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Hermon High School

HERMON – Students of the Month at Hermon High School are:

. Freshman Marissa Kelley, daughter of George and Teresa Kelley of Hermon.

. Sophomore Caitlin Barrows, daughter of Mark and Sherrie Barrows of Hermon.

. Junior Meagen St. Louis, daughter of Dale and Terry St. Louis of Etna.

. Senior Sonny Sewall, son of Peggy Ryder of Carmel.

Zonta Club Scholarships

The Zonta Club of Bangor announced recipients of its scholarships for the 2008-09 academic year:

. Bradie Manion, Hermon, $1,000.

. Helen Mattsson, Orono, $1,000.

. Vanessa Leture, Orono, $1,000.

. Ashley Fairbanks, Levant, $1,000.

. Michelle Wells, Winterport, $1,000.

. Rachel Binder-Hathaway, East Millinocket, $1,000 Myrt Willey Scholarship for a major in business.

. Sara Martin, Exeter, $1,000 Lillian Wall Scholarship for a major in communication sciences.

Zonta scholarships are awarded annually to women planning to pursue a post-high school degree at a college or university in Maine.

The Zonta Club of Bangor is a member of Zonta International, a worldwide service organization dedicated to the improvement of the status of women through action and advocacy. The club meets at 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month.

Middle School Debating

BANGOR – All Saints Catholic School hosted a middle school debate tournament April 11 at Bangor High School.

Eighteen debaters representing four schools – All Saints, Brewer Middle School, Dirigo Middle School of Dixfield and Maranacook Community School of Readfield – debated in favor or against censorship in schools.

Lincoln Douglas Debate, the format used at this tournament, features one-on-one debate on an ethical issue. Judges assigned to each round serve as time keepers and guide the debaters as needed.

The judges individually write comments and decide a winner based on which debater argued more convincingly for his or her side. Debaters were encouraged to present contentions in their case, as well as an overall value to focus the debate. In the second round, debaters argued the opposite side of the issue against a different opponent, and in front of different judges.

An informal Middle School Debate League was formed six years ago by coaches Amy Trunnell and Brad Conant of Maranacook and Dirigo schools, with All Saints Catholic School and other schools joining the league last year.

This year, in addition to hosting a tournament, All Saints reached out to other area schools and was joined at practice meetings by a student from Brewer Middle School.

At the Bangor tournament, local winners included All Saints students Becca Pelletier and Jessica Moore, who took first and second place in the varsity division.

Elyse Hilotin and Mikala Jordan tied with students from other schools for first and second place respectively in the novice division, while Kassidy Giggey of Brewer Middle School took third place, despite having to leave early to participate in a school play across the river in Brewer.

Ellen Coddington of All Saints Catholic School received an honorable mention in the novice division.

Members of All Saints and Brewer Middle School teams plan to travel to Readfield on May 2 for the final tournament of the season.

Middle schools in the area interested in finding out more about the league are invited to call the Bangor High School Debate Team coaches at 992-5500, or email them at jpelletier@bangorschools.net.

Colleges

New provost at UMaine

ORONO – Susan Hunter, a University of Maine faculty member since 1991 and an administrator for the past three years, is President Robert Kennedy’s choice to take over as UM vice president for academic affairs and provost, effective June 1.

She joined the UM faculty 17 years ago as a zoology professor.

Kennedy cited Hunter’s outstanding contributions to UM’s academic mission and her ability to easily transition to the provost’s role being vacated by Edna Mora Szymanski. Minnesota State University Moorhead’s chancellor announced recently that he has selected Szymanski to become president of that university.

Hunter, whose appointment as provost is for two years, now serves as vice provost and dean for undergraduate education, a position she has held since 2005.

Her new appointment must be approved by the University of Maine System board of trustees.

“She is respected by our faculty and admired by her students,” Kennedy said in a statement.

At UM, the vice president and provost is second in command to the president and serves as the university’s senior academic officer, with senior management responsibilities related to all aspects of the university’s teaching, research and public service mission.

American University

BANGOR – Phillip Crawford of Bangor, a junior majoring in international studies in the School of International Service at American University in Washington, was named to the dean’s list for this fall semester.

