Pinewood Derby

After a day filled with racing their hand-crafted cars against one another, the Cub Scouts with the fastest cars were awarded trophies in Saturday’s Pinewood Derby. Competing against the other scouts of Pack 800, Kyle Nelson took first place with his car traveling fastest down the track. This highly anticipated annual event is one of the pack’s most popular and its success is the result of a collaborative effort. A strong parental volunteer base makes it possible and a heartfelt thank you also goes to the Raymond Lions Club for donating a delicious pancake breakfast to start off the day.

Although it was emphasized that all the boys are winners, the top five boys were awarded trophies and will move on to compete in the Casco Bay District Derby in April. The fastest five racers were Kyle Nelson, Andrew Terry, Will Gordon, Tommy Gordon and Miles Chapman. Should any of them be unable to attend the district competition, sixth-place finisher Tommy DuPont will take that scout’s place and attend the derby. Congratulations to all the scouts for displaying outstanding sportsmanship.

Looking for Lions

And speaking of the Lions, their membership numbers are down and they are actively seeking new members to keep the club going and continue providing their services.

The Raymond Lions Club is an active group of service-minded men and women who want to make Raymond a better place to live by serving the community. Just a few of the ways our Lions support Raymond include cooking the annual Cub Scout breakfast, stocking the food pantry, purchasing large print books for the library, providing eyeglasses for those in need, awarding scholarships to qualified and deserving students, and coordinating our annual holiday tree lighting. I find it fascinating that all the funds for the services they provide come from the bottle drop-off centers located at the Town Office and on Route 302 near the veterinary clinic. Please continue to leave your empties at these sites because your donations obviously go a very long way. In addition, please consider joining the Lions Club and helping them provide these services. For more information about the club and how you can help, contact Bob Wallace at 655-2222.

Geography champ

Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.

Jordan Small Middle School participated in the National Geographic Bee last week by testing the students. The top students from each grade were selected to compete in the contest and included seventh-grade finalists Emily Algeo, Katelyn Dostie, Chase Gendron, Aiyanna Maciel-Bubier and Clayton Manchester; and eighth-grade finalists Mike Bruno, Eben Dexter, Sara Hoffman, Morgan Richmond and Natasha Thoits. After correctly answering many difficult questions, Emily Algeo came in first place. Clayton Manchester finished in second place and Eben Dexter earned third place.

Emily will now complete a 70-question written test to determine if she qualifies for the state championships which will be held in April. If she qualifies, she will be competing against the best from 100 other schools in Maine, and the winner of that bee will move on to the national competition in Washington, D.C. Congratulations to all the finalists and good luck Emily.

Recycled cell phones

Technology changes so rapidly, frequent upgrades to your equipment seem to be a necessity. Do you have an old cell phone you no longer use? The PTO is recycling cell phones as a fundraiser. Simply bring your old, unused phone to one of the schools and the PTO members will recycle it and also earn cash. This program not only helps our environment but will help support the programs provided by the PTO.

PHK meets again

The next Parents Helping Kids Make Good Choices meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Public Safety Building. Joe Schnupp of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department will be talking with the group about Crime Watch. There have recently been a lot of home and auto burglaries in Raymond and the belief is that young adults are stealing money and items to then purchase drugs. Schnupp will explain the legalities of how parents are responsible for their kids’ actions when it comes to using and selling drugs. Ideas of how to be proactive with our children and other topics will be discussed. For more information about the meeting, contact Kathleen Tolman at ktolman7@maine.rr.com.

Making honors

Jordan Small Middle Scholl has released its honor roll for the first trimester and as always, the list is long. Congratulations to the following students who have earned outstanding grades.

Grade 8 High Honors: Sara Hoffman, Bradley Meade, and Erick Schadler.

Grade 8 Honors: Jakayla Downs, McKenzie Larson, Morgan Richmond, Zachary Rose, Natasha Thoits, Sam Trepanier, Jennifer Walker and Travis Winde.

Grade 7 High Honors: Jesse Catir, Kaitlyn Dostie, Katelyn Dudley, Emily Gagne, Chase Gendron, Emma Gresh and Haley Stedt.

Grade 7 Honors: Nicholas Ball, Alana Cobb, Jenna Cole, Madison Cutten, Kara Davison, Megan Doughty, Noah Estey, Crystal Frappier, Madeline Gillespie, Crystal Handy, Daniel Hanson, Gavriella King, Alexandra Lewis, Aiyanna Maciel, Clayton Manchester, Faith McNeice, Madison Millette-Gagnon, Hunter Mitchell, Emily Monahan, Shelby Peavey, Parker Perkins, Bryanna Power, Julia Rand and Andrew Tanquay.

Grade 6 High Honors: Mary Brackett, Isabella Davis, Skyla Engler, Liam Flynn, Amanda Gendron, Megan Knights, Anna Laprise, Brigid Mulvihill, Bailey Nassa, Allie Pandora, Jeffrey Pollard, MacKenzie Sangster, Alexis Walker and Alison Wood.

Grade 6 Honors: Zachery Callahan, Joshua Downs, Cora Dykens, Broderick Gillespie, Katrina Gowen, Katie Hunter, Nataley Jeffrey, Tayla Johnson, Allison Kisel, Luke Korzeniowski, Dylan Koza, Bennett Libby, Sean Mains, Madison McEnroe, Gregory Meader, Maelah Nadeau, Wyatt Partridge, Ryan Plummer and Evan Taylor.

Grade 5 High Honors: Michael Adams, Emily Anderson, Rachel Jordan, Jamie Keisman, Eleanor VanWinkle and David Young.

Grade 5 Honors: Charity Adams, Riaen Ayers, Orien Beers, Taylor Bernier, Hannah Brackett, Mikayla Bureau, Suzanna Butterfield, Thomas Carrol, Eliza Chim, Matthew Dostie, Kaleb Felix-Waterman, Louis Geller, John Gresh, Meagan Griffeth, Jaycee Hovey, Jaret Korzeniowski, Sophia Latham, Arthur Lewis, Benjamin MacDonald, Austin McGowan, Jacob Melvin, Paige Pandora, Cameron Peavey, Emma Peavey, Ilana Peet, Leandra Peet, Keegan Perry, Sierra Peters, Connor Pittman, Marcus Pongratz, Derrike Richards, Kayla Saunders, Madison Shimko, Richard Skillings, Cortney Stedt, Maia Tangen, Makayla Tanner, Danielle Tardiff, Taylor Tibbetts, Holden Willard and Kristina Wunderlich.

North Yarmouth Academy has also submitted its first trimester honor rolls which include the following students from Raymond: Highest Honors: Grade 9, Emma Laprise and Lillie Reder; High Honors: Grade 7, Muriel Adams; Honors: Grade 12, Katherine Lentine; Grade 9, Aaron Guiseley; and Grade 6, Hannah Chapman.

Cub Scout Pack 800’s Pinewood Derby winners Kyle Nelson, Andrew Terry, Will Gordon, Tommy Gordon and Miles Chapman.