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Citizen of the Year

BREWER – Kyle Alexander, a 9-year-old fourth-grader at Washington Street School, has been named Citizen of the Year by the city of Brewer.

As a third-grader last spring, the boy spent much of his time collecting returnable bottles and cans to help workers displaced by the closing of Eastern Fine Paper Co. in January.

Working with his dad, Alan Alexander, Kyle reached his goal of raising $1,000 this fall. Kyle also is the son of Lorna Hart.

Kyle Alexander was honored during the third annual Brewer Days celebration Sept. 18. He also has been honored by the Brewer School Department.

Bangor High SEED Club

BANGOR – Bangor High School’s SEED Club is serious about environmental issues. SEED already manages Bangor High’s paper recycling program and has volunteered to clean handbills and litter off downtown light poles.

SEED members will assemble by the statue of Hannibal Hamlin on State Street at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, to begin the group’s first cleanup effort. They will repeat their efforts on a monthly basis throughout the school year.

SEED’s faculty adviser, Joanne Miller, said, “These students express their concerns for the environment with activities that make their school and community better for everyone. They are excited about taking on a downtown project.”

Sally Bates, a business and economic development director for the city, said, “City ordinances prohibit posting anything on our light poles. We are determined to eliminate this particular litter problem and are grateful to SEED for their volunteerism. SEED members are setting a great example for the peers and the rest of us by leaving a place, in this case downtown, better than they find it.”

Girl Scouts

BREWER – The Abnaki Girl Scout Council District 6 fall meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, at the council’s Carriage House.

Kate Kevit will conduct the meeting for council volunteers and girls in grade six and up who live in Penobscot County.

Members of the district will elect voting members to represent them at the annual meeting of the council held in the spring of 2005. Other agenda items include a report from the board of directors and the applications of those who wish to be nominated as delegates to the Girl Scouts of USA National Convention to be held October 2005 in Atlanta.

In addition to the business agenda, Abnaki Girl Scout Council staff will preview the new Boxcar Training program available to volunteers in January 2005. Boxcars include everything needed to present a minitraining session on a variety of topics, including world citizenship, understanding diversity and safety.

Girls who attend the council meeting will participate in an informational session about Studio 2B and Zoey’s Room, an Internet community for girls. Members are asked to bring a dessert to share.

Visit to Sweden

Ten students from John Bapst Memorial High School recently participated in a two-week hiking and mountain-climbing expedition in Sweden.

The trip took them through the northern province of Jamtland, where they examined the area’s glacial geology and plant life, and studied the Sami, the indigenous people of the area.

Accompanying them were social studies teacher Mark Tasker, who lived and studied in Sweden years ago, and Debbie Eustis-Grandy of New Sweden.

Students taking part in the trip were Kyle Ferrill, Clifton; Ryan Lena, Orono; Anna Delong, Blue Hill; Sam Swanto, Holden; Megan Pritham, Bangor; Denise Miller, Clifton; Brian Roach, Holden; Elizabeth Lutz, Old Town; Katie Andrle, Clifton; and Chris Leach, Castine.

Mesa hispanica

BANGOR – Hispanophiles of all ages are welcome to attend the next meeting of Mesa Hispanica at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Borders on Bangor Mall Boulevard.

Mesa Hispanica is organized by the Hermon High School Spanish Club and is intended to give those interested the opportunity to meet, converse in Spanish and share their experiences with Spanish cultures. Native speakers, students and anyone who wants to practice the language are encouraged to attend.

For information, call Janice Clain at the high school, 848-3365.

Penobscot Job Corps

BANGOR – Penobscot Job Corps Center has invited representatives of the major electoral candidates whose names will appear on the city of Bangor ballot, where students will be voting Election Day, to join staff and students at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the center, to assist in the Good Citizenship voter registration drive.

Representatives will not be campaigning for particular candidates or presenting a platform. They will be present simply to answer questions about the electoral process and assist students in understanding their responsibilities and rights as citizens.

At this writing, candidates who will be represented are:

. Presidential: Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards.

. Congressional: Michael Michaud and Brian Hamel.

. Maine Senatorial: Tom Sawyer and Joe Perry.

. Maine House: Pat Blanchette and Tina Marie Stimpson.

. Bangor City Council: Ken Buckley, Sue Hawes and Tom Mooney.

Head Start

BANGOR – Kmart has helped to give Penquis CAP Head Start a good start to the school year. The Bangor store held a collection drive that gave customers the opportunity to donate school supplies to the Head Start program.

Pamela Bell presented the items to family support worker Jason McIntyre Sept. 17.

McIntyre said, “The wonderful donation Kmart has made to Penquis CAP shows Kmart’s outstanding ability to recognize the needs in its own community, as well as the importance of Penquis CAP Head Start services. Penquis CAP is proud to have such a thoughtful organization to partner with in our community, and is excited to start distributing the donated supplies to our centers that need them the most.”

