I had the pleasure of meeting Blake Bourque in May during my visit to the Kennebec Valley as part of my statewide listening tour. A recent graduate of Messalonskee High School in Oakland, Blake devoted much of his high school career to the Messalonskee robotics team. He told me he learned best when the time came for his team to put its innovations to the test at regional competitions.

This week, Blake shares with us a video he produced for his senior English class that’s supposed to depict what he learned and what impacted him most during his time in high school. The result is a production that gets us thinking about how our schools need to change to prepare students for 21st-century careers.

Blake, who’s headed to the University of Maine’s college of engineering in the fall, wants to live and work in Maine when he’s older. Our education system is a crucial link in creating the economy that will allow that to happen. Let’s work toward an education system that trains a workforce that’s second to none.

Continue reading “Commissioner’s Update – July 14, 2011” →