‘Laynee’s Sole Purpose’ Aims to Provide Shoes for Kids in Need

When 8-year-old Laynee Kirby saw a fellow classmate with holes in her shoes, she just couldn’t stop thinking about it. She went home and told her parents, concerned about her friend who may not be able to participate in school activities and be comfortable throughout the day with inadequate shoes.

Her dad, Andrew Kirby, Caribou High School science teacher, soccer coach, and newly named 2021 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year and his wife Brittany started to form a plan. Drawing inspiration from Andrew’s fellow County Teacher of the Year Hillary Hoyt, who experienced a similar issue in her region of Waldo County, Andrew and Brittany got to thinking about how they could help Laynee make a difference in her school and region.

In researching other similar programs across the nation, they found that adequate footwear for kids could mean as much as a 56% improved attendance at school and 70% increased physical activity offered through school.

“There’s so many social issues that kids deal with and this is just one of those and can sometimes be the determining factor that motivates a kid to go to school,” said Andrew Kirby.

“When kids have shoes that fit them, they will be able to focus and learn more in school,” added Laynee.

Andrew, or Mr. Kirby as the students call him, got in touch with Dr. Valerie Waldemarson, the district Jobs for Maine’s Graduates (JMG) Specialist, who he knew would have some ideas to get this started. She dove into action immediately.

“Given the level of economically disadvantaged students in our school district, I agreed to take on this project to bring awareness to a need within our student population, teach my current JMG Students essential skills that are relevant to competencies taught in my class, and mentor a second grader with a passion to serve,” said Dr. Waldemarson.

Incorporating her high school JMG class, Dr. Waldemarson developed Laynee’s sole purpose into multifaceted, cross-curricular, project-based learning lesson for her students, that encompasses leadership development, social awareness, civic awareness, career development, community service, and financial literacy.

Crocs, the shoe company, has made a generous donation to the project along with another local retailer, who has offered a discount on shoes purchased for the project, and many Caribou High School Alumni have made very generous donations as well. Haney’s and Sleepers are both businesses in Caribou who are also helping support the project. In addition, the JMG Viking Pantry Project is also supporting Laynee by purchasing 10 donation boxes and purchasing print material for the project.

In partnership with art teacher Jessica Goodwin, the group has cut wooden hearts that will accompany each pair of shoes that say, “Laced with Love by Laynee”. These were created and cut utilizing technology at Caribou High School and show students how to enhance their presentations utilizing technology available to them at school. In addition, Jessica Goodwin and her digital media class are on board to help in the development of marketing material.

Mr. Kirby’s varsity soccer team is helping to attach the hearts to every shoe collected and donated. “We are using the project as a way to help demonstrate the importance of community service to our players. Laynee, along with our other children, have tagged along with me to practices and games which allowed the girls to build relationships with them,” said Mr. Kirby. “I think that is a key part to their wanting to support her in this.”

They are in the process of filling a closet of shoes of all sizes for school aged youth in the area that will be available to students or teachers at request for those who might be in need. Another component to Laynee’s Sole Purpose is to use the school social worker and guidance counselors to help connect with the families in need, to ensure they are on board with accepting donated shoes.

The project has also set up donation boxes at Caribou Community School, which serves Pre-k to 8th grade students, Caribou High School, the Superintendent’s office, and a few other places around town. The gymnastics center that Laynee frequents (Allstar Gymnastics) is also supporting her by allowing her to set up a donation box at their Presque Isle and Houlton gym locations as well.

“We are blessed with an amazing leadership team and wholeheartedly believe that none of this would be possible without the constant encouragement of our Superintendent, Tim Doak, Assistant Superintendent Jane McCall, and CHS administrators Dr. Eric McGough and Evan Graves to meet students where they are at and to take their education to the next level at every possible opportunity,” said Dr. Waldemarson.

Because the issue of students not having the adequate gear needed to participate equitably in school is not unique to Caribou, after becoming fully operational in Caribou area schools, Laynee’s Sole Purpose hopes to expand their efforts to help surrounding towns and Aroostook county schools.

For more information about this project, reach out to Andrew Kirby at akirby@rsu39.org or Valerie Waldemarson at vwaldemarson@rsu39.org.

Middle School Student Resources on Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability

The Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council has provided a new “Fuel Up to Play 60 Learning Plan” which offers classroom lessons to help middle school students discover more about staying active and healthy, being mindful, and pitching in to the make the planet greener.

Each set includes lessons, educator resources, and different student activities/assignments, and will:

Focus on agriculture and environmental sustainability.
Emphasize STEM learning, including Health, Science, Agriculture and SEL (social emotional learning) topics.
Align with national standards for grades 6-8 in science, social emotional learning, and health education.
Incorporate a high degree of individual goal-setting, responsible decision-making, and mindfulness.

