Virtual Panelist Opportunity for Maine Educators

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is currently recruiting elementary and secondary educators in grades 3-8 and high school to participate in an upcoming educator committee opportunity for the State general assessment in Reading and Math, the Maine Through Year Assessment.  Maine educators and the Maine DOE play a crucial role in the development of this assessment. Assessment development is an iterative process in which educator committees meet annually to review and improve elements of the Maine Through Year Assessment.

While no prior experience is required, panelists should be experts currently teaching the students who participate in the Maine Through Year Assessment and, also have a thorough understanding of the Common Core State Standards in their subject area(s) of expertise: Reading and Math.

Panelists will support the Embedded Standard Setting (ESS) and Alignment Study for Maine’s Reading and/or Math Assessments. Panelists will review the Common Core State Standards and provide ratings regarding the alignment of the Maine Through Year Assessment forms, items, and achievement level descriptors (ALDs) for each grade, 3 through 8 and grade 10. The educator panels will be grade and content-area specific for a total of 14 panels. Given the adaptive structure of the assessments in grades 3 through 8, panelists will review three test forms for each content area in each of these grades. One form will represent the items that a student earning a lower score would have experienced, one form the items that a student scoring in the mid-range of the score scale could have experienced, and one form the items that a student earning a higher score would have experienced. For grade 10, which is not yet adaptive, panelists will review a fixed form.

ESS analyses will be performed to identify achievement level cut scores that optimize the consistency between alignment study panelists’ item-ALD alignments and empirical data.

Current needs include:

Subject	Date/Time*	Location	# of Educators	Stipend
Reading	July 18-20, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.	Virtual	5 educators per grade-level panel	$300 ($100 per day)
Math	July 25-27, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.	Virtual	5 educators per grade-level panel	$300 ($100 per day)

*Participants must be able to attend all three days.

Please consider applying and sharing this upcoming opportunity with colleagues. The expertise and contributions of Maine educators are a critical element of the continued development cycle for the Maine Educational Assessments.  Interested? Complete the panelist registration survey by Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

Maine DOE Welcomes 10 Interns This Summer

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) welcomed ten new student interns for the summer who will bring their ideas, energy, voice, and skills to strengthen education in Maine. These students, who will be working on a variety of Maine DOE teams, were selected for the Maine Government Summer Internship Program by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Institute at the University of Maine. The interns will spend the summer assisting with daily operations and projects at the Maine DOE while gaining professional experience and knowledge and building connection.

Maine Department of Education Interns

Charlotte Buswick is a rising senior at Colby College from Boxford, Massachusetts. She is majoring in History with a minor in Science, Technology, and Society. As an Innovative Education Assistant this summer, she will be working with the MOOSE team to develop online learning modules for students across all grade levels. She is very excited to work with and learn from everyone on the MOOSE team. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outside, listening to music, reading, and playing guitar.

Nhan Chau is a recent graduate of the University of Maine where she majored in New Media and minored in Graphic Design. She is originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and has been living in Maine for the last five years. As a Learning Through Technology Data and Media assistant, she will be working on a multimedia database of the social media presence of MLTI schools, cataloging computer science happenings, and organizing social media content. She is excited to work with her team and help with creating meaningful and impactful social media campaigns. During her free time, she enjoys drawing and creating animations.

Hannah Craig is a recent graduate of Boston University where she earned her degree in International Relations with a focus on International Systems and a minor in Economics. She is originally from Cumberland, Maine and now lives in South Portland. This summer, she will be interning for the Maine Opportunities for Online Sustained Education (MOOSE) team. She is looking forward to learning about curriculum content creation and the process of creating accessible and equitable learning resources for students. In her free time, she enjoys taking care of her plants, watching history documentaries, and spending time with her niece and nephew.

Jilleon Farrell is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono where she earned her degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She is now in graduate school, also at UMaine, and hopes to become a Registered Dietician. She is from Manchester, Maine. As the Resource Administrator Intern, she will be assisting the operation team and updating, maintaining, and organizing operations data to gain exposure to all the opportunities the DOE has to offer this summer.

Natalie Grandahl is a rising senior studying political science at the University of Connecticut. She is from North Monmouth, Maine. As the Communications Intern, she will be creating content, writing for the newsroom, and assisting with the website. She is excited to meet a wide variety of people and to gain knowledge and experience working in government. She enjoys running, reading, and traveling in her free time.

