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Original dance and drama

Students in seven academic classes from four area schools – Brewer High School, Hampden Academy, Hermon High School and John Bapst Memorial High School – have been working with Maine artists-in-residence to create original dance and drama pieces that they will perform Thursday, March 22.

The students’ collaborative work is part of the Building Community Through the Arts program, organized by the Maine Alliance for Arts Education. The regional program, in its eighth year, sends professional choreographers and playwrights into classrooms in high schools in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties to help students create group works that combine curriculum themes with issues the students themselves wish to address.

Social studies classes of Jason O’Reilly at John Bapst and Jeremy Phelps’ drama class in Brewer are working with theater artist Cathy Plourde.

One of Elisabeth Pound’s English classes in Hermon is working with theater artist Jeri Pitcher. And at Hampden Academy, English classes of teachers Lisa Scofield and Deborah Berry and Ben Adridge’s music theory class are working with dance educator Louis Gervais.

For most of the students, this is their first experience in creative theater and dance. The classes will perform their works for each other and the public Thursday, March 22, at the Universalist Unitarian Church, 120 Park St.

Other participating classes will come from Dexter Regional High School, Nokomis Regional High School and Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford. Admission is free.

A schedule of performances, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is available at the schools, or call program director Susan Potters at 676-9494.

Building Community Through the Arts is supported with help from the Starbucks Foundation, the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, the Susan and Donald P. Babson Charitable Foundation, the Region III Children’s Cabinet and the Maine Arts Commission.

Bangor High School

BANGOR – The Bangor High School Key Club will be busy in March. Club members will serve as volunteers at the math team competition, providing runners for the event at Bangor High School.

Their next volunteer service will be for the MPBN membership campaign where they help answer phones.

They will form a team to bowl in the Big Brothers-Big Sisters Bowl-A-Thon to raise money for the organization. At the annual YMCA Spring Fair, Key Clubbers will do everything from face painting to working at the ice cream booth.

March also is the month when officers are nominated for the next school year.

For more information about the Bangor High Key Club, call Jane Searles at 262-7843.

Central High School

CORINTH – Central High School Principal Garry Spencer announced that the school has received its decennial re-accreditation report from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Public Secondary Schools. The report has been shared with school staff and the SAD 64 board of directors.

The prime concern of the accreditation process is to assess the quality of the educational program at Central High School in terms of the commission’s standards and Central High School’s mission and expectations for student learning. The school received commendations and recommendations in curriculum, assessment, instruction, mission and leadership, as well as school and community resources for learning.

Central High School was commended for its superb advisory program, excellent support services such as library, guidance and special education, utilizing a variety of instructional strategies, community outreach and school pride.

The visiting team, comprising 15 educators from Maine and Massachusetts, was impressed by the school staff’s efforts.

“The student work was well-organized and represented work done by students at all academic levels. The self-study provided an excellent basis for the on-site review by the visiting committee. Parents, students and board members joined the professional staff in the self-study deliberations,” the report stated.

The visitors praised the school’s steering committee, six faculty who supervised all aspects of the self-study.

The commission has recommended that Central High School write and implement schoolwide rubrics, continue to update curriculum, re-evaluate space issues and investigate access to health services and alternative education opportunities.

Central High School now will enter a follow-up phase during which the school community will implement the commission’s findings.

A copy of the report is available in the high school office.

John Bapst Memorial High School

BANGOR – John Bapst Memorial High School Head of School Landis Green announced recently that Nicholas Hubbard, son of Jon and Marlene Hubbard of Holden, and Lukas Wong-Achorn, son of Brett Achorn and Virginia Wong-Achorn of Amherst, are finalists in the 2007 Competition for Merit Scholarship Awards in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The students were recognized for their exceptional academic promise demonstrated by outstanding performances on the qualifying test used for program entry.

“We have much to celebrate about our students here at Bapst, but it’s great when they receive objective positive feedback from organizations like the National Merit Scholarship Program,” Green said. “Nick and Lukas are in good company at our school and they are wonderful young men. Their success – while clearly theirs – is a credit to their classmates and teachers who support and challenge them, as well.”

