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Homeschool playgroup

BANGOR – A cooperative homeschool playgroup will meet at 10 a.m. Mondays throughout the school year. The first session will be held at Fairmount Park.

The purpose of the group is to serve as a reliable source of contact for homeschool families, with no denominational or other affiliations.

For information, contact John Picone at 990-5751 or thezef@aol.com.

Sports boosters meeting

BANGOR – The Bangor All Sports Boosters will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, in the ROTC Room, Bangor High School. The public is invited to attend. For information, call Darlene Kenny at 947-6523.

After-school programs

OLD TOWN – The Old Town-Orono YMCA is providing more children than ever with access to after-school programs with the help of a grant from the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. The fund is a charitable organization committed to providing children in need with life-enriching after-school programs that foster academic, physical and social development.

The grant of nearly $11,000 will help provide assistance to youth who are financially unable to participate in an after-school program and those who are currently participating in a program, but at risk of leaving due to lack of funds.

“The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is firmly committed to supporting YMCAs and other organizations dedicated to keeping America’s children safe and constructively engaged during the after-school hours,” said JB Klecha, manager for JCPenney’s Bangor Mall store. “Children are our greatest asset and together we can help reduce the number of unserved youth, ensuring that students of all backgrounds and income levels are able to benefit from these life-enriching after school programs.”

In addition to the JCPenney Afterschool Fund grant, the Old Town-Orono YMCA will receive 19 gift cards from the JCPenney Co. to assist with the purchase of school clothing and supplies.

“The YMCA is grateful for the generous support of the JCPenney Afterschool Fund and the JCPenney Co.,” said Jill Nitardy, executive director of the Old Town-Orono YMCA. “We strive to serve as many children as possible with high-quality after-school programming, and thanks to their commitment, we are able to introduce more students to a world of opportunities by involving them in a safe, affordable program.

“It is one of the most important programs we offer,” she said. “Studies show that youth are at a greater risk of involvement in crime, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors between 3 and 6 p.m. each day.”

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund and JCPenney Co. are providing similar grants and gift card donations to 319 other YMCAs. In 2007, gifts to the YMCA will exceed $3.9 million.

For more than 50 years, YMCAs have been engaging children in safe, quality after-school programs that supplement in-school learning.

The Old Town-Orono YMCA offers an array of after-school programming for youth, including swim lessons, gymnastics lessons, recreational sports, indoor skate programs and homework tutoring.

Colleges

Cianchette Brothers Scholarship

ORONO – Abby Arena of Stetson, a University of Maine student, has received a Cianchette Brothers Scholarship. She is the daughter of Cianbro Transportation supervisor Nick Arena and his wife, Laurie. She said that after college she hopes to pursue advanced training to become a veterinarian.

Ival “Bud” Cianchette, chairman of Cianbro’s board, said, “We are pleased to help such a fine student as Abby Arena.”

Cianbro President Peter Vigue said, “Abby Arena demonstrates motivation, maturity and dedication. We are pleased to help such a fine young lady.”

The Cianchette Brothers Scholarship program was established in 1999 to help qualified college students of Cianbro team members.

Cornell University

ITHACA, N.Y. – J. Paul Kelleher III, formerly of Brewer and Freeport, has been awarded a doctorate in philosophy from Cornell University.

His dissertation was titled “Liberal Toleration and Economic Justice.” In September, he will begin a two-year fellowship at Harvard University to research ethics in health policy.

Kelleher is the son of Terri Hatt of Portland and Jay and Deb Kelleher of Bucksport. He is the grandson of Carroll and Jeanne Hatt and Elaine Kelleher.

Gordon College

WENHAM, Mass. – Kelci Greenacre Desmarais of Lowell, Mass., formerly of Hampden, graduated on May 19 from Gordon College with a bachelor of arts degree in political studies.

Kaplan College

CHICAGO – Crystal Phillips of Clifton received an associate degree summa cum laude in business administration and accounting during commencement ceremonies on Aug. 4 at Kaplan University.

Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy has been listed among the nation’s top baccalaureate colleges for the northern region in the 2008 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the rankings reflect some substantial changes in methodology this year. They were published in the Aug. 27 issue and are available, along with a complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school, at www.usnews.com/colleges.

Maine Maritime Academy was ranked for the first time in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges (By Region),” placing 14th overall in the listing of public and private colleges located in the north, a region defined as spanning from Maine to Maryland.

MMA held the third-ranked position on that list for public institutions, placing behind two federally run academies. Maine Maritime Academy was the first publicly funded, state college to appear on the list.

MMA was founded in 1941 by an act of the 90th Maine Legislature and has no mandatory service obligations for graduates. The college will begin the new academic year on Sept. 3 with maximum enrollment.

“As a small, public college on the coast of Maine, we’re pleased to be recognized within this evaluation,” said Leonard Tyler, president of MMA. “We’ve been recognized regularly within this publication in the past for excellence in undergraduate engineering, but our rank in this category attests to the efforts of our trustees, faculty and staff to provide an overall quality, accessible and affordable education for students.