Ryan Hafener is from Hampden, Maine and attends Hampden Academy. After graduating high school, he plans on attending college to pursue a degree in international relations or philosophy. This summer he will be interning in the Commissioner’s Office and working on both the legislative and communications teams. He is excited to get to work with education legislation and to work on media promoting public education. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, traveling, reading, and getting outdoors.

Joseph Koenig is a rising senior from Gray, Maine studying at Husson University. He is majoring in Marketing Communications with a minor in Integrated Technology and certificates in Photography, Graphic Design, Web Media, and Digital and Social Media Marketing. This summer, he will be working as the School and Student Supports Communications Assistant where he will be doing outreach to Maine educators, parents, and community members about various educational opportunities. He is most excited about working on projects that have the potential to shape the DOE in years to come.

Madeline Levesque is a rising junior at Husson University studying Graphic/Visual Design with a certificate in Marketing Communications and Photography, and she is from Augusta, Maine. This summer she will be working as the DOE’s Maine Learning Through Technology Digital Design Assistant. She will be updating and designing media forMLTI’s website while also helping to improve outreach about their current programs and events. She enjoys portrait photography, spending time outdoors, and being a member of the Husson Dance Team.

Cora Saddler is a first-year graduate student at the University of Maine at Orono pursuing a degree in English Studies with a concentration in creative writing. After graduate school, she plans on pursuing a career teaching English abroad. She is originally from Cabot, Arkansas but currently lives in Maine. As the Adult Multilingual Education Professional Development Assistant for the Maine DOE, she will be working on providing professional education resources for adult educators throughout the state. In this role, she is most excited about assisting with planning for the Adult Multilingual Learner’s Summer Institute – also known as Camp Sugarloaf. In her free time, she enjoys writing, photography, ice skating, and baking.

Annabelle Williams is a rising junior at the University of Vermont and is from Camden, Maine. She is double majoring in Psychology and Business Administration with a focus on marketing and entrepreneurship. This summer she will be working on the RREV Team in the Office of Innovation as their Communications Strategy Coach. She will be helping the team and their awardee schools effectively communicate their experiences with the program, developing RREV’s social media presence, and creating a user-guide for ENGINE which is their online collaborative platform for Maine educators.

Maine DOE, UMS Expand Whole-Student Supports for Maine Schools

More K–12 students and educators in Maine are set to benefit from stronger social, emotional and behavioral supports thanks to Maine PBIS, a collaboration between the University of Maine System and the Maine Department Education (DOE), which is adding 21 new schools to its professional development cohort.

The schools, which will participate in the initiative over the next three years, are located in communities throughout the state, including Berwick, Boothbay Harbor, Brooksville, Bucksport, Damariscotta, Edgecomb, Litchfield, Madawaska, North Berwick, Sabattus, South Portland and Westbrook.

“Teams of educators from these schools will learn and practice together for the next three years, joining more than 30 schools that are currently part of our professional development model and more than 75 schools statewide that have already implemented sustainable supports for Maine students,” says Courtney Angelosante, Maine PBIS coordinator at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, is a nationally recognized framework providing a multi-tiered continuum of supports in K-12 schools, promoting positive social and behavioral outcomes for all students. It is based on a community health promotion model. In schools that have implemented PBIS, it is expected that 95% of students will have most of their social, emotional and behavioral needs met before schools have to implement the third, or most targeted tier of interventions.

Maine DOE, in collaboration with UMS, supports schools and districts to implement PBIS through a cohort model that matches Maine-endorsed PBIS trainers and coaches with district and school-level teams. Maine PBIS’s professional development efforts have received national and international attention as a particularly effective example for rural schools and communities.

“Being able to work with our PBIS coaches multiple times a year made our school’s efforts towards Tier 1 implementation much smoother,” says Sierra Bloom, a first-grade teacher at Surry Elementary School, which has already taken part in the UMS-Maine DOE initiative. “Our coaches were always there to support our work directly and led us to a solid foundation for our work in PBIS.”

Bloom adds that being able to work with other schools in the cohort model was beneficial.

“We were able to collaborate and share ideas for success, while also gaining support towards common struggles,” she says.

This summer, Maine PBIS will host a five-day training institute for educators who are part of its professional development cohort. The training, which is limited to 50 participants and will take place at Husson University from July 10–14, will be designed to help teachers identify why a behavior is happening through a variety of assessment tools and procedures, leading to the development of a positive behavior support plan individualized to a student’s strengths and needs. More information about the Maine PBIS Advanced Tiers Summer Institute is online.

