Schools

Brewer High School

BREWER – The University of Maine Symphonic Band and the Brewer High School Concert Band will perform together at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at Brewer High School.

Symphonic Band Director Curvin Farnham taught music at Brewer High School in the 1960s and ’70s and is encouraging former students to attend the concert.

Farnham said, “I am excited about the opportunity to come back to Brewer High School and conduct again. I have fond memories of students who were in the band program when I was there.”

Brewer High School band director Brady Harris indicated that he and his students are looking forward to performing with the UM band.

The UM Symphonic Band and the Brewer High School Concert Band will play separately, then together for the final song in the program.

There is no fee for the concert. For more information, call Curvin Farnham at 581-4702.

John Bapst Memorial High School

BANGOR – Board Chairman P. Andrew Hamilton announced recently that John Bapst Head of School Landis Green will leave his post at the end of the 2006-07 school year. Green, who came to John Bapst four years ago, will move to Los Angeles where he will lead Wildwood School, an independent K-12 school.

Hamilton mapped out the early phase of a search process already under way to appoint Green’s successor. The search process will be led by a committee of eight and will include board representation from members of the school community.

Military service academies nominees

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins announced their nominees to the United States military service academies. To be considered for appointment to a service academy, applicants must be nominated by an authorized nominating source, which includes members of Congress.

These area students have received nominations as candidates to services academies:

United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.: Tyler Garrett of Holden, a graduate of Bangor High School; and Molly Peverada of Hampden, a student at Hampden Academy.

United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.: Tyler Garrett of Holden, a graduate of Bangor High School; and Christopher Leach of Castine, a student at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.

United States Merchant Marine Academy, King’s Point, N.Y.: Christopher Leach of Castine, a student at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.

Old Town High School

OLD TOWN – Six outstanding Old Town High School students in upper-level art classes have taken on a fascinating and challenging project.

Because many children in Uganda are war victims living in orphanages, they have little sense of identity. Working with the Memory Project through its founder Ben Schumaker, Old Town students are creating special portraits from grainy black-and-white images of these children to be sent as gifts to them.

Participating artists are Katie McPhail, Ben Richard, Melissa Fraser, Mercedes Nelson, Bianca Moore and Eliza Tibbets.

Out of a senior class of 165, 12 Old Town High School students exceeded the standards on the SAT tests taken in April.

Exceeding in one area were Garrett Agrell, Jillian Allen, Desiree Hesseltine, Korey Parent and Kaley Roberts.

Exceeding in two areas were Ben Richard, Regina Kenneway, Eliza Tibbets and Riley Ploch.

Exceeding in all three areas were Kathleen Townsend and Chloe Meisner. A ceremony, letters of congratulations, certificates and a special cake were presented to those seniors.

Information on these scholarships is available in the guidance office:

. United States JCI Senate Foundation Scholarship Program, open to seniors who plan to attend a post-secondary institution; scholarship amount $1,000; deadline Jan. 10.

. American Society of Civil Engineers, open to any student going on in the civil engineering field. Eligibility is based on outstanding academic performance and participation in extracurricular activities; scholarship amount $1,000; deadline January.

. Elks National Foundation Award “Most Valuable Student Scholarship,” open to seniors with grade average of 90 or higher; financial need, good character and active in school activities; regional scholarship amount $800-$900. Seniors may apply online at www.elks.org/enf.scholars or obtain an application in the guidance office. Deadline Jan. 13.

Orono High School

ORONO – The public is invited to attend the orchestra breakfast concert, featuring the Orono High School Orchestra, 8:20-9:10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at Pat’s Pizza.

Waldo Caballero, band director, is bringing the musicians to perform at Pat’s Pizza as a community service to restaurant patrons and area residents.

Senator Collins’ visit

ORONO and MILFORD – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins visited with schoolchildren at the Asa C. Adams Elementary School in Orono and the Dr. Lewis S. Libby School in Milford on Nov. 27.

Members of the Student Council invited Collins to speak at the Asa Adams School, where she read “Antler’s Forever” to pupils in first and second grades. She also spoke about the U.S. government to pupils in grades three through five.

Later in the day, Collins visited the Libby School in Milford and spoke to students in the eighth grade about her experience in the U.S. Senate. The students have been studying the U.S. Constitution and had lots of questions for Collins.

During her time in the U.S. Senate, Collins has made it a priority to visit schools all around Maine. To date, she has visited students at 151 schools.

Audubon for preschoolers

HOLDEN – Children ages 2 to 4 and their parents have an opportunity to have fun and learn about nature through stories, creative play, hands-on activities or a nature-art project today and next Thursday at Fields Pond Audubon Center.

