Can guinea pigs make a difference to student engagement and achievement? Well, we haven’t conducted the research yet, but if teacher observation is a strong source of information, the answer is yes.

Michelle Reesman, Old Town Elementary School Librarian, connected with a family because they desperately wanted to donate a guinea pig to the school. With hesitation, Michelle approached the administration about the idea and wondered if the students would enjoy having a school pet to care for. Up until now, the library has a 34-year-old turtle housed in the library space and the students have always enjoyed the turtle over the years. But, let’s face it, turtles are tough to snuggle with.

Adopting a guinea pig was a whole new experience for librarian Michelle Reesman, but her instincts were telling her this could be a good thing for the students and school. The guinea pig was delivered by the family before the April vacation and immediately the school was a buzz with excitement. Mrs. Reesman, the outstanding teacher that she is, found a way to involve all the students with the naming of this sweet guinea pig and hosted an assembly to vote by noise a few days before the April vacation started. The students voted and “Dumbledorable” was named, and he now sits proudly in our school library.

As adults, we tend to shy away from such an undertaking as sheltering or adopting a pet for our schools or classrooms. But, the reaction of our students and staff has been amazing. Mrs. Reesman noted a few remarkable moments since Dumbledorable has arrived at the school. First, a student that is new to the school this year and has only uttered a few words to the librarian, immediately struck up a conversation with Mrs. Reesman about caring for gerbils at her home. Mrs. Reesman was awestruck by the interaction since the child has never even said hello to her during library classes. Other students, struggling with self-regulation have dropped in at the library to watch, observe, and visit with Dumbledorable as part of their daily routine. These students are so amazed by our little friend and want nothing more than to just sit quietly with him. Students with anxiety cuddle him for a few minutes in the morning to start their day with a calm feeling.

When you think one more thing will send us over the edge, think about the power of that one thing and its impact on our students. Connecting with nature and furry friends may be the key to a student’s success—It can be as simple as saying yes to a guinea pig for the library. One lesson we have learned; “Don’t let adult hang-ups get in the way of making good experiences for your students.”

This story was submitted by Old Town Elementary School Principal Jeanna Tuell as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

(Pictured: The team who helped with the classroom flip)

When Patty Wallace walked into her classroom, at Jonesboro Elementary, on the evening of Tuesday, April 18th, she thought she was coming in to check on a water leak. Several of her co-workers were quietly waiting for her! For the previous 3 days, the group had been working on a complete classroom makeover to surprise Patty.

Mrs. Wallace is the kind of person who will jump in and help anyone whenever they need it. So when fellow teacher, Sheena Frazier, came up with the room redo idea, plenty of people wanted to jump in and help return the favor!

“She is the most humble person I’ve ever met,” says Sheena. “I’ve always loved decorating my room and I’ve always loved sharing ideas with Patty. Last summer when I was sharing some ideas about my room with her, I told her I wanted to make all of my bookshelves black. Patty mentioned that when I decided to paint them to let her know because she wanted to paint hers black too. I was always encouraging her to paint her room! I even told her that I was going to paint her room for her when she wasn’t there! As you know, summers fly and your time seems limited on prepping for the next year. The time just never seemed to be there.”

Fast forward to 4 weeks ago, the idea occurred to Sheena again. “I was going to tackle her room, unbeknownst to her, because I felt she deserved it. Patty’s year has been a pretty rough one. She deserved a little pick me up!”

Sheena began talking to other coworkers and sharing her ideas. Without hesitation, one friend wanted to help. It trickled into a domino effect because then another friend wanted to be in on it. Finally, the group shared the idea with the principal, Marjorie Hicks, who is Patty’s best friend and knows her the best.

“I wanted to make sure this was something Patty would like before going and making such a drastic change to someone else’s room,” said Sheena. Marjorie was definitely on board and thought it was a great idea and also thought it was very well deserving. So, with more people on board, colors decided, and items being ordered for the room, the project was planned to be done during April Break. With Patty having such a crazy year, everyone agreed that this classroom revamp would be the boost to carry Patty through the rest of the year in a beautiful new classroom.

Sunday, April 16th was demo day!