These particular lessons, Farmers Fuel The World, discuss agricultural-related careers, environmental stewardship and sustainable food systems.

For more information, please contact: Catherine Hoffman, School Programs Manager, Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council / Maine Dairy Promotion Board, catherine@drinkmainemilk.org or 207-287-3621

Get Ready for International ShakeOut Day

All hazards planning includes practicing for an earthquake (even here in Maine!), and being prepared for the possibility of an earthquake should be part of every school’s Emergency Operations Procedure (EOP).

National resource, Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills provides schools, school districts, institutions of higher education, and entire communities an opportunity to practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On; enhance their preparedness capacity for earthquakes; and identify strengths and weaknesses in their emergency operations plan (EOP).

You are invited to participate on any date, at any time, and in any setting, including virtually. Join the REMS TA Center, Southern California Earthquake Center, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, National Science Foundation, and many other partners around the country in this annual event.

Last year, more than 10 million people participated from K-12 schools, school districts, colleges, and universities.

Use the following resources from the REMS TA Center and Southern California Earthquake Center to help you plan your drill:

Consider how your planning team can review, revise, and enhance your Earthquake Annex after the ShakeOut and throughout the year.

Additional Earthquake Annex development resources are listed below.

For more Emergency Preparedness resources and planning for Maine schools, reach out to the Maine School Safety Center.

Agricultural Leadership Opportunity for High School Students

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H is offering a new agricultural leadership program for Maine teens to meet weekly from 3:30 – 4:45 PM from Nov. 2nd through–Dec.14th. The program will be conducted online, with a special, optional on-campus, in-person event on the Orono campus on November 11th!

The “Fall Agricultural Leadership Ambassador Program” is designed to provide agricultural education and leadership experiences online and in person to Maine youth ages 14–18. Participants will explore their shared interest in agriculture, including career pathways and post-secondary options, and examine current issues in food systems, livestock and crop sciences, aquaculture and more. Current 4-H membership is not required.

The program is free, registration is required. Register on the program webpage. Current CDC and University of Maine health guidelines will be followed for all in-person events.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Sara Conant, 207.781.6099; sara.conant@maine.edu.

Woodland Consolidated School Awarded Technology Grant

Woodland Consolidated School, a kindergarten through 8th grade school in Northern Maine, is about to be the beneficiary of a major technology upgrade in its classrooms!

Technology Director Lisa Milliard applied for a Rural Utilities Services grant to acquire much needed technology for her school. The Rural Utilities Service is part of the Rural Development division of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant that Ms. Millard applied for, Woodlands Consolidated School will be receiving 65-inch interactive displays for every classroom at the school.

Principal Gillian Laird-Sleeper said that the driving force for the upgrade came from Milliard because she “felt that the school needed some updated technology both in implementation and delivery of lessons, as well as student use of technology.”

Sixth-grade teacher Sandy Swan, and 7th-grade teacher Cody Tompkins, will be just two of the many beneficiaries of this technology upgrade. They are both thrilled about what the interactive displays will do for their classrooms.

Swan mentioned that she’s hoping the tools that come with the new displays will allow for more creativity for her and her students. While her current board allows her to write, save, and erase, she said, “I cannot manipulate what I put on the board whatsoever.” She hopes this new technology will allow her “to complete lessons more effectively.”

Tompkins agrees and described the impact of the interactive display as a “true game changer” for his classroom. “A smart board would allow for home to school access for the students who are remote either due to quarantine or exposure to COVID-19,” he says. He also noted that the interactive features would allow more manipulation of materials like graphing in math, diagramming sentence structure in English, and highlighting vocabulary in reading.

The application of the interactive displays will certainly serve the Woodland Consolidated School staff and students well. As Swan put it, “I cannot wait to see what the tools, gallery and multi-touch options hold in store for us.”

For more information (requirements, terms, application process) about USDA Rural Utilities Service grants visit: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/telecommunications-programs/distance-learning-telemedicine-grants. Grant applications are accepted through grants.gov.

WinterKids Winter Games 2022 – Applications Open Until October 31

The 5th annual WinterKids Winter Games are happening January 17-February 11, 2022 and they are going to be BIGGER than ever!

This 4-week competition is open to all PreK-8 schools in Maine. WinterKids will select one school per county (a total of 16 schools will compete for cash prizes) based on each school’s online application. Schools will compete in physical activity and nutrition challenges, working to accrue points to win GOLD! The theme this year is the Winter Games—our version of Olympic competition.

Early in December, each selected school will receive a comprehensive toolkit filled with PLAYBooks and weekly incentives for every student. Teacher packets will include the scoring rubric, community resource list, and supplies and materials necessary to complete the challenges.

Don’t worry, if your school is not selected, because EVERYONE will be able to play along at home or at school in our Play-Along Track for chances to win weekly prizes!

