Friday, April 30, 2021
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Partners,
I hope that everyone had a good April break. My short retreat at the hermitage in Windsor, Maine was restorative as always (I've been going once or twice a year for twenty-five years), and I was also grateful to be able to spend some fabulous time at home with my husband, our two sons, and our dog, Reb, who was delighted with my unusually present schedule and got lots of walks and trips to the dog park with me. And we had a chance to visit with local friends we haven't seen in over a year, due to the pandemic. I'm so thankful for this time!
Pandemic Updates - Waldo County is still in Green according to the state's color-coded risk assessment. This week in RSU 71, we have had three positive cases of the coronavirus, two individuals associated with the high school and one individual associated with the middle school. At BAHS, there were no close contacts that needed to go into quarantine, while at THMS, two staff members and eleven students were close contacts and needed to go into quarantine. There is still no evidence of transmission in any of our schools and sites. Keep up the good work, everyone! (Let's not wreck our record when we are so close to the light at the end of the tunnel! )
About masks outside: I've received quite a few questions about whether masks are now required outdoors. We are awaiting the state's updated safety requirements, which will be published tomorrow. The MPA (Maine Principals' Association) issued these directives today: "Based on the recent announcement regarding the wearing of masks at outdoor events, the following guidelines will be in place for those events overseen by the MPA … Masks are not required for outdoor practices and competitions. Masks are recommended when a 6-feet of physical distance is hard to maintain (e.g., athletes on the bench. They are also required when individuals go inside (e.g., to locker rooms, restrooms, or on a bus). Spectators are not required to wear a mask at outside events if they can maintain 6-feet of distancing."
Lots of Good News!!!
BAHS
Best High Schools - US Ranking 2021 - Yesterday, we received the good news that Belfast Area High School has been selected by US News and World Report as one of the best high schools in Maine, ranking 7th in the state. It is great to make the top ten this year! Congratulations to BAHS Students, Families, Teachers, Support Staff, and our Awesome Administrators and School Board!! Heres' a link to the criteria for selection: How We Rank the Best High Schools
NHS - Congratulations to the following students for being inducted into the BAHS National Honor Society!
Seniors:
Steven Friel
Emily Hills
Lillie Mitchell
Juniors:
Zahraa Al-Matrouk
Haley Black
Sarah Cournoyer
Natalie Curry
Ronin Deschamps
Grace Hall
Alexia Hopkins
Taylor Lemon
Jonah Lovejoy
Josie McCain-Cowles
Ada Potter
Anna Schortz
Reagan Seekins
Matthew Shelton
Madison Shorey
Kristin Staples
CASS
Here's the latest newspaper published by CASS students for CASS students -- enjoy!!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OH5WJUyDgdbY0c3nOg-ce-5OI7-D4RpqgayIAZjajqg/edit?ts=608a945f
Congratulations to Jon Thurston!! Last night he received the Maine Service to Youth Award from the MPA to recognize his work on the beautiful school gardens and outdoor learning spaces at CASS!
CASS Chess State Championship in the News - https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/cass-chess-team-wins-state-champtionship.html
Elementary Geography Bee - This year's RSU 71 Elementary Geography Bee just wrapped up. Although the National Geography Bee was not offered this year due to the pandemic, our fourth and fifth-grade students enjoyed the opportunity to challenge themselves and expand their knowledge of the world in a geography bee organized by the RSU #71 Extended Learning Program. Photos highlighting each school's top three finalists may be found on each school's website. It was a very tight race. Kudos to all who participated! And special congratulations to the following students!
Ames:
Third place: Zoey Levesque
Second place: Opal Woodbury
First place: Sarah Allen
Kermit Nickerson:
Third place: Caleb Anthonis
Second place: James Falconer
First place: Braylon Stover
Captain Albert Stevens Elementary:
Fifth Grade
Third place: Gabriella Gardner
Second place: Freya Dahlmann Gothlin and Miles Flemming
First place: Lucy Enstrom
Fourth Grade:
Third place: Lizzy Bahner
Second place: Pierson Dietz
Congratulations to First Place and RSU 71 District Winner: Eliot Fowler!!
Sports Round-Up:
Baseball - https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/belfast-baseball-swings-past-oceanside.html
Track - https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/belfast-boys-girls-track-teams-place.html
Track - https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/first-things-first-lions-grab-plenty-of.html
Tennis - https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/on-road-lions-earn-split-decision.html
Belfast Adult Ed -
https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/adult-education-news.html
https://rsu71news.blogspot.com/2021/04/where-are-they-now-adult-education.html
THMS Archery Tournament!
Congratulations to all the students that participated in the Troy Howard Archery Tournament! The girls' division's top performances were Hailey Levangie in 4th place, Jocelyn Valleau in 3rd place, Navaeh Martin in 2nd place, and the girls' champion was Allison Hooper in 1st place.
The boys' division's top performances were Michael Box in 4th place, Dillon Clark in 3rd place, Tucker Marden in 2nd place, and the boys' champion was Theodore Fowler in 1st place.
We'd also like to offer a special thanks to Mr. Bouchard and our longtime volunteer archery instructor, Mr. Rusty Emerton, for offering this opportunity!
Educator Appreciation Week is Next Week, May 3 - 7 - Please join me in expressing appreciation to our teachers and other staff for doing an excellent job during a very, very tough school year!
That's it for this week. This update will be emailed to the staff and school board this morning and, this afternoon, posted on my blog and Robo-messaged to all families. We will send the next weekly update on Friday, May 7, unless there is urgent information to convey before then. As always, please feel free to be in touch with our wonderful staff and with me, with ideas, questions, concerns, and appreciation.
Sincerely Yours,
- Mary Alice
