Academy recruiting overseas students East Machias school battles falling enrollment

EAST MACHIAS – Following the lead of other Maine private schools, Washington Academy is recruiting worldwide to offset declining enrollments.

The drop in Maine’s population of persons under age 18 is particularly serious in Washington County, which lost 1,285 people in that age group during the past 10 years, according to the 2000 Census.

County schools have struggled with declining enrollments for the past several years. And last week, Machias residents learned that some of their school board members were considering a proposal to close the town’s high school.

Although not as hard hit as Machias, Washington Academy is looking for ways to bolster enrollments.

The school has 297 students this year, compared with a recent high of 400 students in 1992, according to development director Charlene Cates.

Cates said Wednesday that the academy’s board of trustees voted in December to actively recruit international students.

Unlike Lee Academy in Lee – which expects to admit 45 international students this fall – Washington Academy is aiming for six to 10 students, Cates said.

“Not only does the international program broaden diversity within the rural school, it also creates an additional source of revenue in light of the declining enrollments in Washington County,” she said.

Cates said both Fryeburg Academy and Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield have been recruiting international students for years. “We’re just following in their footsteps,” she said. “This is a situation where the market is flooded.”

Students who already have expressed an interest in Washington Academy come from Germany, Korea and China, Cates said.

“We’re also working with a recruiter for South America and a recruiter for the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey,” she said.

More than 98 percent of the students who attend Washington Academy are from Washington County public school systems, and the amount of day tuition the academy may charge them is limited by the state.

The new international students, however, will pay tuition and fees well in excess of the state cap, Cates said.

The students will live in the homes of Washington Academy alumni, parents and community members, who will receive a stipend to cover their costs, she said.

The fees for the new students include coordinated activities and regional trips. The students will be enrolled in English as a Second Language courses and classes in American culture and American history from a global perspective, Cates said.

“Many international students and their families are looking for an American experience in a safe community, making [Washington Academy] and its surrounding towns a welcoming environment,” the school said in announcing the new program. “Another variable influencing the student’s choice is the international student’s view that New England is the seat of academic excellence in the United States.”

Cates said Washington Academy anticipates an incoming freshman class of 63 – without the international students. This year’s graduating class is 70 students, she said.

The academy is gearing up for the new international students. Trustees have formed an international committee under the direction of chair Linda Varney and have worked with faculty and students to form an International Club.

Lefty McIntyre, coordinator of the International Club at the University of Maine at Machias, spoke at the group’s first meeting in March. UMM is providing international students to help the academy form a German Club and assist students who are studying film and digital editing, according to the academy news release.

Other plans include hiring an admissions-guidance counselor and an English as a Second Language instructor.