been interesting,” laughed Dodge.
Students’ efforts on behalf of the Cottontail have recently expanded beyond the classroom.
“The kids are really into going into the woods and making habitats, it’s the number one thing they want to do. They want to grow plant shrubs so the rabbits have a place to hide and find food,” said Dodge.
Whatever the result of their efforts, Dodge hopes that the students will learn “that they can make a difference, that Eliot is their community and they should care about everything that has to do with their community.” She wants them to know that “they can change the world, but first start with their community. They can make things happen; they have power and a voice.”
The students hope to get the New England Cottontail on to the National Endangered Species List. It is currently no. 2 in line to make it on that list.
Dodge requests Eliot residents contact the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (207) 646-9226 if they see rabbit tracks, so that staff there may track and continue to monitor the endangered animal.
Photo caption: The Eliot Elementary Third Graders decided to help the endangered New England Cottontail for their service-learning project. (Courtesy photo)

Goggles Teach Valuable Lesson

By Magen Petit
Staff Columnist

SOUTH BERWICK —
South Berwick Police Officer and Marshwood High School’s School Resource Officer Jeff Upton and Race Director of the Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival Kathleen Donatello have recently teamed up to promote safety to MHS students.
Donatello approached Upton with a $2,500 donation to help educate students about the dangers of alcohol abuse, which resulted in the purchase of six Fatal Vision® goggles. These specially designed and manufactured goggles simulate the visual impairment caused by alcohol or other drugs.
According to the Fatal Vision® web site, “Viewing through the goggles is rather clear, but confusing to the mind. The wearer experiences a loss of equilibrium, which is one of the effects of intoxication. Both the wearer and those observing are convinced that such impairment makes activities with known risks, such as driving vehicles, very dangerous.”
Donatello and the Festival partners with different organizations in the South Berwick, Berwick, North Berwick, and Eliot area to give back to the community. In two years, the Festival has donated over $50,000 to local sports teams. For more info, visit www.pumpkinmantriathlon.com.
“We made a $2,500 commitment,” said Donatello. “If it makes a huge impact with the kids, we can make adjustments to see if we can purchase more or others like it.”
Upton believes MHS is the only school with these goggles.
“We had a “knockoff” version of these goggles before, but these are better,” explained Upton. “These goggles have different impairment levels, ranging from a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .06 to .25. And we even have a nighttime vision pair. I think this will make a huge impact and I believe we’re the only school system [in the area] that has these goggles.”
The legal limit to drive with a BAC level is at or below .08 percent. This varies from person to person.
“On average, the body metabolizes one drink per hour, which is either a 12 oz. beer or a shot of liquor,” explained Upton.
The one issue Upton is concerned about with these goggles is whether the students will take them seriously or not.
“They are a lot of fun, but we don’t want to present them as a toy,” explained Upton. “We want to send out a positive message in the process of a school assembly. We are aiming to present it just before prom, which is usually at the beginning of May.”
Upton and Donatello are hoping this will make an impact on the students and open their eyes to this reality.
“I think it will be key - and hit home - for the kids watching the teens who are experiencing [the goggles],” said Donatello.
Upton added, “We will look at the kids reaction to this and the questions they have. Even if we have one student that says, “I didn’t know this could happen” or “It made me think twice” then that’s success.”
Innocorp, Ltd. introduced Fatal Vision® at the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Highway Safety in June 1996.
“Innocorp’s mission is to promote safety in our schools and communities and to contribute to the reduction of alcohol and other drug fatalities and injuries through innovative, interactive, and fun educational programs,” according to the Fatal Vision® web site. “When people experience impairment first-hand while trying to do a task, the lesson sticks. Research shows that those who learn from hands-on experience retain two to four times more than those who learn from just listening or listening and seeing.”
Photo caption: MHS School Resource Officer Jeff Upton and Pumpkinman Triathlon Race Director Kathleen Donatello teamed up to provide students with Fatal Vision® goggles. (Weekly Sentinel photo)

