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Maine Summer Youth Music Camp

ORONO – More that 350 middle and high school students from Maine and throughout New England were on campus in July for the 2006 Maine Summer Youth Music Camp.

Ensemble and practice rooms in the Class of 1944 Hall were abuzz with young people spending a week immersed in the practice and performance of music.

More than 200 middle school pupils attended junior camp and nearly 160 high school student musicians attended senior camp. Most of the young musicians stayed in dorms during their weeks on campus.

The resumption this year of a string component in the junior camp after a six-year hiatus increased attendance by about 18 students, “and it was really well-received,” said camp director Ginger Hwalek of the UMaine School of Performing Arts faculty.

Concerts of note, which are open to the public at no charge, include:

. Musical theater -“Les Miserables,” at 2 p.m. Friday, July 28, in Hauck Auditorium.

. A final concert at 7 p.m. Friday, July 28, at the Maine Center for the Arts.

Camp instructors come from the University of Maine School of Performing Arts faculty and music students in collaboration with music teachers from around Maine.

Student progress and performance quality, said Hwalek, have been “awesome.

“It will blow you away, what these kids can do,” she said. “If you’d seen what the junior high kids did in five-and-a-half days, you wouldn’t have believed it.”

This year’s music theater, “Les Miserables,” is an ambitious musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo. Adapted to the stage by the composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and librettist Alain Boublil, “Les Miz,” as it is sometimes called, opened September 1980 at the Palais des Sports in Paris and ran twice as long as originally scheduled because of its popularity.

Other ensembles performing concerts will equally impress audiences, according to Hwalek, who is in her second year as summer music camp director. They include jazz bands, two full-sized bands and a chorus.

“I think the conductors choose a lot of variety so the students are exposed to a variety of music,” Hwalek said. “It’s a teaching camp.”

Kids’ Brainstorm Challenge

The By Kids For Kids Brainstorm Challenge 2006 is back by popular demand. The challenge is a program offered throughout the summer, and presented exclusively through selected museums across the United States, including the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor. For this inventive activity the museum provides the materials and attendees provide the brainpower.

Think you can make a flying disk? How about a foghorn? Well, here’s the chance to give it a try. The Inventive Thinking Program showcases the energy and talent of young visitors in kindergarten through grade eight.

The basic materials are provided and if an idea doesn’t turn out exactly right on the first try, it’s no problem. Participants will be able to recreate your invention using similar basic materials found around the house.

The program is generally offered on Mondays and Fridays. Visit the museum’s calendar at www.mainediscoverymuseum.org for the exact times, dates and fees, or call the museum at 262-7200.

Young musician

BANGOR – Kristyn Murphy sang during the worship service on July 9 at Forest Avenue Congregational Church.

Murphy, 16, who has been a member of the Center Drive Singers in Orrington, is a student at John Bapst Memorial High School. She is involved in choir, concert choir and chamber ensemble.

Her long-term goals include attending a music college, becoming a successful solo artist, and building a music and fine arts camp for kids.

Community education

GLENBURN – Kelly V. Ouellette, the daughter of Douglas and Corinne Ouellette, has been doing presentations at high schools throughout the state on HIV and AIDS education, preventing teenage pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

A recent graduate of an area high school, Ouellette is enrolled in the Explorations Program at the University of Maine for this fall.

Arts teacher fellowships

AUGUSTA – The Maine Alliance for Arts Education and the Maine Community Foundation have announced the advent of the Maine Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. The program supports personal artistic development of Maine kindergarten-grade 12 teachers in all arts disciplines.

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education anticipates awarding eight $5,000 fellowships for 2007. The alliance will accept preliminary project proposals Aug. 1-Nov. 17, after which selected applicants will be invited to apply for a fellowship.

Application information for the fellowships is available at www.maineartseducation.org. Through the Maine Arts Teachers Fellowship Program, artist teachers will be able to immerse themselves in creative work and have the opportunity to interact with professional artists in their fields.

“We hope to attract teachers who need to spend time and energy on their own artistic growth,” said Carol Trimble, the alliance’s executive director.

The Maine Arts Teachers Fellowship Program is modeled after the New York City-based Surdna Foundation’s Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. The Surdna Foundation and individual Maine Community Foundation donors have provided the financial support to launch the program.

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education is a statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen education in all of the arts for all Maine students. The Maine Community Foundation partners with donors and community groups to strengthen Maine communities.

Colleges

Bates College

LEWISTON – These area students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Bates College:

. David Kelly, a sophomore philosophy and history double major. He was named a Dana Scholar in 2005, one of 20 in his class recognized for academic excellence and leadership potential. A 2004 graduate of Bangor High School, he is the son of Robert and Suzanne Kelly of Bangor.