To qualify for the honor, the students first scored in the top 1 percent of the 1.4 million U.S. high school juniors who took the 2005 Preliminary SAT-National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They were named among 16,000 semifinalists in the competition and then advanced again to become finalists. The selection of approximately 8,200 Merit Scholarship winners from the group of finalists is now in progress.

Old Town High School

OLD TOWN – The time is quickly approaching for the annual Longaberger Basket Bingo 1 p.m. Sunday, March 25, at the Elks Club, Gilman Falls Avenue. Doors open at noon.

Proceeds will go toward the Class of 2009 senior trip.

The basket bingo event is under the direction of faculty adviser Brenda Quill. The cost of a ticket is $10 for 10 games. Also included will be a 50-50 raffle and blackout prizes – $5 will buy a blackout sheet, or buy two and get one free.

One lucky winner will take home a handmade, solid oak bookcase built and donated by social studies teacher Michael Bowen, the owner of Wood’n It Be Nice.

Another special donation was made by Brandi Folsom of a crock basket bundle with lids and sealable protectors. Other Longaberger baskets range in value from $69 to $196.50.

Snacks and homemade baked goods will be available throughout the afternoon.

These seniors have received college acceptance letters:

. Samantha Boyington, Eastern Maine Community College.

. Kalib Carmichael, Beal College.

. Benjamin Costello, University of Maine at Presque Isle.

. Shannon Curtis, University College of Bangor and Eastern Maine Community College.

. Kristian Ellingwood, University College at Presque Isle and Beal College.

. Crystal Evans, University of Maine Fort Kent.

. Mellisa Fraser, University of Maine.

. Renee Hashey, Eastern Maine Community College.

. Tyler Honey, Husson College.

. Skylar Hopkins, University of Maine Farmington and University of Maine.

These scholarship applications or information are available in the guidance office:

. Thomas J. Landers Scholarship, three $500 scholarships available to second semester law enforcement students. Application deadline is April.

. Mary Beal Scholarship, five $500 scholarships available to seniors planning to attend Beal College. Application deadline is April 30.

. Maine State Grange Agricultural Scholarship, $500 scholarship available to a senior pursuing further education in an agriculture-related field. Application deadline is April.

. Maine Educational Secretaries Association MSEA Scholarship, four $500 scholarships available to seniors who have been accepted to a two- or four-year post-secondary educational program and have been referred by an MSEA member.

Orono High School

ORONO – The Orono High School Academic Decathlon Team competed at the state meet on March 3 at Deering High School in Portland.

The Academic Decathlon is a competition in which students match their intellects against students from other schools. Students are tested in 10 categories: art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science and speech with the 2007 theme, “China and Its Influence on the World.”

These students won medals:

. Tionna Baldwin, bronze, speech.

. Kate Bulteel, silver, social sciences.

. Hannah Cyrus, bronze, music.

Other members of the team are Julia Bradson, Tiffanie Schmidt, Aileen Co, Sean Kilpatrick and coach Shana Goodall.

As seniors are accepted to colleges, congratulations are extended and their names read individually in morning homerooms. Each senior places a star with his or her name and the name of the college or university on a guidance office bulletin board. Students also are congratulated for further training and military plans.

On March 5, the Orono High School student government held its second blood drive of the year for the American Red Cross. Adviser Bill Cowan announced that 58 pints were collected.

Students volunteering at the blood drive were Hilary Devine, Ben Richards, Jessamy Luthin, Aileen Co, Joel Clemmer, Thomas Gillett, Aimee Batuski, Amanda Wakeling, Amy Mares, Tiffany Long, Erin White, Maridawn Lamb, Ally Sherman, Chelsea Paul, Lisa Batuski, Max Winter, Lauren Dwyer and Amber Saucier.

After a step-up day for incoming ninth-graders on March 15, Orono High School will hold an academic fair and registration night 6-8 p.m. in the gym, for parents and eighth-grade students. For more information, call 866-4916.

Drama students participated in the One-Act Play Competition at Skowhegan on March 9 and presented their play at Orono High on March 13.

The cast for “Bedtime Story” by Sean O’Casey comprises actors Alec Rose, Aya Mares, Patrick Molloy, Jessamy Luthin, Matt Baker, Mike Zhang and Erin Good; understudies Amber Saucier, Greta Landis and Nate Peterson; tech crew Sarah Averill, Indigo Curtis, Dan Legere and Emmett Harrity and director Chris Luthin.