Mardi Gras is Coming to Maine

By Devin Beliveau
Staff Columnist

OGUNQUIT —
Next weekend, February 20-21, is Ogunquit’s Mardi Gras 2009, a festival in its second year in the small coastal town.
“We had such a great turnout last year,” said Karen Marie Arel, president of the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce. “People came from across town to all the way from New York, Massachusetts and northern Maine. I can close my eyes and see the faces of the people from last year. There were people up and down the sidewalks just having so much fun in the middle of winter.”
Why Mardi Gras in Ogunquit?
According to Arel, “Some people get cabin fever in the winter, and this is a chance for neighbors to get together and have fun.”
This year’s Mardi Gras has two days of entertainment, most of which is free or inexpensive.
“We’re always looking for things that people can do that costs little or no money,” Arel added.
It kicks off Friday night with the Mardi Gras King & Queen Crowning Competition at the Maine Street Bar at 9 p.m. On Saturday, the King and Queen will have the honor of leading a sidewalk parade at 2 p.m., which will begin at Maine Street, and all ages are invited to participate. People are encouraged to bring their own wagons and sidewalk-sized floats.
“It’s more of a hat parade,” Arel explained, “ and The Hat Sisters, who are very well known around here, are going to help people make their hats before the parade.” Participants can bring their own hats, or pay a small “materials fee” if you want to make your own hat at the Mardi Gras Hat Party at Maine Street from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Ice sculptures will be on display in the Fancy That courtyard from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. before the parade begins.
The parade will wind its way from Maine Street to the Old Village Inn, with a pit stop for pictures at The Front Porch.
“You’re going to be able to stop in with the photographer, Audrey Gottlieb, to get your picture taken, and then get back into the parade,” explained Arel.
Prizes and refreshments await the parade participants at its conclusion around 3 p.m.
Just added to Saturday’s lineup is a US Army Band Quintet, who will be performing Dixieland music following the parade around 3:30 p.m.
“I heard them last summer and their music is fabulous,” Arel commented.
The final official event will be a concert by The Funky Divas of Gospel at the Dunaway Center. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $15 at the door, or $12 in advance or for seniors.
Several Ogunquit stores and restaurants plan on running Mardi Gras specials and menus. And if history is any guide, people can expect to find the famous purple, green and gold Mardi Gras beads available throughout town businesses.
For more up-to-date information as this event approaches, visit www.ogunquit.org or call (207) 646-2939.
Photo Captions: Top - Image taken from the Mardi Gras 2009 brochure published by the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce for the event. (Courtesy photo) Bottom - Neil McLoud carefully sculpts his ice creation. (Courtesy photo)

High School Seniors and Juniors: Ready for a Math Challenge? Register to Compete for $80,000 in Scholarship Prizes

YORK COUNTY —
Less than a month remains to register teams for the fourth-annual Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, an Internet-based applied math competition for high school students. Teams must register online by Monday, March 2 at 5 p.m. to be eligible to win scholarship prizes totaling $80,000. Prizes will be awarded to the top teams by The Moody’s Foundation in early May.
Teacher-coaches must register their teams online at http://m3challenge.siam.org/register/ and each high school may enter up to two teams of three to five 11th or 12th grade students per team. There are no participation or entry fees.
Students choose which day they wish to work during Challenge weekend, March 7 or 8, and have 14 hours to solve an open-ended, realistic, applied math-modeling problem focused on real-world issues. Teams are able to download the problem at 7 a.m. on their selected Challenge day and must upload their paper by 9 p.m. that same evening. They will have no knowledge of the problem until they download it from the M3 Challenge web site. It is recommended that all teams prepare in advance using any resources available. There are several sample problems available for practice on the Challenge website at http://m3challenge.siam.org/.
This year, more students than ever before are eligible to participate as the Challenge has expanded to include all high school juniors and seniors in New England and Mid-Atlantic states, from Maine through Washington, D.C. Find out if your school is eligible at http://m3challenge.siam.org/rules/eligibility.php.
Teacher-coaches are responsible for selecting and registering their team(s), communicating the contest rules and guidelines to their team(s), receiving all contest communications including and especially the team ID # and password, and preparing their team for the Challenge (optional, but recommended). Teacher-coaches are not required to be physically with or near their team on Challenge day and are prohibited from helping their team during the Challenge itself.
Moody’s Mega Math Challenge spotlights applied mathematics as a powerful problem-solving tool, as a viable and exciting profession, and as a vital contributor to advances in an increasingly technical society. The Challenge is funded by The Moody’s Foundation and organized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
More information on Moody’s Mega Math Challenge 2009 can be found at http://m3challenge.siam.org/.