Week 1 schools will engage in physical activity challenges.
Week 2 is all about nutrition.
Week 3 the rest of the family gets involved because family engagement is the focus.
Week 4 the competition wraps up with an all-school winter carnival!

The winning school will earn a gold medal cash prize of $10,000. Silver earns $7,500 and the bronze medal school will receive a check for $5000. WinterKids is offering cash prizes to all 16 schools!

To learn more about the Winter Games (we have a Play-Along Track for individual classrooms or homeschool families) or to apply to compete, go to https://winterkids.org/winter-games/

Don’t Delay! The application is open until October 31.

For more information, contact WinterKids at 207.871.5700.

Virtual Tour of NASA’s Antarctic Meteorite Lab + Astromaterials 3D

The NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) team invites you to register for the upcoming webinar for educators, educator-led groups of students, or college level students. The targeted audience is students in grades 9 and above, but other grade levels are welcome to register.

Virtual Tour of NASA’s Antarctic Meteorite Lab + Astromaterials 3D

Join a FREE NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) webinar! During this webinar, they will give participants a tour of their Antarctic Meteorite Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center, where they curate meteorites collected during ANtarctic Search for METeorites (ANSMET) Expeditions. They will also introduce participants to their Astromaterials 3D Project, a STEAM effort that encourages investigators of all ages to virtually explore meteorites like never before! The presentation will last approximately 45 minutes followed by an optional ~15-30 minutes of questions and answers.

Register for the live event or to receive an archived recording of the presentation (pending a successful recording). To participate in the live event you will need an internet connected computer with speakers (no microphones or cameras are needed).

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 12:00 -1:00pm Eastern Time
We plan to remain on the live event ~15–30 minutes past the top of the hour to answer additional questions participants may have.
Registration here!

Other Webinar Details:

After you register for the event, you will see a Webinar Registration Complete! Confirmation on your screen AND you will receive an email with a confirmation that your registration has been received.
For those of you who register for the Live event, you will receive an email with the Webinar Testing (which will likely occur on 11/15) and Live Event Connection Information (11/16). We will facilitate this webinar using Zoom Webinar.
This event will also be livestreamed on YouTube (details will be shared as we get closer to the event).

If you have questions, please feel free to email Paige V. Graff (paige.v.graff@nasa.gov) or put your questions in your registration form so she can contact you directly.

Lyseth Teacher Named 2021 Elementary Physical Education Teacher of Year

Merita McKenzie, a physical education teacher and coach at Lyseth Elementary School in Portland, is the winner of the the Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) 2021 Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award. The award recognizes educators who conduct quality programs, serve as positive role models, and are leaders in their profession, school and community.

“For more than three decades, Merita has supported kids in Portland in getting active, developing healthy lifelong habits, and in being the best that they can be in every facet of their life,” said Lyseth Assistant Principal Sarah Rubin. “Merita has spent her career giving back to her students, her community, and her profession, and this is such an incredible way to celebrate her for everything she has done.”

MAHPERD’s criteria for determining Teacher of the Year award winners include:

Conducting a quality program that reflects an understanding of children’s growth and development
Utilizing various teaching methodologies and planning innovative learning experiences to meet individual student needs
Serving as a positive role model, epitomizing personal health and fitness, enjoyment of activity sportsmanship, and sensitivity to students/community
Participating in professional development opportunities
Providing service to the profession/school/community through leadership, presentations, and/or writing

Rubin detailed the ways McKenzie has spent her career in service of students and her community:

“As a physical education teacher and coach, Merita has had a direct positive impact on the lives of thousands of children in Portland. She has written countless grants to procure equipment and opportunities for her students to ensure all kids, regardless of their background, have access to engaging and exciting experiences to get and stay active.

In the 2020-2021 school year, a non-traditional year due to COVID-19, Merita completely redesigned her entire PE curriculum and worked with our Outdoor Learning coordinator to plan for an entire school year outside with her students. Merita took kids outdoors to engage in specific cooperative games and kinesthetic activities to learn how to work with each other, learn how their bodies work, and learn how to take care of themselves. I will never forget one particular winter day, when temperatures hovered around 15 degrees, and Merita had every single one of her first-grade students armed with a dozen layers and a sled ready to do some warm up stretches and then sled. Many of our students were experiencing only their second winter in a cold, snowy climate and even more of them don’t get the opportunity to experience winter activities like sledding with their families. But Merita made it happen for them and gave them all the gift of enjoying a Maine winter while getting active at the same time.

