2023 Class of Maine AmeriCorps Volunteers Sworn in During Viles Arboretum Celebration and Service Project

The 2023 class of Maine AmeriCorps members took the pledge to serve as volunteers during a celebration and service project that took place recently at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta.

Maine AmeriCorps members were joined by Volunteer Maine and the Maine Department of Education (DOE) to enjoy breakfast together and be sworn in as AmeriCorps volunteers for the year and beyond.

Maine DOE Associate Commissioner Chelsey Fortin-Trimble, an AmeriCorps alumna and Maine Commission for Community Service board member spoke during the ceremony about the importance of community service and how her lifelong commitment to expanding educational opportunity for children led her to becoming an elementary school educator with Teach for America, an AmeriCorps national service program. Fortin-Trimble thanked outgoing AmeriCorps members for their service and led incoming AmeriCorps members in the AmeriCorps pledge.

Volunteer Maine Executive Director Maryalice Crofton also addressed volunteers and thanked them for their service during the ceremony and Daniel Zamarron, the Director of Parks and Gardens for the City of Juarez, Mexico was also present for the occasion.

Volunteer Maine Executive Director Maryalice Crofton

Maine DOE Associate Commissioner Chelsey Fortin-Trimble swearing in Maine AmeriCorps members.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of AmeriCorps. In September 1993, former President Bill Clinton helped launch the modern-day AmeriCorps and just one year later, swore in the first class of 20,000 members. Thirty years later, more than 1.25 million AmeriCorps members and hundreds of thousands of AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have taken the pledge to serve in communities large and small.

AmeriCorps members serve in Maine to gain valuable skills while supporting community organizations in the areas of early childhood education and development, mentorship, environmental conservation, green energy education, expanding access to outdoor recreation, and community resilience, among others. Member benefits include a living allowance and a post-service education award.

Following the ceremony National Service members were led by Harrison Lobb, an Environmental Steward to participate in a service project. Participants helped remove invasive species from the Viles Arboretum property enabling native plants and animals to thrive and enhancing access for visitors.

A local resident and garden enthusiast Jacky Zarate also ended up joining the National Service volunteers after being invited on a whim by a Volunteer Maine staff member who was picking up gloves at a local hardware store to use that day. It’s moments like these that further exemplify the opportunity for service to bring people together.

Volunteer Maine staff members

Harrison Lobb holding up the invasive species the volunteers were helping remove that day.

Volunteer Maine staff members speak with local Jacky Zarate

The Viles Arboretum service project was funded through an Alumni TIES small grant from the U.S. Department of State. The event was organized by Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, which builds capacity and sustainability in Maine’s volunteer sector by funding service programs, developing volunteer managers and service-learning practitioners, raising awareness of the scope and the impact of the volunteer sector, and encouraging an ethic of service. To learn more about Volunteer Maine visit their website: http://volunteermaine.gov/

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges, through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

Lewiston Regional Tech Center Hosts 500 CTE Educators and Partners

More than 500 CTE educators and CTE partners came together last Friday at the Lewiston Regional Tech Center to participate in more than 20 CTE and career pathways sessions.

Conference participants were able to collaborate with colleagues from all over the state during these breakout sessions and over lunch. Participants enjoyed a variety of offerings from the culinary arts program’s food trucks.

Over lunch, Kelli Toole, from St. Croix Regional Technical Center, shared her experience as the Student Services Coordinator with Lucille Willey, the Director of Coastal Washington County Institute of Technology. Both agreed that they have found conferences like the MACTE conference immeasurably helpful, as they are able to collaborate, share ideas, and network with other professionals who work in CTEs.

Maine DOE Meets with Adult Education Leaders in Lewiston for Annual Directors Meeting

(Pictured Left to Right: Dr. Kayla Sikora, Director of Augusta Adult and Community Education; Daniel Chuhta, Deputy Commissioner at the Maine Department of Education (DOE); Erica Carley Harris, Policy Analyst for the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan; Megan Dichter Maine State Director for Adult Education; Lisa Robertson, Director of York Adult Education; Jeremy Lehan, Director of RSU 54 Adult Education; and Megan Welter, Associate Commissioner of Public Education at Maine DOE)

The leaders of Maine’s adult education community convened in Lewiston for their annual directors meeting. The meeting brought together key figures in the Maine education landscape, emphasizing the collaborative efforts that drive adult education across the state. Daniel Chuhta, Deputy Commissioner at the Maine Department of Education, and Megan Welter, Associate Commissioner of Public Education were both in attendance, highlighting the State’s commitment to adult education. Erica Carley Harris, Policy Analyst for the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, provided valuable insights into policies that shape adult education initiatives in Maine.