“Studies have shown we have the best undergraduate retention rate of any public college in Maine,” Tyler said, “our post-graduation job placement rate exceeds 90 percent each year, and our graduates are known worldwide for their competence. We’ve always strived to offer a solid return on the investment of our students and Maine taxpayers and this is just one more sign that our efforts are paying off.”

According to U.S. News & World Report, the former “Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor’s” category was re-named “Baccalaureate Colleges” this year to better clarify the broad educational mission of these schools.

The category was defined as “… institutions [that] focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts which account for fewer than half of the bachelor’s degrees, and in professional fields such as business, nursing and education.”

Providence College

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Amber Rankin of Holden graduated magna cum laude in May from Providence College, where she studied political science and art. She is enrolled at St. Andrews College in Fife, Scotland, to pursue a graduate degree in international security.

UM emergency notification

ORONO – Since last April’s tragic Virginia Tech shooting incident, University of Maine public safety officials and others have been working to develop a comprehensive, multi-layered communication system for use in the event of a campus emergency.

A Web-based service that delivers messages to cell phones and e-mail addresses is the centerpiece of the new system that will assure the timely delivery of accurate information during an emergency.

“Since last spring, I am certain every college and university has thoroughly examined its policies and procedures in these areas,” said UM Dean of Students Robert Dana. “In our case, President [Robert] Kennedy instructed us to address the issue in a comprehensive way, and to put in place the procedures that will assure effective communications in the event of a serious emergency situation that requires mass notification.”

Known as umaine.txt, the messaging system comes from e2campus.com, a national company with higher education clients all over the United States. Once students, faculty and staff members register online, they will receive emergency notifications in the form of text messages and-or e-mail messages. The system also allows for delivery to RSS readers, PDAs, text pagers and user home pages on Google, AOL or My Yahoo.

Dana expects most students to lean toward the text message option.

“It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of college students use cell phones,” Dana said. “It makes sense to use a medium with which they tend to be exceptionally familiar and comfortable.”

Easy-to-follow registration instructions are available at www.umaine.edu. Some cell phone packages include a nominal fee for received text messages. The system allows users to enter a second cell phone number for notification, perhaps for a phone belonging to a parent.

Students and employees can register to receive information about emergencies, about class cancellations in the case of inclement weather, or both.

Procedures also are in place to allow for quick updating of umaine.edu, UM’s homepage, in the case of an emergency situation. A recorded message at 581-INFO will provide up-to-date information.

Crews will soon install a siren at the top of UMaine’s Class of 1944 Hall near the center of campus. If an emergency event occurred, UM police officials would sound that alarm as a signal to members of the UM community to seek information, which would include advice about what people should do to assure their safety and wellbeing.

“If the alarm sounds, it is critical that everybody remain calm and systematically set about determining what is going on,” said Chief Noel March, director of UM’s Department of Public Safety. “They should check for text messages, see if they have received an e-mail alert or visit umaine.edu. If those options are not available, folks should call 581-INFO. Because of the nature of our community, word will travel fast.”

The new procedures are outlined on a sticker to be placed on the inside door of every residence hall room and many other rooms around the UM campus. In addition, Dana will send an e-mail message to all students just before classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 4. Each faculty and staff member will receive information about the program in the campus mail.

University of Maine

ORONO – For the fourth consecutive year, the Princeton Review lists the University of Maine as one of the best choices for undergraduate education.

The New York-based publisher announced the listings from its annual book, “The Best 366 Colleges,” last week. Princeton Review rankings are based on several criteria, including the opinions of each institution’s students.

Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in the United States are chosen for the list.

“We are pleased that the Princeton Review has once again recognized UMaine as a quality institution on a national scale,” said UM President Robert Kennedy. “This ranking also shows that UMaine’s students feel good about the UMaine undergraduate experience and that they are willing to tell others that UMaine provides both quality and value. I can’t imagine a better recommendation than one coming from our students.”

Princeton Review also has designated UM as one of the 222 Best Northeastern Colleges.

An average of 325 students per institution respond to the Princeton Review’s 80-question survey.

“We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s vice president of publishing. “We evaluated them on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we hear from yearlong. Finally, we work to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

A Princeton Review editorial team visited UM during the 2004-2005 academic year.

“As we approach the beginning of the fall semester, this news presents further evidence of UMaine’s momentum,” Kennedy said. “We are excited about UMaine’s current direction and its bright future, and this ranking signifies strong appreciation for the quality of the UMaine experience.”

Fall semester classes begin at UM on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

University of New Hampshire

DURHAM – Meaghan Patrick of Winterport was awarded a scholarship grant for her leadership, academic excellence and community involvement by the Former Agents of the FBI Foundation.

The organization is the philanthropic arm of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI Inc. located in Quantico, Va. Patrick attends the University of New Hampshire and qualifies for the scholarship as the daughter of former Special Agent Urey W. Patrick III.

Western New England College

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Joseph Carmichael of Hermon was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Western New England College. He is studying mechanical engineering at the college.