Day 1 was packing day, moving things out, and painting walls. Her bookshelves went to the gym to be painted black, and books were boxed up and moved to the library and other rooms. Keeping things sorted and separated would make putting things back so much easier. On Day two furniture was placed, shelves hung, and curriculum books placed back in order. On day three the group finished up by organizing her items, color coding her books in a rainbow pattern, matching the main mason jars of colored pencils to the books, making her desk area personal with family photos, putting together her brand new chair and hanging curtains and plants to add the final touches.

“We couldn’t believe we had finished in such a short amount of time. We were so excited to do the reveal. We couldn’t wait another day.”  Mrs. Hicks called Patty in a “panic” saying there was a leak at the school and she needed her help asap! Patty rushed over and walked in completely shocked. It was definitely a happy, tearful event watching her walk around and looking at all of the little things that had been done specially for her.

It was the perfect transformation Tuesday! There were so many helpers! Along with, Sheena Frazier, Laurel Hoppe, Stacy Gardner, Hailey Jordan, Ann Grange, Tracy Smith, Jeanne Whitney, and principal Marjorie Hicks all worked as a team to make the change. On day one the room could never have been dismantled nearly as quickly without some very helpful and kind-hearted young men! They finished within an hour! Thank you so much Ethan, Tristan, Derek Jyus, and Kauai!

Patty’s room is absolutely beautiful. Check out this amazing transformation! Thank you Mrs. Wallace for everything you always do for others. This is just one way for everyone to show you how much you are appreciated!

Patty Wallace, 7th/8th grade elementary teacher

A special team of educators has been working quietly and efficiently behind the scenes at Bath Middle School (BMS) in RSU 1 this year, on a new way of thinking, working, and collaborating – a recipe for innovative change. This year, teachers and students alike have had the opportunity to participate in something called, “Connections Classes” taking them out of their regular routine to try something new and rewarding.

As part of RREV, the Reimagining Responsive Education Ventures initiative of the Maine Department of Education, Bath Middle School was awarded funds to implement a pilot program that gives teachers time to plan and collaborate on interdisciplinary, project-based lessons, and gives students a chance to learn something completely new, something they are interested in, and with a whole different set of classmates and teachers.

As described in their original pilot plan, BMS had a goal of creating, “structures and spaces for every member of the BMS community to feel value and connection.”

In the planning process, BMS utilized design thinking to identify four key things they needed to do to help them achieve their goal. First, they revised the school schedule to facilitate shared planning time for BMS teachers, during this time teachers developed collaborative interdisciplinary classes based on teachers’ passions. Secondly, they purchased a 15-passenger van to allow small groups of students to go on field trips to explore the community and make connections outside the school. The third, and very important key to their mission was hiring an instructional coach to coordinate this new effort.

This school year, every single student at BMS participates in Connections Classes imagined by their teachers! Each Wednesday, Connections Classes are a chance for students to learn a new skill – everything from origami to hallway running, bike repair, cooking, nail art, and everything in between. Classes are 45 minutes long and students stick with one topic for a period of 8-10 weeks, allowing them to really dig in and learn something new.

“Permission to run in the hallways,” said BMS Principal Brandon Ward, with a smile, as he describes the hallway running connections class. The topics are selected and planned out by teams of teachers who have a passion for the topic, and the students get to choose which class they want to attend.

Hallway Running Connections Class

Principal Ward and a student at the Origami Connections Class

Origami that students have been working on

Mural Painting Connections Class

Debate Connections Class

The school van has been an enormous success as well. Affectionately called the Van Gough or Vanna White, the van has gone on 67 trips (and counting) so far including a student-planned ski trip. Ward remarked that having the van right there in the parking lot has really made smaller field trips so much more accessible to teachers and students, which is evident in the amount it gets used.

Looking back at all they have accomplished so far, the team behind all of this, which includes Principal Ward, Instructional Coach Micah Depper, a former Science teacher at BMS, and RSU 1 Assistant Superintendent Katie Joseph who began the process, are excited, encouraged, and hopeful about the positive shift that has begun to take place at BMS. 

