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Schools

Bangor High School

BANGOR – The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test will be administered Saturday, Oct. 16, at Bangor High School. For juniors, this is the first step in entering the National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition for scholarships and recognition. Sophomores also may sign up to take the exam for practice.

The PSAT allows students to predict their SAT scores and to work on specific skills in order to raise their scores. Students taking the PSAT will receive a detailed report to help them determine the areas of study that need improvement.

The test also gives students a chance to see how their skills compare with those of other students who will be applying for college admission.

The fee for testing is $11. Bangor High students should see Mrs. Simpson, guidance office secretary, to register for the PSAT. Juniors may register between Oct. 4 and 15; sophomores, between Oct. 13 and 15.

Alternate testing is arranged only for those juniors involved in either school-sponsored events that conflict with the regular test date or who cannot take the exam on Saturday for religious reasons. The number of seats available for alternate testing is limited. Students are advised to register as early as possible.

Best Buy scholarships

HAMPDEN – U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe congratulated six students from Maine recently for their strong achievements in academics and exceptional community service. The high school students received one-time scholarships from Best Buy Corp. Children’s Foundation.

“These young Mainers have demonstrated academic excellence and strong leadership in their respective communities. I congratulate these bright and talented students on being selected to receive these competitive scholarships from the Best Buy Children’s Foundation and wish them the greatest of success in their future careers,” Snowe said.

Students who received the scholarships are:

. Cory Munsey of Richmond, $2,000.

. Anna Flagg of South Portland, $2,000.

. Kaitlin Murphy of Belfast, $2,000.

. Andrea Palmer of Hampden, $2,000.

. Jessica Buckingham of Sedgwick, $1,000.

. Nicole Simon of Gardiner, $1,000.

Project Learning Tree

ELLSWORTH – Maine Project Learning Tree, a program of the Maine Tree Foundation, recently received a $7,745 grant from the Aristotle Fund of the Maine Community Foundation for the Forest Inventory Growth project. The purpose of the grant is to train Maine high school teachers to bring students into local forest areas to investigate various bioregions and share their findings with other students around the state through a Maine Forest Service Web page designed especially for the project.

Maine students will learn about the forests that cover 90 percent of the state, and the science, math and social studies involved in understanding this ecological system.

Maine high school teachers are invited to register for the three-day training Oct. 20-22 to take place at Tanglewood 4H Learning Center in Lincolnville.

Alan Kimball and Mike Day, University of Maine forestry professors, will present training on soils and tree biology and Greg Lord of the Maine Forest Service will instruct participating teachers in the use of the project’s interactive Web page. Betty MacWilliams of Bonny Eagle High School and Don Sprangers from Washington Academy piloted the project with their students and will lead training sessions.

On Oct. 21 a number of foresters will join teachers in setting up forest growth plots and review data collecting methodology.

Through the Aristotle Fund, all teachers will receive tools, books and necessary supplies to set up plots either on their school grounds, at an outdoor classroom site or in a town forest. Registration is limited to 15 teachers.

To learn more about FIG or to register, call Pat Maloney, 626-7990, e-mail meplt@gwi.net, visit www.mainecf.org or call (877) 700-6800.

Colleges

Carleton College

NORTHFIELD, Mass. – Jessica Rosenblatt of Bangor received a bachelor’s degree in history, magna cum laude, from Carleton College recently. She is the daughter of Nathaniel and Leslie Rosenblatt of Bangor.

University of Maine

ORONO – A group of seven students and an adviser from the Mexican university La Universidad de las Americas-Puebla spent the day at the University of Maine on Sept. 29 as part of a six-day visit to Maine. A group of 12 UMaine students visited UDLA during UMaine’s spring break in March.

“UDLA is one of Mexico’s most prestigious universities,” said Angel Loredo, UMaine’s associate dean of students who led the UMaine group in the spring. “By visiting Maine and UMaine, they hope to both expand their educational opportunities and their understanding of our culture.”

While at UMaine, the UDLA students toured the campus, participated in Memorial Union activities and events, visited UMaine museums and met with students. They stayed in UMaine residence halls and made a side trip to Mount Desert Island. They finished their visit with a dinner hosted by Robert Dana, UMaine dean of students, who led a discussion about UMaine’s student-centered philosophy.

During their visit to Mexico in the spring, the UMaine contingent spent 10 days at the UDLA campus touring museums and archaeological sites and participating in Mexican university life.

University of Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. – In April, Christopher S. Decker, an Orono native, received the Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Business Administration, University of Nebraska, Omaha. The award considers all levels of teaching at the college and carries with it a $500 stipend.

A year ago, Decker received the Masters of Business Administration Education Teacher of the Year Award at the university.

Decker is a 1985 graduate of Orono High School and a 1989 graduate of the University of Maine. He completed a master’s degree in economics at Boston College in Massachusetts in 1991, and a doctorate in business at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, in 2000.

Decker, the son of Edward and Eva Decker of Orono, has been an assistant professor of economics and real estate at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, since August 2001.