Brewer High School

BREWER – Brewer High School competed with Lewiston High School in the quarterfinal round of the 2004 Maine State High School Mock Trial Competitions on Nov. 18. The competition took place in Kennebec County Superior Court. The competition was sponsored by the Maine State Bar Association and presented by the Maine Law and Civics Education at the University of Maine School of Law. Additional support was provided by the Maine Bar Association.

An academic competition in which teams prepare and try a case under simulated courtroom conditions, the Mock Trial Competition educates students about the legal system, the judicial process, the attorney’s roles and the rules of evidence. It teaches effective communication, critical thinking, principles of advocacy, and teamwork.

The students tried a libel suit. In the case, an embittered student allegedly posts a message on the school’s Internet bulletin board asserting that a particular teacher “is a druggie.” The teacher, a former lawyer who demands the highest standards of his students and their work, is, in fact, a recovering cocaine addict. The students argued whether the posted message defames the teacher because his addiction is inactive.

Team members filled the roles of plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys and witnesses.

Three hundred and fifty students from 27 Maine high schools and several dozen volunteer lawyers and judges are participating in the Mock Trial Competition, which will culminate in a state championship trial Dec. 8. Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court will preside.

Hampden Academy was the 2003 Mock Trial state champion and represented Maine in the national competition in New Orleans.

Hampden Academy

HAMPDEN – Hampden Academy and Lewiston High School will compete in the semifinal round of the 2004 Maine State High School Mock Trial Competitions at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 3, in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta.

Lewiston’s attorney-coaches are Jodi Nofsinger, Robert Hoy and Justice Ellen Gorman. Hampden’s teacher-coach is Kathryn King; the attorney-coaches are Jim McCarthy and Bill Devoe.

Center Drive Elementary School

ORRINGTON – A free developmental screening conducted by Child Development Services-Penobscot County will be held with the Union 91 School Department of Orrington from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Center Drive School in Orrington.

The screening is for all area 3- and 4-year-old children, and 5-year-olds not yet eligible for kindergarten. To make an appointment, call 947-8493, ext. 17 or 14.

Colleges

North Georgia College and State University

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Jodi Kokoska of Bangor is one of nine cadets awarded the Distinguished Military Student Award for the fall semester at North Georgia College and State University. More than 600 cadets took part in a parade to honor those students.

As a recipient of the award, Kokoska is numbered among the top one-third of the professor of military science’s Order of Merit List, top one-half of the academic class and top one-half the ROTC class.

Tobacco control award

In conjunction with the American Cancer Society’s 28th annual Great American Smokeout on Nov. 18, 23 Maine colleges received awards from the Maine Tobacco-free College Network for their “demonstrated leadership in adopting tobacco control policies that protect the health of students, faculty and staff.” Area colleges to receive the honor are Beal College, Eastern Maine Community College and Husson College in Bangor; the University of Maine, Orono; and Maine Maritime Academy, Castine.

To receive an award, the colleges had to make all indoor spaces, including residence halls, tobacco-free. Colleges without residence halls had to adopt one or more of the following criteria: Prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco products on campus, prohibit tobacco advertisements in college-run publications, provide free tobacco treatment on campus, prohibit campus organizations from accepting contributions from tobacco companies, and prohibit the college from holding stock in or accepting contributions from the tobacco industry.

Eastern Maine Community College

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Community College will hold its 12th annual business and legislative reception from 4:40 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, at Rangeley Hall, 268 Sylvan Road, Bangor. Area legislators, business partners and community members are invited to join the celebration of student success.

Students will talk about their educational experiences and the opportunities it provides for them.

Refreshments for the event will be prepared by EMCC culinary arts students.

Husson College

BANGOR – Husson College Chief Academic Officer Robert M. Smith has announced the addition of four new members to the faculty.

“With Husson’s continued growth in enrollment and the addition of new majors, we are pleased to announce that four new people joined the faculty in September,” said Dr. Smith. “Each one brings to Husson talent, experience, a record of scholarship and a love of teaching.”

Dr. Stephanie Gross joins the English department as an assistant professor in the School of Science and Humanities. Prior to her appointment at Husson, she taught at the University of Oklahoma for 15 years. Gross earned her doctorate in American literature and modernity and theory at the University of Oklahoma. Her dissertation focuses on Willa Cather’s reactions to modernity in her early, urban short stories. At Husson, Gross is teaching Approaches to Literature and College Writing.

Dr. Kyle Busing has joined the faculty in the School of Education as an assistant professor. Busing received his doctorate in pedagogy from Northern Colorado with an emphasis on youth development. At Husson, Busing is teaching science courses for physical education majors, a course on developmentally appropriate motor activities for children, and tests and measurements. His research interests focus on the effects of using a responsibility model with at-risk youth in after-school programs and facilitating empowerment with at-risk youth. His dissertation topic was “Perceptions of Empowerment among Youth and Youth Leaders in 4-H Club Settings.”

Dr. Eric Strong joins the faculty of the physical therapy department as an assistant professor. He received his doctorate in exercise science from Brigham Young University, where his dissertation dealt with jumping and bone density in premenopausal women. His teaching responsibilities at Husson include kinesiology, anatomy and health and wellness, and his current research interests include bone density and obesity.

Dr. Sarina Petrolina-Roche has been named an assistant professor in the Nursing Department of the School of Health. She received her doctorate in Nursing Science from Columbia University School of Nursing. Her dissertation was titled Factors Influencing Breast Cancer Screening Practices, and her research involves primary care and prevention, oncology and cancer care issues. She is teaching Community and Rural Health and capstone professional graduate courses. Petrolina-Roche previously worked at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, St. Joseph Hospital, Bangor Area Visiting Nurses and Waldo County General Hospital.