Morse High School, Bath, ME: Amidst the uncertainty and chaos that ensued following the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, rising juniors at Morse High School, Isabel Strelneck and Isaac Ensel, came up with an inspiring idea to bring friends back together and bring joy to their community. Together, they rallied over 40 of their classmates to work together to produce a music video to show their community what their lives as high schoolers have looked like since the onset of social distancing. You can watch the video here.

One day, Isaac Ensel called Isabel Strelneck and asked her to listen to the song “Carry On” by Fun. As she listened, he described how a music video would be a perfect way to capture their daily lives, and the vision for the project became clear. Isaac and Isabel filmed some portions of the video together, from a distance, and reached out to friends to get clips from their days. In the video, you can see everything from practicing lacrosse to an online English class. Isabel and Isaac were able to create and provide a platform for their friends to share and validate their own experiences during this time of uncertainty.

Isabel says that they were inspired by wanting to bring joy to people and to talk to friends who they had not seen recently. The two filmmakers said “we created this video to bring light to the pandemic while demonstrating what students have been doing” Isabel and Isaac wanted to document this rare time, and making a music video was something they had always wanted to do. The combination of these ideas has made an amazing impact on their community.

When asked how well the video captured how she and her friends are handling this time of social distancing, Isabel said “I think it’s harder to describe how I’m feeling and spending time during quarantine, but the video shows a good representation of the ways [my friends and I] are trying to get through it…If anything, it was also a reminder to me that there’s a positive side to all this time-so many new things to try and practice.”

Teachers, classmates, and community members alike have left comments on the video sharing their love and support. Leah Heyman, a science teacher at Bath Middle School, and former teacher of many students in the video wrote “I love this, miss you! An amazing way to work together, [and] stay connected.” Many others chimed in with praise, love, and pride. “This is SO SWEET! Got me a little teary-eyed. So great to see all those fantastic Morse students!” commented another viewer.

When asked what the message behind the video was, Isabel said that “the message behind the video is that [Coronavirus] is impacting every single person differently, but there’s ways to make the best of it and ‘carry on’…it’s also a reminder that we can all stay connected even when we can’t be together at school.” With well over 5,000 views on YouTube, Isabel and Isaac have been able to spread this message to their community and beyond. Isabel and Isaac hope that their video can make people’s day, bring them joy, and hopefully inspire them. After reading through the comments on the YouTube page, as well as having conversations with community members, Isabel said that she and Isaac “really weren’t expecting people to have emotional reactions to the video but rather for it to be something enjoyable, but it touched a lot of people and we think that’s really cool.”

In talking with Isabel, who is also a member of the Commissioner’s Student Cabinet, she reflected further on the impact her video has made on the community. When asked further about responses from teachers and fellow students looked like she responded with:

At first, Isaac and I thought it would be a fun, lighthearted video that would only reach our closest friends. Once we posted it, students thought of it as fun and entertaining, as we originally thought it would be, but teachers and adults treated it more sentimentally. We’ve received many thank-yous and grateful notes on how the video had impacted people’s lives and made a difference in their day. It may have been how much time we spent working on the video or something else, but we overlooked the possibility that it could really be so meaningful-a lot of people have reached out to us, even saying they’ve cried from it! -Isabel Strelneck

Watch the “How We Carry On” music video created by Morse High School juniors Isabel Strelneck and Isaac Ensel here!

This article was written by Maine DOE Intern Aidan Sachs in collaboration with rising juniors at Morse High School, Isabel Strelneck and Isaac Ensel as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea email it to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Sebago Elementary has approximately 100 students and a community that is hugely supportive and proud of their school. Brenda McGuinness is an Art Teacher at Sebago Elementary School one day per week along with music teacher Jennifer Null and instrumental music teacher Lindsay Waller. In March they were making final plans for the second annual Arts Festival to be held on April 14th. Unfortunately, like events all over the world, the school Arts Festival was canceled.

With a strong desire to showcase the talents and efforts of their students, they worked hard to bring the first Virtual Arts Festival into the homes of students, their families and the community in an alternative way.

Using photographs of the art projects from each grade throughout the year as well as the various events students were involved in throughout the state, along with emailed photos of student art work during remote learning, they made a memorable slideshow of art adventures for the 2019/2020 school year.

• View the visual art portion of our Virtual Arts Festival 2020
• View a collection of musical performances from students

“The reaction from our students and families to our Virtual Arts Festival has been wonderful and I feel delighted to have been able to present them with this event,” said Brenda in an email to the DOE.

This story was submitted by Brenda McGuinness, Art Teacher, Sebago Elementary School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. to submit a story email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Vinalhaven’s K-12 Visual Arts Teacher Heather White just couldn’t end the year without an Art Show.

“Students created so many cool ‘things’ in the art room this year, and it’s important, now more than ever, to share that work,” said Heather in an email to the Maine DOE.

Instead of having an in-person event this year, Heather got busy creating a website that showcases the work of students at Vinalhaven School so that it can be seen and appreciated by students, their families, the community, and beyond.

“It’s fun to think that instead of just sharing this year’s art work with our island community, we are able to share it with anyone in the world,” added Heather.

Check out the Vinalhaven School K-12 19/20 Virtual Art Show here!

This story was shared by Heather White, K-12 Visual Arts Teacher, Vinalhaven School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story, email it to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Kirsten Arndt is without a doubt one of the best art teachers in the state of Maine. Her classes are overflowing with aspiring artists who are drawn to her compassionate and supportive nature. We have so much interest we often have a waiting list for students to get in.

One or two times a year Kirsten, with the help of her students, put together an art show hosted at Oak HIll HIgh School. Unfortunately, with the onset of the pandemic, like everything else, changes to the art show had to be made. Kirsten jumped at the chance to do the art show in a different format. Ms. Arndt compiled a number of works from her students and put them together in a video presentation.

We put the presentation out through email and our Oak Hill High School Facebook page and received such a positive response we wanted to share it with you. The presentation is a testimony to Ms. Arndt’s dedication to her students and her craft. 

Submitted by Marco E. Aliberti, Principal of Oak Hill High School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Every year around this time RSU 14 starts to highlight the Senior class and their achievements as they take their next steps down the career paths they’ve chosen. But Austin Merkle is an example of one Senior who hasn’t waited for graduation to take solid steps towards his goals. 

Austin has actually been pursuing his career since before high school, starting his work as a Junior Firefighter six years ago. Austin chose this path in order to follow in the footsteps of his father, who has been a firefighter for more than two decades and who he credits for giving him the desire to be a firefighter as a career path.

“I was raised to work hard and do what I can to help others,” Austin says, “This is a dangerous job that is hard on your body. It takes a lot of heart and a lot of commitment and a lot of training, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Austin has taken every opportunity over the last 6 years to dig into his passion for firefighting, participating in dozens of trainings to help hone his skills. Even tasks that seem incredibly simple require specific training under the types of circumstances firefighters are often in.

“One of the most important things you learn early on is how to breathe correctly,” Austin says, “ When I first started I could burn through our ½ hour tanks in 10 minutes. But firefighters use a technique called ‘skip breathing’ to conserve oxygen.”

Austin’s training didn’t stay with the basics. Over the years, he has done everything from Search and Rescue training to training in car extractions and ice water rescues, dedicating hundreds of hours to becoming the best firefighter he can be.

So while many students are planning for future careers right now, Austin’s career isn’t in the future at all.

Austin Merkle is living out his career, right now, as a firefighter.

This story was submitted by Lanet Hane, Director of Community Connections, RSU 14 as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.