WRVC students in auto nationals

Two Westbrook Regional Vocational Center students hope to be crowned as the country’s best student auto technicians when they compete in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals on the front lawn of the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., June 7-9.

Gabrial Scamman and Michael Libby, led by instructor Carter Waldren, will represent Maine at the national finals against pairs of students from all 50 states.

The Westbrook Regional Vocational Center team will compete for scholarships at the national finals along with the prestige of the national title. There, the duo will compete for millions in scholarship dollars, the opportunity to earn a job shadow experience with Wood Brothers Racing and the possibility of being crowned as America’s best student auto technicians.

Scamman and Libby scored among advanced to the state finals hosted at the New England Dragway in Epping, N.H., on May 9, where they competed against nine other pairs of Maine high school students in a hands-on competition to diagnose and correctly repair intentionally installed “bugs” on identical Ford vehicles.

Libby was awarded a full scholarship to Central Maine Community College for scoring the highest in Maine on the online test.

Westbrook teachers of the year honored

As another school year comes to a close, the Westbrook School Department has named its annual teachers of the year. This year, Canal Elementary School kindergarten teacher Hannah Gundersdorf took the top “teacher of the year” honor.

At the Westbrook School Committee meeting last week, Peter Lancia, Westbrook schools’ director of teaching and learning, announced the winners, selected from a committee of former winners. One teacher from each school in the district is selected.

“We really do have some of the finest faculty in the state, and we’re so proud of you,” he said. “Thank you for the work you do with our kids day in and day out.”

The winners are Melissa Perkins, art teacher at Congin Elementary School; Linda Bois, third-grade teacher at Saccarappa Elementary School; Hannah Gundersdorf, kindergarten teacher at Canal Elementary School (also named overall “teacher of the year”); Michelle Higgins, physical education at Westbrook Middle School; Jarred Ruthman, who chairs the social studies department at Westbrook High School; and Victoria Lambert, medical occupations program teacher at Westbrook Regional Vocational Center.

Button club to meet

The Casco Bay Button Club will meet from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, at St. Anthony’s Church on Brown Street. For more information, call Kim Carignan at 807-5226.

Together Days raffle

Friends of Walker Memorial Library will raffle off ornaments at the library’s booth at Westbrook Together Days on both Friday and Saturday, May 29 and 30, at Riverbank Park.

This fundraiser of ornaments has been donated to the library by a Portland resident, along with the Westbrook Kiwanis Club, which donated collectible ornaments of historical Westbrook buildings. The collectible ornament are $5, and proceeds support the library.

This year the library friends have purchased bean bag chairs for the teen lounge, plexiglass signs for the front desk to advertise library programs, a 3-D printer, and an old-fashioned popcorn machine to serve snacks during movie nights.

“We also have raised money to buy $300 in books toward college for one Westbrook High School 2015 graduating senior,” Kelly Day, vice president of the friends group, said in an announcement.

Westbrook’s Teachers of the Year are, from left, Michelle Higgins, Melissa Perkins, Jarred Ruthman, Linda Bois and Hannah Gundersdorf. Not pictured is Victoria Lambert.Instructor Carter Waldren at Westbrook Regional Vocation Center will accompany students Gabrial Scammon and Michael Libby, who will represent Maine in the auto skills national finals in Michigan From left are Waldren, Libby and Scammon. Courtesy photos