Steffany Tribou, an 18-year education veteran and Assistant Superintendent for RSU 13 (pictured right), and Corrie Hunkler, ELO & Youth Engagement Coordinator at Healthy Acadia (pictured left) were panelists at JMG’s first North Regional Connection Event for Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Coordinators recently.
JMG’s Regional ELO Coaches are hosting bi-annual Regional Connection Events in the North, Central, and South regions of Maine, with Central and South scheduled for the week of 12/12 (read more about the schedule here). The events are intended to bring together education, workforce, and others interested in ELO work to share best practices, which is what Tribou and Hunkler are doing.
In her role at Healthy Acadia, Hunkler is the director for Downeast Teen Leadership Camp, a camp designed and led by youth. She runs youth employment programs and supports schools and organizations to engage youth in meaningful ways. Prior to her role with Healthy Acadia, she was a Guidance Counselor at four rural schools. As an ELO coordinator she is working with 5 schools to design, implement, and expand ELO offerings in coastal Washington County.
In her many roles in schools and districts, Tribou has always been passionate about finding ways to better prepare students for their future, and has been instrumental in seeing internships and ELOs taking hold, which she feels is important work that breathes life into what education can look like for students in Maine. During her presentation, Tribou shared a rap that she created based on the Hamilton play. The rap emphasized the need for ELOs to be available to Maine students in order to support a healthy economic future for Maine and the people who live here. Check out audio of the rap here.
Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are hands-on, credit-bearing courses outside of the traditional classroom with an emphasis on community-based career exploration. These opportunities are personalized for students and help them explore options for their professional lives. They help students engage in learning through instruction, assignments, and experiential learning. The Maine Department of Education (DOE), along with state-wide partner Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG), have made a concerted effort to provide working models, support, and funding opportunities for Maine schools to set up ELO programs within their school communities. To learn more about Maine’s initiatives with extended learning opportunities, visit: https://www.maine.gov/doe/index.php/learning/elo or reach out to Maine DOE ELO Coordinator Rick Wilson at rick.wilson@maine.gov.