Friday, June 11, 2021
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Partners,
It has been a time of celebration and recognition of our RSU 71 students, whose last day of school was yesterday. Following this week's pandemic update, there are snippets of good news from various parts of our RSU 71 school system; many other events and recognitions can be viewed by going to the individual school websites on the RSU 71 website https://www.rsu71.org/. The final event of the year will be the BAHS Graduation on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
- Pandemic Update - This week, there have been no new positive cases associated with our schools and sites! Here is information from the Maine Department of Education about summer school and the 2021 - 2022 school year. In summary, all the safety protocols will still be in place during summer school. In the fall, the requirement for social distancing will be lifted, even when students are eating in cafeterias for brief periods. Thus, all our students may return to in-person instruction this fall. Wearing masks will likely continue to be a requirement, especially in schools that house students too young to be vaccinated. As the state of Maine continues to make progress in stemming the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is adapting public health requirements and recommendations for public settings, including schools: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jma-BrUNoPNPd-luS6GJWC3GYY8wodTkFCsQUcmERys/edit.
Good News - Here are snippets of different kinds of good news and student achievement celebrated in our schools in the last few days of the 2021-2022 school year.
RSU 71 Budget for 2021 - 2022 - Our school budget passed at the polls. Thanks to everyone who came out to vote!
BAHS Valedictorian - There is a nice article about this year's valedictorian, Ashley Blais:
https://waldo.villagesoup.com/p/bahs-valedictorian-to-chase-dream-of-creating-music/1890785
East Belfast - Check out the virtual museum of animals created by first and second graders in teacher Rhonda Bishop Wood's class! It was used as this year's Celebration of Learning and shared with students' families. Students wrote reports, created dioramas, and presented their findings on SPARK videos. The link is here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UVSQyvBoVwg8KbLBDEmx-eQ-2aMAs8PB/view?usp=sharing
BAHS Students at WCTC - Congratulations to the following BAHS students recognized at last week's Recognition and Awards Night at Waldo County Technical Center!
Auto Collision/Composites Automotive Technology CNA
Dodge Armstrong Lucas Rhodes Sierra-Jade Davis
Savana Blood Riley Waterbury Hailey Libby
Madison Chiaramonte Anna Metcalf
Antonio Golgano Building Construction Ruth-Anne Pease
Leah Marriner Isaac Talgo Chloe Staples
Maggie Morse Oliver Tarbox Helena Staples
Gabriel Perito Michael Tripp Tisha Stoltz
Reid Ryan
Calvin Sheldon Culinary Arts Diesel Technology
Kamry Black Colby Benjamin
Computer Careers Eric Blake Griffin Hurd
Asher Blodgett-Tracy Daisy Bradney Hunter Simmons
Zechariah Curtis Gabriel Bruns
Michael Farrington Gianna Crane Electrical Trades
Bethany Leach Jordan Drinkwater Stephen Boyle
Allison Hamm Zachary Bryant
Graphic Design Alyssah Hastings Alexander Martz
Tallulah Desrochers Holden Nichols Kirk Stillman
Rachel Dorr Mason Paul Grant Wilmore
Ethan Dyer Kaydee Pearse Levi Woods
Hope Gainer
Chase Harriman Small Engines Welding Technology
Owen Tripp Patrick Bailey Kyle Domenichelli
Dahson Walton Tanner Brewer Christopher Fournier
Tobyas Jones Joshua Gerry
Outdoor Leadership Lucas Walker Ryan Peavey
Orianna Cort
Employability Skills Prep
Joseph Davis
CASS - Huge thanks to The CASS BRRR Club and their club sponsors Tish Manning and Kathie Gass, along with BAHS science teacher Dave Thomas and his young marine scientists, for organizing and hosting a sensational educational day at the Belfast Harbor to study and raise awareness of our fragile marine ecosystem and what we can do to preserve it.
It was awesome to see so many engaged and enthusiastic students near the shore, with older students teaching younger students about marine robotics and sea life. Thanks to all the classroom teachers who supported this event and got their students involved.
Poetry Contest for RSU 71 Students - RSU 71 was well represented among the 176 poetry submissions to this year's Belfast Free Library's Animal Poetry Contest and Exhibit. Winning poems were written by students from Nickerson Elementary, Captain Albert Stevens School, and Troy Howard Middle School. These poems are currently on exhibit at the library's YA room.
Kids Poems (Ages 6 - 10)
Top two submissions:
Great Grey Owl by Weston (CASS)
Moose Blackout Poem by Lydia H (Drinkwater)
Honorable Mentions
Coyote by Rose (Nickerson)
Foxes by Breanna (Nickerson)
From the Sea by Avery A (CASS)
An Ode to the Spinner Dolphin by June N (CASS)
Bob by Colton A (Drinkwater)
Also, blackout poems from Drinkwater 4th graders:
Charlotte M, Greta K, & Oak L.
YA Poems (Ages 11-17)
Top two submissions:
Untitled by Lucy E (CASS)
Sea Turtles by Riley H (Drinkwater)
Honorable Mentions
Different Worlds Same Planet by Ibis B (THMS)
Queen of the Jungle by Evie J (THMS)
Creatures Big and Small by Theodore F (THMS)
Paddling Whiskers by Dawson Y (THMS)
Champion of the Cold by October P (THMS)
THMS - Congratulations to these Troy Howard Middle School 8th graders who were presented with academic achievement awards before their well attended and fun Promotion Celebration Parade:
Troy A. Howard Award - Emerson Hackett
William G. Crosby Award - Maddie Porter
Nellie Marden Award - Nina Potvin
Bonnie Gallagher Positive Outlook Award - Becca Gary
8th Grade Perseverance Award - Matthew Levesque
8th Grade Conscientious Award - Estella Sprague
These students were presented with Environmental Leadership Awards:
Francis Rohan Joseph
Piper Sanders
Eva Ociepka
Estella Sprague
Emmeline New
Isabel Furko
BCOPE Seniors Honored - Congratulations to the following students recognized at the Recognition Night of the Belfast Community Outreach Program (BCOPE), a branch of the high school that offers an alternative approach to rigorous and engaging learning:
Daisy Bradney
Devin Bryant
Ethan Dyer
Hope Gainer
Makaylah Gordon
Jasmin Harvey
Sai Heasley
Nola Noble
Deziray-Elizabeth Paige
Madison Stevens
This is the final weekly update of the 2020 - 2021 school year. I will be in touch over the summer as back-to-school plans are developed. So again, I send you warm wishes for a healthy, happy, and fulfilling summer of hard work, time with family and friends, and time spent in reflection, rejuvenation, and the natural beauty of our state of Maine and Waldo County. We are so fortunate to live and work in midcoast Maine!
- Mary Alice