Audubon naturalist Jessica Spelke Jansujwicz will lead participants. Children and parents will explore a new seasonally based theme – perhaps getting ready for winter, tracking wildlife through the snow or chickadees, Maine’s state bird.

Children will explore nature outdoors part of the time with the guidance of the naturalist. Children and parents are urged to bundle up in warm clothing.

The programs will be held 10-11 a.m. Thursdays, Dec. 7 and 14, at Fields Pond Audubon Center. The cost is free for adults, $4 for one child, $6 for two children in same family and $7 for three children in same family. Preregistration is not necessary. Starting in January, Nature Time for Preschoolers will be held 10-11 a.m. every Thursday.

Fields Pond is located at 216 Fields Pond Road in Holden. For more information, call 989-2591 or e-mail fieldspond@juno.com.

Colleges

Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy has been listed in rankings of the nation’s top engineering colleges for a fourth consecutive year.

According to Jeffrey Wright, MMA director of admissions, the college made its debut in the 2004 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “Americas Best Colleges,” and received similar placement in the 2005 and 2006 online editions.

The 2007 online edition ranking lists Maine Maritime Academy as tied with six other colleges for 54th place in the category of Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.

According to the online edition, the inclusion of Maine Maritime Academy was based on the opinions of deans and senior faculty who rated each program they were familiar with on a scale of one to five, with one being “marginal” and five denoting “distinguished.” Maine Maritime Academy was included in the list of colleges whose highest degree offered is a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

“Our initial appointment to this peer review ranking in 2004 was exciting,” said Wright. “It served as a neutral, outside source attesting to the high quality engineering programming we offer here at Maine Maritime Academy. The placements these last three years speak to our consistency, an especially important factor when one considers that we’ve met our strategic goal for undergraduate enrollment and have welcomed the largest classes in the history of the college for five consecutive years.”

Following news of the college’s debut on the list in the 2004 edition, the 121st Legislature of the State of Maine recognized the accomplishment in a formal Legislative Sentiment.

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CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy has launched a new Community Policing program with the first in what is planned to be a yearlong series of academic events. The initiative kicked off on Dec. 1 with an informational Safety Roadblock on the public roadways of Castine.

The community-based effort enlisted the support and assistance of faculty, staff and volunteer members of the Castine Volunteer Fire Department and the Bagaduce Ambulance Corps. Volunteers were assisted by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department in stopping vehicles to provide a brief reminder about safe driving habits and to distribute a “goodie bag” of safety literature and snacks.

New to the college’s professional staff this fall, Director of Security Thomas Perkins Jr. introduced the innovative program as a way to address student and community behaviors. While serving as an officer with the Maine State Police, Perkins became aware of the use of similar programs at colleges nationwide.

University of Maine

ORONO – Ivan Manev, professor of management in the Maine Business School, has been named the University of Maine’s fourth Nicolas Salgo Professor of Business Administration.

The professorship is a five-year, renewable appointment accompanied by a financial award to be used to advance the international mission and priorities of the business school through research, international travel-study courses and service activities.

Recipients, chosen by a multidisciplinary selection committee, have a strong research record and demonstrate a willingness to work with the business community and the Maine Business School’s William S. Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce.

Manev’s teaching and research interests are business management, entrepreneurship and international business. He joined the business faculty in 1997, having earned a bachelor’s degree at the Higher Institute of Economics in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1987, a master’s from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, in 1992, and a doctorate from Boston College in 1997.

He has published and presented extensively, and is the author of a book, “The Managerial Network in a Multinational Enterprise.”

“I am quite honored and in a way humbled, because typically these kinds of awards go to people closer to the end of their career,” Manev said. “This is quite exciting, and I am grateful for the opportunity to advance research in the business school and make it better known in both the scholarly and business community.”

Manev, an Orono resident, is the fourth professor to receive the professorship, which was created in 1968 by an endowment from Nicolas Salgo, an immigrant who became a millionaire financier and commercial real estate developer, and served under the Reagan Administration as ambassador to his native Hungary.

Salgo wanted the professorship to enhance the visibility and reputation of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health at the University of Maine and to further the business school’s international initiatives, research and publication efforts. Funding associated with the professorship will provide stipends for research staff and selected projects.

The professorship is important to the business school as it continues to broaden its curriculum and research, said Dan Innis, dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health.

“Clearly, the economy is becoming much more global in scope. The Salgo professorship helps us pursue research and teaching that includes a global perspective,” Innis said. “This professorship, in conjunction with the Cohen Center, positions the school very well in terms of integrating those global perspectives into our research, publications and outreach.”

Salgo, who died in 2005, was an early friend of the Maine Business School and also served on the Hudson Museum Board of Trustees.

Prior to Manev being awarded the professorship, retired business professor John Ford held the post.