Schools

Leonard Middle School

OLD TOWN – Seventh-graders at Leonard Middle School gathered in the school’s library May 9 and 10 to participate in the class’ annual Lincoln-Douglas debates. Language arts teachers Michelle Tuttle, Misty Burgess and Liz Mares served as coaches.

The debates are designed to give pupils a chance to demonstrate skills learned in public speaking, research, writing, listening and teamwork. Each debate was scored for opening constructive, eye contact, participation of each team member, enthusiasm, posture, respect for speakers, cross-examination questioning, cross-examination responses, rebuttals and citation of sources.

Judges for the first day of the debates were Jeannine Peters, Dan Schlaffer, Gert Nesin, Shane Barker, Ann Gallant and Don Coates. On the second day Taunya Harvill, Ann Gallant, Judy Pusey, Michael Bond, Dan Schlaffer, Paul Pangburn and Bob Gridley served as judges.

Pupils debated the following questions:

. Is capital punishment a good practice?

. Should there be a recess time for middle school pupils and high school students?

. Should animals be used for entertainment purposes?

. Should the Leonard Middle School dress code be changed to include uniforms?

. Should the state of Maine continue to fund laptop computers for seventh-graders?

. Should there be single-sex schools in education?

. Should animal testing be used in medicines and cosmetics?

. Should recess be a mandatory part of the school day?

. Is it the government’s right to tap your phones or invade your privacy for reasons of national security?

. Should the Maine driver’s license age be raised?

. Is homework an important and necessary part of education?

. Should corporal punishment be used to discipline students in school?

. Do movie, music, video game and other entertainment ratings need to be reevaluated?

Academic Achievement Awards

The Phi Beta Kappa Association of Maine announced the winners of the Academic Achievement Awards for 2007. The awards are given to high school juniors who demonstrate academic achievement and intellectual curiosity in and beyond the classroom, and who plan to go on to higher education. Area honorees are:

. Verity Ramirez, Bangor Christian School.

. Catherine LeClair, Bangor High School.

. John Williams, Brewer High School.

. Matthew Connolly, Central High School, Corinth.

. Patrick Stephens, Hampden Academy.

. Denise Gray, Hermon High School.

. Owen Firestone, John Bapst Memorial High School.

. Matthew Francis, Orono High School.

Fruit Street School

BANGOR – Pupils at Fruit Street School will receive training on June 14 about bicycle safety. A visiting bicycle safety presenter from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine will spend the day going from classroom to classroom.

Pupils will learn everything from the correct way to wear a helmet to the important rules of the road, such as bicycling on the right side of the road and stopping at stop signs.

“This award-winning program has proven to be very effective at teaching students how to avoid getting into bicycle crashes,” said Jeffrey Miller, executive director of the coalition. “We have taught more than 75,000 students across Maine with our team of highly trained instructors.”

The Maine Department of Transportation has contracted with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine since 2000 to teach the bicycle safety education program. A team of 20 presenters gives interactive presentations ranging from 45 to 60 minutes.

Presenters spend a day at each school. Bringing their own bicycles, helmets and the coalition’s curriculum, they review correct fit and use of a helmet, tips for dressing for safety, how to check the bike over, and rules of the road and safe bike driving tips.

The program serves kindergarten through eighth-grade pupils, but is aimed primarily at teaching fourth- and fifth-graders about bicycle safety before they enter the high risk group, 12- to 15-year-olds.

Pupils receive copies of the “Be a Safe Bike Driver” handout, which reinforces tips on how to practice safe bike driving with their parents, and the “Rules of the Road” handout for parents, which contains safety tips for bicyclists and motorists.

Each school has designated a bike safety coordinator who gets a short training session from the visiting instructor and a packet of resources and materials. Both help the school coordinator reinforce safety messages with teachers and pupils throughout the school year.

For more information about the bicycle safety education program, call the Bicycle Coalition of Maine at 623-4511 or e-mail info@Bike Maine.org.

Scholarship awards

Rebecca Toothaker of Newburgh, a senior at Hampden Academy; and Alexander Gallant of Bangor, a Bangor High School senior, are the recipients of $1,000 scholarships from the National Federation of Independent Young Entrepreneur Foundation. The awards are designed to set future small business owners on the path to entrepreneurship.

The scholarship program encourages students to consider a career in small business. It made its debut in 2003 when it awarded 110 scholarships nationwide.

To earn a scholarship, students are required to write an essay describing their entrepreneurial endeavors and future goals. Academic performance also is considered. Foundation members around the country nominated applicants for the awards.

Corporate sponsors of the foundation are Visa USA, The Wells Fargo Foundation and Salesgenie.com.

