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One-act plays in Brewer

BREWER – Brewer Youth Theatre and Brewer High School will present a pair of one-act plays at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Nov. 17-18, at Brewer Middle School, 5 Somerset St.

David Ives’ short comedy “Sure Thing” will open the evening. In a play reminiscent of the film “Groundhog Day,” Bill, played by Matt Adams, attempts to strike up a conversation with a woman in a cafe.

With each mistake he is forced to start again from the same point, until the play reaches a final, happy resolution. Katelan Daniels, Devan Doucette, Lexi Marceron and Sarah Somers round out the cast.

“Cotton Girls,” by Scott Tobin, is the story of three high school girls who are stuck at the top of a ferris wheel on their graduation night in 1959. Kristin Brown, Melanie Moore and Elysa Woodhead portray the religious Miss, the overly-dramatic Berry, and tomboy Colleen, who find that their assumptions about each other may not be completely accurate.

The award-winning show is a funny and poignant look at the power of friendship and the challenges of growing up.

Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for students. Both “Sure Thing” and “Cotton Girls” deal with mature subject matter and may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

John Bapst Memorial High School

BANGOR – John Bapst Memorial High School’s Madeline Glover and Ryan Lena have been honored with a nomination for the coveted Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. In conjunction with the collegiate Heisman, the program celebrates the nation’s top high school seniors who best exemplify a well-rounded “citizen-scholar-athlete.” Created in 1994 through a partnership between Wendy’s and the Heisman Memorial Trophy, the program has rewarded youth excellence for 12 years.

Glover is the daughter of Patrick and Jillian Glover of Great Pond. She has received numerous academic class awards and has participated on the student senate, the civil rights team, the junior classical league, and the student environmental action coalition.

In addition, she has earned letters in cross country and track and field. She was a member of the 2005 state championship cross country team and named to the All-State cross country team. She was a member of the 2005 state championship track and field team. She recently won the 2005 Penobscot Valley Conference cross country meet, the Eastern Maine regional cross country meet and the state meet.

Lena is the son of Mark and Kathy Lena of Orono. At John Bapst, he is a member of the National Honor Society, math team and student senate. He has received numerous academic awards and was named one of the Top 50 Achievers on the Maine Education Assessments. In 2004, Lena participated in the Maine Youth Leadership Program and received a Clarkson University Leadership Award.

He also is a musician and a member of the John Bapst chamber ensemble, honors band and concert choir. He has earned honors including two years for All State classical violin and selection to the 2005 All-Eastern Music Festival. In addition, Ryan has earned letters in cross country, Nordic skiing and track and field. He recently placed third overall in both the PVC cross country meet and the Eastern Maine regional cross country meet.

Montessori School

OLD TOWN – Pupils in grades four to eight at the Stillwater Montessori School will go to Smith’s ceramic studio in Bangor to paint ornaments, which they will sell at the school’s Thanksgiving feast on Nov. 22. Proceeds will be used to buy turkeys for needy families. The children also are collecting nonperishable food to aid needy families.

Arts Education Awards

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals and schools for three arts education awards to acknowledge high-level work and commitment in support of quality arts education programs for children. Nominations for the Outstanding Advocate for Arts Education Award and the Bill Bonyan Artist-Educator Award must be postmarked by Jan. 11. Nominations for the Creative Ticket School of Excellence Award must be postmarked Jan. 6.

Nominees and award recipients will be honored by the alliance at a special ceremony during the Arts Education Advocacy Day on March 9 at the State House in Augusta. Nomination forms and more information about this significant event are available at www.maineallforartsed.org.

The Outstanding Advocate for Arts Education Award will be given to a school administrator who has shown outstanding leadership and support of the arts, established exemplary or innovative arts educational programs, and promoted the importance of arts in education of every child.

The Bill Bonyun Artist-Educator Award, will be given to an artist, parent, community member or teacher who is making a positive impact on arts education through significant contributions to the arts in schools. The honoree will have shown outstanding commitment and dedicated service in arts education, exemplified talent and professionalism as an artist or arts advocate, and have been an inspiration to students, teachers, and the community. Bill Bonyun was a lifelong arts educator and folk singer whose memory lives on in the award and in the memories of the many people he touched with his talent and personality.

The Creative Ticket School of Excellence Award, given jointly by the Maine Alliance for Arts Education and the national Kennedy Center Alliances for Arts Education Network, acknowledges schools for outstanding achievement in arts education through regular instruction and consistent activities for all students in all arts disciplines.

Colleges

Bowdoin College

BRUNSWICK – Bowdoin College held its annual Sarah and James Bowdoin Day ceremony Oct. 28, to honor those undergraduates who distinguish themselves by excellence in scholarship.

Students who are designated Sarah and James Bowdoin Scholars are in the top 20 percent of each class for the previous academic year. In addition, those scholars who earned a GPA of 4.0 are designated Sarah and James Bowdoin Book Award winners.

Sarah and James Bowdoin Scholars from the Bangor area are Hilarie Wilson of Hampden; Maria Openshaw of Hampden; Erin Lucey of Hermon; and Sarah Scott of Orono.

Colleges

University of Maine

ORONO – Two University of Maine faculty members were in Vermont recently to make presentations at a rural development and entrepreneurship conference that explores the opportunities and challenges of promoting entrepreneurship as a vehicle for rural economic development in New England.

James McConnon, UMaine cooperative extension business and economics specialist and associate professor of resource economics and policy, and Roger Merchant, cooperative extension educator in Piscataquis County, were among the authorities presenting workshops on tourism and entrepreneurial development at the conference.

The conference, What Works!, was the first of this nature in New England and explored entrepreneurship and rural communities – and the competition New England, and the northeast in general, face from other regions of the country that are developing regional marketing strategies.

McConnon, with former graduate student Sibel Atasoy and Todd Gabe, associate professor of resource economics and policy, researched and reported on the significant economic effects of micro-businesses in Maine and New England. McConnon discussed that research at the conference. Merchant presented his findings on the importance of niche tourism products, community-based tourism initiatives and other planning tools that can aid in tourism economic development.

The purpose of the conference was to generate regional cooperation among technical assistance providers, researchers and educators in rural entrepreneurship and community development. It included a combination of workshops, research-in-progress presentations and roundtable discussions. General session speakers discussed what works in building vital rural economies, particularly relevant in New England at this time.