Slam-dunk champ

Last month, the Southern Maine Athletic Association basketball league held an exhibition game at Deering High School for this year’s boy and girls high school all-star players. Twenty players were chosen by the coaches for this event, which was meant to showcase the talented Maine basketball seniors for the 2011 season.

The event also included a slam dunk contest which was not limited to the players. Drew Gagnon, a 6-foot, 3-inch senior from Windham High School unanimously won the contest after a dazzling performance that captivated the large crowd. He went three for three in his dunk attempts, which included a reverse dunk and an amazing leap over a teammate. Gagnon lives in Raymond and was an outstanding student and athlete while attending Jordan-Small Middle School.

Owls at the library

The kids may be on April vacation but that doesn’t mean they can’t still learn and have fun while doing so. Raymond Village Library’s annual spring nature program will be held on Monday, April 18 at 2 p.m.

This year’s program will feature owls, the fascinating birds whose questioning call we often hear in the night. School-aged children are invited to come learn many new and interesting facts about these wonderful feathered creatures. These interactive nature programs are always popular events and space is limited, so be sure to sign up early at the library in order to participate. This Cornerstones of Science program, presented by Cornerstone’s executive director Jocelyn Hubbell, is made possible by a grant from Loon Echo Land Trust through the Helen Allen Endowment.

Calling all kindergartners

September may seem far away, but now is the time to register your child for the upcoming school year. If you have a child who will be turning 5 years old on or before October 15 and is a resident of Raymond, please call Raymond Elementary School at 655-8672 to register your child for the fall of 2011. Screenings of all eligible children will be held in May. For further information, contact Deborah Hutchinson, Assistant Principal/Guidance Counselor at Raymond Elementary School at 655-8672 ext. 400 or dhutchinson@windhamraymondschools.org.

Eggstravaganza!

The Windham High School Softball team is hoping to go to Florida in 2012 for some spring training. To help fund their trip they are hosting an Eggstravaganza for the whole family on Sunday, April 17, from 1-3 p.m. on the high school athletic fields. This event will include an egg hunt, egg spoon races, cookie decorating, egg rolling, crafts, sac hopping races, face painting, balloons and lots of other fun. There will also be a special prize for the person who finds the golden egg. Get your friends or family together to make a four-person team and take a shot at the egg relay race.

This is guaranteed to be a great day and you won’t want to miss it. For more information or to pre-register your relay team, please contact Stacey Richmond at starrich@maine.rr.com or 655-5097.

The Writers

Last month’s meeting was canceled due to snow but The Writers, a writing group that is inviting new members from the Sebago Lakes area who are interested in writing, are looking forward to this month’s meeting to be held at the Raymond Public Safety Station on the Monday, April 18, from 6-8 p.m.

The moderator of this group will be T. Jewell Collins, and Betty Libby is the founder and manager. Jewell Collins is a widely published writer and adult education instructor in the Fryeburg and Lakes Region area. Libby is an owner of the Sebago Lake Development Corporation of Casco and Raymond. For more information, please call 655-9214.

Time to compost

Earth Day is next week and what better way to help our planet than by reducing trash. Composting is an excellent way to reduce trash by recycling food scraps, yard trimmings and other organic matter. Once these scraps are decomposed, they can be used for potting soil or mulch and to help improve moisture absorption and drainage.

To help you in your composting efforts, the town is once again selling compost bins. The deadline to place your order is April 29 with an expected shipment date of May 13. These 40-gallon bins have a 10-year warranty and are made of 100 percent recycled black plastic. Scrap pails, wing diggers and rain barrels are also being sold. Samples are on display at the town office. To place an order, contact Town Clerk Louise Lester at 655-4742 or louise.lester@raymondmaine.org.

Project Canopy grant

The Town of Raymond is the recipient of a Maine Department of Conservation Project Canopy Community Forestry Assistant Grant.

This Grant, administered by the town with field work completed by Forester Greg Foster, has been awarded in the amount of $2,496, matched 50/50 by the Town of Raymond. Grant funding is provided through the USDA Forest Service, State & Private Forestry, under the authority of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978.

The Town of Raymond will use the grant funding matched by proceeds from anticipated timber harvest to complete a Forest Management Plan in conjunction with developing community education about local and Maine forestry and wildlife.

Dean’s List

Congratulations to Alison Gagnon, a 2008 graduate of Windham High School, who made the Dean’s list for the fall semester of 2010. She is a junior at the University of Rhode Island and will graduate 2012 with a major in Textile Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She is the daughter of Ron and Helene Gagnon of Raymond.

JSMS Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following Jordan-Small Middle School students who made the honor roll for the second trimester:

Grade 8 High Honors: Kaitlyn Dostie, Emily Gagne, and Emma Gresh.

Grade 8 Honors: Emily Algeo, Tiffany Anderson, Nicholas Ball, Jesse Catir, Alana Cobb, Jenna Cole, Madison Cutten, Kara Davison, Megan Doughty, Katelyn Dudley, Noah Estey, Crystal Frappier, Chase Gendron, Madeline Gillespie, Daniel Hanson, Gavriella King, Alexandra Lewis, Aiyanna Maciel, Clayton Manchester, Madison Millette-Gagnon, Hunter Mitchell, Shelby Peavey, Bryanna Power, Julia Rand, Kristina Smith, Haley Stedt, David Stratton, and Andrew Tanguay.

Grade 7 Honors: Isabella Davis, Nataley Jeffrey, Megan Knights, Anna Laprise, and Lexi Walker.

Grade 6 Honors: Taylor Bernier, Meghan Brown, Mikayla Bureau, Eliza Chim, Mackenzie Fish, John Gresh, Jaycee Hovey, Jaret Korzeniowski, Dalton McClure, Paige Pandora, Cameron Peavey, Ilana Peet, Leandra Peet, Connor Pittman, Richard Skillings, Cortney Stedt, Maia Tangen, Danielle Tardiff, Taylor Tibbetts, Holden Willard, and David Young.

Grade 5 High Honors: Danielle Meader

Grade 5 Honors: Walter Backman, Jack Bisson, Jillian Clark, Hunter Dionne, Ian Emery-Shaw, David Ferrante, Ben Folsom, Jessica Meyer, Robert Murray, Tabitha Newquist, Maggie Nunn, Holy Rose, Kieran Rowe, Maegan Vierra, Natalie Walker, and Alexander Wilkins.