Meet Mary Bryant, Pre-K and Kindergarden Teacher at Ft. O’Brien School, aka, Wonderwoman.

I had already labeled Mary ‘Wonderwoman’ before we met for an interview at Ft. O’Brien Elementary School during an icy day in January. She achieved this status in my mind because she teaches Pre-K and Kindergarden in a single classroom, and I knew from my work that she somehow also found time to be a Teacher Leader in Guided Reading professional development. The maximum number of students in Pre-K and Kindergarden I could handle at one time is two, and that’s because they would occupy each other. Even if I ever tried to successfully teach both grades in a single classroom, I know I would bask in “me time” during all other hours, rather than dedicate time and exhaustive effort into sharing my learning and practices with others. After our interview, Mary was still ‘Wonderwoman’ to me, but for a simpler reason- because, I believe, she is simply wonderful.

I’m not alone in this belief. I interviewed Mary for a profile because the Ed Tech in her classroom, Kari Tremblay, reached out to me and advised me to do so. Kari shared:

“I am an Ed. Tech in Mary Bryant’s room at Fort O’Brien.  She is the most amazing teacher I have ever met. She has taught me patience, good will and honesty.  She has been my inspiration as she is an amazing teacher. She has a heart of gold and always wears her heart on her sleeve!  I love my job and I enjoy every day going in and working in her classroom! I feel especially this year she needs to be recognized! She goes beyond and above her job!  Her little’s love her and so do I!! Please recognize her for her soft heart, patience and determination as she will always be my hero and mentor! She is such an amazing teacher and deserves recognition!!”

Thank you, Kari, for your enthusiastic recommendation. And, ditto.

I shared Kari’s remarks with Mary and asked her why she believed Kari felt so strongly about her and her work. Mary got a little choked up and did what Mary would do, what educators all over this County would do. She told me how wonderful Kari is and how blessed she is to have her in her classroom. I interrupted Mary- “Can I just point out that I asked you why Kari feels this way about you, and you only told me about how great Kari is?” Mary deflected compliments and used them as opportunities to celebrate others. This is something I see or hear educators do often. I think it is sweet and I deeply appreciate it. It attests to Mary’s, and others’, selflessness and unwaivering belief that schools are communities and our colleagues help to sustain our work and support our students and collective progress. But I also want Mary, and other deflectors, to welcome opportunities to celebrate themselves. So I prodded Mary a little more: “But what makes you so amazing?”

“I’m a perfectionist and very hard on myself, and I’m just always doing. If something doesn’t go as planned, I beat myself up about it. We constantly reflect; every other sentence I’m reflecting on what I am saying. I should recognize that’s something I’m good at. I reflect often.”

My goodness, Mary, you still had to say “we.” But Mary was right. She told me about how Ft. O’Brien Elementary School is structured to encourage and support collective reflection and action, and how this began when they were labeled a “priority school.” Ft. O’Brien School has built in a rotating substitute every Monday, which enables every staff member to be on the Leadership Team. How wonderful it is that the folks at Ft. Obrien have designed, implemented and sustained a structure that recognizes and supports all as leaders. Because, at our core as educators, isn’t that who we are- leaders? 

But this is about Mary, as hard as she worked to make it about others. And, I’ll admit, she wasn’t wrong when she wanted me to know, too, about her school and the people that support her success. They certainly should be celebrated. I hope I’ve done them justice. 

As I run out of room for this profile, I’m just going to tell you why Mary is wonderful. I think you’ll find wonder/see your own wonderfulness in her history and work, too: “I’m starting my Masters in the Spring… I just love school. It’s not for the money, I love to learn, collaborate with other people, learn about what others are doing.” Mary grew up in Lubec, went to Lubec High School, has an Associates Degree in Business from Husson University. She worked for 15 years for Whitney Corporation, went back to school at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM), and got her teaching degree in Elementary Education. She substitute taught and student taught for two years in AOS 96 and then was a long term substitute at Ft. Obrien. The Pre-K/K position at Ft. O’Brien opened and she was asked to consider it. Mary remarked, “I was a little scared of Pre-K/K, but now I’ve been doing it for 5 years! Lower Elementary is where my heart is. I love this school, the family feel.”