“The supportive and inclusive practices of PBIS have elicited overwhelmingly positive responses by administrators, educators, students and families. Our office looks forward to supporting and sustaining schools and districts in this work,” says Tracy Whitlock, Special Projects Coordinator in the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education at the Maine Department of Education.

The Maine DOE provides funding for the Maine PBIS initiative through a federal State Personnel Development Grant. The funding is helping scale up capacity for PBIS in the state through a UMS Microcredential for PBIS Coaching and Training. The second cohort of educators seeking the micro-credential endorsement will begin in fall 2023. Applications, which are available online, are due June 15.

Maine DOE Announces 8th Annual Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge

(Pictured: Past Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge bike recipient, Brooke from Whitefield)

Summer vacation is right around the corner. It is almost time to wave farewell to students and send them off to sunny days, sandy beaches, video games, and relaxation. Summer vacation is a welcome change of pace for families and teachers, yet the importance of summer reading remains critical. Making reading a part of the student experience this summer will be invaluable to a successful return to classrooms in the fall.

Once again, this year, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8. The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge. During the first seven years of this initiative, thousands of Maine children completed the challenge of reading 500 minutes during summer vacation. The Maine DOE hopes to see this number grow even higher during the summer of 2023.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school-level drawings to select two students whose names will be entered into the state-level drawing in October 2023. Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and consider soliciting their own local-level prizes for students who complete the challenge. Find details at the Read to Ride Challenge website and register your school at this link.

Summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. By encouraging children to read for enjoyment from a variety of resources and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary, and widen their knowledge of the world. For students who are not yet reading independently, or just beginning to read, reading to and with parents is equally beneficial.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Inclusive Education Literacy Specialist, Dee Saucier at danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Joins MCLA in Honoring Caitlin Dailey and Christine Hesler as 2023 Top Curriculum Leaders

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) joins the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association (MCLA) in honoring Caitlin Dailey, Math Coach at Oxford Elementary School and Hebron Station School and K-6 Math Coordinator for Oxford Hills School District MSAD 17, as the 2023 Instructional Coach of the Year, and Christine Hesler, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for RSU 14, as the 2023 Curriculum Leader of The Year.

Caitlin Dailey
MCLA 2023 Instructional Coach of the Year

Caitlin Dailey, is currently the Math Coach at Oxford Elementary School, also supporting Hebron Station School as a Math Coach, and is the K-6 Math Coordinator for Oxford Hills School District MSAD 17. Caitlin has been a coach for eleven years working in Augusta, Lewiston, and now MSAD 17. Caitlin has a notable passion and expertise in math, a deep repertoire of tools and resources to offer, and is undoubtedly highly skilled in instructional strategies. She is equally interested in collaboration and willing to follow the needs and requests of the teaching staff. Caitlin is highly effective while also humbly acknowledging that even as a coach, she is a learner alongside her colleagues as teammates. She not only leads teachers through coaching cycles but also is an active participant in the school’s PLC meetings, creating and sharing protocols. In addition, Caitlin has collaborated with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance to support teachers in implementing math interventions and spearheaded a multi-year district-wide professional development program. Caitlin believes that developing strong relationships is the key to a successful coaching model. MCLA is proud to honor Caitlin Dailey as the 2023 Instructional Coach of the Year.

Christine Hesler
MCLA 2023 Curriculum Leader of The Year

Christine has been the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for RSU 14 since 2012. Since then, Christine has been instrumental in elevating practices in her district regarding curriculum and assessment transparency and continuing to support staff as they refine their instructional practices. From developing an instructional coaching model in RSU 14 to providing rich professional development throughout each school year, Christine has been an exemplary educational leader with a laser focus on students. Some of Christine’s outstanding work includes, leading the district’s remote learning team, utilizing technology to provide a high level of transparency and accountability as it relates to curriculum, instruction and assessment, and mentoring instructional coaches to maintain a focus on highly effective practices. Christine consistently partners with her colleagues to reflect and refine processes and practices each year. Not only has Christine excelled within her district but is always willing to share her knowledge with others. Christine has led professional development for the Greater Sebago Education Alliance and continues to be an involved member of the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association. Christine’s enthusiasm and positive attitude are contagious, as every encounter with her sparks new ideas, a high level of professional collaboration, and unending support. MCLA is pleased to honor and celebrate Christine Hesler as the 2023 Curriculum Leader of the Year.