Megan Dichter, the Maine State Director for Adult Education, played a pivotal role in coordinating the event and facilitating productive dialogues among the participants. Dr. Kayla Sikora, Director of Augusta Adult and Community Education and President-Elect of the Maine Adult Education Association (MAEA), Jeremy Lehan, Director of RSU 54 Adult Education, and Lisa Robertson, MAEA President and Director of York Adult Education, attended this significant gathering.

The annual directors meeting served as a platform for sharing best practices, addressing challenges, and charting a course for the continued growth and enhancement of adult education programs in Maine. Participants engaged in thoughtful discussions on program development, funding, and strategies to meet the evolving needs of adult learners.

Professional Learning: The Rural Experience in America Project

Community Civics through Historical Inquiry (K-12 grade educators)

Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program, NCHE is proud to announce a 3-part colloquium for teachers focusing on Rural America. These free professional learning opportunities will help teachers develop place-based interdisciplinary units that connect students to their rural communities. Additionally, the Maine Department of Education will be hosting a bi-weekly professional learning community to support educators through these NCHE modules. The PLC will incorporate the work developed by the MDOE interdisciplinary instruction specialists.

The program is designed to:

connect teachers with the Library Congress’s collections on rural history and with local rural historical societies so they can situate local history in the larger human experience
support teachers in the design and implementation of works of public value that connect rural students to their community’s history
engage rural teachers in a deep examination of rural history and the impact of change on children, families, and communities
The Right Question Institute will be leading a 4-week session on the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with a focus on working with rural students

Educators may complete all or part of the 3-part colloquium.

Part A – Self-paced online courses: the Library of Congress’ 6-week module course: Teaching with Primary Sources Basics; the Right Question Institute 4-week module course: Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions (Dec 1-March 31)
Part B – Participate in three online synchronous Saturday professional development sessions led by historians, educational specialists, and master teachers (March 23, April 20, May 11)
Part C – Apply for a Summer Colloquium. Teachers and community partners will learn from historians and build civic connections to develop a plan for implementing a public history project in their community.
- July 24-26 Washington, DC Travel reimbursement available

Register here for these NCHE events.

When you register with NCHE, you will receive a follow-up from the Maine DOE to register into our Maine PLC.

For more information, please contact Jaime Beal, Interdisciplinary Instruction Specialist, at  jaime.beal@maine.gov.

Coming Soon! Maine DOE’s New Public School Podcast “What Holds Us Together”

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is excited to launch, “What Holds Us Together,” a new podcast celebrating Maine schools. Each month, Commissioner Pender Makin will highlight the inspiring and amazing things happening in Maine schools through conversations with educators, school staff, and students across our State.

Public education is a precious and profound common good we share. Join us as we explore and celebrate the ways that local schools impact students and build connections with the community around them.

Be on the lookout for our first episode, as Commissioner Makin talks with 2023 Maine Teacher of the Year Matt Bernstein and the newly named 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year Joshua Chard about what they love most about teaching and Maine schools.

Listen to the podcast trailer here:

Subscribe today on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and stay tuned!

Register Now for Alternative Education Association Fall Conference

The Alternative Education Association (AEA) of Maine is excited to announce a Fall Conference on November 9th at the University of Maine Augusta from 9:30 am – 1:30 am with the theme, “Circle Up!”

The AEA Fall Conference will be based on circle discussions at tables with different themes, where you can sit and have conversations with your colleagues about those topics you are most interested in. This is an excellent opportunity for you to network with others who do the unique work we all do in alternative education in Maine.

