KENNEBUNK
Audubon seeks Hog Island scholarship applicants
York County Audubon is accepting applications for an educator or community leader who wishes to participate in a one-week program on Hog Island this July, off the Midcoast.
The program is entitled “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” and will run from July 16 through 21. The society will sponsor one participant, to benefit from the island experience and use it to teach others. The scholarship will cover 70 percent of the recipient’s cost for program tuition, room and board.
Program details and descriptions are available at hogisland.audubon.org/sharing-nature-educator-s-week. Applications must be submitted by March 15.
For more information, go to yorkcountyaudubon.org/scholarships.

WELLS
Eighth grader wins spelling bee
Wells Junior High School eighth grader Minerva Brown has won the 2023 Wells Junior High School Spelling Bee and fellow eighth grader Saoirse Carrigan placed second.
Students in grades 5 through 8 competed in their English Language Arts classes for a chance to become one of 11 finalists that in the school-wide contest, held Jan. 12 in the gym before students, school staff, and parents. The event marked the first in school competition since COVID bans were placed in January 2019.
This contest is the first step in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. It was organized by the English Language Arts team, Principal Josh Gould, Assistant Principal Donald Abbott, and custodial staff led by Mike Provencher. Judges included school staff Lainey Yeomelakis, Mary Rand, Cheryl Turner, and Julie Howell.
Brown and Carrigan plan to attend the York County Spelling Bee, set for 3 p.m. Tuesday at Massabesic Middle School. The winner of that contest will move on to the Maine State Spelling Bee, and possibility to the national level at the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Visit spellingbee.com for a full competition schedule.

PORTLAND/BANGOR
Coat and toy drive back for 40th year
Following a two-year hiatus, News Center Maine returned with its 40th year of sponsoring the Coats and Toys for Kids campaign to collect gently used coats and new toys at Hannaford and Shaw’s stores.
In just over one month, more than 14,000 coats, 3,250 toys, and $12,330 were raised and donated to the program. The campaign also offered the option to purchase new coats or toys from The Coats and Toys for Kids Wish List and have it delivered directly to program recipient Salvation Army, which dispenses the items to people in need.

BRUNSWICK
Downtown association names new board of directors
The Brunswick Downtown Association elected new members to its board of directors and recognized several members for their community service at its Jan. 26 annual meeting.
Newly elected 2023 board members include board chair Brian Robinson of Mechanics Savings; vice chair Don Kniseley; secretary Rebecca Launer of Bath Savings Institution; and treasurer Bob Langworthy, management accounting.
The BDA Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Hannah Simmler. The BDA Member of the Year was awarded to Charlie Crosby of The Cryer. The
BDA Business of the Year was awarded to Eileen Hornor of OneSixty Five.
In keeping with the theme of the meeting – “All About Town” – Mid Coast-Parkview Health’s new president and CEO Christopher Bowe was introduced. Bowe leads the senior executive team and is responsible for the strategic and operational performance of Mid Coast-Parkview Health system. Upon taking on this role previously occupied by Lois Skillings, RN, MS, FACHE, Bowe said that he will strive to help his health care team continue to deliver evidence-based, patient centered excellent care.
For more details, visit brunswickdowntown.org.

SCARBOROUGH
Academy names STAR Student of the Month
Maine Connections Academy has named senior Zion Marsters of Gray as its January STAR Student of the Month. The recognition honors him as a scholar who represents the school’s values and spirit.
Over the past three years, Marsters has been taking courses for college credit while attending Maine Connections Academy, a full-time online school for students statewide in grades 7-12. He started with general education subjects – English, history, psychology – as a high school sophomore, before progressing to more advanced courses, such as physics and accounting. Some of the classes have been dual enrollment courses that offer college credit while being taught by a MCA teacher.
In total, Marsters will have 33 credits from the University of Maine at Fort Kent, University of Maine at Machias and University of Southern Maine on his resume going into graduation this June.
Beyond his academic track record, Marsters is recognized for his commitments outside of the classroom. He is a shift leader at the local Dairy Queen and participates in the school’s baking club, which meets online every few weeks to watch videos of recipes that they then try out themselves – sharing the finished products through photos and conversation.
Marsters recently put his culinary skills to use by setting up a bake sale fundraiser that raised nearly $600 to support his upcoming mission trip to Guatemala with the Greater Portland Christian School, after enrolling in a Spanish class through the school.
“The secret is to work hard and keep persevering,” said Marsters. “My dad always tells me that I only get one name. Nothing really ever comes without hard work.”
Marsters plans to attend Cedarville University at Ohio for electrical engineering this fall.

