Schools

‘Alice in Wonderland’

Husson College and the College Circle Performers will present “Alice in Wonderland” Friday through Sunday, April 25-27, in Kominsky Auditorium at Husson College.

Performance times are 7 p.m. Friday, April 25; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26; and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, April 27. Admission is $3, $2 age 12 and under. A bake sale will be held during intermission.

Proceeds will go to the Bangor Y Strong Kids Annual Campaign. The campaign provides the Bangor Y with funds to offer scholarships and program subsidies for children, adults and families who may not otherwise be able to afford programs, including swim lessons, child care, summer camp, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, youth and family programs and sports.

For information about the Bangor Y Strong Kids Annual Campaign, contact Caren Mulford at 941-2808 or cmulford@bangorY.org.

For information about the upcoming College Circle Performers performances, contact Shanna Miller at 890-1169 or ccperformers@yahoo.com.

Vacation week star shows

ORONO – The University of Maine Jordan Planetarium is polishing up its stars for special duty during school vacation week, April 20-27. Children, friends and family can see star shows for young and old that will take them on adventures into the cosmos.

The planetarium’s newest Omnidome program at Wingate Hall, “Black Holes,” uses computer animation to travel among the stars in search of these exotic engines of superpower at 7 p.m. Saturdays.

The youngest sky watchers thrill to the adventures of a teddy bear in “Wilbear’s Adventure” 2 p.m. Sundays.

Special morning and matinee showings added for school vacation week will explore all kinds of space subjects:

. “Earth’s Wild Ride” at 11 a.m. Monday, April 21, watches the Earth undergo some of its most exciting events during an eclipse that can be seen from a futuristic moon colony.

. “Destination: Pluto” at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, travels to the edge of the solar system to look at each planet.

. “Our Sky Family” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 23, gives youngsters the chance to hear several talkative planets tell about themselves.

. “Hubble Vision” at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 24, looks at deep space through the lens of the Hubble Space Telescope.

. Worlds of Wonder at 11 a.m. Friday, April 25, is a solar system trip, and “Saturn in Ring World” at 7 p.m. Friday, April 25, a close-up look at a system of rings, moons and the giant planet Saturn.

Tickets are $3 a person at the door and may be reserved in advance by calling the Jordan Planetarium at 581-1341.

Sky watchers of all ages can enjoy looking through a real telescope on clear evenings 8-10 p.m. Friday or Saturday. The Jordan Observatory beside the Memorial Union on the Orono campus is open and free to see with volunteers ready to explain what the Alvan Clark refractor telescope is showing.

Saturn is high in the spring sky this year, and just one of the many targets that include the moon, gas clouds, giant star clusters and more.

In order to make certain the observatory will be open, visitors should call ahead to the information line at 581-1348 after 7 p.m. Visitors should dress for cold weather because the observatory is not heated.

Mother’s Day Dance

The Bangor Parks and Recreation Department invites mothers and their sons age 5 to 10 to a special Mother’s Day dance to be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the Bangor Motor Inn Conference Center.

Tickets are available 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays at Bangor Parks and Recreation, 647 Main St. Tickets are $15 per couple for Bangor residents, $20 others. An extra $2 will be added for each additional son. For information, call Bangor Parks and Rec at 992-4490.

Vacation programs on nature

HOLDEN – Young nature lovers will get excited about wildlife during school vacation at Fields Pond Nature Center.

The nature programs for children age 10 to 14 will run 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, April 22-25. Ruth Perry, the center’s environmental educator, will serve as coordinator and introduce a speaker and inspiring themes daily.

Spend the morning of Tuesday, April 22, tracking deer, watching for eagles, and looking for birch and ash trees as American Indians did. Welcome an American Indian who will do a show-and-tell program of wildlife mounts, giving their American Indian names and stories about them.

Spend the morning looking for bird nests and birds, including owls, out in the woods on Wednesday, April 23. Then welcome Stan Richmond, the Owl Man from Birdsacre, and help him bring in his owls for show and tell.

On Thursday, April 24, spend the morning finding fish with nets and minnow traps. Keep them in an aquarium, study their behavior and identify them. Afterward, the fish will be released.

Look for spring peepers, wood frogs, salamanders and eggs on Friday, April 25. Learn about vernal pools. In the afternoon, games and crafts will feature frogs and salamanders.

The cost for April vacation programs is $36 a day for members, $40 others. Advance registration is required. Call 989-2591 or e-mail rperry@maineaudubon.org.

Center Drive School

ORRINGTON – The Center Drive School annual spring fair, sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Group, will be held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 17.

Organizers are seeking vendors and exhibitors to show and sell their products and services. The fair draws extensively from young families in Orrington and the surrounding area. To obtain information about exhibiting at the spring fair, call Sue Pate at 825-4143.

Outreach at UM SPEED lab

ORONO – Starting this fall, Maine high school students can work alongside University of Maine researchers as part of a unique outreach effort at the Spatial Population Ecological and Epidemiological Dynamics lab. Under the guidance of David Hiebeler, a professor in the UM Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the lab’s research team builds computational and mathematical models of populations which describe their behavior over time under a variety of simulated environmental conditions.

