Goodbye to Rippling Waters Farm

Some of you may have already heard the sad news, Rippling Waters Organic Farm, a 12-acre, non-profit farm located on River Road has been listed for sale. For more than 18 years, Rippling Waters has been dedicated to promoting food security through education, action, and service. For them, this statement was much more than words.

Rippling Waters has provided many community outreach services to Standish through the years and they will be sorely missed. They offered Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which is a means for the community to support local farmers by purchasing shares in the farm. They partnered with the Bonny Eagle Middle School to build the greenhouse that now stands near the school at the corner of routes 22 and 35 and created a garden at the Steep Falls Elementary School; they created a permaculture garden at the George E. Jack Elementary School and eight raised beds at Hollis Elementary; and they started a senior garden at the Stonecrest AVESTA Housing site over on Oak Ridge Drive. Their staff has volunteered at, and donated their produce, to Catherine’s Cupboard and many other local food pantries. On average, Rippling Waters has provided 10,000 pounds of produce annually to the emergency food system. They have hosted dozens of field trips and group tours through the years, educating the general public on the importance of organic gardening.

They also established the Food Connection Corps, which is an after school/summer youth development program that brought together teenagers from Maine School Administrative District 6 to make a difference in their community. Students learned the ins and outs of organic farming by growing food for the community and working closely with farm staff; helped maintain gardens at the schools and senior housing sites, learned to prepare healthy, delicious meals with the fruits of their labor, explored issues of hunger, community, nature and diversity; volunteered at local food pantries, sold food at the local farmers’ markets and received training in leadership, job skills, communication, and teamwork. My daughter participated in this program in 2012 so I was able to see first hand how valuable this program was to our youth.

On Saturday Sept. 8, Executive Director Richard Rudolph, and Farm Manager Julee Applegarth hosted their ninth annual and final Soil to Supper harvest celebration. While we are sad to see the farm close, we thank Richard, Julee and their team for everything they have done to make our community a better place in which to live. We wish them well in their future ventures.

Educational Direction

The SAD 6 school district is on the cusp of change and is starting a dialogue about the educational direction of SAD 6. They need the thoughts and input from Bonny Eagle parents. The message below is an excerpt from Superintendent Frank Sherburne’s blog on Aug. 28:

“This year, we will begin the discussion and make a decision about our district’s educational philosophy. I have assigned Krista Poulin, Assistant Curriculum Coordinator, to the task of creating a broad-based stakeholders group to begin the discussion and to make a recommendation to the [school] board by May 2014 about the direction of the district. The philosophical discussion will guide our direction and will focus on our becoming a Standards Referenced, or Standards Based, or Performance/Proficiency Based educational system. If you are interested in volunteering on this stakeholders group, please send Krista an email or call her so you can be added to the list. This is a significant decision for the district, and we are looking for a broad representation.”

This discussion group is being put together by Bonny Eagle High School Principal Paul Penna and Superintendent Frank Sherburne. They are currently building the group, and welcome participation from parents of students in grades K-12. The first meeting was scheduled for last night, Thursday, Oct. 10, but it’s not too late. If you would like to be involved in the discussion group, please email Krista Poulin at kpoulin@bonnyeagle.org or call 929-2307.

Halloween Spooktacular

The annual Standish Recreation Halloween Spooktacular will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 6-8 p.m. There will be a costume contest, a pumpkin carving contest, game tables run by local businesses and there will be a “Witch Walk.” If you would like to donate some goodies for the party, you can drop them off at dispatch at the town hall. For more information, contact Linda Brooks at lbrooks@standish.org or 642-2875.

Help with Homework

If you are a student in grades 6-12 and would like some help with homework once a week, go to the Standish Congregational Church on Wednesday afternoons from 3-5 p.m. Be prepared to work and a snack will be provided. For more information, contact Lorraine Christensen at 642-2487.

Standish Committee Openings

The Standish Recreation Committee, which meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m., has three openings. Please feel free to attend a meeting to learn more about the great ways this committee enhances our community.

The Appeals Board, which meets on the third Monday of each month, has one vacancy to fill through the year 2015. If you are interested, contact Town Clerk Mary Chapman at mchapman@standish.org or call 642-4678.

Reminders

The 2013 Standish Health & Safety Day at the Standish Municipal Center is being held Saturday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Scrapbooking Crop Fundraiser for Project Graduation 2014 on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. The cost is $45 per person, and includes lunch and supper. For more information about Project Graduation and what you or your local business can do to help, visit www.bonnyeagleprojectgraduation.com.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, come hear the story of a unique Maine family and experience Standish’s romantic past while you take a special autumn twilight tour of the 1789 Marrett House. Tours leave at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on each of the two nights. Admission is $5 for Historic New England members and $10 for non-members. Reservations for a specific date and tour are required. Visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org or call 882-7169 to reserve your place.The Johnson Field Playground Community Build Day will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 a.m. There is a list of all the tools and supplies they will need to complete the project at www.standishrec.com. Please contact Linda Brooks by phone about what, if anything, you will be able to provide from their wish list.