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Arts education awards

Gov. John Baldacci and first lady Karen Baldacci presented three awards on Monday Mainers associated with the arts in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta as a part of Arts Education Advocacy Day.

The Outstanding Advocate for Arts Education Award was presented to Jo-Ann Staffiere, principal of the Capri Street School and State Street School in Brewer.

The Bill Bonyun Award was presented to Kal Elmore, chairman of the art department at Bangor High School. The award is named after Bill Bonyun, a folklorist, storyteller, singer, writer and educator for more than 50 years from Westport Island.

Recognized as an honored nominee for 2008 was Kimberly Pearson, an art teacher from Martel Elementary School in Lewiston.

Brewer High School

Brewer High School announced that 13 Advanced Placement courses have been certified through the audit process mandated by the College Board in 2007.

The audit process was instituted to provide schools and teachers with clear guidelines on curricular and resource requirements necessary for rigorous college-level coursework. The AP Course Audit also helps colleges and universities better interpret secondary school courses marked AP on students’ transcripts.

During the past school year, Brewer High School AP teachers prepared course syllabi and supporting documents to be reviewed and certified by college professors through the audit process.

Courses approved were biology, calculus, chemistry, English language, English literature, environmental science, French language, macroeconomics, microeconomics, physics, Spanish language, statistics and U.S. history.

Since 1983, Brewer High School has had a strong tradition of offering AP courses. Over the past 25 years, hundreds of motivated students have completed these challenging courses and exams, earning college credits and advanced standing when they enroll in post-secondary education. In May 2007, 139 students took 215 AP exams in 15 subject areas.

Hermon High School

HERMON – Principal Brian Walsh of Hermon High School invites parents of Hermon High students and community members to assist in a self-study conducted by the school’s professional staff.

The self-study is a significant component in the evaluation process of Hermon High School by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Walsh said that all aspects of the school would be evaluated during the self-study. Volunteers are needed to help evaluate mission and expectations for student learning, curriculum, instruction, assessment of student learning, leadership and organization, school resources for learning, and community resources for learning.

Those interested in participating in the self-study should call the Hermon High School main office at 848-4000, Ext. 1300, as soon as possible.

Orono High School

Operation Breaking Stereotypes is an organization that pairs up schools from Maine with schools from New York City to address issues of stereotyping and work to build awareness of these issues.

Students from Orono High School have been working with students from Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy of the Bronx, N.Y.

The students have decided to tackle the tough issues of intolerance and hate crimes through the production of “The Laramie Project” in their respective high schools and communities.

“The Laramie Project” is theatrical production based on the reactions to the 1998 hate crime-murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. Students at both schools will perform excerpts from the play and assist in leading reflection and discussion with the audience.

On March 13-16, students from Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy will be in Orono, where students from OHS will be their hosts.

On March 14, students from both schools will perform “The Laramie Project” for students at Orono High School.

They also will present excerpts to the community at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Church of Universal Fellowship, 82 Main St.

For information, contact teachers and advisers Shana Goodall, sgoodall@orono.u87.k12.me.us, or Jessica Andresen, jandresen@orono.u87.k12.me.us.

Here is what some Orono students say about why they are participating in “The Laramie Project.”

“I’m doing ‘The Laramie Project’ because it’s so different from everything else that I do, in that it will have a lasting effect on me and hopefully everyone else who participated and watches the play.”

“It has a message that is so important for people to hear, even though many don’t want to.”

“The reason why I’m doing ‘The Laramie Project’ is because Matt’s story needs to be told so that something like it doesn’t happen again. I do not want my town to become a Laramie.”

“I think that stereotypes are a big issue around Orono High School, although many do not recognize this. The ‘gay’ thing especially seems to be the most common insult people use. Although many people […] use this word frequently, it bothers me. Every time the word is used in the wrong way, I notice. ‘The Laramie Project’ is a way for me to show people how wrong gay-bashing is.”

Orono kindergarten

ORONO – Parents of children who will be 5 by Oct. 15 are asked to register their children from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 19.

A legal state birth certificate or a copy of a birth record is required at the time of registration. A record of the dates of immunizations also is necessary. All children who expect to enter school in the fall must receive communicable-disease immunizations.

Parents do not need to bring children at registration. Appointments will be made for screening in May. Call 866-2151 or 866-4141 between 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to make an appointment for registration.

Colleges

Castleton State College

Two area students have been honored by Castleton State College in Castleton, Vt.:

. Alden Gregory of Corinth, named to the President’s List for the fall semester, earning a grade point average of 4.0. He is a psychology major.

. Jennifer Hill of Winterport, named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester, earning a grade point average of at least 3.5. She is a biology major.

Springfield College

BUCKSPORT – Jana Grant of Bucksport has earned a master of education degree in occupational therapy from Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. She completed her studies in December.

Texas A&M University

BANGOR – Elizabeth Ann Atkinson of Bangor has earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Atkinson was named to the Distinguished Student List for the fall semester for GPA between 3.5 and 3.74.