PORTLAND
Scholarship available to students interested in water industry
Applications are being accepted for the Joseph A. DiPietro Scholarship, in the amount of $1,500, to be awarded to an individual in the Portland Water District service area who is pursuing a career that is applicable to the water/wastewater industry, demonstrates financial need, a commitment to the community, and a desire to improve public health and the environment.
Eligible student applicants must live in a community served by PWD (Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Windham, Gorham, Raymond, Cumberland, Falmouth, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, or Standish); must be pursuing a career that is applicable to the water/wastewater industry (e.g., water/wastewater treatment technology, HVAC, electrical, automation technology, instrumentation, plumbing, pipefitting, fire science, environmental studies, applied sciences, engineering, public administration) and must demonstrate a commitment to PWD’s mission to protect public health, public safety, and the environment.
Preference will be given to students who attend or plan to attend a community college, trade school or an accredited college or university in PWD’s member communities (University of Southern Maine, University of New England, Southern Maine Community College); are the first in their family to attend college; demonstrate a commitment to the community through volunteer efforts; and show high academic performance.
The scholarship will be awarded once and it is not renewable. The deadline to apply is March 31.
To apply or for more information on eligibility and criteria, visit pwd.org.

ORONO
UMaine Extension 4-H introduces youth to algae
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H is accepting registrations through Feb. 10 for a short-term, online 4-H club about algae and its impact on surrounding ecosystems. Intended for ages 12-15, the special interest club will meet from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays from March 7-April 11.
The club will explore all things algae – why it’s important, how it can be used, harmful algae blooms and related community action. In this club, youth will have the opportunity to taste algae, create a seaweed lava lamp, and observe and analyze the growth of an algae sample at home.
The 4-H algae series will introduce ecological knowledge and experiment skills by exploring algae in different ways each week while making connections with youth statewide. UMaine Extension 4-H staff will lead the meetings and provide guidance for the algae growth experiment.
The club is free but space is limited to 10. Register by Feb. 10 on the event webpage to receive the link and at-home materials. For more details or to request a reasonable accommodation, call 581-8206 or email sarah.sparks@maine.edu.

SOUTHERN MAINE/NEW HAMPSHIRE
Rotary International honors local Rotarian
Rotary District 7780 has posthumously bestowed the late Dr. Susan Black, formerly of the Brunswick Coastal Rotary Club, with the Rotary International Board of Directors 2022-23 Service Above Self Award – the club’s highest honor.
Black’s 54-year career as a family doctor became the good fortune of Rotary as she served the sick and the poor. She joined the Rotary Club of Johannesburg South Africa in 1990, tending to AIDS victims and serving women and children in the Lowell Massachusetts Hospital and Community Health Center.
Black’s volunteer work flourished in 2014 and 2017 when she volunteered as a physician at Village Health Works, a community health facility in Burundi.
Upon moving to Maine, Black transferred her Rotary membership to the Brunswick Coastal Club as they had completed several projects in South Africa throughout the years. She understood the advantage of boosting her philanthropic leanings with the power of Rotary, including to help raise grant funding for water, sanitation and hygiene areas of Rotary’s focus, including for accessing fresh water in places like Burundi.
At 80-years -ld, while living with a fatal cancer diagnosis, Black continued to serve whenever and wherever she traveled. Many times, her friends and family supported her travel to places that needed her help, including a trip to Tijuana during COVID to volunteer at a clinic for refugees.
Black took every opportunity to improve her medical knowledge and skills, including through a course in palliative care in the United Kingdom. She was one of just seven doctors in South Africa with this special training. She traveled with a group of medical students to Australia to learn about alternate ways of treating disease, went to India to teach doctors how to create a family practice program in a local hospital and joined an international medical group in Kosovo instructing doctors how to best treat war-time injuries. Black was a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and worked with UNICEF. She was one of the first volunteers to care for radiated residents after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. She passed away peacefully on Sept. 5, 2022.
For more details, contact the Rotary Clubs of District 7780 at rotary7780.org.