For more information about the awards for the MLCA, please visit their website: https://www.mainecla.org/.

New Super Story Podcast Takes Listeners Inside Schools

A new podcast launched this month to highlight the voices of those who teach in, learn in, work in, and lead public schools in one coastal Maine school community. Five Town CSD and Camden-Rockport Schools Superintendent Maria Libby created Super Story to bring the public into the inner-workings of public schools and help them gain a deeper understanding of the “challenges and triumphs” within public education today.

“My goal in starting the podcast, which has been a dream for nearly 5 years, is most broadly to help change the narrative about public schools,” said Libby. “The podcast shines a light on the human element of education because we have deep, genuine conversations about various aspects of the work. I hope the public is able to connect with and gain greater respect for educators by listening to Super Story.”

The inaugural episode of Super Story featured a conversation with Will Eggena, a Camden Hills Regional High School senior and valedictorian of his class. The two discuss Will’s educational journey, his views on the strengths of his education and where the school community can improve, the future of education, and his advice for others.

You can listen and subscribe to Super Story on Apple and Spotify.

Looking for more education podcasts? Be sure to listen and subscribe to the Maine DOE MLTI Team’s podcast Teaching with Tech which you can access here.

Want us to share your podcast? If you have a podcast at your Maine school or school administrative unit (SAU), please share it with us and we’d be happy to highlight it and increase your audience! Email communications.doe@maine.gov.

Portland Public Schools Hosts Annual Seal of Biliteracy Awards Ceremony

(Pictured: Carlos Gomez, Director of Language Development, Portland Public Schools)

“Many years ago my grandmother said, ‘Learning a new language is like having another little house in which you can take refuge and escape from the world to give yourself your own time. Learn today so that tomorrow you can enjoy yourself freely without any issues.’ I did not understand this wisdom at that time. I was a girl, I did not know what was coming soon. However, her wise words were never erased from my mind and heart, now more than ever I understand what she said because the process of learning a new language was difficult but after the storm, I am freely enjoying the rainbow.” These are the words of Portland High School student and Maine Seal of Biliteracy recipient, Estrella Alemán Delgado.

Portland Public Schools (PPS) hosted its annual Seal of Biliteracy Awards ceremony on May 17, 2023. There were 66 Seal recipients this year from Portland High School, Deering High School, and Casco Bay High School – 40 percent more than last year and the most since the award began in 2018.

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award that recognizes graduating students for having a high degree of skill in English and one or more additional languages. Nearly all states in the United States now offer this award, celebrating multilingualism and giving students an edge for their post-secondary studies and/or future careers. The Seal of Biliteracy underscores for younger students, parents, and community members who speak a language other than English at home that it’s important to maintain heritage languages. The Seal of Biliteracy also honors the dedication of world language students who pursue higher-level language courses. Highlighting the value of multilingualism, this award becomes part of a student’s transcript and gives students an edge for their post-secondary studies and/or future careers. Students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy may be eligible to earn up to 8 college credits at certain Maine Universities and Colleges based on their demonstrated proficiency levels in their target language(s).

Mayinga Mukinayi, Seal of Biliteracy Recipient

Several students shared their language-learning experiences during the ceremony. Student speaker and Seal recipient, Mayinga Mukinayi spoke about the challenges and rewards she experienced as a multilingual learner. “My experience of learning English was very challenging because when I arrived in the United States, I didn’t know anything about English other than ‘Good Morning’ and counting a few numbers. It was hard, but I kept wanting to learn. I read English books and listened to English music without understanding. Sometimes I even slept with headphones on- putting words in English so that my mind could listen. Even if I was sleeping, my brain would be awake to listen. Now that I know English, although I’m still learning, I can communicate, and with my Portuguese and French I can help people who are in the same place as me when I arrived in the United States. I help in the classrooms, as a teacher’s assistant. I even helped out in the summer as a TA in a multilingual classroom for middle school students. I still help even outside of school, translating in churches or even on the streets, when someone asks me for help.”

The following are the 16 languages in which this year’s recipients have achieved proficiency: Arabic, Bengali, Dari, French, German, Hindi, Latin, Lingala, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Portuguese, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Tajik and Urdu. The variety of languages represented in the ceremony gave a sense of the breadth of the language diversity at the Portland Public Schools, where one-third of students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken – a total of more than 50 languages.