University of Maine School of Law

PORTLAND – Thanks to a grant from the Maine Bar Foundation, students from the University of Maine School of Law attended the Robert M. Cover Retreat, Feb. 29-March 2, in New Hampshire.

Katherine Griffin of Bangor was among the students who attended the retreat.

The retreat was a gathering of public interest law students, lawyers and professors from across the country to bring to life the vision of Robert Cover, a Yale Law School professor and social change activist.

The retreat was designed to connect students with common goals and interests from across the country; create a network of professors, peers and practitioners for students headed toward careers in public interest; provide a forum for discussions about change and growth pertaining to public interest law; and provide a platform for change in the public interest sector and perceptions about public interest law.

UM Supercomputer

ORONO – Two innovative programs being launched at the University of Maine will allow undergraduates and middle-school teachers and their students to experience firsthand the educational potential of supercomputer technology.

The Supercomputing Undergraduate Program in Maine, or SuperMe, funded by a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, is an opportunity for 10 UM undergrads to spend the summer conducting sophisticated scientific research that is usually reserved for more advanced students.

“There’s lots of really good research going on here, but it’s predominantly done by faculty members and graduate students,” said Yifeng Zhu, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering who established the three-year program with Bruce Segee, an associate professor. “This kind of undergrad research is fairly unusual.”

The program runs for 10 weeks, May 27-Aug. 1. Any undergraduate in the science or engineering fields – only U.S. citizens are eligible under NSF rules – is welcome to apply by the March 14 deadline. Those selected will receive a $4,000 stipend, dining and housing support as well as reimbursement for traveling expenses.

Under the guidance of nine UM faculty members, the students will explore a range of research opportunities, from developing supercomputing techniques and tools to solving cutting-edge problems through parallel computing and scientific data visualization.

The goal of the program is to allow students to perform modeling experiments with the university’s 512-processor cluster supercomputer that would be impossible to create in real life because of time and safety considerations. With simulation software, students could examine the outcome of a chemical spill in the Penobscot River, for example, or study models of algae blooms in the ocean or the effects of fertilizer runoff in the environment.

“We hope that this kind of research experience will motivate students to go on to higher degrees,” Zhu said.

With a separate $1.2 million NSF grant, Segee, Zhu and Peter Koons, an associate professor of geological sciences, will begin a three-year program on March 15 to integrate supercomputer modeling into the Maine middle-school science curriculum.

Called Inquiry-based Dynamic Earth Applications of Supercomputing, or IDEAS, the program will allow 20 middle-school teachers and 60 of their students a year to explore the myriad intricacies of UM’s climate computer model by accessing the supercomputer with their state-issued laptops.

“The students can ask questions by picking parameters,” said Segee, lead researcher on the IDEAS program, “and then see the results in an image on 20 laptop screens at once, set up in a tile display.”

Students and teachers will work in their schools with UM researchers during the academic year, and at the university during summer workshops.

The workshops will coincide with the Master of Science in Teaching Program conference, “Integrating Science and Mathematics Education Research into Teaching;” and the “Student Tech Team” conference of the Middle Level Education Institute.

This year’s IDEAS program will involve member schools of the Penobscot River Educational Partnership, and Segee and Zhu said they hope eventually to reach all middle schools in the state.

“In targeting middle-school teachers we’re trying to make information-technology knowledge a happy side effect rather than just one more thing in the curriculum,” Segee said.

UM undergrads may apply for a spot in SuperMe at www.arch.eece.maine.edu/superme/. Information about the IDEAS program may be found at www.arch.eece.maine.edu/ideas/.

AmeriCorps participants

Two area young people have deployed to begin work on their first service projects of the year with the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program. They are:

. Levi Ashley of Glenburn, who attended Orono High School and is the son of Alison Ashley. “I was on a search and rescue team in my community for five years and I wanted to take the next step,” Ashley said.

. Branden Mountain of Bangor, a graduate of Bangor High School who attended Newbury College. “It is my goal to eventually be a member of the Peace Corps and I felt this was a great step towards that goal,” he said. He is the son of James and Rebecca Mountain.

Founded in 1994, AmeriCorps NCCC is a residential national service program created to assist with disaster relief, improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety and address unmet human needs.

Ashley and Mountain arrived in Denver and began training on Feb. 4 for 10 months of full-time service with AmeriCorps NCCC.

As corps members, they will complete a series of six- to eight-week service projects as part of 10- to 12-person teams. Their first projects will end in mid-April, at which time their teams will change locations and begin new projects.

AmeriCorps NCCC members, all 18-24 years old, must complete 1,700 hours of service during the 10-month program. In exchange for their service, they receive $4,725 to help pay for college. Other benefits are a small living stipend, room and board, leadership development, team building skills and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, they can make a difference.

For information, see www.americorps.gov/nccc.