Technical student organizations offer leadership training

Maine FFA state officers (four on left) and FBLA state officers joined forces to provide leadership training to high school students at the Augusta Armory.

Two of Maine’s technical student organizations, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Future Farmers of America (FFA), joined forces for the first time at the Augusta Armory to provide nearly 100 high school students with fast-paced leadership training on Nov. 1.

Workshop topics included the role of FFA and FBLA in helping their members realize personal growth, become better leaders, and gain skills to help them be successful in their future careers. Students participated in discussions and interactive group activities, having a chance to meet peers from other schools and to learn skills that may help them after graduation.

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Recognizing exceptional teachers

Headshot of Commissioner Stephen Bowen Today was a great day for recognizing excellent teachers and showcasing their work. I was honored to start the day by announcing that Peter Barlow is the newest Maine CTE Teacher of the Year. A few hours later, I was congratulating four teachers for becoming Presidential Award finalists at a conference for science teachers in Gardiner.

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Maine names career-technical teacher of the year

Peter Barlow accepts Maine’s 2012 Career and Technical Educator of the Year award for his excellence as a metal trades instructor in Mexico.
Click to view more photos from the event.

LEWISTON – Peter Barlow, a metal trades instructor at the Region 9 School of Applied Technology in Mexico, was named Maine’s newest Career and Technical Educator of the Year Friday in front of more than 400 of his colleagues. Barlow has taught precision machining and welding programs at Region 9 since 1991.

Educators gathered Friday to share best practices from around Maine at the third annual CTE conference at the Lewiston Regional Technical Center.

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Upcoming conference for career and technical educators

High school and community college career and technical education teachers will have a chance to discuss alignment of curriculum to Maine and industry standards, innovations in the trade areas, assessment agreements, and exemplary practices in the world of work at the annual CTE conference Friday, Oct. 5 at the Lewiston Regional Technical Center.

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Amended guidance on federal sequestration

This is an update on the current status of the anticipated sequestration of federal funds as a result of the debt limit deal enacted by Congress on August 2, 2011. The President is required to issue a sequestration order, which will have immediate effect, no later than Jan. 2, 2013.

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Report cites career and technical education as a pathway to success

The following is a news release from the Governor’s Office:

AUGUSTA – Today, the LePage administration shared a report released Tuesday by Georgetown University which promotes career and technical education – in both high school and in post-secondary programs – as a significant path to good-paying jobs. The report found that 29 million well-paying middle class jobs go to workers without bachelor’s degrees.

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High school firefighting training program expands in Brunswick

Maine Region Ten Technical High School in Brunswick has recently expanded its firefighting program to include Emergency Medical Technician training.

In this photo, eight Lisbon students join students from Brunswick, RSU 5 (Durham, Freeport and Pownal) and MSAD 75 (Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell and Topsham) to prepare for the Firefighting I and II State Test.

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Veterans will benefit from WorkReady workforce training program

A WorkReady program customized for veterans will be piloted in the Casco/Naples area beginning in October. The program aims to create an opportunity for participants to network with veteran-friendly employers, discuss issues specific to vets re-entering the workplace, and feel supported in their transition back to the civilian workforce.

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York student explorers join global collaboration in Brazil

York students Patty McMurray, Andrew Fitzgerald and Todd Brockelman (left to right) gather water quality data in a freshwater channel of the Pantanal. — York students Patty McMurray, Andrew Fitzgerald and Todd Brockelman (left to right) gather water quality data in a freshwater channel of the Pantanal, a region of Brazil.

York Middle School science teacher Jeff Wilford might annually explore the swampy wetlands of Brazil, but don’t mistake him for Indiana Jones. It’s research he wrestles, not anacondas.

Wilford admits he’s not much of an adventurer, but when the opportunity arose to partner with Earthwatch and the National Geographic Education Foundation to travel with a team of educators to the Pantanal region of Brazil in 2003, Wilford dusted off his pith helmet.

Since 2006, Wilford has returned to explore the Pantanal each summer with students from York High School.

“We wanted to give students a real dose of what it means to be a biologist in a remote and challenged region of the world,” Wilford explained. “As well, we have strived to create an unmatched cultural experience.”

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High school students compete in international science fair

Meagan Currie of Greely High School took first place at the Maine State Science Fair with her project on oxygen production.

For the first time ever, students from Maine competed in the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held this year in Pittsburgh, Penn. Meagan Currie of Greely High School in Cumberland and Sam Wood of Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham traveled with their teacher/mentors and parents to represent Maine at this competition.

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