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Schools

Bangor High

Volunteers are needed for the Bangor All Sports Athletic Boosters. The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, in the ROTC Room at Bangor High School. For information, contact Neal McCrum at 947-8565.

Veazie Community School

Nick Payson, an eighth-grader at Veazie Community School, is one of the top five competitors in New England for the 13-year-old division of the Gatorade Punt, Pass and Kick event.

Payson, who first had to win on the school level and during a competition at the University of Maine, will compete in the New England Patriots Team Championship on Sunday, Dec. 9, at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. He is the son of Vicki and Dennis Payson, and will attend the game with his family.

Colleges

North Georgia College & University

Jodi Kokoska of Bangor, a first-year student, is one of three students at North Georgia College & University to receive the first Army ROTC nursing scholarships.

Recipients are required to make a commitment to membership in Army ROTC and to enroll in the bachelor of science nursing program at the school.

The university is one of six senior military colleges in the country that hosts Army ROTC along with the Corps of Cadets, a leadership training organization.

Kokoska is a graduate of Bangor High School.

Susquehanna University

Joe Capehart, a junior defender on the men’s soccer team at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Penn., played in three games this season for the Crusaders. He is a graduate of Bangor High School.

Tufts University

Carol Farthing, an English teacher at Bangor High School, was one of the teachers from throughout the country nominated by incoming freshmen at Tufts University as someone who has influenced their lives.

“This program has allowed us to honor those educators that are changing the world by challenging students’ minds,” said David Cuttino, dean of admissions and founder of the recognition program at the school in Boston.

University of Maine

Sean O’Brien of Glenburn, a first-year student, is the 2001 University of Maine chess champion.

Conducted by the UMaine George Cunningham Chess Club, the tournament took place over a four-week period from Oct. 18 to Nov. 8 in the Memorial Union. Twelve participants played a single one-hour round per week.

“Pairings were done using the Swiss system, where participants with the same score after a round faced off in the next round,” explained civil engineering professor Thomas Sandford, chess club adviser.

This year, three participants finished with identical scores after the final scheduled round, forcing a playoff of 20-minute rounds.

In existence for more than 20 years, the club has approximately 20 members. A team will participate in the national chess tournament in late December in Rhode Island. Club members also will participate in the St. Mary’s Winter Warm-up in February in Bangor.

O’Brien, a graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, also won the high school title last spring in the Maine Scholastic Chess Championships.