MEDIA RELEASE: Three Maine Schools Receive National Blue Ribbon School Honors

The U.S. Department of Education today announced three Maine schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2019. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. The three schools are:

Cape Elizabeth High School, Cape Elizabeth Public Schools
Fruit Street School, Bangor School Department
Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth School Department

The National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.

Now in its 37th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed recognition on more than 9,000 schools. On November 14 and 15, the Secretary and the Department of Education will celebrate with 312 public and 50 non-public school honorees at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The Department recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, student subgroup scores and graduation rates:

Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by The Council for American Private Education (CAPE).

Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available at https://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.

For more information contact Kelli Deveaux (207) 624-6747 or kelli.deveaux@maine.gov

Get to know the DOE Team: Meet Dan Chuhta

Maine DOE team member Dan Chuhta is being highlighted this week as the part of a Get to know the DOE Team campaign! Learn a little more about Dan in the brief question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I support the Commissioner in all aspects of the important work of the Department. I work closely with office directors and the Commissioner’s Office staff to provide effective leadership and support to our colleagues both in the field and across the the Department.

What do you like best about your job?

The part I like the best is the fact that no two days are the same, and that I can go from discussing early childhood education in the morning to school bus purchasing in the afternoon, with perhaps school funding, certification, legislation, adult education, social emotional learning, and career and technical education in between. I also enjoy the many opportunities to be out and about across the State, attending events that celebrate education, and collaborating with MDOE colleagues, as well others across state government, to support students, educators, and families in Maine.

How or why did you decide on this career?

Though I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, I didn’t realize that some day I would become Deputy Commissioner! I thank the many teachers that I had, as well as the wonderful educators that I’ve had a chance to work alongside, for the inspiration, motivation and encouragement to continue doing important work in the name of public education!

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

Being outside with my family! Our two kids (fourth and eighth grade) are at super ages for doing many things all year round. Some of our favorites include relaxing on the beach (preferably the ocean!), downhill skiing, running road races, travelling to see family (in many corners of the country) and visiting our beautiful State Parks!

Medomak Valley High School Art Teacher Receives Educator Innovation Award

Medomak Valley High School Art Teacher Krisanne Baker was recently awarded awarded a Bow Seat Educator Innovation Award recently for her commitment to inspiring students to make a difference for oceans and watersheds by teaching students about ocean conservation issues and engage them in creative action. Below is a description of Krisanne’s work provided by Bow Seat:

For the past 12 years, Krisanne’s personal art practice has focused on water quality. Knowing that our lives depend on the health of the ocean, she began a conversation about climate change in her art classrooms and found that no other teachers were addressing the subject. Krisanne developed the “Gulf of Maine: Dare to Care” curriculum to teach students how to use art to make a difference, specifically in ocean advocacy. When she offered her Studio Arts class the choice to work on Bow Seat’s Ocean Awareness Contest for an entire quarter and then submit their work to the competition, the students voted unanimously to do so! They learned how to make accurate scientific illustrations of endangered Gulf of Maine marine animals, then created slumped recycled glass renditions of their creatures, which will be a part of a display traveling from the town hall to local libraries to elementary schools.

Krisanne Baker is one of six winners internationally. Read more about the Bow Seat Educator Innovation Award.

MSSM Graduate Named Air Force Academy Cadet of the Year

Submitted by Ryan McDonald, Summer Programs Director and Public Relations Coordinator at Maine School of Science and Mathematics.

Congratulations to 2016 MSSM graduate Gordon McCulloh who has just been named the 2019 United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadet of the year at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in Washington D.C.

Gordon is working on a double major in Astronautical Engineering and Applied Math with an Arabic language minor. His current 3.92 GPA ranks him academically 16 of 992 academy cadets.

Highlights of Gordon’s USAFA career thus far include four weeks studying Arabic in Morocco, a six week internship with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, research on hybrid rocket combustion, and securing a $19,000 Stamps Scholarship which he used to intern with Ad Astra Rocket Company and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Go Gordon and Go Air Force!

Maine Department of Education Provides Complimentary 2019-2020 Law Books to Superintendents

The Maine DOE acquired enough copies of the Maine Education and School Statutes 2019-2020 Edition law book from the publisher, Swan Island Press, to distribute one, at no charge, to each superintendent of schools in Maine.

The law books are in the mail and should be received soon. To purchase additional copies of this law book directly from Swan Island Press, please contact Aaron Chase of Swan Island Press at info@swanislandpress.me.

Aroostook Educators Honored at Achiever Awards Gala

On Thursday, September 19, 2019 the Momentum Aroostook Awards Gala took place in Presque Isle. Established by Momentum Aroostook, the Aroostook Achievers awards recognize local professionals going above and beyond in their career.