Depper, who in addition to coordinating the RREV Pilot, also facilitates the Rock Band Connections Class, is grateful for the time and space to coordinate an effort he truly feels passionate about. He pays tribute to its success thus far with the fact that he has a close working relationship with both Principal Ward and Assistant Superintendent Joseph.

Ward remarks that while the work to rearrange the school schedule is tricky, as is prioritizing his time as a busy building Principal to give this effort time and attention, it pays off ten-fold as he sees the smiles on the faces of both students and teachers during connections classes and beyond.

The BMS RREV team is not only close and efficient at working together, but they are also grateful for their extended team, so to speak. Other close working colleagues at BMS whom they know they can lean on for a helping hand, as both a thought partner but also as someone who can step in when extra hands are needed. 

As they enter the second semester of the school year and begin to collect feedback, there is both a lot to be thankful for as well as ideas to expand and refine. Anecdotally, Ward has noticed that during the Connections Class period, there is significantly less disruptive behavior from students and the outpouring of positive responses from both students and teachers has been encouraging. The team feels that it has a lot to do with the fact that students aren’t choosing Connections Classes based on what their friends are doing. They choose what they like, and they are having fun doing it.

Both Ward and Depper think that the real success story with Connections Classes is that kids who would most likely take an opportunity like this to wander the halls at any given time, can be found fully engaged in a class they are truly enjoying, and the evidence is apparent.

Based on more formal feedback the team sought through surveys to teachers and students, more than 80% of respondents had positive feedback about the experience. Without ignoring the other 20%, they know there is always room for improvement and as is often a struggle in any school setting, capacity and prioritizing tasks remain a challenge.

Looking to the future, the team hopes to sustain and refine their efforts by gathering additional feedback and incorporating more student input on new Connections class topics through student focus groups. They also hope to explore ways to incorporate learning standards and continue to work with their staff on ensuring there is continued value and connection through these efforts.

“We’ve done some really fantastic things this year and it feels really good,” added Ward.

Rock Band Connections Class with Micah Depper on piano

Students enjoying cooking during a Connections Class

Badminton Connections Class

RREV is an initiative of the Maine Department of Education, funded by the Education Stabilization Funds through the US Department of Education’s Rethink K-12 Education Models, that bolsters Maine educators’ innovative efforts to support their students with agile, effective, and resilient learning experiences that improve learning outcomes for all students.  

The Maine DOE encourages all schools and districts across the State of Maine to learn more about these innovative educators and their RREV pilots through the RREV website and the online RREV collaborative platform known as EnGiNE. It is through EnGiNE that we hope to continue the momentum to change students’ lives through innovative and responsive educational programs.

The Raiders of Oak Hill High School took it upon themselves this past winter to raise money for an honorable cause. Both girls’ and boys’ basketball programs in conjunction with adjoining programs from Madison Area Memorial High School hosted “Shriners Children’s” night at Oak Hill.

The event featured an evening full of basketball, raffles, and donations to raise money for Shriners Children’s. The Bulldogs of Madison and the Raiders of Oak Hill together raised just over $1,100!

On Saturday, April 1, STEM professionals and educators from around the state came together at The University of Maine to present, discuss, and recognize the work of 200 high school student researchers at the Maine State Science Fair (MSSF). Coordinators of the MSSF, the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) and The Jackson Laboratory announced awards for 92 students representing 20 high schools, including $750,000 in Maine college scholarships.

“Students worked very, very hard on this for weeks, months, or maybe even a progression of a few years to make their projects stronger,” said Ruth Kermish-Allen, Executive Director of MMSA. “It takes a lot of resilience, and I for one was so inspired walking around the exhibit hall today seeing the passion, the excitement, the real joy for what students are learning about research and advancing our understanding for the betterment of society.”

“We’re continually impressed by the students’ ideas,” said Charlie Wray, Vice President for Education, The Jackson Laboratory. “The level of creativity we see in Maine high school students, which they bring to solve some very difficult problems, is truly inspiring.”

