PORTLAND

Odyssey of the Mind team seeking sponsors for World Finals trip

Amanda C. Rowe Elementary School’s Odyssey of the Mind team has qualified for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, to be held May 24-27 at Michigan State University, at East Lansing, Mich.

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international creativity competition that helps students of all ages develop Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) skills through problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and performing arts.

This is the first year the program was offered at Rowe Elementary. The team of Grade 4 and 5 students placed first in their division at the Nor’Easter Tournament March 25

The Rowe team is now seeking financial support to help its student participants, coaches, and chaperones attend the world competition. The cost to attend is $650 per person for on-campus housing and meals and $400 to $500 per person for travel.

Sponsorship levels include:

• Gold Sponsor of $1,000 and above would include the company logo on team shirt and framed photo of team;

• Silver Sponsor of $500 to $999 to include company name on our team shirt and framed photo of team;

• Friend of the Team, of up to $499, to include a framed photo of our team; and Gift Cards accepted toward a raffle, with proceeds to benefit the travel costs.

All donations are tax-deductible and can be made on behalf of our team to our school’s PTO (a nonprofit 501(c) organization). For more details, email roweodyssey@gmail.com.

PORTLAND

ChoralArt holding auditions Monday for Masterworks Chorus

Members of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, ChoralArt Masterworks and solo vocalists perform Sunday at Merrill.

ChoralArt will be holding auditions for new members for its Masterworks Chorus on Monday.

Each year the 80-member Masterworks Chorus sings major works with the Portland Symphony Orchestra at Merrill Auditorium. This year they will perform Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

Prospective singers should prepare to sing a cappella their voice part from Brahms’ “How lovely is thy dwelling place” and to sight sing a brief tonal melody.

To schedule an audition, contact Ann Dillon at manager@choralart.org.

PORTLAND & ELLSWORTH

MaineCF scholarship available for aspiring preservationists

Aspiring preservationists may be eligible for the Maine Community Foundation’s William J. Murtagh Scholarship for Graduate Historic Preservation Studies.

The scholarship is available to students pursuing graduate-level degrees with majors in historic preservation or similar fields including archaeology, architecture, landscape architecture, art history, museum studies, construction arts and sciences, architectural history, history, planning, preservation law and building conservation.

Murtagh, one of the world’s leading preservationists, was vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and helped start preservation programs at several universities. He wrote one of the first college textbooks about historic preservation.

For more information and to apply, visit mainecf.org/scholarships.

WELLS

Recipients of Literary Achievement Awards announced

The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District will present its 37th Annual Literary Achievement Awards ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Wells Elementary School Cafeteria, celebrating the district’s 67 students who placed in this year’s creative writing contest.

This will be the first time since 2019 that this event is presented in front of a live audience.

Following an introduction, 12 first-place recipients, representing from Kindergarten through Grade 12, will take the stage to read aloud all or a portion of their winning short stories, nonfiction pieces, and poems. Contest prizes also will be awarded, including the top prize of $500 to first-place winner, senior Kenna Olsen.

Other first place winners of the contest were: Ariana Harvey, kindergarten; Connor Roche, Grade 1; Penny Braniff, Grade 2; Lucas Harvey, Grade 3; Will Minogue, Grade 4; Elsa Lawson, Grade 5; Lily Hamilton, Grade 6; Owen Avery, Grade 7; Ava Marsh, Grade 8; Ainslie Donovan, Grade 9; Pieper Shead, Grade 10; and Sam Coleman, Grade 11.

All entries were judged anonymously, at two levels, by district staff and community members. The top winner at each grade level received $100; with the senior student receiving $500. Second-place winners each received $50, third-place winners received $25 and honorable mentions each received $15 gift certificates to Las Olas Taqueria in Wells.

The writing contest encourages, recognizes, and rewards outstanding creative writing at all grade levels including adult education. It was sponsored by the Wells-Ogunquit CSD, the Rotary Club of Wells, the Rotary Club of Ogunquit and Las Olas Taqueria.

AUGUSTA

Maine community college students named to All-Maine Academic Team

Twenty-one Maine community college students were named to the All-Maine Academic Team in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and service.

The students receiving the award and a $500 scholarship from the MCCS Board of Trustees, included:

• Central Maine Community College at Auburn: Patricia Benson of Dixfield, Destiny Daigle of Jay, Caleb March of Otisfield, and Emmanuel Reis of Livermore Falls;

• Eastern Maine Community College at Bangor: Lindsey Goughnour of Belfast, Arthur Smallidge of Seal Harbor, Sydney Sutter and Francine Wilson-Charuk, both of Bangor;

• Kennebec Valley Community College at Fairfield/Hinckley: Michelle Heath of Bangor, Dana Maloney of Harpswell, Aubrey Slater of Waterville and Jaden Spaulding of Madison;

• Northern Maine Community College at Presque Isle: Melissa Gustin of Presque Isle and Hannah Labbe Morin of Caribou;

• Southern Maine Community College at South Portland/Brunswick: Felicity Brewer of Brunswick, Hirruy Hagos of Cape Elizabeth and Joseph Agostino and Ngombe Muabi, both of Saco;

• Washington County Community College at Calais: Elisabeth Ackerman of Machias, Nicole Lemay of Windham, and Ashli Ramsdell of Perry.

Additionally, Wilson-Charuk and Aubrey Slater were named Maine New Century Scholars for earning the highest scores in the state on their All-USA Academic Team applications.

Wilson-Charuk was named the 2023 Maine New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship. Slater is the 2023 Maine New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship.

The New Century Pathway Scholarship program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, the American Association of Community Colleges, and Phi Theta Kappa. Only one New Century Transfer and Workforce Scholar is selected from each state.

The All-Maine Academic Team is a program of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges. Students are nominated and selected for the team by their college.

WISCASSET

Chewonki to offer free Coastal Ecology Kayak Expedition for Maine high school students

Thanks to special grant funding provided by the Maine State Department of Education’s “Summer 2023 Coastal Science & Marine Trades” initiative, Chewonki is accepting applications for the summer 2023 Coastal Ecology Kayak Expedition.

The program is free for participating students, including travel and equipment expenses, and will provide 10 Maine high school students the chance to travel the mid-coast region in ocean kayaks and explore marine ecology, as well as marine careers and research opportunities.

The three-week summer program will run from July 21 to Aug. 12

Interested families must submit an application on Chewonki’s website by the May 7 deadline, with participating students to be selected via a simple scoring system based on a letter of interest in exploring coastal ecology, marine science, or a marine career.

To apply, go to https://camp.chewonki.org/coastal-ecology-kayak-expedition/

FALMOUTH

Leaf bags to be collected Friday and May 5

Spring curbside collection of leaf bags will be held this Friday and again May 5.

All leaf bags must be at the curb by 7 a.m.

Leaf bags are available at the Public Works Office, at 101 Woods Road, in quantities of 12 per Falmouth resident while supplies last.

Do not put brush or trash in the leaf bags. Brush must be brought to the Transfer Station.

For more details, call the Public Works Office at 781-3919.