Robotics champs

Congratulations to the Jordan-Small Middle School Robotics Team for another outstanding performance at the Southern Maine Robot Track Meet held last week at the Auburn Middle School. Fourteen schools participated with over 100 individuals competing in eight events including slope climber, table top clearing mission, delivery mission, fastest robot, strongest robot, strongest bridge, ping pong shot put, and robot speed build. JSMS competed in four of these events and ranked high in all divisions. Greg Meader brought home a first place trophy in the ping pong shot put competition by building a robot designed to accurately shoot the most balls in 30 seconds into a hopper four feet away.

Robotics programs give 9- to 14-year-old future engineers a chance to focus on building, designing, and testing robots made out of only Legos and based on basic principles of physics, engineering and science. Competitors must comply with specific guidelines and restrictions and build a robot to meet those restrictions. Not having an engineering mind, I am in awe at what these kids can design.

The JSMS Robotics Team consists of Lane Dearing, Matt Dostie, Liam Flynn, Jack Gresh, Dylan Koza, Greg Meader, Keegan Perry, Ryan Plummer, Jon Williams and David Young and is coached by the school’s Gifted and Talented teacher Chris Newcomb. Congratulations to all of them for another successful competition.

Parents helping kids

Parents Helping Kids Make Good Choices Meeting takes place Thursday, May 19 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the meeting room at the Raymond Public Safety Building.

Come join in as the group makes plans for school year 2011/2012. Pam Hartig has taken on a new commitment with the Trauma Intervention Program and Kathleen Tolman is taking on a growth opportunity with the Hyde School. Come help determine how PHK will continue through the school year 2011/2012. Bring your enthusiasm and ideas to the May meeting.

Light refreshments provided. Feel free to bring a bagged dinner to enjoy while the meeting takes place.

The Parents Helping Kids Make Good Choices is a nonprofit organization whose purpose promote and empower youth to make smart choices through education, information and healthy activities as well as to offer support to parents and receive support from parents. FMI, contact Kathleen Tolman at 233-2649 or ktolman7@maine.rr.com.

Softball Fundraisers

I have enjoyed seeing the photos and reading updates in the Lakes Region Weekly about Raymond’s Morgan Richmond, a freshman at Windham High School who is having a very exciting year on the high school’s softball team. She and her teammates are hoping to go to Florida next spring for special training and to earn the money needed to take this trip they are planning two more fundraising events.

They will hold a yard sale on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Masonic Hall on River Road. This sale will be held rain or shine. They will also host a spaghetti dinner that night from 4-7 p.m. to be held at the Masonic Hall. The price for the dinner is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and children 12 and under or $20 for a family of four or more. For more information on either of these events, please contact Stacey Richmond at starrich@maine.rr.com. You can also track their progress by liking Friends of Windham Softball on Facebook.

Mysterious ?book discussion

If you are one of the many readers who have gotten hooked on Louise Penny’s popular books featuring Chief Inspector Gamache and the village of Three Pines, the Raymond Village Library is hosting a very special event you will not want to miss. A group of readers who have enjoyed and look forward to each new book in the series plan to meet on Sunday, May 22 at 3 p.m. at the library over cafe? au lait and croissants to discuss their favorite characters who live and murder in the fascinating village of Three Pines. Please join them for a fun-filled afternoon of interesting opinions and friendly camaraderie as they recall and revisit this special place and its interesting people. You are still invited to join even if you have not had a chance to read Louise Penny’s books but are curious to hear about this amazing place and its inhabitants. For more information, please call the library at 655-4283.

Voting time

Will you be unable to attend the upcoming town meeting and elections? If so, your vote is still important. Absentee voting will begin Thursday, May 19, and you may stop by the town office during regular business hours to vote or if you would like a ballot sent to you, please fill out the application found online at www.raymondmaine.org and bring or send it to the town office, and a ballot will be mailed to you after May 19.