Colleges

Eastern Maine Community College

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Community College on Sept. 18 celebrated the opening of its new Campus Center as part of Homecoming weekend festivities. The Campus Center provides a host of services, such as onsite child care, that the college never had before.

President Joyce Hedlund referred to Katahdin Hall, which used to be a dormitory, as a one-stop shopping center where students may visit admissions, financial aid and the bursar’s office in one sweep rather than travel to several buildings on campus.

EMCC has experienced a 54-percent increase in enrollment the past three years, and now has 2,000 students.

Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy, Maine’s coastal college, will host an open house for prospective students and their parents from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, in the Student Center, where registration will take place. A continental breakfast and lunch are free to all participants.

Jeffrey C. Wright, director of admissions, and other college officers will conduct programs on academic majors, extracurricular activities, and options in student lifestyles. Academy representatives will also lead tours of the campus and MMA’s modern training vessel. Financial aid advice and admissions interviews also will be available. For a reservation, call (800) 464-6565.

Maine Maritime Academy is a co-educational public college specializing in ocean and marine-oriented programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, with emphasis on engineering, transportation, management, and ocean sciences, as well as preparing officers for the U.S. Merchant Marine and the uniformed services of the United States.

Founded in 1941, MMA enrolls more than 800 students from 38 states and several foreign countries. The college awards associate, bachelor and masters degrees in 15 fields of study. To learn more about Maine Maritime Academy, visit www.mainemaritime.edu.

CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy will hold its annual Family and Friends Weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8-10. The weekend will include a full schedule of campus events. A welcome dinner will be held Friday evening for students and parents, spouses, and family members. Families are invited to participate in afternoon harbor tours.

Saturday’s program begins with hot beverages in the Alfond Student Center lobby from 6:30-10 a.m. A blueberry pancake breakfast fund-raiser, sponsored by the MMA Parents Association, will be held from 7-9 a.m. in the Alfond Student Center.

A regimental marching competition for new students in the college’s Regiment of Midshipmen will start at 8 a.m. on Ritchie Field, or Alexander Fieldhouse if the weather is inclement. Lifeboat races will start at 9:30 a.m. on the MMA waterfront. Harbors tours will begin at 10:15 a.m.

Demonstrations of the college’s new, state-of-the-art navigation and ship handling will take place at 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

The schooner Bowdoin will welcome families aboard for sails on Penobscot Bay throughout the day. President Leonard Tyler, faculty and staff members will join families for a buffet lunch at 11 a.m. in the Student Center dining hall.

The MMA Regiment of Midshipmen will hold its annual re-dedication of a World War II-era, 3-inch, 50-caliber gun from a merchant vessel at 12:10 p.m. The ceremony will take place in front of Dismukes Hall. It serves to introduce new members of the Regiment of Midshipmen to the tradition of respect for graduates of the Academy who lost their lives at sea or in the service of their country.

Recognition Day ceremonies for the regimental class of 2008 will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Ritchie Field, or Alexander Fieldhouse if the weather is inclement. A traditional march-on by the fourth class will be led by Regimental Operations Officer Matthew Farmer, a senior from Norridgewock, majoring in marine engineering operations, and by upper class students who serve as company commanders and midshipmen training officers.

Company commanders and midshipman training officers are those selected regimental students who have trained and worked with the new regimental fourth class since their first day of Regimental Preparatory Training at MMA.

Capt. Jeff Loustaunau, commandant of midshipmen, will announce the fourth class honor company, based on performance during RPT, and he will present awards to two outstanding members in each of the four companies. An award will be presented to an outstanding sophomore and junior midshipman training officer, designating them as Honor Midshipmen Training Officers. Capt. Loustaunau also will deliver the traditional midshipman oath.

Family and Friends Weekend will feature a number of varsity sporting events. On Saturday, a varsity football game vs. Bridgewater State College will begin at 1 p.m. A women’s soccer match against Mount Ida College will be held at 4:30 p.m., with the men’s soccer team challenging Mount Ida at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, a women’s soccer match vs. Lasell College is set to begin at 1 p.m. The MMA men’s soccer team will take on Lasell College at 3 p.m.

New England School of Communications

BANGOR – The New England School of Communication welcomed a total of 286 students, the largest number in the 22-year history of the school, when classes for the 2004-2005 academic year opened Sept. 7. Of that number 114 are incoming freshmen.

The largest number of students, 177, are those seeking a four-year bachelor of science degree, while 91 are enrolled in classes leading to the two-year associate in science degree and 15 are listed as part-time students.

Last year the school enrolled a total of 234 students.

The senior class for bachelor of science degrees is also the school’s largest with 17 students on track for graduation. The four-year program was approved by the Maine Department of Education in 2001.

The immediate enrollment goal of the school is 300, according to school president George Wildey. This increase has been made possible by the construction of an addition to the school’s Communications Center, which is expected to be completed by November.

The New England School of Communications prepares students for careers in media related communication fields.