As an Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Ed Tech, Molly Myers supports “the expansion of career exploration experiences and career planning” at Brunswick High School. From career fairs to internships, Myers helps students prepare for their post-high school pursuits.

The program has been incredibly successful among Brunswick students with about 20 students participating directly in ELOs and another 200 taking part in other career-related activities. These related activities included virtual job shadows, career fairs, guest speakers and panels, and more. Myers created course-specific career exploration for teachers to use in their classrooms to help students broaden their horizon of what might be possible through what they are learning in the present.

Students directly involved in the ELO program have completed paid work experiences, such as internships, in several lines of work including healthcare, culinary, veterinary medicine, and education. Through these experiences, students gained confidence in trying new things, asking for help, solving problems, and, in the end, articulating their learning to the larger community.

Myers says the best part of her job is “meeting with students and hearing the stories of their interests, passions, and amazing accomplishments both within and beyond school!”

Myers would like to thank Cory King for being a huge help and supporter of Brunswick’s ELO program.

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.

As South Portland High School’s Extended Learning Coordinator, Sheree Inman hopes to open career exploration opportunities to as many students as possible. When South Portland received the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) grant, Inman was tasked with uniting the school’s existing internship and co-op programs and expanding these offerings to more students. Inman has been immensely successful in implementing the school’s ELO Program with many students participating in internships, job shadows, and other career-related opportunities.  

Through the program, South Portland students have been able to pursue ELOs in a wide variety of career fields including banking, real estate, media, firefighting, veterinary care, and more. One of Inman’s students was interested in finance and accounting and went on to intern for Saco Biddeford Savings Bank for her ELO. Through this internship, she gained hands-on experience in bank telling, accounting, and marketing and was able to spend time in their corporate office. This is just one of the program’s many success stories in which students have been able to gain professional experience and a head start on their career path.  

Another career exploration opportunity available to students through the program is the annual career fair. “This is where students can talk to employers about occupations and opportunities beyond high school,” said Inman. Several local businesses at the career fair also offer job shadows and internships for students.  

“The best part of my job is when I can make a connection with a student into a field that they really want to learn more about,” said Inman. Seeing students get excited about these opportunities gives her a great sense of pride in her work.  

“Without this type of programming in schools, students don’t always get to see what actually happens in various career fields,” said Inman. In the future, she hopes to continue to provide individual ELO opportunities while expanding offerings for group ELO experiences. She is also working with special education teachers to help bring ELO opportunities to their students.  

Inman and the South Portland ELO Program are very thankful to their community business partners and to South Portland’s Economic Development Director William Mann.  

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. 

At Yarmouth High School, Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Coordinator Brittany Brockelbank is supporting students in exploring their career interests. From finding internships and work studies to connecting students with mentors in the community, Brockelbank is helping students engage with their learning while also preparing them for their future careers.  

Working with other faculty and staff at Yarmouth, Brockelbank has been able to expand the school’s ELO program, now offering it to all students from freshmen to seniors.  

“All too often there are barriers or structures that contain students and point them in one direction,” said Brockelbank. “ELOs are an opportunity to empower students to go in any direction they’d like!” 

The school’s ELO program has allowed students to earn academic credit, pursue passion projects, and gain professional experience. Brockelbank says one of her favorites parts of the program is its power to transform students’ educational experiences. Students who were once less interested or engaged with their education have found immense success and enthusiasm for their learning through their ELOs.  

Brockelbank says the best part of her job is the ability to say yes so often when students come to her asking about ELOs they are interested in. This means saying yes to them earning credit, participating in a work study, working as a group, and much more. When discussing her position as ELO Coordinator, she said, “It is refreshing to be in education in a role where the answer is almost always yes, and where I get to learn alongside brilliant students every day.”  

Brockelbank would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to Yarmouth’s ELO program: Rebecca Spear from Partners in Education, JMG Specialist Madalyn Shircliff, the Yarmouth Education Fund, the Yarmouth Alumni Association, Allegiance Trucks, HB Fleming, and Autowerks.  

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. 

Brownville Elementary held its 2023 Career Day recently. The day was a huge success with many presenters who came to work with the students all day.

There were six rotating groups in the morning with Zachary Monroe and Lincoln Mazzei from the Maine Forest Service presenting information about the helicopter rescue. Mr. Mazzei landed his helicopter in the backfield while the whole school watched.

