Schools

Dance education project

ORONO – Extending the Dance Map: A Northern New England Rural Dance Project will take place 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at the University of Maine.

Dancers, educators, music and physical education teachers, choreographers, studio owners, school administrators, and dance and movement education advocates are invited to participate in a dance education network, and to strengthen political and economic influence in northern New England.

The Extending the Dance Map conference is the Maine opening of a two-year, tri-state dance education initiative, which received $50,000 in funding from the Dana Foundation’s Arts Education Rural Initiative.

The day will feature workshops in Latin dance and culture, integrating dance and keeping the art, choreography for musical theater and selling the value of dance education in public school. Updates from the Maine Department of Education on dance certification and Learning Results changes, and regional and national dance opportunities will be shared.

“Dance is the most under-served art form in our state and in our schools,” said Nancy Salmon, Maine liaison for the initiative. “Collaborating with New Hampshire and Vermont can only expand and strengthen our resources and our influence in our children’s education.”

The project aims to support and train dancers in all genres, including traditional, folk and modern. Presenters include dance artists Louis Gervais, Katenia Keller and Nancy Salmon; visual and performing arts specialist at Maine Department of Education Argy Nestor; dance director in the UM Division of Theater and Dance, Dr. Ann Ross; education director for the Maine Alliance for Arts Education, Susan Potters; and executive director at Maine Alliance for Arts Education, Carol Trimble.

Extending the Dance Map is a project of the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire and is supported by the Maine Arts Commission, the New England Consortium of Artist-Educator Professionals, Dance Education in Maine Schools, Dance Resource LLC, and the arts councils of New Hampshire and Vermont, in partnership with the State Education Departments of New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

E-mail Nancy Salmon at ncsalmon@suscom-maine.net, call 865-4311 or visit www.aannh.org for details and registration information.

Bangor High School

BANGOR – The Bangor High School Music Boosters will present Pops Night at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, at the high school. The evening will be a mix of music, food, fun and a silent auction.

Featured on the program will be the high school jazz choir, jazz bands and Bangor fiddlers; middle school jazz bands, musical combos, soloists and guest soloist Dr. David Demsey.

Tickets, available at the door, are $5, $15 family.

Center Drive School

ORRINGTON – The Center Drive School Parent-Teacher Group’s annual Spring Fair will be held, rain or shine, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at the school, 17 School St. Admission is free. The project helps fund school projects.

The event will feature fun activities for children of all ages. The gymnasium will be filled with games and inflatable “rides.” Face painting will be available. Sit and enjoy a game of bingo, but don’t leave without enjoying yummy fair foods.

Outside, representatives of the Curran Homestead will give hay wagon rides, and a fire engine will be on exhibit.

In the cafeteria attendees will find a place to shop. A Chinese auction will offer more than 100 items from bicycles to toys to gardening supplies to great gifts for Mom and Dad. Local craftspeople and vendors will have for sale a selection of gift items, handcrafted wood products, painted glassware, unique children’s clothing, handbags, Arbonne and more. Mother’s Day is the next day, May 13.

Attendees may visit exhibits and demonstrations from local businesses and service organizations, including the Boy Scouts, Brewer Wrestling, Foster Parenting and the Orrington Volunteer Fire Department.

John Bapst Memorial High School

BANGOR – This past fall, members of the percussion section of the John Bapst Memorial High School Concert Band completed a quest to create a drum line.

They made their debut with a halftime performance at the 2006 Homecoming football game in October. Under the leadership of drum major Ian Bamford of Blue Hill and the guidance of band director Julienne Ewing, the team also performed at basketball games and the winter Pep Rally.

Bamford, a senior, said that last year while visiting his sister at Cornell University, he participated briefly with the Cornell Marching Band.

He came back to Bapst and approached his classmate Matthew Baber of Veazie with the idea of forming a John Bapst drum line. They worked all summer on cadences, some that were published, some from the movie “Drum Line” and some the students wrote.

As for the time involved in organizing the team, practicing, writing and drumming, Bamford gave the impression that this had been more fun than work for him.

“It really wasn’t that time-consuming, and seeing the audience reaction made it all worthwhile,” he said.

In addition to Bamford and Baber, drum line members are Ryan Asselin of Orrington, Lyndsey Brozyna of Orrington, Justin Frye of Holden, Patrick Hall of Glenburn, Ryan Lad of Glenburn, Hillary Laferriere of Veazie, Samantha Maquillan of Holden, Brian Rice of Dedham and Nicholas Wainer of Orrington.

Old Town High School

OLD TOWN – These students from Old Town High School have received letters of acceptance from colleges:

. Andrew Jackson, Husson College.

. Anthony Julian, Eastern Maine Community College.

. Ryan Ladd, University College of Bangor and Eastern Maine Community College.

. Paul Leavitt, University of Maine.

. Devin Levesque. University College of Bangor.

. Kyrstyna Libby, University College of Bangor and University of Maine.

. Torey Lodge, University of Maine.

. Ryan McAuley, University of Maine and Franklin Pierce College.

. Justin Morin, Husson College.

. Megan Paterson, University College of Bangor and Eastern Maine Community College.

Scholarship information is available in the guidance office:

. WBRC Architects-Engineers Scholarships, two $250 scholarships open to seniors planning to pursue an education in architecture or engineering, with average grades of at least 83. Deadline is May.

Windover Filmmaker’s Prize

NEWBURGH – Windover Art Center is a place for children to explore art in its many forms. In the pottery studio students make beautiful and functional pottery. Glass beads are formed in the glass shop.

Every week students perform a play in the Birch Tree Theater. Windover has costumes and props, makeup and everything to create a performance. Silk screening, tie dye, fabric projects, music, nature studies, drawing and painting are among the wide variety of activities to chose from.

