Pictured: Team Northern Force from Gorham/Falmouth, with their robot Geffrey

Eight middle and high school teams from across the state assembled at the Capitol building on Wednesday morning to receive praise from their community leaders. The students were congratulated for their exceptional performances at FIRST competitions across the state and nation. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a non-profit organization that allows students to compete in science, technology, and engineering-based challenges. The high school teams at the Capitol competed in the FIRST Robotics Competitions in Maine. A few teams even represented the state at the World Championship in Detroit, Michigan earlier this spring, where there were over 3,000 teams present from countries all across the world. The World Championship can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLmn5CbNr3Y

These precocious high schoolers were asked to design robots that could compete in a game requiring multiple complicated maneuvers. Robots must be piloted blind for several minutes at the beginning of each competition. Each team chose a different way to overcome this challenge, many opting for robot-mounted cameras. Next, each team had to pickup and carefully drop large dodgeballs in holes cut into a model rocket and space station, for points. In the course of the competition robots had to move up and down over physical obstacles, and place Velcro covers over the holes.

Students were excited to share their experiences at the FIRST meets. Tasked with building and programming the robots, the students learned valuable skills like digital modeling, 3D printing, coding, wiring, and engineering. Because they were asked to design the robots themselves, students also worked on interpersonal, leadership, and problem solving skills. One student, a freshman at Cheverus, is already reaping the rewards of coding know-how. Members of his school’s coding club saw him working on Java Script in the library, they were so impressed he was invited to join.

However, many of the teams were comprised of more than their building team, one student explained that although there were ten students involved in the construction of the robot, their total headcount was around twenty-five students, with the rest heavily involved in fundraising, advertising, and outreach. Students involved in this process not only picked up important communication skills and experience, but learned how to market their club and raise money for competitions. Students also have the opportunity to meet and interact with peers who have similar interests from across the country, with one young engineer commenting that they had made and kept friends from Tennessee and Australia.

FIRST strives to promote STEAM engagement among young students as well, inspiring growth of the field for the future. They include Robotics Competitions such as the ones in which these students competed, as well as a separate LEGO League for ages 9 to 14, from which some students were also in attendance. The organization prioritizes the involvement of underrepresented, underserved, and vulnerable youths. Of all students involved in FIRST, 43% are female; 72% are from economically disadvantaged families; over half of all students are from ethnic minorities. 87% of participants in the program go on to take more advanced math and science courses; students who competed were also more than twice as likely as others to show increased interest in pursuing STEAM fields.

Students shared overwhelmingly positive remarks about their experiences, and showed great passion for their robots and the competitions. Many were only Freshmen, and all expressed that they intend to continue participating in competitions and to pursue STEAM fields in their future. FIRST competitions provide a great opportunity to middle and high school students who are looking to get hands-on experience with a wide array of skills before they even graduate. Interested readers can visit www.firstinspires.org to get involved and learn how to help aspiring scientists and engineers pursue their passions, by investing in our future.

This story was written by Maine DOE Interns Emmeline Willey and Simon Handleman in collaboration. If you have a story idea or would like to submit a written story for the Maine DOE Newsroom, email Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Students in the EL (English Learner) program at Augusta’s Cony Middle and High School have a lot to look forward to: Their teacher Karina Escajeda’s visionary grant applications secured her funding with which to attend two international schools where she will gain valuable insights for her classroom and community. Karina will attend Egypt’s Dahab School of Arabic Language and will be in residence at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. All through the month of April, praise flowed into Karina’s inbox. These prestigious grant programs pledged thousands to make possible her language and cultural studies abroad.

Following her time in Egypt, Karina plans on bringing her knowledge of the Arabic language back to Cony (her alma mater) where she will foster stronger relationships with EL students, many of whom come from refugee backgrounds. When she is not studying in Dahab, Karina plans to visit additional cultural and historical sites across the country such as Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan. Karina is rightly committed to the belief that students from Iraq and Syria add valuable elements to school culture.

For this initiative and foresight the Fund for Teachers emailed Karina on April, 4 to commend her for “bold vision” which “stands out.” This $5,000 grant was not the only source of praise and money for Karina: NEA’s Learning & Leadership Grant pledged $2,000 to Karina on April, 22. They thanked her for “hard work and commitment to the importance of high quality public education.”

In addition to her upcoming time in Egypt, Karina will study refugee integration efforts in Greece through the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching. She will be part sponsored by, and lecture in, Aristotle University’s Applied Linguistics Program from January to June of next year (2020). This University’s teacher training program provides Greek teachers with the necessary skills to create inclusive communities for growing populations of refugee students. Karina has identified many similarities between the ways in which Maine and Greece welcome their refugee populations: “In both places, new residents are struggling to adapt to new homes that are almost entirely monolingual.”

