Schools

Maine Children of the American Revolution

Kevin Scott Holland, state president of the Maine State Society, Children of the American Revolution, will welcome members and guests to the New England Regional Meeting of CAR July 27 and 28 at the Doubletree Hotel in Portland.

A member of the Moses Greenleaf Society in Bangor, Holland is a sophomore at Hermon High School. He is an honor roll student and member of the Junior ROTC at Hermon.

His state project is landscaping the new Veterans Memorial in Carmel, where several generations of his family have lived. His father, Lawrence Holland, is a veteran of Iraqi Freedom.

Filmmaker’s Prize

NEWBURGH – Lauren Budd, 10, is about to make a movie. Her story, “Hidden,” was chosen from many submitted to the Windover Filmmaker’s Prize to be made into a film at Windover Art Center.

Using the equipment purchased from a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and aided by a team of professional artists and instructors, Lauren will direct her cast of actors, choose locations and costumes, check camera angles, review “dailies” and edit footage.

“The kids write such imaginative stories that it’s hard to choose just one,” said one of the Filmmaker’s Prize judges.

Famous directors such as Steven Spielberg, the Cohn brothers and Ron Howard started making films at a young age.

Past winners of the prize have reported that making the film was fun, but a lot harder than they thought. However, the children say they learned from the experience that with planning and teamwork you can accomplish just about anything.

Peddie School

HIGHTSTOWN, N.J. – Laura Britton graduated from the Peddie School as the recipient of the Excellence in Studio Art Award. The daughter of Tori Britton of Bangor and Thomas Britton of Ephrata, Pa., she will attend Wellesley College in the fall.

Colleges

Clark University

WORCESTER, Mass. – Samuel Boyd of Brewer was named to first honors on the dean’s list for the spring semester at Clark University. To be eligible for first honors, a student must have a grade point average of 3.8 or higher.

Named to second honors, for achieving a GPA of 3.5 or higher, were:

. Maria Frati of Hampden, who is studying studio art.

. Emily Bell of Hermon, who is studying government and international relations.

Connecticut College

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Ashley Leighton of Glenburn was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Connecticut College. She achieved high honors for a 3.7-4.0 grade point average.

Franklin and Marshall

College

LANCASTER, Pa. – Kristina Wibbey graduated on May 12 from Franklin and Marshall College with a degree in neuroscience and art. She earned departmental honors for her project, “Effect of Exercise on Aversion to Acute Opioid Withdrawal in Mice.”

While at college, she participated in Habitat for Humanity, was a big sister in Lancaster’s Big Brothers-Big Sisters program and was member of the women’s tennis team.

A 2003 graduate of Orono High School, Wibbey is the daughter of Karen and Frank Wibbey of Orono.

Gordon College

WENHAM, Mass. – Kelci Desmaris, daughter of Miles and Cynthia Greenacre of Hampden, was honored at the spring Honors Convocation for being named to the dean’s list. Desmaris is studying politics and pre-law.

Shippensburg University

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Ainsley Fay is the recipient of a Board of Governor’s Scholarship from Shippensburg University. A junior majoring in elementary education, she is a 2005 graduate of Old Town High School and the daughter of Anthony and Victoria Watkins of Old Town, and Michael Fay of Fredericksburg, Va.

Simmons College

BOSTON – These area students recently graduated from Simmons College:

. Rebecca Kolenik of Bangor, who earned a bachelor’s degree in health studies.

. Lawrie Fitzgerald of Bucksport, who earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Skidmore College

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Recently named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Skidmore College were:

. Emily Newton, who achieved highest honors with a 4.0 grade point average. She is the daughter of Charlie and Ellen Newton of Winterport.

. Brittany Martin. She is the daughter of Linda Martin of Veazie and Garrett Martin of Bangor.

Smith College

NORTHHAMPTON, Mass. – Stephanie Kuntz was named a First Group Scholar and named to the dean’s list at Smith College. To earn a place on the dean’s list, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.33. First Group Scholars are in the top 10 percent of their class.

Kuntz, a graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, is studying psychology. She is the daughter of Dr. Eric and Aurora Kuntz of Ellsworth.

Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Emily Gordon graduated May 27 from Vassar College with a degree in religion, and earned departmental honors in religion. She is the daughter of Geoffrey and Suzanne Gordon of Orono.

University of Nebraska

LINCOLN – Meghan Kramer of Hampden was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at the University of Nebraska. She is studying elementary education and achieved a 4.0 grade point average.

SkillsUSA recognition

BANGOR – Charles Rackley of Bangor, a student at Eastern Maine Community College, was among the top welders in the nation in the welding competition of the 2007 SkillsUSA Championships on June 28 in Kansas City, Mo.

Rackley’s performance earned him a Skill Point Certificate in the inaugural year of the SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System.

“The Skill Point Certificate is only awarded in Kansas City as the pinnacle achievement for SkillsUSA members in the Work Force Ready System,” said Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA. “SkillsUSA provides students unparalleled opportunities to demonstrate their occupational proficiency because of our industry partnerships. These certificates help these students show they’ve got what it takes to be successful when starting their careers.”

The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for public high school, college and post-secondary technical students enrolled in trade, technical and skilled service profession programs. It is considered the single greatest day of industry volunteerism in America every year at an estimated cost of more than $32 million.

Each SkillsUSA Championships contestant is a state-level gold medalist. There were more than 5,000 competitors in 87 hands-on skill and leadership contests at the 2007 event.

“Until this year, only the top three competitors in each area were recognized for their level of achievement,” Lawrence said. “Earning a Skill Point Certificate is a significant achievement that documents a young person’s knowledge and hands-on abilities. That’s important to the students and to their prospective employers. These certificates indicate what a student will be able to do on the job.”

A Skill Point Certificate is earned by achieving a high score defined by industry as proficient and based on contest standards designed by industry representatives.

The Skill Point Certificate was awarded in six occupational areas this year: collision repair technology, commercial baking, graphic communications, Internet working, power equipment technology and welding.

The Skill Point Certificate will be awarded in at least 40 additional technical and employability areas in the coming years. While the SkillsUSA Championships have been a premier event since 1967, the Skill Point Certificates were introduced this year as a component of the SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System.

The SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System was developed as an extension of the SkillsUSA mission and supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The system recognizes students for excellence in occupational training. It assesses and documents the entry-level technical proficiency and cumulative experiences of candidates. The unique collaboration between employers and educators improves instructional programs and provides teachers with a system that is easy to use. For more information, visit www.workforcereadysystem.com.