Weather Report
-
Sunny
45°F
-
Thu
46/30
-
Fri
50/32
-
Sat
47/35
Mobile Maine News is on Facebook
Look for “Mobile Maine News” on Facebook. Our feed will automatically be updated with posts from the website. If you’re more of a social networker… vs. a blogger… this can be a great way to stay up to date on Maine news.
Kennebunk High School Strives to Keep Theater Alive
Jamie Dandreta
Feb. 24, 2010
KENNEBUNK, MAINE- Students of RSU 21 were devastated when they heard of a new budget-cut that would eliminate their theater department that has been around for nearly 20 years. Although the cut is still in the preliminary stage, students and faculty have already taken action to save theater.
Students first formed two Facebook groups, together accumulating about 900 members. One is called, “Don’t Kill KHS Drama!”, and the other, “Save Theater in Kennebunk!” In these groups, students persuade members to take charge; giving them the contact information of the school board, Kennebunk Post, and York County Coast Star.
The students of KHS have already held a sit-in protest on their stage- that if theater gets cut will not get much use, and the letters to the editor have been flooding in to the Kennebunk Post. In each letter, the importance of theatre in schools is expressed. One letter, from a 2003 alum of KHS who now resides in Rome, wrote how theater helped her at the American University of Rome, “When going into the job market, I interviewed with ease. When I unexpectedly found myself faced with an opportunity in radio journalism, I was ready for the challenge.”
Another alum of 1999 stated in a letter that the arts is unfortunately always the first to go. She even compared theater to the more generic subjects in school and said, “How many times has someone come up to me and asked me to find the square root of a number, conjugate a verb in Spanish, or name the first 10 presidents?” She then states that theatre teaches something more meaningful, “On a daily basis I am confident, respectful and accepting. I encourage, I motivate, I listen.”
The RSU 21 budget-cut is only one out of hundreds happening throughout Maine. The arts are usually the first to be cut, but the jobs of school faculty and staff all over the state are at risk. The Department of Education in Maine is anticipating a shortfall of $56 million, which is expected to jump to $59 million in 2011-2012. This puts many school superintendents in great fear. The Kittery and York school departments, both neighboring towns of Kennebunk, are receiving only 5% in state aid.
Kennebunk High School may be hurting from the state’s economic crisis, but the students will continue their fight to save what is most important to them- theater. A 2002 KHS alum puts their passion and hard work into words and wrote, “Watch their eyes light up as they talk about the process and how they’re actually applying what they learned in class. Notice the joy in each of their faces because together they created something incredibly special that will last forever.”
The new RSU 21 budget-cut, will be discussed on the night of March 1 at 6:45 at the school board meeting in Kennebunk Town Hall. Students are urging as many people as possible to come and support the arts.
Small Towns Make Big Moves to Go Green
Kristin Tormollan
February 25, 2010
WATERVILLE, MAINE – Small towns are taking large steps to spark the “go green” movement in the state of Maine. Now the central Maine area is seeing the results of their efforts. On February 12, 2010 Waterville and Winslow, and the group Sustain Mid-Maine were awarded a $170,000 grant from the State of Maine Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant program. The grant is issued with the intention of towns implementing a two year energy savings plan that will help lower home energy use and promote the use of renewable energy resources.
The announcement comes about one year after the towns took action to make green energy a possibility in central Maine. On a snowy weekend in January of 2009, more than 60 central Maine citizens gathered at the Waterville Opera House in order to discuss how the region should handle the issues of global climate change and rising oil prices.
The Energy Conservation and Sustainability catalyst took to Main Street, Waterville, and involved input from a diverse group of people. Contributors included teachers, college students, state legislators, engineers, retiree, and many other members of the community. Every person had the opportunity to speak their mind about how the area should tackle the issue of sustainability. Not only will the grant aid in sustainability, but it will also help in the creating of new jobs, claimed John Joseph, Energy Committee Chair of Sustain Mid-Maine.
“The plan we devised is in line with local and national efforts and aspirations to accelerate energy conservation, the use of renewable resources, and the creation of productive jobs for the future,” Joseph explained.
These new job opportunities will provide a much needed uplift in the struggling economy, seen both nationally and locally. It is estimated that the plans for the grant will create more than a dozen local jobs and could save over $115,000 in energy costs for Waterville and Winslow homes each year. As of December 2009, the unemployment rate in Waterville was 8.5%, a bit higher than the Maine average according the state of Maine’s website. The creation of jobs, on top of the energy conservation benefit, makes the grant a win-win situation.
Central Mainers have been given the opportunity to set a “green” example for the rest of the state, and the country to some extent. Now it is up to them to put this opportunity into the spot light.