Details –

Cost: The Fall Conference is $50 and the Spring Conference will once again be $125. You can register for them separately or you can register for both at the discounted cost of $150. (If for some reason you cannot attend the Spring Conference we will reimburse you the $100)
Date and Time: November 9th, 9:30-1:30 (Lunch will be provided and is included in the cost)
Location: University Maine Augusta, Fireside Lounge in Randall Hall

Click Here for the Registration Form

Click Here for Payment Form

The AEA of Maine recognizes there is frequent turnover in teachers. If you have an Alternative Educator in your district who would like to be included in Alternative Education news and updates, please forward their name and email address to Lenny Holmes at lholmes@bonnyeagle.org

PUBLIC COMMENT: Rule Chapter 132: Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Education; Science and Social Studies Standards

As part of the scheduled periodic review of the Maine Learning Results, the Maine Department of Education is seeking public comments regarding the proposed revisions to the social studies standards and the science standard in Rule Chapter 132. These comments will inform the continued work of the standards revision teams and are an integral part of the rulemaking process.

This proposed rule revision is part of a periodic review of the Maine Learning Results as required under 6209, subsection 4. The science and social studies standards were last reviewed and revised in 2018.

The rulemaking process began in the summer of 2023 with the science and social studies standards steering committees, which are composed of content area experts who represent the cultural diversity found in Maine and a range of viewpoints as to the content of the standards. These groups met and reviewed all the comments submitted and developed a blueprint for the revision of the state science and social studies standards. Following that process, groups of writing teams, representing prek-12 teachers, met and revised the current standards.

The proposed revisions focus on elements outlined in the Science and Social Studies content areas. No other aspects of the Learning Results were modified in any way.

This process was completed according to Title 5, Section 8051-B regarding consensus-based rule development process.

As required by law, a period of public comment will be open October 11, 2023 through November 14, 2023. Written comments may be submitted to DOE Rulemaking Liaison Laura Cyr, State House Station #23, Augusta, Maine 04333; 207-446-8791 or laura.cyr@maine.gov until 5:00 pm November 14, 2023. For documentation purposes, written comments are preferred.

In addition, a public hearing for the revised social studies and science standards in Rule Chapter 132 will be held in person and virtually on October 30, 2023, from 3:00 pm to 5 pm at the Burton Cross Office Building, located at 111 Sewall Street, Augusta, Maine 04333, Room 600. As space will be limited, participants are encouraged to attend virtually through Zoom, using this link:

Topic: Rule Chapter 132 Public Hearing

Time: Oct 30, 2023 3:00 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 878 1068 6789
Passcode: 98277489

Timeline for Rulemaking for Rule Chapter 132 – Standards Review, Major Substantive

File: October 4, 2023
Post: October 11, 2023
Comment Period End: November 14, 2023

The revised Rule Chapter 132 Social Studies and Science Standards can be found here.

You may also submit comments via this form.

CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING (include name, mailing address, telephone, fax, TTY, email):

Laura Cyr, laura.cyr@maine.gov, 446-8791

Reminder: RISE Award Nominations Open Through Oct 20. Nominate an Extraordinary School Employee Today!

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites students, friends, families, community members, educational organizations or associations, co-workers, and supervisors to nominate school employees for the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award. Nominate today by clicking here.

The RISE Award is a federal award, passed by Congress and overseen by the U.S. Department of Education, intended to honor and promote classified school employees who provide exemplary service. Nominees must demonstrate excellence in: work performance; school and community involvement; leadership and commitment; local support (from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc. who speak to the nominee’s exemplary work); and enhancement of classified school employees’ image in the community and in schools.

A classified school employee is defined as an employee who works in any of the following school roles: ed tech, clerical and administrative services, transportation services, food and nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services, security services, health and student services, technical services, and skilled trades (pre-kindergarten through high school).

The Maine DOE will put forth up to two finalists to the U.S. Department of Education which will select one finalist from across the nation to inspire excellence among classified school employees around the nation.

Last school year’s state finalist was Southern Aroostook Community School Administrative Assistant Elaine Small for the extraordinary contributions she has made to students, educators, and the community. Whether it’s spearheading fundraisers to support students’ post-secondary aspirations, participating in community events, providing support to a variety of staff, or working alongside colleagues to coordinate bus routes, Small makes a huge impact each day on the students and staff around her. Read more about Small here.

The deadline to submit a nomination is October 20, 2023. Nominate today by clicking here. Anyone can nominate!

St. George School Receives National Recognition for Innovative CTE/Makerspace Project

St. George Municipal School Unit (MSU) was recently selected as one of the 32 national semifinalists for the national Yass Prize, recognizing the “contemporary, inventive, and diverse in-district offerings” provided by St. George School. The small, rural St. George School was chosen among nearly 2,000 applicants representing 27 million students from every sector in education and every grade across all 50 states. Other applicants for the prize included private schools, education technology companies, national school networks, and educator recruitment programs.