The prestigious Fulbright Commission sent out a press release on April, 23 in which the U.S. Department of State (a major grant contributor) awarded Karina five months of independent study in Greece. The goal of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Semester Research Program is to build international relationships that work to solve global challenges. Karina will join an alumnus among whom there are over 50 Nobel Laureates, over 80 Pulitzer Prize winners, and over 30 former heads of government or state.

Suffice it to say the Augusta public school system is more than proud. We can all appreciate Karina’s “commitment to push the boundaries of [her] own learning,” as put by the Fund for Teachers. She will bring these new and enlightening experiences from Egypt and Greece back to her own community, and the students for whom she worked so hard to secure these grants. Congratulations Karina, and Cony Middle and High School.

This story was written by Maine DOE Intern Simon Handleman in collaboration with Karina Escajeda. If you have a story idea or would like to submit a written story for the Maine DOE Newsroom, email Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

The Maine Department of Education honored two educators at an annual dinner event held at the Maple Hill Farm Inn, located in Hallowell, earlier this month. Kirsten Gould, the District Assessment for Learning Coach at Buxton Center Elementary School (MSAD 6), and Heather Dorr, a 5th Grade Teacher at Ella Lewis School in Steuben (RSU 24) were both named state finalists for the 2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.

The evening event included social networking with past awardees, dinner, and official congratulations from Wilson Hess, Chair of the Maine State Board of Education and Beth Lambert, Maine DOE Coordinator of Secondary Education and Integrated Instruction.  The keynote address was delivered by Leigh Peake, Chief Education Officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, whose message to the audience was to “embrace messy,” when it comes to quantifying often-times messy data and taking on the inevitable challenges of an ever changing and anarchic fields of math, science, and beyond.

Kirsten Gould
District Assessment for Learning Coach
Buxton Center Elementary School in MSAD 6

Kirsten has a passion for effective STEM education at the elementary level. Her support of professional development for her colleagues has made her a committed and powerful teacher-leader in her community and beyond. In addition to her leadership with the Maine Elementary Sciences Partnership, Kirsten collaborates as part of her district’s vertical science team, provides school and district-level professional development around teaching and assessing at the elementary level, and this year, does Assessment for Learning work for her district colleagues.

Heather Dorr
5th Grade Teacher
Ella Lewis School in Steuben (RSU 24)

A tireless advocate for students, Heather is skilled at meeting all her students where they are and advancing their learning. She is fluent with the curriculum standards and has an impressive management system imbedded with standards-based learning. A highly sought out mentor teacher to countless beginning teachers and student teachers, she is always eager and willing to share her knowledge and expertise with others. More recently, Heather has served as a leader in her work to develop a Collaborative Response Model (CRM) alongside her colleagues at RSU 24. Heather Door was unable to make it to the event but is expected to be honored at a special ceremony next month.

The state finalists were presented with certificates from the PAEMST program and will be in the running for a trip to Washington, DC, which will include professional development experiences and networking with other math and science educators from around the nation.

Honoree Kirsten Gould (middle) with her mother Shari Gould (left) and Shari Temple from the Maine DOE (Right)

Leigh Peake, Chief Education Officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute delivering the keynote.

Wilson Hess, Chair of the Maine State Board of Education

L to R: Honoree Kirsten Gould, with Michele Mailhot from the Maine DOE and members of her family

Former PAEMST awardees (L to R): Shawn Towle, Jenny Jorgensen, Marielle Edgecomb, Brian Twitchell, Marshalyn Baker, Laura Stevens, Pamela Thompson, Laurette Darling, Tonya Prentice

For more information about the PAEMST Program, contact the PAEMST State Coordinator for mathematics, Michele Mailhot, at michele.mailhot@maine.gov, or for science, Shari Templeton, at shari.templeton@maine.gov.

Submitted by Sarah Woog from the The Washington County Consortium. 

Meet Charity Williams, Principal at Princeton Elementary School

As I explored ways to best support Washington County educators this year, Charity’s name kept on coming up. “Charity has done some great work implementing practices that celebrate teaching at Princeton Elementary School,” one colleague told me. As I reflect on teaching and how to best support it, I’ve come to believe celebrations are key. I wanted to learn more.

Charity welcomed me to her school a couple weeks ago. I showed up an hour early (long story) and offered to wait until our scheduled time and catch up on some other work. Charity told me to come on over instead. So I showed up at 8:00 AM on a Wednesday morning, somewhat unannounced.

Have you ever walked into a school and felt immediately at peace? Did it ever happen at 8:00 AM? I think we can all admit this can be a bit of an anomaly. (If it’s not for you, please reach out so I may profile you and your school next!) Well, it happens at Princeton Elementary School. And I wanted to know why.