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)

York Resident, Berwick Academy Alumna Receives Nationwide Writing Award

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
SOUTH BERWICK/ YORK—
A 2008 graduate of Berwick Academy was presented the Cum Laude Paper – 2008 nationwide writing award Monday by The Cum Laude Society.
Katherine Edkins of York won the award for a work, “Sixty-four Square Feet” which she submitted during her senior year at the academy.
“It was a complete surprise,” Ms. Edkins said of winning the award. “It’s been totally unexpected.”
Ms. Edkins is a freshman at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and made the trip to South Berwick to receive the award from head of school Greg Schneider at a gathering of Upper School students and faculty.
“This achievement is truly extraordinary for Katie, and it has brought tremendous recognition to Berwick Academy as well,” Schneider said. “In some ways, we should not be surprised at this outcome given Katie’s remarkable career at Berwick. Her essay demonstrates an extraordinary integration of description, innovative structure, self-analysis, and a hauntingly shared sense of coming of age for both author and reader alike.”
“I believe that this is the first time in the competition’s five-year history that the national winner has come from a District I school,” said William Prescott, the regent for the Society’s District 1. “As I said to Katie in a recent message I sent to her, I hope she continues to write while in college - and not necessarily just for specific course work. She has a gift, and I’m pleased to have had an opportunity to share in recognizing and honoring it.”
When Ms. Edkins learned of the competition last year she was quick to decide to enter.
“I consider myself to be a writer,” she said, “This is what I love to do and I might as well give it a shot.”
Just what she’ll do when she graduates is up in the air. She mentioned law school, and is taking English and Chinese classes. She is really enjoying the latter, noting it’s exciting to be “learning something entirely different.” And there’s that love of writing.
“I want to see where I am after all this,” she said of her years at Dartmouth.
Ms. Edkins, the daughter of Bill and Laurie Edkins of York, moved to York when she was in seventh grade from St. Louis, Mo. “I really, really love Maine,” she said.
She also expressed her thanks to Berwick Academy.
Her essay was selected from submissions from the Cum Laude Society’s 350-member schools from all over the world. In addition to a plaque she also received a cash award of $1,000.
The Cum Laude Society, an international academic honorary founded in 1906, said the annual competition is designed to recognize and celebrate outstanding academic achievement in high schools.
Ms. Edkins was inducted into the Cum Laude Society as a junior and the National French Honor Society as a sophomore.
She also earned a departmental recognition award in English, was involved with the Math Team, Honor Committee, and co-founded the literary magazine with her sister Maggie, a member of the Berwick Class of 2009.
Ms. Edkins also participated in the National Youth Leadership Forum and the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth.
Berwick academy was founded 1791 as an independent, co-educational country day school. For over 200 years the academy has pursued its mission through a purposeful blend of strong academics, arts, and athletics.
Berwick currently serves over 600 students in grades K-12 from the seacoast area of southern Maine, New Hampshire, and northern Massachusetts.
Photo caption: Katherine Edkins of York receives the Cum Laude Paper – 2008 nationwide writing award from Berwick Academy head of school Greg Schneider. (Courtesy photo)