Aquaculture me!, an initiative created by Yarmouth educator, 2016 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year, and Miliken recipient Morgan Cuthbert, to get classroom teachers connected to the science and industry of aquaculture, held a professional development conference at the University of Maine’s Darling Center near Damariscotta last week.

Maine Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta attended the event on behalf of the Department to give brief remarks and to extend a heartfelt appreciation to Aquaculture me! and educators throughout Maine who work hard to provide Maine students with meaningful educational lessons that incorporate scientific practice about the complex systems that affect our communities and environment through aquaculture education.

The workshop gave participants the opportunity to hear from Maine aquaculture researchers, learn about connecting with the community and the industry, in addition to hearing from Maine educators from Cape Elizabeth, Brunswick, and Yarmouth Schools about successful ways to connect Aquaculture to the classroom.

The conference also gave participants the chance to network with one another and have a round-table discussion about Aquaculture education in Maine.

For more information about Aquaculture me! visit their website.

The conference also gave participants the chance to network with one another and have a round-table discussion about Aquaculture education in Maine.

For more information about Aquaculture me! visit their website.

Having attended Alabama’s Chelsea High School’s presentation on their community art project #whyyoumatter at the National Art Education Association Conference in Boston last spring, Medomak Valley High School’s advanced photography teacher, Brooke Holland, and her class have taken on the challenge here in Maine.

The mission of the campaign states, “ #whyyoumatter is a public art campaign that focuses on empowering students while fostering a positive school climate where all people feel supported and valued.”

Holland, with the help of volunteer photography specialist Kyle Santheson, has instructed her advanced photography students in taking black and white photographs of everyone in the school along with their personally written messages of why they matter.

To prepare, staff were given a script with resources to use with their home bases. After viewing inspirational videos about making a difference, students were given time to think about why they matter.

Holland reports, “Within the photo studio, you can hear students and staff helping each other write their statements; whether that is simply articulating their message or giving them the pep talk they need on why they matter.”

These 11X18 posters will affirm and empower our daily interactions and efforts and will, in total, be an impressive display for our district art show this spring. We matter!

This article was submitted by Linda Dolloff Pease, Principal at Medomak Valley High School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. If you would like to submit a story or share an idea for the campaign email Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

The Camden-Rockport Middle School 7th grade Interdisciplinary fall project, “Learning How to See” was selected as a “Model of Excellence” and is featured in the National Model of Excellence database.

Created in collaboration with Harvard Graduate School of Education, Models of Excellence is a open resource featuring exemplary pre-K to 12th-grade student work. Works chosen for this database are recognized for their high level of integrated curriculum development, instruction, assessment and students final product work.

In a press release issued by Five Town CSD / MSAD #28, special congratulations were given to John Dietter, Hilary Flagg, Sam Zwecker, Sarah Whittam, Beth York and Kristen Andersen for their hard work on this project.

The release also said, “Camden-Rockport Middle School is so proud to have their hard work recognized. The school is on a journey to implement meaningful project based learning experiences for students and this is strong affirmation at the national level!”

Camden-Rockport Middle School 7th grade Interdisciplinary fall project, “Learning How to See” can be viewed here.

Information for this article was provided in a press release from Five Town CSD / MSAD #28 Executive Assistant to the Superintendent & Communications Director Trina Schroeder.