There are many fantastic things that go on at Princeton Elementary. Here are three that stuck out to me: 1) student voice is encouraged and heard; 2) teaching is celebrated; and 3) the surrounding community serves as a partner and resource.

Charity and her staff use restorative practices to support students in making good decisions and learn and move forward when they do not. When a student comes to Charity because of an infraction, she asks three questions: “What happened? Who was affected? How can we fix it?” They even plan an logical consequence together. Teachers are encouraged to engage with students in this manner as well. Charity shared that when she first started as principal, an offending student would say “I’m just a bad kid.” Now they say “I made a bad choice and I can fix it.” I think that’s a lesson in acceptance and reconciliation we could all learn from, even (or especially?) as adults.

It seems folks at Princeton Elementary are constantly learning, and they especially value learning from each other. Twice a month, one educator hosts “open classroom” after the students have left for the day. The entire staff goes to the open classroom and is welcomed with snacks. The host teacher shares what’s worth celebrating in their classroom. Open classroom allows educators to join in celebration while fostering a vibrant learning community.

Community doesn’t stop at the school doors. Charity partners with organizations in her area to bring resources to the school and students that may otherwise have been unavailable. A local church hosts a celebratory turkey dinner for the staff each year as a gesture of appreciation. A health center donates a social worker regularly to help support the implementation of trauma-informed practices. Charity is given a small “slush fund” annually so families may get help with heating expenses when a child is cold at home. The school partners with the local grocery store to have fresh and healthy snacks for the students.

I could write more about what goes on at Princeton Elementary and the work of Charity and her staff. There are many lessons to share. I recently remarked to Charity how I would love to intern under her one day if time and opportunity allowed. She replied she is happy to do this with any current or future administrator. Please, if you feel inclined, reach out to Charity and take her up on this offer (williamsc@su107.org). Not only would such an experience equip you with concrete strategies for supporting educators, students and communities of Washington County, but it would make you proud to be a member of our educational community as well. Princeton Elementary is a model of strength-based problem solving and a true testament to the Downeast way of loving thy neighbor.

Image caption: Tyler Karu (right) of Tyler Karu Interior Design looks on as interns pose for a photo after their presentations to a freshman seminar class. From left to right are: Tahj Hebert (City of Portland IT Intern), Gloria Sanchez (Tyler Karu Interior Designs Intern), Will Gordon (Garrand Marketing Intern)

Submitted by Andrea Levinsky, Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator, Portland High School

About thirty Portland High School students presented about their community-based internships that they have had this year. Students spent at least 45 hours on their internships learning about a career field of high interest to them and earned an elective credit for completing the experience.

Internships allow students to learn career-specific skills. Tahj Hebert, an intern with the City of Portland’s Information Technology department enjoyed using computer science to help people in the community. Tahj’s project was to use arcGIS mapping software to analyze the connection between weather and car crashes. Tahj said that “by the end I was able to create maps using the data available to the city of Portland, use in-software tools to analyze the data presented in the maps, and make my own tools by writing my own python scripts and running them in the application.”

Students are able to learn more about a potential career path through an internship. Will Gordon was able to experience the role of an art director at Garrand Marketing and now better understands what that career path entails. He said that the internship “was an awesome experience, I was able to get in front of other professional artists and learn what that type of job is like.”

Internship are a direct link to future jobs and mentorship. In her internship, Gloria Sanchez was able to solidify her passion for her chosen career path of interior design by interning with Tyler Karu Interior Designs. She gained experience in creating designs and working with clients. Gloria was even hired by the company for a summer job following her internship!

Internships allow students to practice college and career readiness skills. Diane Mutoni, an intern with Maine Youth Court said that in her internship she “Learned how to communicate with people despite the situation and [learned about] listening and understanding without judging.” She also said she learned time-management skills and work better in groups.

Thank you so much to the companies that hosted interns this year including: The Dehler Animal Clinic, Forest Avenue Veterinary Hospital, Portland Parks and Recreation, VIA Marketing Agency, Garrand Marketing, The Maine Audubon, The Maine Jewish Film Festival, Casco Bay Artisans, The Cedars, Maine Youth Court, Painting for a Purpose, Portland Players, Planned Parenthood, Kingspoke, 75 State Street, Systems Engineering, Lee Auto, Signature Soul, City of Portland IT, Nat Warren-White Drama Therapist, The Barron Center, Toni’s Touch Hair Salon, Ryan Lucas Athletic Trainer, Tyler Karu Interior Designs, and Lyseth Elementary School.  

Portland High School is always looking for more internship partners. If your business or organization is interested in hosting an internship next year, please contact Andrea Levinsky, Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator at levina@portlandschools.org.