Maine Virtual Career Fair Coming in March 2022

The Maine Community Coordinators Collaborative (C3) in partnership with the Maine Department of Education and the Association of Computer and Technology Educators (ACTEM) will host its second annual statewide Virtual Career Fair the week of March 21 – 25 with the live sessions happening March 22 – 23, 2022. Last spring, C3 connected thousands of high school students with more than 100 Maine companies, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. Regardless of their geographic location, the students were able to explore the numerous career offerings throughout the state. This year, the ME Virtual Career Fair will be open to ALL middle schools, high schools and CTE schools throughout the state.

“It is never too early to help students explore the exciting career possibilities that await them, and the new innovative use of virtual experiences for a career fair means connecting more students with more opportunities,” said Commissioner of Education Pender Makin. “I encourage all middle and high school students, with support from their schools and families, and all businesses who are looking to expand their workforce and tap into the talents that exist in our classrooms, to get involved with this exciting event.”

Made possible with a generous grant from Unum, the ME Virtual Career Fair will be available free of charge to students or schools requiring financial assistance.

“The students participating in the ME Virtual Career Fair will soon be an active part of the workforce. Providing an early look into careers and professional connections can help them choose a field they are passionate about,” said Cary Olson Cartwright, Unum’s assistant vice president of corporate social responsibility. “Unum is glad to relieve some of the financial barriers and provide equitable pathways to success for students across our state.”

Sign-up to join the ME Virtual Career Fair mailing list and be notified when school registrations open in January 2022. Please email Sheree Inman and Justine Carlisle, Event Co-Chairs at mevirtualcareerfair@gmail.com with any questions.

Maine FFA Delegates Return to the National Convention

Maine FFA (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”) sent States Officers, President Nickie Deschaine and Secretary-Treasurer Ryder Brewer, to participate as delegates to the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo on October 25-30, 2021 in Indianapolis.

Last year’s National Convention was held as a virtual-only event due to COVID-19. Maine FFA State Advisor from the Maine Department of Education, Doug Robertson, accompanied the delegates who are both currently juniors at Central Aroostook High School in Mars Hill.

This year’s convention was attended by over 60,000 FFA student members, guests and advisors. Delegates participated in committees tasked with charting the future course of the organization, with each committee coming to consensus on recommendations to present to the entire delegate body for a vote.

During their time in Indianapolis, Maine’s delegates met other delegates from the rest of the United States, attended inspirational Convention sessions and toured the Expo that featured representatives from the agriculture and natural resources industry, as well as a number of colleges and universities. Special in-person speakers included Courtenay DeHoff, “Fancy Lady Cowgirl,” Joe Hogsett, Mayor of Indianapolis, and the National FFA Officers. Video welcomes were provided by Vice President Kamala Harris; Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education; and Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

As well as gaining committee experience, making new friends, and exploring Indianapolis, Maine’s delegates had the chance to attend the “World’s Toughest Rodeo,” held in the coliseum on the Indiana State Fairgrounds. State FFA President Nickie Deschaine observed that her travel to Indianapolis represented the furthest west she had yet been. She also commented: “Words truly cannot describe the overwhelmingly amazing feeling of seeing all the blue jackets filled by people who are just as passionate about FFA as I am!”

Maine’s 2021 delegates to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis – Ryder Brewer (left) and Nickie Deschaine (right)

National FFA Officer Team – representing over 750,000 student members – takes the National FFA Convention stage

Delegates returned to Maine with many new ideas on how to best serve their 400-500 Maine FFA members. Maine FFA serves students grades 7-12 who are enrolled in classes/programs related to agriculture and natural resources. Schools with gardens and greenhouses may qualify to establish chapters.

For more information on how to initiate a Maine FFA chapter, please contact: Doug Robertson, Maine FFA State Advisor, Maine Department of Education, (207) 624-6744, doug.robertson@maine.gov.

Start a Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine (SLAM) Club

Are you looking for a way to engage with your students? And for ways for your students to engage safely with other students throughout the state?

Checkout this free, interactive, student leadership opportunity that requires no prior experience for students and staff.

Weekly chances for students to win prizes and opportunities to earn tech tools (mics, webcams, 3D printers) for your school!

The newly imagined MLTI 2.0 (Maine Learning Technology Initiative) invites interested educators and students to join others from around the state and start a SLAM, Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine, club in their school. This initiative will be guided by Kern Kelley, who, along with his trailblazing Tech Sherpas, has been a national leader in student agency. Once a week, each SLAM group will virtually join other SLAMmers from across the state. During these meet-ups, students will learn presentation and tech skills and will produce a livestream tech help show on our youtube channel.

MLTI 2.0 hopes to have SLAM clubs in every school in Maine. To help you get started, MLTI will provide your club with either a live-stream webcam or recording microphone. There will be more opportunities to earn additional equipment for continued participation.

We hope you will consider starting a SLAM club at your school or that you will forward this to someone in your school who might be interested. To register your SLAM club please complete this form.

To check out our weekly SLAM show, visit our youtube channel, or watch our introductory video here.

To learn more about MLTI 2.0 SLAM visit our webpage.

