Scots great at history

Last week students from Bonny Eagle middle and high schools participated in National History Day, at the University of Maine in Augusta.

Escorted by their competition advisor and middle school social studies teacher Cory Abbott, the students showcased projects they have been working on since the beginning of the school year.

“It was really great to see how our projects stood out among the competition,” said Abbott. “They were just head and shoulders above the rest and for an academic arena like that it was great for Bonny Eagle to be represented so well.”

Maine National History Day is an annual event for teachers and students to show critical thinking skills and an understanding of the past. Using primary sources, students complete projects including research papers, exhibits, presentations, and performances as a team or an individual. This year’s theme was Conflict and Compromise in History.

The students were especially creative this year with such projects as Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Compromise of Desegregation and After Rosie: American Women Struggle to Find Their Place Post-World War II.

Their creativity earned students four first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, and Best Overall High School. Ten Bonny Eagle students were chosen to compete for medals, monetary awards, and scholarships in the national contest this June held at the University of Maryland.

“We really like National History Day for our students because it gives them a chance to compete on a national level,” said Bonny Eagle Middle School Principal Ansel Stevens. “Going to College Park, Md. is a wonderful educational opportunity for them.”

The students will be raising money throughout the spring to cover the cost of going to the national event. To make a donation please contact Cory Abbott at 642-9071.

Northbound

Author Pam Flowers, a record-breaking Arctic explorer will share a stories and a power point presentation about her solo 2,500-mile dog mushing expedition across the Arctic from Barrow, Alaska to Repulse Bay, Canada, Thursday, April 17 at the Bonny Eagle High School auditorium.

Flowers will share stories about intense blizzards, melting ice packs, a terrifying run-in with polar bears and more.

Books by Flowers will be on sale and she will autograph copies between 6:30 and 7 p.m. Her presentation will follow from 7-8 p.m.

Potato Day

Rippling Waters Farm will host its sixth annual Potato Planting Day April 26 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Potato Planting Day is the farm’s largest community volunteer day and in past years more than 25 people have participated in helping plant over an acre of potatoes.

Last season Rippling Waters Farm gave away over 1,000 pounds of potatoes throughout the growing season to various local food pantries in Buxton, Standish, Limington, Limerick and Portland.

As part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant the farm was awarded this past fall the farm is committed to donating 20,000 pounds of fresh organic produce to low-income families and seniors in communities including Buxton, Hollis, Limington, Standish and Frye Island for the next three years.

A good volunteer turnout on the farm during Potato Planting Day will catapult the farm towards reaching that goal. For more information e-mail volunteer.ripplingwaters@gmail.com or call 642-5161, box 3.

Friday

“Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” at the Schoolhouse Arts Center on Route 114, just north of the intersection of Routes 114 and 35, in Sebago Lake Village. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., for reservations or ticket prices call 642-374. This show may not be appropriate for younger children due to mature themes.

Memory Lane Music Hall welcomes F.I.N.E. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Saturday

“Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” at the Schoolhouse Arts Center on Route 114, just north of the intersection of Routes 114 and 35, in Sebago Lake Village. The show starts at 7:30p.m., for reservations or ticket prices call 642-374. This show may not be appropriate for younger children due to mature themes.

Memory Lane Music Hall welcomes the Van Halen tribute band Balance. Doors open at 4 p.m.

These Bonny Eagle middle and high school students have earned a trip to Maryland to compete in a national history contest in June. From left, in front Cody Pratt, Jeremy Collins, Casey Libby, Stacey Sullivan, Jen Pelizza, Sara Beth George, Jessica Bevan. From left, in back teacher Cory Abbott, Riley Heroux, Erika Stevens, Cathrine Patchell, Shannon Titcomb, Cori Simmons, Ally Clift.