Memoirs – Portland Press Herald

WELL
School District Observes Teacher Appreciation Week
The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District (WOCSD) honored its teaching staff in a variety of ways last week during Teacher Appreciation Week.
At Wells Elementary School, the Parent-Teacher Student Association (PTSA) observed a week-long program of treats such as lunch, coffee, cupcakes, donuts and cookies, donated by local businesses . Students were encouraged to personally thank their teachers.
At Wells Junior High School, the appreciation continued throughout the week, with offers of hampers full of healthy snacks available to the teaching team at each grade level; a staff lunch hosted by For the Love of Food and Drink, with school kitchen staff and a group of parents providing special desserts to teachers each day.
At Wells High School, teachers were treated to lunch on Monday and a goody bag with donuts and coffee on Friday.

SANFORD
St. Thomas School Establishes Scholarship Fund
The Donna Jacques’ Legacy of Love Scholarship Fund was established at St. Thomas School. Jacques has spent 41 years serving the school in a variety of roles and ways, most recently as Principal before retiring in 2020. His caring ability is limitless and his reputation for setting young people on the path to become good citizens and lifelong learners. is unmatched.
“Donations made to this account will be limited to direct scholarships to qualified school families,” the father said. Wilfred Labbe, parish priest of Ste Thérèse de Lisieux. “In many of our conversations, Donna and I have talked about making sure a Catholic education is available to all who seek it. Generosity toward this program will go a long way toward making that dream a reality. I donate monthly to this program and I encourage all who can to do the same.
Donations can be made all at once or in several instalments. Donations can be sent directly to: St. Thomas School, c/o Donna Jacques Scholarship Fund, 69 North Avenue, Sanford, ME 04073. For more information or to set up an alternate way to offer support, call the school at 324-5832. .

GORHAM
Churches seek donations for Mother Seton House
St. Anne’s Church at 299 Main St. in Gorham and St. Hyacinth’s Church at 268 Brown St. in Westbrook are holding special collections through June to benefit Mother Seton House in Fryeburg. All are invited to bring home a bottle or empty bottles from churches and return them before June 19. Participants are asked to deposit coins, dollars or checks payable to Mother Seton House in the bottles.
All proceeds will be donated to Mother Seton House, which is a non-profit home for pregnant women in difficult circumstances. The organization offers education, counseling and support to all women in need, regardless of race or religion. They also learn about cooking, nutrition, baby care, child development, budgeting and housekeeping.
For more information about the initiative, call Ed at 797-8746 or Mother Seton House at 935-1066 or email [email protected]

PORTLAND
MWPA Announces Dibner Fellows for Spring 2022
The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (MWPA) has announced that Anna Drzewiecki of Newcastle, Liz Iversen of South Portland and Ev Waugh of Portland are all recipients of the 2022 Winter and Spring Martin Dibner Memorial Fellowship for Maine Writers. . A partnership between Maine Community Foundation and MWPA; the Maine Community Foundation provides funds and the MWPA administers the scholarships. Fellows receive full funding to attend the MWPA Black Fly Writers Retreat in the spring, the Harvest Writers Retreat in the fall, or a long-term workshop during either season.
Waugh, a fiction writer, received the scholarship to attend Ron Currie Jr.’s 10-week fiction writing workshop. His writing has appeared in Passengers Journal, Goat’s Milk Magazine, and other publications.
Drzewiecki and Iversen attended an all-expenses paid 2022 MWPA Black Fly Writers Retreat last week at the Ferry Beach Conference & Retreat Center in Saco, where they studied with award-winning writers Éireann Lorsung and Susan Conley.
Drzewiecki works as a reporter for the Lincoln County News and edits children’s writing at The Telling Room and translates narrative journalism from French for a small press in Casablanca, Morocco.
Iversen, the daughter of a former U.S. Navy soldier and Filipino immigrant, was born in the Philippines and raised in South Dakota. His fiction and essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Passages North, Room and elsewhere.
For more details, contact Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance Executive Director Gibson Fay-LeBlanc at [email protected] or call 228-8264.

