The Stars ?and beyond

Raymond Village Library is the fortunate recipient of a new Orion StarBlast 4.5” telescope donated by Cornerstones of Science in conjunction with the New Hampshire Astronomical Society.

Cornerstones donated the telescope to Raymond Village Library in honor of the past Executive Director, Jocelyn Hubbell. The Library Telescope Project of the New Hampshire Astronomical Society has placed more than 60 telescopes in libraries throughout Maine and New Hampshire. Their goal is to foster scientific literacy and to stimulate the interest in astronomy, enable people who have never looked through a telescope the chance to experience the excitement that comes from discovery, and to provide a valuable asset for the library. The telescope is now available for loan to adult patrons, and an informational presentation will be held on Wednesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. followed by a brief hands-on demonstration. This program is limited to 25 participants, so please stop by or call the library at 655-4283 to reserve your place.

Lyrids with Loon Echo

Speaking of the library’s new telescope and viewing the night sky, Loon Echo Land Trust will be hosting an early morning meteor shower gazing gathering at Hacker’s Hill on Sunday, April 22, from 3:30-5:30 a.m. during which they will be using the Raymond Village Library’s new telescope. Every year in late April, Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher, and the encounter causes a meteor shower called the Lyrids. Forecasters expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour visible from dark-sky locations, and conditions for a Lyrid viewing are perfect this year as they fall during the new moon. Coffee and snacks will be provided to aid with alertness in the wee hours, and participants should bring a reclining lawn chair or thick blanket and dress appropriately for the weather. The gate will be open and there is ample parking at the top of the hill. There is a suggested donation of $5 which will go to the purchase and protection of Hacker’s Hill. I am fortunate to be connected to both the library and Loon Echo and crazy enough that I will eagerly bypass sleep and enjoy this early-morning adventure. I hope you will join me. For more information, contact Beth at Loon Echo at 647-4352.

Gaffen has lunch with the Governor

Jake Gaffen, a Second Class Scout with Troop 800, was one of 30 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Explorers, Venturers, and Sea Scouts chosen to participate in the opening ceremonies of the first annual Governor’s Luncheon for Scouting held March 20 in Portland.

The luncheon was presented by Pine Tree Council of Maine, the umbrella organization that serves 20,000 area Scouts, as part of its annual fundraising effort. Nearly 500 guests were present at the Holiday Inn by the Bay including Bob Crowley, aka “Survivor Bob,” of Gorham, a former teacher and Scout himself. The fundraiser was very successful raising more than $240,000 to support local districts and their programs, including Camp Hinds in Raymond. Congratulations to Jake for being selected to attend this luncheon.

Ferrets, snakes and skunks…oh my!

Sparks Arks, a fun and interactive program featuring many critters and birds, is coming to the Raymond Village Library to entertain and educate school-aged kids on Wednesday, April 18, at 2 p.m. Come see, touch and learn about the many rescued animals. This event is limited to 25 participants so please stop by or call the library at 655-4283 to reserve your spot. This program is made possible through an award from Loon Echo Land Trust’s 2012 Environmental Education Grant Program, thanks to a generous bequest by Helen Allen of Casco.

Raymond Youth Field Hockey

Raymond had its inaugural field hockey season last year which was very successful resulting in many girls taking up the sport and eager for this year’s season. The first annual St. Joseph’s College Spring Field Hockey Clinic will be held at the Jordan-Small Middle School on Sunday, April 29, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. This clinic is targeted for girls in second through eighth grades and no experience is required. The clinic will be coached by St. Joseph’s field hockey coaches and players, and costs $10. Sticks, balls and shin guards will be provided, but girls are asked to bring a mouth guard. For additional information or to register, please contact Julie Wilson at jwilson13@maine.rr.com or Sara Childs at schilds76@maine.rr.com.

Big Apple Preview Concert

The Windham Chamber Singers, comprised of 40 elite high school singers from Raymond and Windham, will be leaving for their annual spring tour on April 26. This year, they will be delighting audiences in schools, churches and public forums throughout New York, including an exciting performance scheduled at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. To kick off their tour – and to give those of us who are eager to hear them sing but cannot go to New York – they will be performing a Big Apple Concert on Wednesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at the Windham Performing Arts Center. Seating is general admission and costs $5 per person. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear this amazing choir.

Spelling Bee

Raymond’s Harmony Brown will play the role of the over-achieving Marcy Park in the upcoming production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at Community Little Theater in Auburn. Harmony recently attended Guilford College in North Carolina where she studied music and mathematics. “Spelling Bee” is a one-act musical comedy that centers on a fictional middle school spelling bee. Six quirky adolescents, all played by adults, compete in the bee, which is run by three equally quirky adults. An unusual aspect of the show is that four audience members are invited on stage to compete alongside the six young characters. Production dates are April 20, 21, 27, 28 at 8 p.m., April 22 and 29 at 2 p.m., and April 26 at 7:30 a.m. For more information, call 783-0958 or visit www.laclt.com.

Making Honors

Jordan-Small Middle School has released the honor roll for the second trimester. Congratulations to the following students for achieving honors:

Grade 5 High Honors: Colby Dionne, Haley Froisland, Hannah Gagne, Sophie Sangster, and Devon Young. Grade 5 Honors: Hannah Bernier, Magdalene Bradford, Courtney Brown, Blake Colby, Stratos Demakis, Kaitlyn Gedicks, Devon Griffeth, Elissibeth Jackson, Benjamin Kisel, Clara Mulvihill, Caelen Pardue, Alexis Peet, Grace Schmader, Wade Stedt, and Alianah Timmons. Grade 5 Honorable Effort:

Madison McCune, Stearns Wallingford, Sarah Hall, Richard Plummer, and Riley Gardner.

Grade 6 High Honors: Danielle Meader, Jessica Meyer, and Alex Wilkins. Grade 6 Honors: Walter Backman, Hunter Dionne, Ian Emery-Shaw, Robert Murray, Maggie Nunn, Holly Rose, Nicholas Rose, Kieran Rowe, Hannah Stogsdill, Katelyn Troiano, Maegan Vierra, and Natalie Walker. Grade 6 Honorable Effort: Jack Bisson, Lauren Clark, Caitlyn Dyke, Ben Folsom, Corey Fowler, Nora Laprise, Alaina Lewis, Tabitha Newquist, and Carleigh Steele.

Grade 7 Honors: Taylor Bernier, Hannah Brackett, Paige Pandora, Connor Pittman, Danielle Tardiff, Ellie Van Winkle, Kristina Wunderlich, and David Young. Grade 7 Honorable Effort: Orion Beers, Kaleb Felix-Waterman, MacKenzie Fish, Louis Geller, John Gresh, Jaret Korzeniowski, Arthur Lewis, Cameron Peavey, Devon Plummer, Derrike Richards, Taylor Rickett, and Maia Tangen.

Grade 8 Honors: Tayla Johnson, Anna Laprise, Greg Meader, Ryan Plummer, Jeffrey Pollard, and Alexis Walker. Grade 8 Honorable Effort: Mary Brackett, Isabella Davis, Megan Knights, Maelah Nadeau, Bailey Nassa, and Evan Taylor.