Category: Student Opportunity

Secretary of State’s 2022 Maine Native American History and Culture Essay Contest

In an effort to enhance Maine Native American Studies lessons (MRSA 20-A Sec. 4706), the Secretary of State sponsors an essay contest in which middle and high school students explore at least one aspect of Wabanaki history and then write an essay on their findings.

This program is designed to give students an opportunity to share and showcase what they’ve learned in this fascinating area of study. Essays are reviewed by a panel of judges, who will select a top entry in both the middle and high school categories.

For details visit: maine.gov/sos/kids/programs/nativeamerican. Entries are due November 10.

Register Now for Maine Construction Career Days – Oct 6

Maine’s chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC Maine) and the Maine Associated General Contractors (AGC Maine) are hosting a Maine Construction Career Days event on October 6th from 7:30am – 2:00pm at Midcoast Excavation in West Bath. The event will be open to all high school students.

The event will be a hands-on experience and include exhibitors and educational resources. It will be attended by construction companies, school districts, state agencies, labor unions, trade and professional organizations. All of them are collaborating to provide students with an introduction to various aspects of construction. The event will also be the platform to award scholarships to deserving Maine students entering a construction related field.

Schools interested in sending students can click here for a school registration form.

Download a printable flyer

For more information or questions, reach out to:

United States Senate Youth Program Seeking Nominations from High School Principals

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is pleased to announce that the state departments of education nationwide have begun their annual selection processes. Two Maine students will be selected to attend the Washington Week program March 4-11, 2023 and each will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship. Each high school principal can nominate one student from their high school to be considered.

Students in Maine must submit their application and signed nomination via email to Beth Lambert, beth.lambert@maine.gov, no later than 11:59pm on October 14, 2022. All forms, requirements, and additional information can be found at on Maine’s U.S. Senate Youth Program website. More about the national program can be found on the National USSYP website.

The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 as stated in supporting Senate testimony from that year, “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationship of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.”

Each year, this extremely competitive merit-based program brings 104 of America’s brightest high school juniors and seniors from every state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity, to Washington, D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and its leaders. The state departments of education throughout the country select the students through a rigorous nomination and selection process. Each of the 104 student delegates will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship, with encouragement to continue coursework in history, government and public affairs. The Hearst Foundations have fully funded and administered the program since inception; as stipulated in S. Res. 324, no government funds are utilized.

New England FFA State Officers Gather in Vermont

Pictured: Maine FFA State Vice President and State President enjoy Lake Champlain Boat Tour during regional FFA training in Vermont.

On June 26-30, 2022, twenty-two student State Officers of the FFA—formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”—from the states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont gathered in Middlebury, Vermont to learn about workshop development and presentation techniques, as well as communication skills to implement during their upcoming year of service for their nearly 5,000 FFA members grades 7 to 12. Among these Officers were Nickie Deschaine, Maine FFA State President and Lane McCrum, Maine FFA State Vice President.

New England FFA State Presidents at regional “Checkpoint 1” leadership training, Middlebury, Vermont
Regional FFA Training group, trainers and National FFA Officer
Maine FFA State President Nickie Deschaine and State Vice President Lane McCrum with (left to right): Paxton Dahmer (trainer), Erik Robinson (National Officer), David Lopez (trainer)

FFA members are students enrolled in classes/programs related to agriculture and natural resources at schools with registered FFA chapters. This training was supported by the sponsorship of the Northeast Agricultural Education Foundation, Farm Credit East, and the National FFA Organization. As the largest student-led organization in the country, with over 735,000 members, FFA relies on its State Officers to implement programs for local FFA members, raise FFA member awareness to opportunities in agriculture, natural resources and the FFA and represent their members at various in-state, regional and national events.

The Vermont training took place at the North Campus of the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury and was facilitated by past National FFA Officers David Lopez (California) and Paxton Dahmer (Missouri), with additional motivational sessions conducted by current National FFA Southern Region Vice President Erik Robinson (Georgia).

Guest presenters Ben Leduc, Loan Officer, and Courtney Bronson, Tax Associate, spoke on the work of Farm Credit East and potential job opportunities for students. FFA Officers participated in a number of highly engaging sessions, enjoyed some outings to local restaurants and locations of interest (such as Crown Point State Historic Site in New York).

Officers commenting on the workshop noted that the main highlight was the chance to return to an in-person opportunity to get to know their peers from other New England states. They left the training indicating significant gains in both their confidence levels and technical abilities associated with developing and implementing workshops. Officers praised the training efforts of both facilitators and the National FFA Officer. Accompanying students were 9 adults from the New England FFA community, including the State Advisors from each of the five participating state programs.

Maine Students’ Software Design and Development Skills Showcased in Maine App Challenge

In a ceremony on June 18th, Tyler Technologies, Inc. announced the three winners of their 2022 Tyler Technologies Maine App Challenge. The contest provides students the opportunity to explore software design and development by using their creativity to design a mobile app. This year’s winners are Yuliya Buturlia of Scarborough High School, Frazier Dougherty of Yarmouth High School, and Ian Lajoie of Biddeford Regional Center for Technology. 

Buturlia’s first place app, ScheduleStorm, allows students to schedule meetings with their teachers, anytime and from anywhere. 

Dougherty’s second place app, Train ME 2, allows users to create customizable workouts or choose from a database of premade workouts. This inclusive workout app is for all activity levels and allows users to track progress and set individual goals. 