In addition to all she has done for the physical health of our community, Merita has spent a lifetime leading Equity work in Portland. At Lyseth, Merita is a member of our Equity cohort and an advisor and co-founder for our Civil Rights Team. She has worked tirelessly in these roles to ensure all staff and students at Lyseth and in the district feel safe and welcomed in our schools. She has also volunteered her time in countless ways to lead this work at the city level. Merita has served on the Martin Luther King Jr. Recognition Task Force, as a Board Member for the Restoration of the Abyssinian Meeting House, and most recently as a member of the City of Portland’s Racial Equity Board. She is also a renowned photographer, gardener, and a fixture for children and families in her East End neighborhood.”

Superintendent Xavier Botana said, “We are very proud of Merita for receiving this well-deserved recognition for her dedication and service. She exemplifies the best of our Portland Public Schools People.”

To learn more about the Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) visit https://maineahperd.org/.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet April Perkins

Maine DOE Team member April Perkins is being highlighted as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about April in the question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I serve as the World Languages & English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)/Bilingual Programs Specialist. I’ve been with the Maine DOE for about four and a half years. The first three years I supported ESOL educators, and then last January I took on the dual role of World Languages and ESOL. I love both aspects of my job so much!

What do you like best about your job?

Everything! I really love advocating for language teachers and learners at the state level, as I work on various committees and collaborate with teams across the Department. But the best part of any day is talking directly with language teachers, answering their questions, sharing resources, and being a thought-partner. It is so energizing to talk with teachers who share the passion I feel for linguistic and cultural diversity, equity, inclusion. Right now, my favorite project I’m working on is planning supports and resources for the development of bilingual programs in Maine. Bilingual education is such an incredible opportunity for all students, and I’m really eager to plant seeds that may blossom into full programs, and spread widely, in the future.

How or why did you decide on this career?

When I was in 4th Grade at Holden Elementary School, my class made a yearbook. There was a feature where students predicted each other’s future career, and it said I would be an English teacher! I think that’s because I was correcting people’s grammar, which I don’t recommend as a strategy for making friends… But seriously, I loved language from a very young age. Then, I had the great fortune to attend Longfellow Elementary in Portland for 5th Grade, where they had a French program. That was a real turning point for me, and I never stopped studying languages after that. I went on to get my Bachelor’s in French and German from UMaine and then my Master’s in TESOL from the University of Central Florida. For about ten years, I taught ESOL and trained teachers in Florida, India, Libya, Maine, Morocco, and then Egypt, where I learned Arabic. When I returned to my home state of Maine to put down some roots, I jumped at the chance to continue my career in language education in service of Maine school communities. The perspectives I have gained by living abroad and learning multiple languages have proven invaluable to me in this role. Being at the Department is a privilege and an honor, and I feel so lucky get to do this work every day.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I love to go hiking and camping every chance I get. I’m also a mediocre but enthusiastic singer, and I’ve been known to show up at an open mic now and then.

2021-2022 Social Studies Learning Cohorts – A Partnership Between National Organizations and Maine Social Studies Teacher Leaders

Joe Schmidt (Social Studies Specialist) is happy to announce that for the 2021-2022 school year he has partnered with national organizations to develop professional development learning cohorts. Each cohort will combine training from the organizations, as well interactive workshops led by Maine educators, where participants will work to implement what they have learned in their classrooms.

Registration is now open for the next two cohorts featuring the National Archives and the OER Project. Learn more about each cohort and register below. Keep your eye open for registration for the next round of cohorts later this year, which will feature Echoes & Reflections and the Bill of Rights Institute.

The National Archives

Teachers! Ever want to have a say in your Professional Development? The National Archives Foundation, in partnership with the National Archives, the Maine Department of Education, and some expert teachers from around the state are pairing up to create some curriculum about how to teach students to analyze documents (including photos, paintings, newspaper articles, speeches and more) at all grade levels with a connection to Civil Rights. It will start with a presentation from the National Archives called Civil Rights -The Impact of Racial Discrimination on Black American Lives in the Jim Crow Era (Summary: Students analyze documents from the holdings of the National Archives to assess the impact of legalized racial segregation on the lives of Black Americans from 1944 – 1960.) Then you will help guide the professional development to meet your needs, with support from Maine teachers and staff at the National Archives. If interested, please complete this form. We are so excited to start working with you!

The OER Project from The Gates Foundation

Using resources from the OER Project’s teacher track talks, Maine Social Studies Teacher Leaders Melanie Brown and Derek Carroll will be creating bi-monthly web sessions centered around the topics of designing inquiry, designing arguments with evidence, young citizens, and assessing historical thinking. These sessions will begin in November, and continue through the end of the school year. Prior to each session participants will watch 3 track talks sourced from OER’s existing library on the topic for that month. During each session, participants will have the opportunity to debrief with other educators about the topic for that month, share any thoughts and questions that they may have on the topic, and most importantly leave with a classroom activity/strategy that they can immediately implement with little hassle or stress. If interested, please complete this form.

For questions, please contact Joe Schmidt at joe.schmidt@maine.gov.