Students also had the opportunity to participate in a demonstration with Tina Turcotte and Melissa Brown from Maine Search and Rescue Dog (MESARD), who showed students how their dogs find lost people by using scent. A student from each group was found by the dogs.

Matt Grant and Sean Hashey from Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern CPKC taught the students about railroad safety and the dangers of being on railroad tracks. Martina Coburn from Best Western talked with students about hospitality and they had the opportunity to make a towel animal. In addition, Jaime McCleary taught children about cosmetology, and Debbie Hamilton from AE Robinson helped children learn about the different jobs in the store and they even got to make pizzas together.

The afternoon portion of the day included Brownville Fire Department and EMR. Alicia Harmon and Jessica Wyman demonstrated their equipment and what all the pieces mean while Chief Shawn Mitchell, Kevin Black, and Richard Wyman gave each student a chance to try out their aim with the fire hose. Then Melissa Brown and Martina Coburn demonstrated how oximeters work, giving students the chance to listen to their heart with stethoscopes and looked at other medical equipment.

The day ended in the gym with pizza that the students made earlier with Debbie from AE Robinson.

The school extends a huge thank you to third-grade teacher Miss Crystal Cail for organizing the day, to Debbie Hamilton from AE Robinson in Brownville for donating the pizzas, to all of the community members who came to share their occupations with students that day and everyone else who made such a special day possible for the students!

This story was submitted by Carol Smith from Brownville Community School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email Rachel Paling, Maine DOE Communications and Outreach Manager at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

As the school’s Extending Learning Opportunities (ELO) Coordinator, Robert Scully is working with Marshwood High School students to create meaningful and relevant educational experiences beyond the classroom. Since receiving the ELO Programming Grant last spring, Scully has been leading the development of the program and its team to make it a sustainable and impactful part of the school’s future.

During the program’s development year at Marshwood, students have been able to engage in a wide variety of opportunities. “We had numerous independent study experiences including students learning American Sign Language, world languages, and programming,” said Scully. Students have also been able to participate in programs for service learning, building trades, real estate, and health care.

Scully says the best part of his job is meeting one-on-one with students to plan experiences that will keep them interested and engaged in their educational careers. “Students taking agency in their learning – sitting and discussing, designing, developing an experience that will provide a valuable learning experience is a profound moment,” he said.

The program underwent its implementation phase this spring, with 65 students already expressing interest in creating an ELO of their own for the Fall 2023 semester. Scully is also planning on teaching a Career Exploration Course next school year to encourage authentic, hands-on learning.

By receiving this grant, Scully says that he and his team “will be able to develop and offer relevant learning experiences that – quite frankly – are limitless in their potential to prepare students for the future they hope for.”

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.

This story was written by Maine DOE Communications Intern Natalie Grandahl in collaboration with Marshwood High School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email Rachel Paling, Maine DOE Communications and Outreach Manager at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

As the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Coordinator at Nokomis High School, Kristine Eisenhour describes her job as organizing and cultivating learning experiences in the community for students and classes to engage in. “These opportunities could be field trips, job shadows, paid or unpaid apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and any other educational opportunities beyond the school walls,” she said. Eisenhour adds that the best part of the job is, “creating authentic, rich, learning opportunities that engage students in a whole new way.”

Nokomis High School is one of 26 schools that were awarded funding from a Maine Jobs and Recovery (MJRP) grant to help get an ELO program started at their school. “This funding provides students the opportunity to not only experience what the community has to offer but also to get involved within the community,” said Eisenhour.

Students, too, have been pleased with the new opportunities they have been afforded because of the Nokomis ELO program. “It helped me open new doors to careers that I did not know even existed previously,” said Nokomis senior Zachary Raymond.

“It allows them the ability to network and make connections that can last a lifetime,” said Eisenhour, adding, “Collectively, it shows them what the great state of Maine has to offer right in their backyard.”

More recently, Eisenhour has been spearheading a few new ventures for the Nokomis ELO program, the All Trades Pre Apprenticeship program opportunity, which allows students to explore careers in the trades providing hands-on learning experiences as well as OSHA30 training to prepare them to go into trades occupations. In addition, they are also working with the Cianbro Craft Exploration Program, which allows students to explore the many careers the construction field has to offer through hands-on learning experiences.

Eisenhour extends a heartfelt thank you to the following businesses and organizations for their time and generosity in assisting Nokomis High School students with extended learning opportunities: Augusta Electrical JATC, Cianbro, Foxcroft Veterinary Services, Northern Light, Bangor Humane Society, & Casella Waste.

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.