CASTINE
Maritime Academy Rookie of the Year Student
Maine Maritime’s Hazel Stoddard of Old Orchard Beach has been named the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Women’s Lacrosse Rookie of the Year. Olivia Alejandro (Houston) and Charlotte Rose (Newark, Del.) join Stoddard in the NAC first team, while teammates Olivia Harriman of Orrington, Kirra Magaña of Miami, Fla., and Beth Labbe of Brunswickall earned a place in the second team of the NAC. Team.
Stoddard, who graduated from Thornton Academy in 2021, was a four-year-old college football and lacrosse player. She now plays MMA soccer and lacrosse.
Stoddard, an energy engineering technology specialist, had a banner year for the Mariners, earning a spot on the NAC Tournament All-Star Team. The freshman forward led the team with 87 goals and nine assists, for a total of 96 points this season, breaking the school’s single-season scoring and scoring record. She also won 97 draft checks, picked up 65 ground balls, and caused 27 turnovers, resetting the school’s single-season records for both draft checks and ground balls. In conference play, she led the NAC with 43 goals and six assists, as well as 42 draft checks, 33 rushes and 15 turnovers.

RANGELEY LAKES
Trust organizes a visit of the forest stewards
The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT) recently organized a field trip to the Forest Stewards Guild. The Forest Stewards Guild practices, advocates and promotes responsible forest management to maintain the integrity of forest ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them. Regional foresters, wildlife biologists, landowners and stewardship professionals gathered on the RLHT’s Forest Legacy property to observe and discuss northern hardwood management. The outing provided an opportunity for experts to collaborate and share ideas to address complex issues in forestry. Managers strive to promote the ecological diversity, health, structure and resilience of forest stands in the face of climate change by using exceptional forest management techniques. Maine’s Acadian forests also have the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon to offset global emissions.

ROCKPORT
Maine Media hits target ahead of schedule
Maine Media Workshops + College has raised more than $1 million for its Keystone fund ahead of an expected deadline as it nears its 50th anniversary and is completing the process of full accreditation with the New England Commission for Media. ‘Higher Education.
The management of a $1 million reserve fund further ensures the college’s financial security.
“I am delighted that Maine Media’s Keystone Fund funding goal has been met,” said Nils Tcheyan, Chairman of the Board of Maine Media. “The Keystone Fund will help ensure a dynamic and exciting future for Maine Media during a time of rapid transition in educational models and visual storytelling.”
The Keystone Fund was established in 2018 by Meg Weston, then president of Maine Media. Current President and CEO Michael Mansfield continued the effort when he took the reins in 2020.
Mansfield and Weston have teamed up in 2021 to raise the final amount needed to reach the goal, which was achieved through a grassroots campaign and demonstrates community and alumni support for Maine Media.
For details, call 236-8581, email [email protected] or go to mainemedia.edu.

FALMOUTH
Mackworth Island meeting postponed
The Mackworth Island facilities assessment and planning briefing, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been rescheduled for June 29, 6-8 p.m.
The Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will hold an information meeting on the facility assessment and planning work underway on Mackworth Island. In early 2022, Harriman Associates, an architecture, engineering and planning firm, began work on the Mackworth Island Concept Utilization Plan. Their work included assessing all facilities, utilities, parking, traffic, transportation; consider environmental impacts; explore potential future uses or necessary renovations of facilities and buildings; and developing a site plan with cost estimates. At this briefing, Harriman Associates will present the scope of work and their findings to date. An opportunity for public comments and a question and answer period will conclude the meeting.
The meeting will be held in the council chambers of Falmouth Town Hall using a hybrid format. A link to join by Zoom can be found on the Town of Falmouth website at falmouthme.org/home/events/130636.