Mary, I am still scared of Pre-K/K, but am so grateful you now are not. I smile with wonder and awe at your path, success, and humility and I appreciate that you aren’t done yet. I also smile to think of all the other Wonderwomen/men out there in Washington County, whose paths at some point intersect with yours, or are currently at one point on a similar path. Mary, and the Leadership Team at Ft. O’Brien, please make sure you celebrate what makes you amazing. And to all you Wonderwomen/men reading this, take time to consider what I asked Mary: “What makes you so amazing?” (And reach out and tell me so I may write a profile about you too. wcc@maine.edu)

This story was submitted by Sarah Woog, Executive Director of the Washington County Consortium 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.

Several great things came together as Mrs. Erin Rudy’s first grade students wrapped up their nonfiction reading and writing units*. They had been learning how to read informational books “like an expert”, while researching and crafting nonfiction pieces of writing. Erin teamed with the Technology Instructional Coach, Wendy Cannon, to help students celebrate their efforts by creating a green screen “news” video of themselves reading their work.

Together, students created success criteria for what it looks and sounds like to read like an expert. They used Seesaw to practice recording themselves and check against their criteria. By using Seesaw, students were able to focus on their volume, fluency and “professional voice” for the final version, rather than being nervous about seeing themselves on the screen. These first grade students were extremely thoughtful in evaluating their performance, some re-recording several times before being satisfied. When students were ready, they worked with the technology coach to record in front of a green screen. Students then used safe search sites like Pixabay.com and PhotosforClass.com to find background images, and some took photos of their own artwork. Using the DoInk app, students created their news report and shared with families through Seesaw.

To bring the idea of “reading like an expert” to the forefront during this project, Mr. Irwin Gratz of Maine Public Radio was invited to visit and talk with students about how he does this every day on the radio. Prior to his visit, Mrs. Rudy showed students video snippets of him working at the radio station and generated questions to ask. Mr. Gratz explained how he writes a script and, using inflection and feeling in his voice, reads it slowly, smoothly, and carefully in order to connect with his audience. Irwin Gratz mentioned just about all the same criteria for reading like an expert that students had included in their checklist! He made the point that to become an expert, he had to practice, practice, practice. “You get better the more you do it!” This hit home for the students, since they had done just that!!

It was rewarding for all to have Irwin Gratz visit Erin’s class. He said his “favorite part of the job is talking to people about what I know…When I was your age, it seemed like it was the only reason I learned stuff so that I could turn around and tell other people what I learned. For me that is the fun part.” This goes to the heart of this project, as students are sharing their new knowledge and skills with others. The methods and ideas he presented will follow students into the future. Next time an opportunity arises to record themselves, undoubtedly, they will remember what they learned and experienced throughout this project. Mr Gratz concluded that this was “a great way to spend part of the afternoon. I’ve really enjoyed myself.” One student wrote that bringing Mr. Gratz was “the best!” The children were clearly proud of the videos they created.

• Student Movie1   

• Student Movie2   

• Student Movie3  

• Student Movie 4   

• Student Movie 5

• Student Movie6   
• Student Movie7  
• Irwin Gratz Visit Video  
• Student Drawings & Letters

This story was submitted by Wendy Cannon, Technology Coach, Saco PreK-2 Schools as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. If you have a story or an idea, email it to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Dustin Lee, Parts Manager of Lee Auto has created a unique and valuable internship opportunity for Portland High School students. Through Lee, students have the opportunity to intern in the service department learning skills such as changing and torquing tires, changing oil, checking tire pressure, rotating tires, and working with breaks and spark plugs. Lee is the only auto shop that currently partners with Portland High School, providing an invaluable experience for students. Students work directly with service staff members and gain one on one mentorship in the field.