One of the center’s most popular activities is filmmaking. The center has a complete filmmaking department thanks to a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.

Windover, a nonprofit organization, uses Mac computers and Sony cameras, wireless microphones, special tripods, extra hard drives and computer programs to make the magic happen.

Last year Bruce Abercrombie donated two Sony studio cameras with tripods, lights, cables and a mixer. With this equipment, the center has created its own “TV studio” or movie set where multicamera imaging, cross dissolves and special effects such as blue screening can be done.

The equipment is the same equipment used in television stations, allowing for more elaborate productions with greater ease and giving pupils experience with professional equipment.

Each summer for the past six years, Windover has held The Filmmaker’s Prize. Children ages 7 to 14 who have an original story that would make a good short film are invited to submit the story to Windover.

A panel of judges will choose one story and the story’s author will be a guest at Windover to make the story into a short movie. Professionals will assist with every step of filming and producing the film.

Stories may be of any length. Mail them to: Windover Art Center, 3001 Kennebec Road, Newburgh, ME 04444, or e-mail windover@midmaine.com. Submission deadline is June 1. For information, call 234-4503.

Colleges

Connecticut College

NEW LONDON, Conn. -Ashley Leighton, a senior at Connecticut College, was awarded the Psychology Department Prize at the annual Honors and Awards ceremony on April 18. The honor is awarded for service to the department and dedication to psychology.

Leighton, a 2003 graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School, is the daughter of Donetta and Cary Leighton of Glenburn.

Husson College

BANGOR – The 108th Commencement of Husson College will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, in the Winkin Sports Complex on campus.

U.S. Rep. Michael H. Michaud will be the commencement speaker. John “Jack” Quirk Sr. and Michaud will be awarded honorary degrees.

The college will award 431 degrees at Bangor – 271 undergraduate degrees, 90 master’s degrees and two honorary doctorates. Students will participate from 139 Maine towns, eight states and five countries, earning degrees from the schools of business, education, health-science and humanities.

Senior Class President Erin Brown of Morrill will deliver the class address and receive a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in business administration.

At a second ceremony on May 22 in Portland, 50 undergraduates and 18 graduate students will be awarded degrees at Woodfords Congregational Church.

New England School of Communications

BANGOR – Barry Alley, a 1995 graduate of the New England School of Broadcasting and a native of Addison, will receive the 2007 New England School of Communications Outstanding Alumnus Award.

The award will be presented at commencement exercises at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 12, in the Newman Gymnasium, Husson College. The award is given each year for professional ability and achievement.

Alley is an Emmy-winning videographer for Fox Sports Network-New England in Burlington, Mass. A cable sports network, FSN broadcasts throughout New England and covers local professional and college sports. It is the official station of the Boston Celtics basketball team.

Alley started his news career at WVII-TV Channel 7 in Bangor in 1995 after graduation from the New England School of Broadcasting as a radio major. In 1997 he went to work for WMUR-TV in New Hampshire, moving to FSN in 2000.

In 2005 the Boston-New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored Alley and six FSN colleagues for Outstanding Achievement in Sports Special Programming. This year, for the third time, he is among the regional Emmy nominees in the same category.

Alley has covered the New Hampshire presidential primary, three New England Patriots Super Bowl victories, Red Sox spring training in Florida and the 2004 Red Sox World Series win. He lives in Manchester, N.H., with his wife, Andrea, and son Timothy.

Seminary information

BANGOR – The public is invited to explore the educational possibilities at Bangor Theological Seminary, located on the Husson College campus. Those thinking of answering a call to ministry or simply seeking answers to spiritual questions will find opportunities to do so at BTS, organizers said.

Information evenings will be held 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, May 7, on the Portland campus; and 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, May 14, on the Bangor campus.

Hosted by the BTS director of admissions, the sessions will feature conversation about the opportunities at BTS. Topics will include degree programs, the Anglican Studies program, the admissions process and financial aid information. Light refreshments will be provided.

To obtain more information or to reserve a space, call Fae Gilbride, assistant director of admissions and financial aid at (800) 287-6781, ext. 126, or e-mail fgilbride@bts.edu. Visit www.bts.edu/prospective/visit.htm.

University of Maine

ORONO – The University of Maine will award 1,950 degrees at its 205th commencement in two ceremonies on Saturday, May 12, at Alfond Arena.

During the 10:30 a.m. ceremony, degrees will be awarded to graduates from the College of Business, Public Policy and Health; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the Division of Lifelong Learning.

The second ceremony at 2:30 p.m. will be for graduates from the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Engineering, including the School of Engineering Technology; and the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture.

Robert Edwards, president emeritus of Bowdoin College, will address graduates at the morning ceremony. The afternoon speaker will be best-selling author Tess Gerritsen.

UM President Robert Kennedy will preside. William Johnson will represent the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and assist UM senior vice president for academic affairs and provost Edna Mora Szymanski in awarding honorary doctorates to Edwards, Native American Studies scholar Nicholas Smith of Brunswick, and Richard and Mildred Giesberg of Los Angeles, Calif., noted for their international humanitarian efforts.

Because commencement generates much traffic, UM will operate a continuous shuttle bus service from the Steam Plant parking lot, Belgrade lot, Maine Center for the Arts lot and Hilltop lot to Alfond Arena before and after ceremonies.

Those traveling to UM are encouraged to allow plenty of time, and to expect traffic delays of up to 60 minutes. Those accessing UM via Interstate 95 should consider using Exit 197 and traveling through Old Town to the university’s Park Street entrance if traffic is significantly backed up at the exits closer to Bangor.