A Female Officer Helping Students at the University of Maine
Laila Sholtz-Ames
February 25th, 2010
ORONO, MAINE Crime Prevention Specialist and Public Safety Sargent Deb Mitchell, better known as “Deb,” is the only female officer on Umaine’s police force. Even if this weren’t the case, Sgt. Mitchell is known across campus and around Orono as a hard-working, inspirational person who shows that any forty-something year old Mainer really can make a difference. “I love my job. I love being able to make a difference each day.”
Mitchell has been making a difference for the past 26 years when she joined the police force as a teenager in 1984. Having been inspired by her grandfather who also served as a police officer, Mitchell says she knew she wanted to join the force as early as four years of age- despite her grandfather dying before she was born. “He had a very big influence on me and really inspired me to make a difference.”
Currently, Mitchell says that she sees herself as being more of a mother to the students and the university and while she doesn’t know how long she will continue to work as an officer, she loves the work. “I think it’s really kept me young, I’ve never felt better.”
Local, Handmade: STUDIO
Jesse Groening
February 25, 2010
ORONO, MAINE – Jessie Sader owner and designer of FX dressed and STUDIO boutique in Orono Maine, has a vision of how sustainability and creativity can be intertwined. STUDIO which is only in its second year in Orono, showcases handmade crafts, clothes and jewlry of not only Sader but also other local community members who feel they have something that they would like to share with others.
Sader, while she sits cutting out patterns of shirts and blouses from a 6-foot-high spool of material explains that when people come into the store they are surprised to find the clothes reasonably priced. “Just because its handmade does not mean it needs to be expensive,” Sader said.
Sader views the space as a place where she can pass on some of her ideas about buying local and knowing where all your products come from to the customers. Sader also is also a big fan of anything creative and unique and said that she will even be selling long boards in the store, which are made by an Orono local.
“I love it here in Orono, I love inspiring people to be creative,” said Sader. Sader is currently working on having craft classes put on by some of the local talent. Showing others how easy it is to do it yourself and still look great.
Tim Elliot, Keeping the University of Maine Clean
By: Autumn Bell
February 26th, 2010
ORONO, Maine – A day in the life of a compelling person in the community. Meet Tim– he works for the UMaine recycle center located on campus, Monday through Friday 5:00am till 1:00pm. He is commonly known as the “Trash Guy.”
Expressing Creativity at The University of Maine Museum of Art
By: Robert Scarano
February 24, 2010
BANGOR, MAINE – Today, more than ever, the arts and culture are needed to promote safe outlets of expression, communication, exploration, imagination and form cultural and historical understanding.
George Kinghorn is the director of the University of Maine Art Museum located in downtown Bangor. The museum is located on the bottom of Norumbega Hall, right across from the Bangor city hall.
Kinghorn is responsible for the overall management of the museum, including artistic programming, planning art education and making sure the museum’s collection stays safe. The museum has over 7,000 various works of art in its permanent collection.
Click here to see a slideshow of current installations in the museum
The museum is a very important part to Bangor; it plays an important roll in the community and to its members. The museum helps to make Bangor a livelier place while giving citizens and visitors an opportunity to see new art forms. The museum is able to bring in art that is displayed in larger markets such as Boston, New York and even Miami. This is also important for the university community, as it helps expose students to what is happening in the larger art world.
According to Kinghorn, “education is certainly central to the mission of the University of Maine museum of Art.” The museum also provides summer and winter art camps. These programs provide hands on art making opportunities for children.
During these camps, instructors make sure that children have plenty of time in the galleries looking at the art and thinking about their own art in response to these pieces. The art that students create is modeled after what is in the museum at the time. This makes each camp experience unique.
To make things more fun, they play various art games and have art scavenger hunts. One of their new games is an art bingo where students learn about various elements of art in fun ways. The children are learning while having fun, and sometimes don’t even realize they’re learning many new things.
Click here to see images of the 2010 Winter Art Camp
Lisa Trimper’s family has always been involved with athletics, but she decided it “would be a really great experience to introduce them to the arts,” said Trimper. This is her second year sending her daughter to the camp and it has been a really great experience. She even plans on sending her children to the weeklong summer art camp.
Kinghorn takes great joy in seeing children in the museum. He says it creates a livelier environment and is a very comfortable and safe place. The children add a “freshness” to the museum environment said Kinghorn. Being able to see the creative process take place is very exciting.
Click here for a Google map of the UMMA
Busy Schedule for a Student-Athlete
by Derek McKinley
February 25, 2010
ORONO, MAINE Cassandra Mendonca doesn’t have a lower gear. Her hectic schedule forces her to do everything at top speed, but she refuses to do anything at less than the highest quality.
As a third-year international student — Mendonca is from Toronto — she still carries a near-perfect grade point average as a kinesiology and physical education major with a chemisty minor.
“It’s a really great major. I’m hoping to apply to med school with it,” said Mendonca. “It’s really useful for me, especially if I’m going into sports medicine, to have that background.”