Scholarship recipient

Jarrod Bouchard of Winterport is the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from the Beta Sigma Phi Scholarship Fund. Bouchard was sponsored by Zeta Master, the local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. Members of the organization and their families are eligible for the scholarship awards. Recipients are chosen based on scholastic standing, community involvement, letters of recommendation and an essay telling about future goals.

Colleges

Scholarship winner

Mallory Wilson of Orrington is one of seven winners of the Northeastern Loggers’ Association annual scholarship contest. The daughter of Michael Wilson and Patricia Booker, she studies elementary education at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Others receiving scholarships are Drew Blier, Fort Kent Mills; Jennifer Cranshaw, Sunderland, Mass.; Ashley Eames, Epsom, N.H.; Emily Frederick, Hardwick, Vt.; Elizabeth Howland, Conway, N.H.; and Heidi Waterhouse, Rumford.

Entrants are family members or employers of the loggers’ association. They write a competitive essay on “What the Public Needs to Know about the Forest Products Industry.” Michael Wilson is employed by Robbins Lumber Co.

The Northeastern Loggers’ Association is a regional trade group with approximately 2,000 members in the United States.

Albany College of Pharmacy

ALBANY, N.Y. – Cassandra White of Hermon was named to the dean’s list as a first year student at Albany College of Pharmacy. She played on the college basketball team which won the Northern Independence Conference championship.

Beloit College

BELOIT, Wis. – Jessica Newcomb of Orono was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Beloit College.

Binghamton University

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Maxwell Spanger of Holden was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Binghamton University for outstanding academic achievement. He is enrolled in the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.

Boston College

BOSTON – Michael Aube graduated May 21 with a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. At Boston College, Aube was active in Appalachia Volunteers and was a trip leader for two consecutive years. He was the co-founder of the Boston College Rally Committee.

Aube will be employed as a Maine staff assistant for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe in her Biddeford office. Aube is the son of Michael and Marian Aube of Bangor.

Boston College Law School

BOSTON – Ian Cohen graduated magna cum laude from Boston College Law School on May 25. While a student at the school, he served as editor of the Law Review. He plans to take the New York and Massachusetts bar exams in July. In the fall he will join, as an associate, the law firm of Latham & Watkins in its Manhattan, N.Y., office.

Cohen is the son of Ruth-Ellen and Barry Cohen of Bangor.

Brown University

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Monica Willey of Bangor was awarded a 2007 Weston Fine Arts Award for Theater Arts in acting.

She received a bachelor’s degree in theater arts during commencement ceremonies held May 27 at Brown University.

While at Brown, Willey was seen in “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Songs for a New World,” “Moon Mary,” “Hair,” “Into the Woods,” “Anna in the Tropics,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Compleat Female Stage Beauty” and “Rubbing Elbows.”

She was a member of the Sock and Buskin board, produced Brown’s Solo Festival 2005, participated in the inaugural season of the Brown-Trinity Playwrights Repertory Theatre as an apprentice and recently appeared in the Rhode Island School of Design film, “Brandon.”

Willey wrote and performed “Bone to Pick” as part of the 2007 Solo Festival. Last summer she studied Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She has been a marketing representative at Trinity Repertory Theatre and sung with the a cappella group Ursa Minors. She will continue her studies in a master’s degree program in theater at Brown University’s Trinity Repertory Consortium in Providence. Willey is a graduate of Bangor High School and the daughter of Lorna and Larry Willey of Bangor.

Brown University

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Caleb Canders graduated magna cum laude with honors from Brown University during commencement ceremonies on May 27.

He received degrees in human biology and international relations. Canders is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi honor societies. He received the Biology Senior Prize for his thesis project.

He has accepted a position at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., and will attend medical school in the fall. He is the son of Cathy and Greg Canders of Bangor.

Marquette University

MILWAUKEE – Gretchen Gunther of Bangor was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Marquette University. She is enrolled in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.

New York Medical College

VALHALLA, N.Y. – Joshua Rubin graduated May 24 from New York Medical College with a doctor of medicine degree in anesthesiology.

Dr. Rubin has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and psychology from Brandeis University and is the son of Barry and Beryl Rubin of Bangor.

Northeastern University

BOSTON – Matthew Whalen was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Northeastern University.

Whalen, an industrial engineering student, will work for General Electric in the aviation plant in Lynn, Mass., for his next co-op session, July to December. He is the son of Mike and Cheryl Whalen of Brewer.

St. Joseph’s College

STANDISH – These area students graduated from St. Joseph’s College on May 12:

Bucksport: Racheal Robshaw.

Corinth: Devon Brooks.

Hampden: Jessica Lindsay.

Hermon: Joseph Schacht.

Winterport: Amanda Hart.

St. Michael’s College

COLCHESTER, Vt. – Michael Shreeve was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at St. Michael’s College. Shreeve is a junior studying sociology and anthropology. He is the son of Daniel and Marikje Shreeve of Bangor.