Congratulations to three local educators who were honored in the category of education:

Deb Roark is the Executive Director of University Advancement and affairs at the University of Maine Presque Isle. She is an outstanding, goal oriented team leader. She strives to develop programs through the development of the MMG center to help students develop a professional demeanor and provides them with access to ongoing professional development.

Valerie Waldemarson is the director of the JMG program at Caribou High School. She received 5 nominations from her students. One student wrote “I would not be ready for the real world without her wisdom.” Her leadership and guidance in the development of Caribou High School’s JMG program has made her a highly regarded asset to the education of students in Aroostook County.

Ben Greenlaw has contributed to the development of strong student programs as the principal at Presque Isle High School. These include great dedication to students, training opportunities within the community and the County Bus Tour program for students to promote the area and build collaboration among students and the community. Ben has moved to the Assistant Superintendent role in Presque Isle and will be assuming the Superintendent position in January 2020 where he is certain to continue to develop students aspirations.

Congratulations to all of the awardees!

Important Notice: October 1st Student Enrollment Reporting Opens Soon

The October 1^st Student Enrollment report will be opening on October 1, 2019 for review, and will be able to be certified by districts starting on October 15, 2019. The certification must be completed no later than October 31, 2019.

Data from these reports are used in many areas of State and Federal reporting, and is also the basis for the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) subsidy funding formula. Due to the time-sensitive nature of EPS funding, it is essential this data be submitted, reviewed, and certified in a timely manner.

Superintendent and Special Education Director certification are both required for this report.

The Report will be available October 1^st in NEO.

Report guidance can be found on the Maine Department of Education Helpdesk, or a webinar to assist with the October 1^st Data Reporting is also available.

Prior to Oct 1^st, districts may utilize the Attending Student Download (ASD) report in NEO to view their student data being collected from Synergy. Note that the ASD report shows all students that have/had an enrollment at that school since 7/1/19, while the October 1^st report will only list students attending your schools as of October 1, 2019.

All due dates for reports are listed on the MDOE reporting calendar:

If you have difficulties navigating to Synergy or NEO, please call the Helpdesk at 624-6896 or email at medms.helpdesk@maine.gov

Webinar to Assist with Staff Data Certification

To assist those who are responsible for the important task of reporting, validating and/or certifying staff data to the Department of Education, the DOE Data Team will be holding a webinar on Tuesday October 16^th.

Staff Certification Report Webinar October 16^th from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

This webinar will focus on how to complete, validate and certify the Staff Certification Report. If you are tasked with editing, validating or certifying the annual Staff Certification Report for your district/school, you are encouraged to attend. If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to this webinar, please do not hesitate to contact us at the MEDMS helpdesk at MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896.

Please register, and use the Webinar ID 980-183-675.

Future Teachers Academy: Free Event for High School Students Interested in Exploring the Field of Education

Future Teachers Academy, an event for students who are interested in exploring the field of education, is being hosted by Thomas College and will be held on November 8th from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on their campus at 180 West River Road in Waterville.

During the event students will be able to participate in a daylong, hands-on and experimental teaching environment, led by professional faculty from the Thomas College School of Education, as well as partners from the Maine Department of Education and Maine Teachers of the Year.

Future Teachers Academy

When: November 8, 2019, 8:00 am – 1:30 pm
Where: Thomas College
Who: Open to Maine high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors

Register here

For further information please call (207) 859-1111.

Priority Notice: Two Free Emergency Management Training Sessions Available This Week Only

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, is pleased to offer:

Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101 Train-the-Trainer (TtT) Training

When: Thursday, September 26, 2019
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (Registration begins at 7:30 am)
Where: Senator Inn, 284 Western Ave, Augusta, ME 04330
Cost: NO CHARGE

With this K-12 101 TtT TBR, an expert team will train potential master trainers on the recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP, which includes the following:

Step 1: Forming a Collaborative Planning Team
Step 2: Understanding the Situation
Step 3: Determining Goals and Objectives
Step 4: Plan Development
Step 5: Plan Preparation, Review, and Approval
Step 6: Plan Implementation and Maintenance

Read the full description and register here »

K-12 101 Train-the-Educator & SITE ASSESS Trainings

When: Friday, September 27, 2019
Time: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (Registration begins at 7:30 am)
Where: Senator Inn, 284 Western Ave, Augusta, ME 04330
Cost: NO CHARGE

With this K-12 101 training, an expert team will provide an overview of a recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP, which includes:

Read the full description and register here »