It is important to her own athletic performance as well. Mendonca is a midfielder on the University of Maine’s field hockey team.
“Field hockey is a tough sport. It’s probably one of the toughest sports in the world to learn.” said Mendonca. “It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and… a lot of training time and a lot of intense workouts that make my body hurt, but it’s all worth it at the end for season and to compete.
“I’ve been playing since I was six years old, so I don’t really know what it’s like to not have a stick in my hand and not be passionate about it.”
Mendonca began playing as a way to stay close to her father, Louis. As the head coach of provincial teams in Canada, he was often traveling, and when he was home the two were able to bond over their shared passion for the game.
The elder Mendonca also worked for the University of Maine, though Cassandra was initially against going there.
“He called me one day and said ‘Hey Cassandra there’s a camp here, you should come and play,’” Mendonca recalled. “I said ‘OK dad, this better not be a recruiting tactic. I’m not coming to the University of Maine.’”
After attending the camp to make playing videos to send to several Ivy League universities, head coach Josette Babineau made her a scholarship offer. Ironically, her father left UMaine almost as soon as she committed. He had been offered the head coaching position for the Canadian national team, and took them to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Mendonca has made the most of her role on the team, becoming a leader and mentor for many of the other girls.
“Cass is a great teammate because she’s always keeping us motivated on and off the field,” said teammate and roommate Kallie Aldus.
“She’s a very well-liked teammate, a very caring and thoughtful teammate, so she’s always out there cheering people on and making sure their taken care of,” said Brandi Rideout, director of student-athlete services.
Mendonca works closely with Rideout in her position as the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“We’re the main organizers for different all-athlete events and fundraisers, and we act as a liason between athletes, and between athletes and administration, and between athletes and the student body,” said Mendonca.
In her tenure as president of SAAC, Mendonca has organized fundraisers to benefit March of Dimes, Toys for Tots, and the Haiti relief efforts.
“She was only on the committee for a year when they elected her co-president, which speaks to her strong leadership skills and commitment,” said Rideout. “She’s always a go-to person, someone we can rely on whenever we need input from a student athlete.”
When she isn’t hard at work improving herself in the gym or at field hockey practice, Mendonca is helping others improve physically and mentally. Mendonca is a personal trainer at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center as part of the Big Bears to Little Bears program, where teams of 3-6 people compete to achieve certain weight loss goals. She is also a student tutor, helping her fellow athletes develop strategies for passing anatomy, chemistry, biology, and other daunting courses.
Though Mendonca tops out a 4′11″, her presence in the classroom, the weight room, and all over the UMaine campus looms large as a reminder for all students that the right attitude will get you exactly where you want to be. Mendonca is currently studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). After med school, she dreams of following in her father’s footsteps.
“My dream is to work with a professional sports team in medicine. Maybe go to the Olympics as a doctor if I can’t do it as an athlete.”
Pillows for the Troops
Sam Danis
February 24, 2010
NAPLES, MAINE- Thousands of injured American soldiers are feeling a bit more at home in Iraq during their recoveries thanks to 82-year-old Alice Fogg. Fogg is combining her love of sewing and helping others to create homemade pillows to send overseas.
“My daughter heard it on the Internet about someone that was making pillows,” Fogg said. “She said, ‘how about making neck pillows?’ I said, ‘yeah, I’ll try that. I like using my sewing machine.”
Fogg receives many letters from soldiers, doctors, and nurses thanking her for the pillows. Fogg was pleased to read one recently telling her that the pillows are being used for more than just a head rest for the wounded.
“A couple days ago I got one from the nurse over there, and she said, ‘we not only put the pillows under their heads, but when they’re wounded, we use them to elevate their arm, or their hand, or their leg’,” Fogg said. “They really are needed, and they have a shortage of pillows over there.”
Fogg’s family and friends support her by helping with the costs of packaging and shipping. Every piece of fabric she uses is donated by people in her community.
“Although I’m 82 I still can do things to help people,” Fogg said. “It makes me feel good. It takes up my time, and I think it makes me healthier just to keep busy because usually when you get older you feel like, ‘oh, I’m useless; I can’t do nothing’. But we can. Yeah, I’ve realized we can.”
Earthquakes in Maine
Jesse Groening
February 22, 2010
University of Maine geology professor Martin Yates and researcher Alice Kelley are researching why New England has earthquakes.
Earthquakes in Maine
In a co-operation with Boston College and Weston Observatory, a seismometer has been placed in the University of Maine campus showing any shiver or quake in the earth.
Maine Earthquakes 1997 to Present
It focuses particularly on Maine and New England. This research has now been underway for a year and is striving to determine why Maine and New England have earthquakes at all.
Map of Earthquakes in Maine
Traffic Report
121 | Unique Visitors |