Melea Nalli, PPS’s interim Co-superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning spoke extensively about the benefits of multilingualism. The ability to speak multiple languages is an undeniable asset in today’s increasingly global world. Learning another language transcends the confines of one’s own background and improves and expands one’s understanding of the world, diverse cultures, and perspectives. She noted that proficiency in two or more languages enhances students’ ability to succeed academically and in the workplace. Language learning makes important contributions to students’ cognitive development, mental flexibility, memory, and concentration. Research shows that language learning correlates with higher academic achievement on standardized test measures. Additionally, demand for employees who are proficient in more than one language is growing in the United States and throughout the world. Multiple language proficiency opens the door to a wide variety of career opportunities.

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients from Portland Public High Schools

If you are interested in developing a Seal of Biliteracy Program in your school, please reach out to Rebecca Carey, ESOL Consultant at rebecca.carey@maine.gov or visit Maine Seal of Biliteracy.

Maine DOE Student Cabinet Highlights Mental Health Concerns to Legislative Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs

(Pictured: Members of the Maine Department of Education’s 2022/2023 Student Cabinet)

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Student Cabinet held its final meeting of the 2022/2023 School Year in May, culminating with a presentation before the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee of the Maine State Legislature.

A student-led initiative of the Maine DOE, the Cabinet is in its 4th year, continuing to elevate students’ voices from across Maine. Comprised of 27 students, this year’s cabinet represented students in grades 5-12 from all 16 counties.

The Student Cabinet has allowed the Maine DOE to integrate student voices into decision-making on issues that impact their journey through Maine’s education system. In past years, students have identified mental health needs at school, raised issues of racial equity, and brainstormed ways to better individualize learning.

The Cabinet is facilitated by student representatives from the Maine State Board of Education, with Ryan Hafener and Joshua Leinwand chairing this year’s Cabinet. Members met several times during the term, both virtually and in person, to identify, research, and brainstorm policy recommendations. They also had the opportunity to meet with Maine DOE Commissioner Pender Makin, Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta and work with other members of the Maine Department of Education who helped coordinate their efforts.

Once again, mental health was recognized by the Cabinet as a pressing concern. Every year since the Maine Department of Education convened the Cabinet in 2019, students have chosen to focus on mental health issues impacting students across Maine. This year, students specifically identified resources they believe would help address mental health needs in schools.

The students combined facts, statistics, and their personal experiences to create the presentation, where they asserted that Maine should increase mental health resources for students.

Priorities Student Cabinet members identified included increasing the number of mental health professionals in schools and exploring telehealth options for rural schools. During their presentation, students focused on the importance of mental health to an effective learning environment, the impact of student mental health on life outside of school, and how school safety impacts the mental health of students and staff. Listen to the entire presentation on the Maine State Legislature Website.

Students with members of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee

Students meeting with Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta at their May meeting.

Students participating in a mindfulness activity during their May meeting.

The presentation marked the conclusion of the 2022/2023 Student Cabinet. Applications for the 2023/2024 cabinet are set to open in the fall, with half of the seats on the Cabinet open for new members to serve a two-year term, starting in November. Students in grades 4 – 12 and the first year of college are invited to apply to become a member of the Cabinet.

To learn more about the Maine Department of Education Student Cabinet visit: https://www.maine.gov/doe/about/leadership/studentleadership/studentcabinet or reach out to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Registration for Maine’s 2023 Statewide Early Childhood Education Conference is open!

This year’s Statewide Early Childhood Education Conference has an incredible lineup of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities planned for October 27 & 28 in Portland. Keynote speakers will be Denisha Jones, Executive Director of Defending the Early Years, and Angela Hanscom, author and founder of TimberNook.

How to Register: 

Step 1: Go to maineaeyc.org/conference
Step 2: Click the BIG PINK BUTTON at the top of the page that says “REGISTER”
STEP 3: Follow the directions on the registration page

Each guest must register separately and will need to have a credit/debit card number to put into the form. Administrators will only be able to register their staff one at a time, and they must have their staff’s personal contact information (i.e. home address, home email, home phone, etc.). Alternatively, administrators can email the registration form to their employees and have them each register separately. Participants will select breakout sessions for the conference at a later date. 

If you would like to book a room to stay at the Holiday Inn where the conference is being held, click on this link. When you input the conference dates at the link, you will automatically be given the room discount for conference attendees. 

If you have any questions about the conference or registration, please contact MaineAEYC at conference@maineaeyc.org

Marshwood High School ELO Coordinator Helping Students Create Meaningful Professional Opportunities

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.