. Scott Rosenthal, a junior history major. A 2003 graduate of Bangor High School, he is the son of Robert and Barbera Rosenthal of Bangor.

. Kyle Curtis, a junior English major. A 2003 graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, he is the son of Craig and Sande Curtis of Dedham.

. Emily Crowley, a sophomore political science major. A 2004 graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, she is the daughter of Michael and Marjorie Crowley of Northport.

Bentley College

WALTHAM, Mass. – Area graduates of Bentley College on May 20 include:

. Michael Desmarais of Hampden, with a bachelor’s degree in management. He works for American Profit Recovery of Marlborough, Mass., in the company’s management trainee program. Desmarais and his wife, the former Kelci Greenacre of Hampden, reside in Lowell, Mass.

. Chandra Pixley of Orono, with a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in marketing. The daughter of Larry Pixley and Jennifer Craig, she is a graduate of Orono High School and has taken a job with e-Dialog in Lexington, Mass.

. Zachary Means of Orono, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. The son of Rachel and Paul Means, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in marketing at the college.

Clark University

WORCESTER, Mass. – These area students were named to first honors on the dean’s list for the spring semester at Clark University:

. John Kawamura of Veazie.

. Alexandra Kelly of Bangor. Kelly, the daughter of Robert and Suzanne Kelly, graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology, with high honors in communication and culture. She also received the Alice Higgins Award in women’s studies.

Collegiate scholar

BREWER – Kathleen Hanlon, daughter of John and Nancy Hanlon of Brewer, has accepted membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She will be honored during an induction convocation this fall on the campus of The University of Maine.

“NSCS is more than just a symbol of academic achievement. Membership gives students access to a number of amazing benefits including career and networking resources, scholarships, travel, and service projects both on campus and in the community,” said Stephen E. Loflin, the society’s executive director.

NSCS is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is the nation’s only interdisciplinary honors organization for first- and second-year college students. Membership is by invitation only, based on grade point average and class standing. The society has more than 450,000 lifetime members and 218 chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Hanlon is a 2005 honor graduate of Brewer High School, where she was vice president of the National Honor Society, a member and captain of the varsity field hockey team, and swim and softball teams. She was named an All American Academic Athlete in swimming and was chosen as a 2005 State Hall of Fame Academic Award recipient.

She attends the University of Maine School of Nursing. She was named to the dean’s list her first two semesters at UMaine and was awarded the Presidential Achievement Pin this spring.

Eastern Maine Community College

BANGOR – Seven delegates from the Republic of South Korea learned about Eastern Maine Community College’s educational and economic role in the state on July 21. The visitors were accompanied by interpreters, escorts and state Rep. Emily Cain of Orono.

The delegation had lunch at Rangeley Hall, met with EMCC President Joyce Hedlund and toured the campus. The group spent two hours at EMCC.

This visit to Maine – in arrangement with The American Council of Young Political Leaders and with stops in Portland, Augusta and Bar Harbor in addition to Bangor and Orono – has the broad mission of helping the Korean representatives gain a better understanding of the United States culturally, politically and economically.

The council has been conducting bipartisan international exchanges since 1966 for the purpose of enabling emerging leaders around the world to experience firsthand the political and cultural dynamics of other countries.

Emory University

ATLANTA, Ga. – Loran Dosen of Veazie graduated with a master of divinity degree from The Candler School of Theology at Emory University during commencement ceremonies on May 15.

Northeastern University

BOSTON, Mass. -Caitlin Chamberlain of Monroe, a 2003 graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, is participating in the college’s bachelor of science in international business program. The program prepares students to adapt to a new culture and develop practical ability in a foreign language.

Chamberlain will travel to Reims, France, in September to study at Northeastern’s partner school, CESEM, Reims Management School. She will complete her third year of college at CESEM where she will participate in such classes as international economics, international marketing, international financing, EU policy, French language and strategic marketing. All class instruction is in French.

State University of New York

OSWEGO, N.Y. – The State University of New York at Oswego has awarded merit scholarships to more than 600 incoming students, including Julie Mullins of Bangor. She received a $21,960 residential scholarship. The award recognizes past academic achievement and potential for success for students attending Oswego from outside New York state.

Mullins has reserved a place in the incoming freshman class for the fall semester.

Susquehanna University

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Jessie Carter of Bucksport was one of 25 students inducted into Lambda Pi Eta at Susquehanna University this spring.

Lambda Pi Eta is the official honor society for the National Communications Association. Its goals are to recognize, foster and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in communications studies; stimulate interest in the field of communications; and promote and encourage professional development among communications majors.

Carter, a 2002 graduate of Bucksport High School, and who graduated recently from Susquehanna University, is the daughter of Mike and Mickey Carter of Bucksport.