Blessed donations

The Rev. Paul Sullivan, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Portland, blessed boxes of clothes donated by members of the St. Brigid School community for those in need at the Preble Street Resource Center at a schoolwide assembly in the parking lot on Stevens Avenue Feb. 2. The service project was part of the school’s celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Contributed / Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

Student art contest shines a light on Black History Month

Voting is now open in the fifth annual Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine Black History Month Art Contest.

A student’s rendering of Zora Neale Hurston, African American folklorist, novelist, short story writer and civil rights advocate (1891-1960). Contributed / UScellular

This year, UScellular, which conducts the contest, introduced a new element: Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs were encouraged to create their original pieces of artwork in recognition of influential Black STEM icons, including historical figures, world leaders, scientists and educators.

Ten finalists were chosen by representatives from the Boys & Girls Club based on creativity, quality, interpretation, clarity of theme and overall impression. The finalists’ artwork is also digitally displayed in the store at 300 Gallery Boulevard in Scarborough and 95 Rock Row in Westbrook. Voting will remain open until Feb. 28 at newsroom.uscellular.com; the top three will be awarded gift cards for $250, $150 and $100.

Ecomaine challenges students to turn trash into treasure

A working chandelier made from plastic bottles. A bike rack made from old bicycles. Used clothing turned into hair scrunchies.

These are just some of the winning ideas Maine students have come up with to meet the upcycle challenge issued every year by ecomaine waste management company.

The 2022 Upcycle Challenge has officially launched, and students in ecomaine’s communities are being asked to use items that ordinarily would have been disposed of to make all-new, functional ones and submit them by March 18. The winning entry will earn a $500 prize to the student’s school. Guidelines, rules and the entry form can be found online at ecomaine.org.

Portland pre-K, kindergarten registration open

Portland parents: It’s the time of year to enroll your children for the Portland Public Schools pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs for next fall.

Children who will turn 4 years old by Oct. 15 and are Portland residents are eligible for the pre-K program. Placement in pre-K classes will be chosen by lottery if more children apply than spaces allotted. The lottery application for the 2022-2023 school year will go live at midnight Feb. 14 and will close March 4.

The pre-K lottery application will be online only. If a family cannot access resources to fill out the application online, call Deenah Lewy at 874-8190. If a family needs language assistance to fill out the application, call the Multilingual Department at 874-8135.

For Portland families whose children turn 5 by Oct. 15, the kindergarten enrollment window is from Feb. 28 through March 18 and is ongoing. Registration is online. For more information about either program, see portlandschools.org.