The Yass Prize is a national competition with a mission “to identify and support more best-in-class education providers who can tackle the big education challenges of the day and deliver an education for students that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless.” As a semifinalist, the school receives $200,000, and the grand prize is $1,000,000.

The school was selected first as a quarterfinalist and now as a semifinalist because of its innovative CTE/Makerspace Project, a partnership between St. George MSU and Mid-Coast School of Technology (MCST) to construct a PreK–8th grade Career Technical Education (CTE)/Makerspace building. The new building will include a shop space for boatbuilding, woodworking, and metalwork as well as a Makerspace with 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers, robotics, and sewing machines.

“The CTE/Makerspace Project grew from the requests of teachers, parents, and community members in 2016 to bring shop back to St. George School. It connects to the legacy of the Grace Institute, a local nonprofit that provided culinary arts and shop classes to St. George students from 1936-2011,” said Superintendent Mike Felton. “It took shape as the Makerspace Initiative in 2016. And it’s rooted in the generations of St. George educators, staff, families, and community members who prioritized hands-on/minds-on learning that engaged students and connected them to their community.”

St George has also received funding from the Maine Department of Education (DOE) to support the CTE/Makerspace efforts through a Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) grant. RREV funding is provided through the US Department of Education and has allowed Maine to invest in education innovation across the state. You can read more about RREV here.

Governor Janet Mills and Maine DOE Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta visited the school last spring to learn more about the project and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree selected the CTE/Makerspace Project as one of only fifteen projects her office submitted for Community Project Funding in the federal budget.

Down the road in Port Clyde, Herring Gut Science Center was chosen as a Yass Prize quarterfinalist. This year, Herring Gut received funding through the Maine DOE’s Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative, a statewide initiative created by Governor Mills to offer immersive, hands-on, outdoor learning to middle and high school students across Maine during the summer. Read more about the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative here. Maine DOE Commissioner Pender Makin joined students at Herring Gut over the summer as they learned about coastal habitats and species.

View news coverage of the Yass Prize from News Center Maine, Pen Bay Pilot, and The Courier-Gazette.

You can vote for St. George MSU to receive the Yass Parent Choice Award, which will provide the school with another $100,000.

Maine DOE Opens 2023/2024 Student Cabinet Application

PLEASE SHARE WITH STUDENTS

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is opening applications for the 2023/2024 Student Cabinet, a group of students that meet regularly with the Maine DOE and each other to discuss educational opportunities, improvements, and policy.

Facilitated by student representatives from the Maine State Board of Education, the purpose of the Student Cabinet is to provide a forum for Maine students’ voices to be heard. This is the fourth year the Maine DOE has appointed students to a Student Cabinet with the goal of integrating student voices into decision-making on education issues that impact their journey through Maine’s education system.

In past years students have helped in identifying mental health needs at school, raised issues of racial equity, and helped brainstorm ways to individualize learning. Last year, the Student Cabinet presented their mental health concerns and ideas to Maine’s Legislative Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.

The Maine DOE is especially interested in having perspectives from students with diverse experiences, interests, cultures, and backgrounds represented on the Student Cabinet. It is important that the student cabinet include members from all geographical locations across Maine, and who are able to represent and advocate for underrepresented groups of students throughout Maine.

There are 12-24 seats that are open for students in grades 4 – 12 and the first year of college. The newly appointed members will serve for a term of two years starting this November. All 16 counties in Maine will be represented on the Student Cabinet.

Selected cabinet members will be expected to attend scheduled meetings, prepare for each meeting as needed, work in a collaborative manner with one another and with Department staff as needed, and express views and opinions openly, constructively, and respectfully.

Scheduled meetings:
There will be two in-person, all-day meetings scheduled in Augusta in December 2023 and Spring 2024, accompanied by monthly virtual meetings held on the fourth Thursday of the month from December 2023 through the spring of 2024 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm via Zoom. For in-person meetings, travel reimbursement will be provided and travel arrangements can also be made for students if needed.

Instructions for applying:
Students interested in serving on the Maine DOE Student Cabinet will need to submit the electronic application by November 15, 2023. Applications can be submitted electronically here.

For more information contact Rachel Paling, Communications & Outreach Manager, Maine Department of Education at rachel.paling@maine.gov.