Lajoie’s third place app, Quick Work, helps users easily find videos and information from experts on how to troubleshoot problems with their vehicle.  

The winners received scholarships totaling $10,000, and the top 10 submissions receiving a guaranteed internship interview after their sophomore year of college. The first 50 submissions each year also receive a tablet, and the high school with the highest participation receives $500. 

More information about the Tyler Technologies Maine App Challenge and next years application can be found on the Tyler Technologies website. 

Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge

As the school year comes to a close we are happy to announce that the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge is once again being supported by the Freemasons of Maine for the 7th year. All students in grades K-8 who complete a summer reading goal of at least 500 minutes are eligible for a school drawing. Each school is then able to submit 2 names of school level winners to be put into a state level drawing for a free bike and helmet. Last year 32 bikes and helmets were awarded to students across the state. If you are interested in registering your school for the challenge please complete this form. For additional resources such as a summer reading passport and parent information please visit the Read to Ride Challenge website.

If you would like additional information please contact Danielle Saucier, danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov.

University of Maine System Early College Program Partners with “Let’s Get Ready” to Assist Students with College Application Process

The University of Maine System (UMS) Early College (EC) Program has partnered with Let’s Get Ready to provide rising seniors (students graduating in 2023) with assistance with the college application process. Let’s Get Ready (LGR) is a non-profit organization that shares values with the UMS EC Program including providing college preparation experiences to Maine’s high school students. Current college students who are trained by LGR serve as mentors and will guide high school students through finding potential colleges, application essays, scholarships, financial aid, and provide deadline reminders. This text-based mentorship is being provided to students for FREE.

UMS EC has graciously provided this opportunity for all seniors that are enrolled in EC courses in 2022-2023 school year, although we encourage students who are first generation to attend college, rural, and/or low-income to apply. Students who are interested must complete a separate application with LGR. Parent permission is required. Permission requests are sent after students apply. While we encourage students to consider Maine’s Public Universities, students are not required to apply to a UMS institution to participate in this program.

For more information about the program and services, contact Katie Flood, Director of Rural Programs, Let’s Get Ready. Katie is a Maine-based educator and former Maine school counselor committed to promoting college access for Maine’s high school students.

30 Days to the MLTI Student Conference- MLTI Launches High Altitude Balloon!

The 19th Annual MLTI Student Conference will be held virtually on Thursday, May 26, 2022, from 8:30am-2:00pm for registered 7&th grade MLTI students. This year’s theme is MLTI launches space2connect, and with the partnership of the UMaine High Altitude Ballooning program, MLTI will be launching a high-altitude balloon into space!

The high-altitude balloon will launch into the stratosphere and can reach up to 118,000 feet or more! MLTI students will be able to track the flight and learn about the recovery of the payload including an estimation of where the balloon will land! MLTI schools attending the conference will receive a special gift that traveled in the balloon up to space that can be displayed in their schools for years to come!

The UMaine High Altitude Ballooning program is made possible by Dr. Rick Eason with funding from the Maine Space Grant Consortium. To learn more about this program please visit the Website- https://umaine.edu/hab/.

For more information, please visit the MLTI Student Conference page or contact Brandi Cota at Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov.

Student Opportunity – Future Innovators Camp this Summer

Educate Maine, Thomas College, and Northeastern’s Roux Institute have partnered to develop a unique college and career readiness opportunity for Maine high school students who wish to make a difference in the future of Maine’s economy.

The goal is to help grow local and diverse talent in entrepreneurial and tech-forward fields, especially those that tie directly to Maine’s traditional industries such as biotech, green tech, aquaculture, fintech, e-commerce and cybersecurity.

This FREE one-week summer camp opportunity, based in Portland, Maine, will recruit up to 56 Maine high school students with diverse backgrounds from across the state who share an interest in cutting-edge technology and a desire to lead the design of innovative new solutions to authentic problems shared by Maine employers.

Download the flyer here (PDF).

The deadline to apply is May 3, 2022.

Learn more and to apply here.

Registration is Now Open for the 2022 MLTI Virtual Student Conference

Registration is now open for the 2022 MLTI Virtual Student Conference! MLTI wants all 7 & 8th grade students to join this innovative conference! This year’s virtual conference will have a brand-new, classroom-centered approach in an effort to make it more collaborative for students and teachers to join sessions together as a class during the school day.

Session Style

Sessions will be delivered directly into your classroom where the workshop leader will act as a type of guest teacher. Workshop leaders will teach the class new skills, provide time for students to practice these new skills, and then support them as they create something new with what they have learned. Check out our video with different scenarios to help you plan!

Teacher Role

Teachers can sign up the entire 7th and 8th grade from their school.  Then MLTI will send registered schools the sessions to choose from. Next, you can divide students up so that one classroom is participating in a session. All the teachers need to do is share the session live in the classroom and support students as they learn, practice, and create!

Session Times & Materials

The sessions will be 90 minutes with the morning session running from 9:30am-11:00am, and the afternoon session running from 12:00pm-1:30pm. All necessary materials will be provided to schools before the conference so students will have them to create with during the conference.

The 19th Annual MLTI Student Conference will be held virtually on Thursday, May 26, 2022 from 8:30am-2:00pm, and will be open to all MLTI 7th and 8th grade students

For questions, please reach out to Brandi Cota-MLTI Project Manager brandi.m.cota@maine.gov.