Read to Feed

The past several months have resulted in many passionate discussions about our schools, and there is no doubt that Raymond is proud of what we have here and for good reason. At the top of the list, we have excellent teachers who implement innovative teaching methods in the classroom. This fall, Raymond Elementary School first grade teacher Jani Cummings began a new program in which her 22 students set a goal to read each day and accumulate more than 5,000 minutes of reading, an aggressive goal for 6-year-olds just learning to read. The students embarked on this challenge with one hope in mind, to feed the world.

This challenge was part of the Heifer International Read to Feed project, a non-profit organization working to end hunger and poverty through gifts of farm animals and training which has helped 4.5 million people in 128 countries including the United States. By using Read to Feed, Cummings was doing more than teaching her kids to read; she was teaching them the value of giving to others.

She requested a $250 pledge from the Sebago Lake Rotary Club to support this effort but once hearing about this worthwhile cause, the Rotary generously chose to donate $500. The children were blessed to meet Helen Otto, a student at Casco Bay High School and originally from Uganda, who was once a recipient of a few chickens which saved her family’s lives. Otto spoke to the children about the importance of this program and how much it impacts others’ lives.After reaching their reading goal and receiving the $500 check, the children engaged in an exciting and somewhat hilarious debate about how to spend the $500. One cow costs $500, chickens are $20, and a goat or lamb is $120. This exercise engaged their math skills as well and our students benefited greatly.

Rotary poster child

I had the pleasure of attending the Sebago Lake Rotary Club meeting last week during which Eileen Stiles was named as a Paul Harris Fellow, an award given to a person who is deemed worthy of the honor by living by the Rotary motto “service before self.” While listening to this presentation, I could think of nothing more fitting for Eileen.

Eileen has spent her lifetime serving others and when she relocated to Raymond, she immediately became involved in our community in many ways. After the early death of Shari Gagnon, Eileen went to work to build a memorial park in her name. Countless hours were spent planning, fundraising and the actual building of what became the town’s most popular spot for kids and their parents. She also served as the school’s early childhood coordinator and she would enter homes with her cheerful energy and big bag of toys, plop on the floor and play with the innocent preschooler who had no idea he was being tested for readiness for school, all the while soothing both the child and anxious parent in the process. She also co-created the Raymond Mentoring Program which improved the lives of hundreds of youth in town. She contributed to the Beautification Committee by spearheading the flag initiative by caring for the flags that wave along many of our streets all summer. She joined her husband Howard in creating the Veterans Memorial Park complete with an inscribed monument, memorial stones, stone benches, flags and flowers. She began a NAMI support group to help those suffering from mental illnesses and most recently, being passionate about the environment and the way the town handled trash, she brought forth our Zero Sort Recycling program which eases the handling of trash while reducing the town’s cost and the impact on the environment.

Rotary Club President Don Drew and board member Ingo Hartig spoke highly of her contributions and then presented the award to Eileen with Howard at her side. She received an armful of gifts as well as a beautiful bouquet of flowers and most importantly, a standing ovation from the filled room. After the group heard of all her contributions, they quipped that she is the ultimate Rotary poster child. She remarked that while she is not a Rotarian, she believes in their mission, and it is clear that she has lived her life that way.

And she is not done yet. As the dinner concluded, I enjoyed watching her infectious energy and the mischievous spark in her eye as she thanked her guests and spoke about her future goals. Having a new grandchild, she plans to be around to watch him grow to an adult. She also vows to keep skiing until she is 80. I personally wish to thank her for the influence she had on my own life and invite you to join me in congratulating Eileen on a long overdue and much deserved honor.

Dance convention

Dancers and teachers from the CenterStage Performing Arts Project Dance Repertory Team recently attended a dance convention with “So You Think You Can Dance” cast members held in Massachusetts. The convention was a great opportunity to gain additional training from experts in the field. Studio owner Beth Gaudet said, “the intense two-day convention consisted of workshops with well known SYTYCD dancers such as Twitch, Allison and Courtney. Our dancers studied different disciplines of dance consisting of hip hop, modern/contemporary and jazz and are anxious to share what they learned with other dancers at CenterStage.”

Dean’s list students

Emily Dodge, a 2010 graduate of Windham High School and daughter of Gary and Cathy Dodge, had a successful first semester at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is enrolled in the Doctor of Pharmacy program in Boston and earned a 3.93 GPA.

Nicole Gagne, a 2007 graduate of Westbrook High School and daughter of Kathy Jones and David Gagne, has made the dean’s list at the University of New Hampshire. She is studying for her bachelor of science in American Sign Language at the Manchester campus.

Calling all crafters

Each year, the graduating eighth-grade class of Jordan-Small Middle School enjoys a year-end celebration and field trip but this memorable event is not in the school budget and requires aggressive fundraising. To help with this effort, this year’s class is planning to host a craft fair and lunch on Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the school and all interested artists and craft vendors are invited to participate. For more information, please contact Deb Cutten at dcutten@maine.rr.com or 655-2877.

NAMI

The next meeting of Lake Region NAMI will be held on Monday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Public Safety Building. Those who suffer with mental illness and their families are encouraged to attend this meeting to receive support and education. For more information, please contact Eileen Stiles at 655-4193.