Schools

Boys and Girls Club

INDIAN ISLAND – The Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club has received a $5,000 grant from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation. The foundation supports projects that advance the well-being of people and their communities by providing gifts to enhance culture, education and health.

The Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club will implement four after-school programs: Power Hour, an after-school homework help program; Money Matters, an investment education program; a family support program; and a fine arts program.

Through these, participants can be exposed to a range of arts education activities and be encouraged to develop new skills and talents, express themselves and expand creativity. These activities also are designed to contribute to improved academic performance and financial savvy.

In addition, activities are intended to help keep families intact through a range of prevention and support services delivered with flexibility, personalized attention and cultural sensitivity.

“We are extremely grateful to be receiving this gift,” said Carla Fearon, club director. “Providing quality programs is our priority, and organizations like the Bangor Savings Foundation make that possible.”

Winter Art Camp

BANGOR – Brighten up your child’s February vacation at the fourth annual University of Maine Museum of Art Winter Art Camp, an in-depth art experience held at the museum in Bangor.

The camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon Monday, Feb. 18, through Friday, Feb. 22, for pupils in grades three to five. Pupils will have direct access to the exhibitions in the galleries. The cost is $100 for museum members and $115 for others for the week and includes all supplies. Call the museum at 561-3350 to learn more about the program and to register your child.

Library essay contest

SKOWHEGAN – The Margaret Chase Smith Library announced its 12th annual essay contest as, during an election year, the nation revisits the boundaries of the role of women in political life.

More than four decades after Margaret Chase Smith’s bold decision to seek the Republican presidential nomination and more than two centuries after the founding of a republic conceived in liberty, no woman has won a presidential contest. Only two females have become Supreme Court justices, and women have occupied less than 2 percent of the seats in Congress.

The Margaret Chase Smith Library invites Maine high school seniors to assess whether the ideals of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote have been fulfilled, and to discuss what social and cultural barriers might still remain for women to overcome in the pursuit of political power long after the legal barriers to equal participation have been removed.

The library will award prizes to the top entries: $500, first place; $250, second place; $125, third place; and five $25 honorable mentions.

Deadline for submitting essays is April 1. Prizes will be announced May 1.

To submit entries or to obtain information about the contest, call David Richards at 474-7133 or write: David Richards, Margaret Chase Smith Library, 56 Norridgewock Ave., Skowhegan 04976.

Program for home-schoolers

HOLDEN – Animal Winter Adaptations, a program for home-schoolers will be held 12:30-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at the Fields Pond Audubon Center. The class is for children ages 6-12 and will be conducted by Ruth Perry, environmental educator at the center.

Pupils will walk the property looking for evidence of aquatic and land animals and their adaptations for winter survival. Using a variety of techniques, they will collect samples to examine and determine what animals are represented.

The cost is $12 per child. Register by calling the center at 989-2591.

Hermon High School

HERMON – Hermon High School Students of the Month for December are:

. Freshman Sara Bishop, daughter of James and Joy Bishop, Hermon.

. Sophomore Clark Gonyea, son of Paul and Vicki Gonyea, Hermon.

. Junior Nick Hartley, son of William and Lisa Hartley, Hermon.

. Senior Ally Wharton, daughter of Carl and Melissa Wharton, Hermon.

Kindergarten registration

WINTERPORT – The Leroy H. Smith School will hold kindergarten registration 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the school library.

Youngsters must be 5 by Oct. 15 and be a legal resident of Winterport in order to attend kindergarten at the Smith School for the 2008-09 year.

Bring the child’s legal birth certificate – hospital birth certificate is no longer acceptable – immunization record and a recent photograph.

For information call Debbie at the Smith School, 223-4282.

Teens Who Care

Nominations are being accepted for the 10th annual Teens Who Care Awards, a celebration of outstanding teen volunteers in Maine.

Teens may be nominated by any adult other than the nominee’s parents or legal guardian. The deadline is Friday, Feb. 15. Winners will be notified by Feb. 22. Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Monday, April 7, at the Portland Museum of Art.

Each of the six teens will be honored with a short video profile, which will debut to the attendees that evening at the museum and be televised later on WLBZ-TV 2. Each winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship from Maine Education Services, sponsor of Teens Who Care. Also, 30-second salute spots will air on WLBZ 2 throughout May and June.

Visit WLBZ2.com to find a printable nomination form on the community page, or call 800-464-1213.

Colleges

Marquette University

MILWAUKEE – Gretchen Gunther of Bangor was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Marquette University. She is studying biomedical engineering.

Rochester Institute of Technology

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – David Turner of Bangor was named to the dean’s list for the fall quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology. He has been on the dean’s list every semester of his college career.

Turner is a third-year student studying computer science, mathematics and creative writing. A 2004 graduate of Bangor High School, he is the son of Jim and Mary Turner.