This internship allows students who did not have the opportunity to enroll in the automotive program at Portland Arts and Technology High School and students who hope to begin the program in the future to be able to get hands on experience working with cars. Lee had one Portland High intern last year and two Portland High interns this year.

Broderick Rutledge, a sophomore planning on enrolling in the PATHS Automotive Program says he likes the internship because “it’s something I enjoy, [and] the people that I work with also play an important part in it too. They make the internship even more enjoyable.”

Francis Costin, a senior says “It’s really interesting to learn auto skills on a variety of different vehicles, and I am also excited to be able to apply the skills I learn at Lee Auto to my car later in life.”

The internship benefits Lee too. Dustin Lee says that “It’s a great opportunity for us to build relationships with Portland students who have interest in automotive.” It helps their company because “these students get real exposure to what it’s like to work at our dealership. Hopefully they like it and will think of us when it comes time for them to start their careers.”

Portland High would love to partner with more businesses, including in the automotive field! If you are interested in getting involved through job shadows, mock interviews, internships, or career panels. Please contact Andrea Levinsky, Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator at levina@portlandschools.org.

This article was submitted by Andrea Levinsky, Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator at Portland High School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. If you have a story or an idea email it to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

On Friday 1/31/20, Maranacook Community Middle School students participated in a presentation through the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The presentation outlined symptoms of mental health conditions and gave ideas about how to help themselves, friends, or family members who may need support.

The presentation included personal testimony from someone living with a mental health condition and her journey to recovery. The presentation helped students see how mental health is so important for all of us, and there is something we can all do to help ourselves and each other. This supports the district’s mission of being a caring school community.

Thank you to NAMI and all our students for helping to make this our reality!

This story was submitted to the DOE by Kristen Levesque, Principal of Maranacook Community Middle School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. Submit stories and ideas to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Aquaculture me!, an initiative created by Yarmouth educator, 2016 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year, and Miliken recipient Morgan Cuthbert, to get classroom teachers connected to the science and industry of aquaculture, held a professional development conference at the University of Maine’s Darling Center near Damariscotta last week.

Maine Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta attended the event on behalf of the Department to give brief remarks and to extend a heartfelt appreciation to Aquaculture me! and educators throughout Maine who work hard to provide Maine students with meaningful educational lessons that incorporate scientific practice about the complex systems that affect our communities and environment through aquaculture education.

The workshop gave participants the opportunity to hear from Maine aquaculture researchers, learn about connecting with the community and the industry, in addition to hearing from Maine educators from Cape Elizabeth, Brunswick, and Yarmouth Schools about successful ways to connect Aquaculture to the classroom.

The conference also gave participants the chance to network with one another and have a round-table discussion about Aquaculture education in Maine.

For more information about Aquaculture me! visit their website.

The conference also gave participants the chance to network with one another and have a round-table discussion about Aquaculture education in Maine.

For more information about Aquaculture me! visit their website.

Having attended Alabama’s Chelsea High School’s presentation on their community art project #whyyoumatter at the National Art Education Association Conference in Boston last spring, Medomak Valley High School’s advanced photography teacher, Brooke Holland, and her class have taken on the challenge here in Maine.

The mission of the campaign states, “ #whyyoumatter is a public art campaign that focuses on empowering students while fostering a positive school climate where all people feel supported and valued.”

Holland, with the help of volunteer photography specialist Kyle Santheson, has instructed her advanced photography students in taking black and white photographs of everyone in the school along with their personally written messages of why they matter.

To prepare, staff were given a script with resources to use with their home bases. After viewing inspirational videos about making a difference, students were given time to think about why they matter.

Holland reports, “Within the photo studio, you can hear students and staff helping each other write their statements; whether that is simply articulating their message or giving them the pep talk they need on why they matter.”

These 11X18 posters will affirm and empower our daily interactions and efforts and will, in total, be an impressive display for our district art show this spring. We matter!

This article was submitted by Linda Dolloff Pease, Principal at Medomak Valley High School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. If you would like to submit a story or share an idea for the campaign email Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.