Clark University

HERMON – Emily Bell is the recipient of a Harrington Fellowship at Clark University, Worcester, Mass. The fellowship is awarded to undergraduate students who are pursuing original and creative projects or research in politics, public policy or service learning in the public or nonprofit sector. The fellowship is designed to foster a community of learning by bringing together Clark faculty and Harrington fellows several times a year to share their new knowledge and experiences.

Bell will use the grant money to research the German political system and German environmental and energy policy in the office of Marko Muehlstein, a leading Bundestag representative on environmental and energy issues. She will intern in May and June in his Bundestag office in Berlin.

Bell has been accepted into the London School of Economics for her junior year, where she will study economic history and international relations.

Bell is a 2006 graduate of Hermon High School, and is the daughter of Peter and Becky Bell of Hermon.

Delta Zeta at UMaine

ORONO – In anticipation of Earth Day, Delta Zeta Sorority presented a resolution at the Panhellenic Council meeting to encourage University of Maine sororities to adopt environmentally friendly practices in chapter rooms and houses as well as individually.

“This is something that’s really important to us, and we know a lot of women in other sororities care about what they can do to reduce global warming,” said Delta Zeta chapter president Ashley Hoskins. “One person can make a difference, but if every one of the more than 300 sorority women on campus starts to pitch in, we can make a significant difference. We’re even helping the other chapters get started by giving them canvas shopping bags and CFL light bulbs.”

The resolution states that sororities and Panhellenic-sponsored programs will make an effort to be “green” through chapter recycling plans, community service activities, campus awareness initiatives and group purchases.

“Going green doesn’t just make sense from a global perspective, it’s also going to help our chapters save money,” said council treasurer Stephanie Palmer, also a Delta Zeta sister. “This resolution encourages us as a Panhellenic to think about the choices we’re making, and reducing, reusing, and recycling more means we’re going to find ways to spend our money more efficiently.”

Chapter members were inspired to bring the resolution forward after attending a regional Delta Zeta conference. The keynote speaker, human rights activist and DZ alumna Lee Ann DeReus, challenged the women to find ways to make a difference on campus as well as in everyday lives.

Delta Zeta’s national organization recently launched an initiative to encourage its chapters and alumnae to go green, complete with a resource-based Web site at www.dzpinkgoesgreen.org.

Eastern Maine Community College

BANGOR – An agreement signed April 2 provides students in Eastern Maine Community College’s early childhood education program the option of a smooth continuation of study in the University of Maine to complete a bachelor’s degree and earn kindergarten through third-grade teaching certification.

EMCC enrolls 75 students a year in its early childhood education program. After graduating with an associate degree, these students are qualified to teach children up to age 5 in early care and education programs. Many students want to continue their education.

The agreement is the result of the two institutions working to provide a seamless transition between programs. The students may complete two years of study at EMCC, then transfer to UM to finish the remaining two years, earning a bachelor’s degree and state teaching certification.

Oceanic Scholarship

ORONO – Laura Wood of Scarborough, a sophomore studying ecology and environmental sciences at the University of Maine, was awarded a 2008 Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The scholarship provides financial assistance for a student’s junior and senior years, and a summer internship at a NOAA facility.

“This is another example of our best students’ competitiveness in national scholarship programs,” said Mark Anderson, undergraduate coordinator of the UM ecology and environmental sciences program and professor in the UM School of Economics.

Wood also is considering several NOAA facilities in Southern Maine for her internship, she said.

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides recipients academic assistance up to $8,000 a year for full-time study during the academic year; a 10-week, full-time summer internship position at a NOAA facility; and, if re-appointed, academic assistance up to $8,000 for full-time study during a second academic year.

An average of 600 undergraduate college students apply for Hollings scholarships annually. Only about 100 scholars are selected each year.

The Hollings scholarship program is designed to increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research and education, and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities.

Winterport

Environmental Fair

An environmental fair will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at Samuel L. Wagner Middle School. The event will offer 75 booths featuring environmental information and ideas.

The school’s sixth-graders chose “Taking Small Steps to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint” as their theme for the fair. The seventh-graders’ theme is “The Many Shades of Green.” The eighth-graders’ theme is “Maine Towns and Cities’ History and Current Recycling Efforts of those Towns and Cities.”

Highlights of the fair include:

. A bottle drive.

. General health information.

. Battery recycling.

. Cell phone recycling.

. Printer and ink cartridge recycling.

. Information about how towns in Maine manage waste.

. Learn how to figure your carbon footprint.