Spirit of America, a public charity which honors volunteerism in Maine, recently announced six school-based community service projects and two people as winners of its Education Tribute.
The Spirit of America Education Tribute award honors a local person, project, or group for commendable community service. The people and projects nominated for the award are school-wide projects and people that promote teamwork and cooperation, and involve youth, families, and community members.
Maine Spirit of America’s appointed committee or School Districts selected the following winners:
- Barbara Astbury – a bus driver at MSAD 11 who dedicated her 40+ year career to driving school buses.
- Monmouth Academy & Monmouth Memorial School in RSU 2 – Students participating in student government worked together with community partners to “Stuff the Bus” for the food pantry and help the Cotrell Taylor fund for families in need during the holidays.
- Amanda Condon – a School Resource Office (SRO) for the Saco School Department’s Prek through middle school students who embodies the best qualities of a female leader and role model. Read more about Officer Condon here.
- Laynee’s Sole Purpose – a project started by 8-year-old Laynee Kirby from Caribou Community School that aims to provide shoes for kids in need. Read more about the project here.
- Lewiston High School’s “The Store Next Door” Project – Since 2006, Lewiston High School has created in-depth supplemental services to help eliminate barriers to education for youth and families experiencing high mobility and homelessness by addressing students’ basic needs. Read more about The Store Next Door on their website or Facebook Page.
- Maine FFA Association’s Homelessness and Food Insecurity Project – a valuable statewide community project that gave FFA students the opportunity to address issues of homelessness and food insecurity. Learn more about the project here.
- Piscataquis Community Elementary School’s “Behind the Mask” Project – a group of students and educators from Piscataquis Community Elementary School published a book called “Behind the Mask.” Almost all of the content was written and/or drawn by the kids. They presented the books to individuals and organizations who helped the school get through a difficult year (2020-2021 school year) during a school assembly. Read more about the project here.
- Re-Designing Saco Middle School Entrance – a project that brought together art, science, community service, and social emotional learning for 6th grade Saco students by having them redesign the entrance to their school with a mosaic garden. Read more about the project here.
To learn more about Spirit of America and their Education Tribute, visit their website: https://spirame.org/.