For more information on SLAM or other MLTI 2.0 initiatives, contact Beth Lambert, Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning at beth.lambert@maine.gov.

Maine FFA Student Leaders Learn New Skills at Presque Isle Workshop

Twenty-five Chapter Officers of the Maine FFA Association (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”) gathered on October 22, 2021 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle to learn more about leading their local chapters. FFA is a national organization for agriculture and natural resources students grades 7-12, with affiliated chapters in all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Presque Isle’s workshop participants came from five different Aroostook County FFA chapters: Ashland High School, Central Aroostook High School (Mars Hill), Easton High School, Presque Isle Regional Career & Technical Center, and Washburn High School.

Leading the workshop were State FFA President Nickie Deschaine, State FFA Vice President Delaney McKeen, and State FFA Secretary-Treasurer Ryder Brewer. Participating Chapter Officers learned Leadership, Teamwork, and developing imaginative, worthwhile activities for their local chapters despite challenges associated with COVID-19. Students got a chance to know each other, to share ideas, and to participate in brainstorming and fun activities.

Mascot Making

Icebreaker Activity, Maine FFA Chapter Officer Workshop, Presque Isle

Follow-up activities for the year will include agricultural and community projects at the local level, a subsequent workshop for FFA members, and a State FFA Convention with competitions and awards.

For more information on starting an FFA chapter to access student agriculture/natural resources opportunities related to leadership events, travel, community, competition and scholarships, please contact the Maine FFA State Advisor in the Maine Department of Education, Doug Robertson, doug.robertson@maine.gov 207-624-6744

Maine’s The Telling Room Looking for Young Writers for New Anthology

The Telling Room, a Maine organization that creates writing and publishing programs to support and encourage young people in the art of writing and self-expression, is publishing Stepping Stones, a NEW book of creative writing by writers ages 6-11 or in grades K-5.

They are seeking stories and poems by young people—serious or silly, true or imagined—to include in this anthology. Writing must be submitted at tellingroom.org/enter by Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 7:59 pm to be considered for this new book. Stories and poems may be submitted by the writer, a parent/legal guardian, or an educator/librarian.

ENTER WRITING HERE

Questions? Please contact The Telling Room’s Publications Director Molly McGrath at molly@tellingroom.org or (207) 774-6064.

Junior Achievement Titan Experience 2022

Junior Achievement (JA) Maine has announced the 2022 Titan Challenge. The event will take place at seven business & educational institution settings across Maine on March 2, 2022.

JA Titan is a simulation-based program in which high school students compete as business CEOs in the cell phone industry. They experience firsthand how an organization evaluates alternatives, makes decisions, analyzes the outcomes of those decisions, and then strategizes what to do next.

For more information visit JA Maine’s website. To sign up email Jill Jamison at jjamison@jamaine.org.

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.

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.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE Opens 2021/2022 Student Cabinet Application – Calling on Diverse Voices to Apply

PLEASE SHARE WITH STUDENTS

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) today announced that it is opening applications for the 2021/2022 Student Cabinet, a group of students that meet regularly with the Maine DOE to discuss educational opportunities, improvements, and policy.

The purpose of the Student Cabinet is to provide a forum for Maine students’ voices to be heard. This year will be a special opportunity for Cabinet members to design a pilot project that reflects on the past two school years, to reinvent how schools think about remote and responsive learning as part of the Reinventing Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) initiative. RREV is the product of a $16.9 million award from U.S. DOE to support and develop projects which will strengthen a culture of innovation in PK-12 education.

This is the third year the Maine DOE has appointed students to a Student Cabinet with the goal of integrating student voice into decision-making on education issues that impact their journey through Maine’s education system. In past years students have helped in identifying mental health needs at school, raised issues of racial equity, and helped brainstorm ways to individualize learning.

The Maine DOE is especially interested in having perspectives from students with diverse experiences, interests, cultures, and backgrounds. It is important that the student cabinet include members who are able to represent and advocate for underrepresented groups, including but not limited to students who identify as: gender expansive, English learners and other bilingual/multilingual students, members of a racial or ethnic minority in Maine, economically disadvantaged, new to living in Maine, or living with a mental and/or physical health diagnosis, as well as students who have special educational needs, experience in the juvenile justice system, or experience in one of the many different educational pathways found in education, including Extended Learning Opportunities, Adult Education programs, and Career & Technical Education.

There are 16-20 seats that are open for students in grades 4 – 12 and first year of college. The newly selected members will serve for a term of two years starting this November. All 16 counties in Maine will be represented on the Student Cabinet.

Selected cabinet members will be expected to attend scheduled meetings, prepare for each meeting as needed, work in a collaborative manner with one another and with Department staff as needed; and express views and opinions openly, constructively, and respectfully.

Instructions for applying:
Students interested in serving on the Maine DOE Student Cabinet will need to submit the electronic application by ~~Monday, October 25, 2021~~ DEADLINE EXTENDED to November 1, 2021 at 5 pm. Applications can be submitted electronically here.

For more information contact Rachel Paling, Communications & Outreach Manager, Maine Department of Education at rachel.paling@maine.gov.