These student-artists were chosen to have their work displayed at the Bangor Mall Art Show, across from the GAP store, through Sunday, March 18: Ian Staples, Alec Rose, Meghan Curtis, Julie Normand, Megan Quintal, Annie Monroe, Sam Hallman, Heather Woodbrey, Chloe Paul, Jessica Bates, Pat Egenhofer and Aya Mares. They are the students of teacher Jessica Andresen.

Colleges

Husson College

BANGOR – Husson College will hold its spring open house on Saturday, March 24.

Open house at Husson is an opportunity for students and parents to tour the campus and meet current students, faculty and administrators. It is an opportunity to learn about Husson’s academic and athletic programs, extracurricular activities and financial aid.

Faculty from each academic program will be on hand to talk about their programs and answer questions.

Registration is at 9 a.m. in the Dickerman Dining Commons and activities begin at 9:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided to those attending noon-1 p.m. free in the dining commons.

For more information, call (800) 4HUSSON.

Kennebec Valley Community College

FAIRFIELD – Kennebec Valley Community College’s academic dean, Karen White, has announced the dean’s list for the fall semester. To make the dean’s list, students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.

Bangor: Amy Bell, Scot Jones, Jared Smith.

Brewer: Mandy Waltz.

Frankfort: Jennifer Littlefield.

Greenbush: Kristine Steele.

Hampden: Matthew Deering.

Hermon: Sarah Richards.

Kenduskeag: Steven Cude.

Milford: Justin LeBreton.

Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE – These area students graduated from Maine Maritime Academy on Dec. 15:

. Anthony Cote of Bangor received a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering technology.

. Kevin Proctor of Bangor received a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering operations.

. Cynthia Dehm of Kenduskeag received a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation operations.

. Bruce Hallett of Orrington received a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

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CASTINE – These area students were named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Maine Maritime Academy:

. Michael Binekey of Hampden. He is studying marine systems engineering.

. John Higgins of Hampden. He is studying marine engineering technology.

. Lucus Anderson of Winterport. He is studying marine transportation operations.

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CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy will hold an open house for prospective students and their parents on Saturday, March 31. Registration will take place 7:30-8:30 a.m. in the Alfond Student Center. 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 lead tours of the campus, waterfront facilities and college vessels. For a reservation, call (800) 464-6565.

New England School of Communications

BANGOR – It was in November 2005, while undergoing intensive care treatment in a Cincinnati hospital, that the ambition to attend college in the United States became more than just a fleeting idea for Jose Rottman of Guatemala City, Guatemala.

As he puts it, “I was in the intensive care area being treated for complications of Steven’s Johnson Syndrome, a skin disease, when through blurred eyes I noticed a blonde woman with yellow gloves who told me that I should consider attending school in the United States.” She specifically mentioned the University of Cincinnati, he added.

Rottman, who was 22 at the time, had always had the idea to come to this country to study, but his hospital experience strengthened the resolve to do so and finally led to his admittance to the New England School of Communications in January.

The skin disease that brought Jose to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Cincinnati was serious enough to keep him hospitalized for a month and a half as nurses and doctors made sure the wounds covering most of his body were kept clean and free of infection.

He was treated at that hospital because he had a married cousin living in the area. His Guatemalan doctors were able to refer him there for treatment. “I was very lucky,” he said.

Rottman already had attended the American School of Guatemala and the Universidad Rafael Landiver, studying communications sciences. He had worked for a courier company before putting into action his plan to study in the United States. He researched through the Internet all schools with communications majors and with concentrations in television, with emphasis on finding one that “was not too expensive.”

At NESCom he is majoring in video production and hopes to use his expertise in Guatemala to produce and edit documentaries as well as videos that will lure tourists to an economically depressed country. Rottman notes that Guatemala has the highest poverty index in Central America.

If he is able to realize his ambition, he will owe a great deal to that “blonde lady with the yellow gloves.”

Northeastern University

BOSTON – Sara Lagasse of Glenburn was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Northeastern University. She is completing her senior year in nursing. She is a 2002 graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.