Real-world applications for the research include understanding more effective pesticide application in Maine blueberry fields, studying how infectious diseases spread and predicting – and perhaps combating – the worldwide spread of a computer worm.

In the lab, Hiebeler works with UM undergraduates, some of whom plan to teach at the kindergarten-grade 12 level after graduation. However, he also would like to engage math and science teachers already working in Maine high schools.

Hiebeler will offer talks in schools this spring to introduce students and teachers in eastern Maine to modeling and simulation in mathematical biology. This fall, interested high school students will meet weekly on campus to begin training with Hiebeler and his undergraduate students and later become directly involved in SPEED Lab research projects.

Teachers interested in having Hiebeler speak at their school should call him at 581-3924. The free talks and student outreach are made possible by a $180,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

For Hiebeler, whose research centers on mathematical population ecology and epidemiology, such opportunities enriched his academic experience as a student.

“One research project opened the door to another research project,” Hiebeler said. “It can only snowball. At least that’s my hope.”

For information about the SPEED lab, visit www.math.umaine.edu/faculty/hiebeler/speedlab.

John Bapst Memorial High School

BANGOR – Elizabeth Kevitt, a senior at John Bapst Memorial High School, was named a Henry Wells Scholar by Wells College in New York. The award is one of the school’s most prestigious for incoming students.

Henry Wells Scholars are high school students with a grade average of 90 and score of 1150 or higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests, nominated by a guidance counselor or Wells alumna. The scholars are awarded $3,000 to fund an experiential learning opportunity should they choose to enroll at Wells College.

During the freshman year, they receive hands-on experience in a work setting that matches their academic interests. The paid experience, which takes place during the junior or senior year, may be an internship, research project with a professor or off-campus study, among other options.

Trip to Italy

Bangor High School art teacher Sarah Tabor is organizing an educational trip to major art cities in Italy for high school students and families. The itinerary will include Venice, Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Rome and the Vatican during the April 2009 vacation week. She will be assisted by her husband, Jerry Cunningham, who teaches geography at Central High School in Corinth.

This will be the third educational trip the couple has led to Italy. Interested travelers may contact Tabor at kelmscott7@roadrunner.com.

Pennies for Patients

BANGOR – Students at Bangor Christian Schools collected Pennies for Patients to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during March. After three weeks of bringing their spare change to school, the students collected $1,352.13.

Sherriann Jalbert’s class was the top fundraiser. Her students raised $220.99 and won the pizza party awarded by the society.

“I am so proud of our students,” said Jim Frost, school principal. “They did a great job of giving selflessly and they really understood the mission of the society and what the money is used for.”

Leukemia is the leading cause of disease-related death among children. An estimated 785,829 Americans have a blood cancer, and every five minutes someone new is diagnosed. Since 1992, millions of dollars have been raised in pennies and other spare change by more than 12 million elementary, middle and high school students nationwide. The mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

“These students serve as an example to all of us through their commitment to helping others,” said Stacy Parr, manager for the Massachusetts chapter. “Their efforts will help local patients and their families along with funding blood cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, New England Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital.”

For information, call 800-688-6572 or visit lls.org/ma.

Hermon open house

HERMON – Hermon Middle School will hold an open house on Monday, April 28. A ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. in the gymnasium, and a tour of the facility will be conducted from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

Colleges

Food drive by UM students

ORONO – University of Maine nursing students Jennifer Booth, Maureen Coyne, Carol Fulton, Emily Hilton, Shelley Jernigan and Dawn Walton will conduct a food drive 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at Bell’s IGA as part of a community outreach project.

The drive will benefit Crossroads Ministries, a nonprofit faith-based organization located in Old Town. The students are seeking support to help raise awareness of the issues surrounding hunger and poverty.

Crossroads Ministries is dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. The agency has helped the Old Town area for many years through numerous outreach programs, including a local food bank where community members may receive food. With increasing costs of living, the food bank is serving more people and needs help.

The students are working in collaboration with Brenda Davis, director of Crossroads, and under the supervision of nursing course adviser Elizabeth Bicknell. For information, call Jennifer Booth at 329-7045 or e-mail Jennifer.booth@umit.maine.edu.

Remembering Burt Hatlen

ORONO – The University of Maine will celebrate the life of Burton Hatlen, a legendary professor who served on the UM English faculty for more than four decades, with a service at 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, at the Newman Center on College Avenue. The program will feature remarks from those who knew Hatlen best, including family and colleagues.

Hatlen, 71, died Jan. 21. He had an instrumental role in the development of the National Poetry Foundation as its director for 15 years. A literary scholar who developed an international reputation as an expert on poetry and poetics, Hatlen earned UMaine’s Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award in 1996.

A slideshow created by Hatlen’s daughter, Inger, will be part of the memorial service. An informal reception will be held afterward.