The 2023 Grand Award winners of MSSF were:

• Taking the top prize: Emma Markowitz, a homeschooled student from Trevett. Emma developed a
  biodegradable, antimicrobial wound dressing for the purpose of detecting infection and healing
  wounds. A pH indicator incorporated into the wound dressing presents a color change that can
  indicate if a wound is infected.
• Placing second were May Shin and Jiwon Choi of Fryeburg Academy. The pair studied the effects of
  arbuscular mycorrhizae and mushroom substrate on plant growth in soils that are contaminated with
  microplastics. They are continuing to study the effects of these materials on a soil’s water-holding
  capacity.
• In third place was Anh Võ of John Bapst Memorial High School. Anh’s data science with behavioral
  science to study which areas of computer science would have the greatest influence on recruiting young women to pursue careers in STEM.

These four students will travel to Dallas in May to represent Maine at the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair alongside 1,700 students from over 80 countries.

The University of Maine led the scholarship program with 12 UMaine Top Scholar awards, which provide a renewable four-year full-tuition scholarship, pairing with a research mentor, and admission to the UMaine Honors College. The University of Southern Maine awarded seven four-year full-tuition scholarships. The University of New England awarded five $5,000 scholarships, each one renewable for up to four years. St. Joseph’s College, UMaine Augusta, and the UMaine College of
Engineering each awarded additional scholarships.

The full list of awards, including scholarships, is available at the Maine State Science Fair website.

“You can learn to make our world a better place. We’re all different and no one has to fit into the same role.  I look forward to what you’ll bring to our future.”  That’s just one of the many pieces of advice Ms. Diane Fitzpatrick and other retired educators shared with grade 8 students at Caribou Community School during the retired teacher panel on March 27th.  

8th grade teachers Heather Anderson, Kim Barnes, Troy Barnes, Holly Rhinebolt, and Twyla Learnard take advantage of RSU 39’s Professional Collaboration Days to creatively plan events like this to connect students to each other and to the community.  Their innovative practices effectively engage students in the learning process. “Collaboration is at the heart of all we do and what makes teaching together so much fun. We laugh together daily, even when the days are hard.”  

Through one of these collaborations, an idea was born to bring together students and retired educators. Students would gain an up close and personal look at what schools were like in the past and retired teachers would have the opportunity to share their vast knowledge and wisdom as well as important life lessons. Learnard shared, “Though there were generations between the retired teacher panel and the student body audience, the connection was palpable. Curriculum advances,  technology evolves, and assessment practices trend, but the relationship between teachers and pupils is ageless. You can’t define it. It’s a respect, a trust that simply is.” 

The grade 8 team had previously met with Christina Kane-Gibson of the Caribou Historical Society to discuss creating podcasts to accompany the many artifacts on display at their museum. Adding student-created podcasts that share stories of retired Caribou teachers was one more way that students could immerse themselves in their town’s history and the rich stories that Caribou has to share.  Kane-Gibson and 8th grade teachers hope to have the artifacts and podcasts available for public enjoyment this summer.  

Panelists were asked questions generated by students on topics such as what inspired them to teach, changes in technology, and how gender roles have changed.  “When I was in high school, there wasn’t much of a choice for young women at that time.  You were either a nurse, a secretary, you got married or you were a teacher,” shared Margaret Cyr when asked why she chose to be a teacher.  Mrs. Cyr went on to talk about how, because she had played piano since the age of 5, it made sense that she become a music teacher.  

Kim Barnes orchestrated a photo opportunity that demonstrated the 4 generations of teachers present.  Barnes stated, “Mr Hunter was Mr. Willey’s teacher, Mr. Willey was my teacher and Lyndsey is my student who wants to be a teacher one day. So the idea that we can pass the torch is important because teaching is a wonderful profession. Teachers are amazing people and schools do so much more than educate in the classroom.” 

Lyndsey Ouellette shared what this experience has demonstrated for her, “Definitely to stick to it.  To always be prepared.  Know your kids and don’t just teach them, be a good influence for them.” Baylee Wright, another 8th-grade student, saw the importance of building relationships with students in what panelists shared, “Getting to know who you teach is just as important as what you teach.” 

Students will begin compiling their notes from the panelist discussions and will begin writing scripts during the week of April 3rd.  They hope to have podcasts recorded before April break and are very excited to practice their own storytelling by sharing these stories with the community.

4 generations of teachers