WESTBROOK
Scout awarded Eagle Scout rank

Maxwell Burns Minormomentsphotography.com

Maxwell Burns, a member of Pine Tree Council Scouts BSA Troop 83 of Westbrook was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on May 21 during a ceremony held at the Westbrook Community Center. The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest achievement obtainable from the Boy Scouts of America, with just four percent of scouts attaining this distinction, that was first awarded by the Boy Scouts of America in 1912.
Burns earned the 21 merit badges required to earn the Eagle Scout rank and was also required to demonstrate leadership and community service by organizing and carrying out an Eagle service project. For his project, Burns self-funded and oversaw the construction of 10 wooden bistro tables that he donated to the Westbrook Community Center.
During his scouting career, Burns was selected to be a member of the State of Maine contingent at the 24th World Scout Jamboree held in 2019 in West Virginia. He also served as the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 83. Burns is member of Madockawanda Lodge No. 271 of the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s national honor society.
At the ceremony, Mayor Michael T. Foley provided Burns with a mayoral proclamation recognizing his achievement. In his proclamation, Foley stated: “Burns serves as an example to the youth of our community through his high level of personal achievement, leadership and community service and has made the City of Westbrook very proud.”
Burns is the son of Aaron Burns and Lisa Burns of Westbrook. A senior at Westbrook High School, he plans to attend Southern Maine Community College in South Portland after graduation to study cybersecurity.

SCARBOROUGH
Youth circus troop performs at Universal Studios
The Gym Dandies, an after school youth circus program from Scarborough, will travel to Orlando, Fla., to perform at Universal Studios on June 24 and 25.
While the Gym Dandies frequently perform locally at events like the Yarmouth Clam Festival and the Kennebunk May Day parade, they typically perform in a national-level parade only every two years. Previous national events include the Independence Day Parade in Philadelphia and the Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C. This trip and performance was originally scheduled for June 2020 but was postponed due to COVID.
The performing group includes 20-inch unicyclists, giraffe unicyclists, 2-wheel unicyclists, 3-wheel unicyclists, and one 36-inch unicyclist. The group will be led by director David Sloatman and coordinator Janoah Bailin. Leading up to the trip, the Gym Dandies will be participating in Maine Academy of Modern Music’s Resurgam event and the Portland Pride parade.
The Gym Dandies program was founded by Jon Cahill, a physical education teacher in Scarborough schools, in 1981. What began as a small group of 10 fifth- and sixth-graders learning to juggle tennis balls in 1981 has evolved into a group of over 200 students in grades 3 through 12 who learn juggling, unicycling, and other circus skills.

PORTLAND
Eighth-grader finishes second in national poetry contest
Briella Doherty, an eighth-grader at St. Brigid School in Portland, has been named the winner of the second prize in the Sarah Mook Poetry Contest, a national competition that saw more than 1,000 entries from across the country. Doherty’s winning entry was titled “One Night.”

WATERVILLE
Bank awards two high school students with $2,500 scholarships
New Dimensions FCU has selected senior students Sage Clukey of Winslow High School and Thomas Dean of Skowhegan Area High School as its New Dimensions FCU’s 2022 Scholarship Program winners. Each will receive $2,500 toward their first year of college.
The scholarships are presented to high school seniors who demonstrate strong character, community involvement, and academic success. Clukey and Dean were selected for the honor for going above and beyond in their academics and community. They both came highly recommended by school officials and their essays showed that their character and assessment of financial literacy aligned with New Dimensions FCU’s mission and values.
Clukey plans to study nursing at Franklin Pierce University and Dean plans to study finance at the University of Maine at Orono.
For more details, visit newdimensionsfcu.com.

Chamber of Commerce awards college scholarship
Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce has named senior student Mikala Ferland as its 2022 Joseph B. Ezhaya scholarship winner. This $750 annual scholarship will be distributed to Ferland after the completion of her first semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher and will be awarded for up to four years, for a total of $3,000.
Ferland is one of the top students in her class at Lawrence High School in Fairfield. She completed a health science certificate at Kennebec Valley Community College while still in school. She values citizenship and responsibility, along with having a passion for music and martial arts. Her stated mission is to make a significant difference in the lives of others as she moves forward.
Ferland was a member of the National Honors Society and served as secretary and representative of her class during her high school tenure. She assisted in teaching and has participated in martial arts for more than seven years. She has a long list of musical accomplishments in her background. Mikala serves as a lifeguard at the Alfond Youth Community Center since 2020 and has dedicated over 320 volunteer hours at Camp Tracy.
Ferland plans to attend KVCC’s nursing program in Fairfield this fall.

SOUTH PORTLAND
10 students awarded full tuition scholarships
Ten Maine community college students were awarded full tuition scholarships in honor of Leon A. Gorman for the upcoming 2022-2023 academic year. The students were May 23 in an online event with Gorman family members and L.L.Bean leadership.
The 2022 Leon A. Gorman Scholars and their courses of study include: Robert Martin of Prentiss Township, criminal justice, Central Maine Community College; Andrew Severson of Rockland, business administration and management, Central Maine Community College; Elizabeth Gagnon of Brewer, nursing, Eastern Maine Community College; Allison Pease of Belgrade, physical therapy assistant, Kennebec Valley Community College; Darrell Adams, III of Caribou, nursing, Northern Maine Community College; Joseph Agostino of Saco, horticulture, Southern Maine Community College; Hanan Ali of Portland, liberal studies/social work, Southern Maine Community College; Luke White of Portland, nursing and health science, Southern Maine Community College; Jessica Bacon of Calais, residential commercial electricity and electromechanical instrumentation, Washington County Community College; and Coley Hatt of Biddeford, information technology, York County Community College.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY
Library holding raffle to raise money for Ukraine
A “Sunflowers for Ukraine” quilt – made and donated by Carrabassett Valley Public Library board member Peggy Bishop – is being raffled off, with proceeds directly benefiting World Central Kitchen to support the people of Ukraine.
Raffle tickets are $10 each or three tickets for $25. The drawing will be made during Sugarloaf’s Homecoming weekend on Oct. 9.
To purchase raffle tickets, contact Peggy Bishop at littlecricketx@gmail.com, library at cvlibrary3209@gmail.com or call 237-3535. The quilt is viewable at the library at 3209 Carrabassett Dr., No. 3.