Alana Franklin doesn’t know exactly how old she is. Born in southern China, she lived in an orphanage in Guangzhou, a city of 14 million people, from the time she was 3 or 4 years old until she was adopted by a Maine woman 10 years ago. She was pegged as 8 years old then, […]

Garrett LaFrance was a sophomore heading into his junior year at Massabesic High School in Waterboro when he noticed a pattern. “Kids coming into the high school weren’t getting the best support,” said LaFrance, who lives in Alfred. “I noticed a bit of a divide between upperclassmen and (underclassmen). Freshmen, especially, are somewhat isolated because […]

Keyly Martinez was born in Portland, a daughter of hardworking immigrants from El Salvador. When she was a year old, her mother sent her to live with her grandparents in their Central American homeland. She returned to the United States in 2005, first to Massachusetts, where her mother had found work. She started third grade […]

Mohamed Nur was in seventh grade when he first faced the challenge of being a person of color in a Maine classroom. The moment came one day in math class, when certain students at Portland’s King Middle School were summoned to the library to take an assessment test that’s given to English-language learners. Though Nur […]

It’s telling that Kennebunk High School administrators recommended Kylie Reynolds for the Sunday Telegram’s annual “Graduates to Watch” feature even before they were asked. She’s a standout not only for challenging herself academically at school, taking both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes, but also for her work in the community, caring for preschool children, […]

Daniel Thompson got lost during one cross-country meet. He was doing fine, running along roads and across fields, paying close attention for the bright orange cones that marked the course. It was more challenging for Thompson than for most of the runners because he’s legally blind, born with achromatopsia, a severe form of colorblindness that […]

Morrigan Turner’s parents, Peter and Colleen, met while working for Greenpeace, so it’s no surprise that they raised their only child to be interested in environmental and social justice issues. Turner gladly picked up the mantle, distinguishing herself as a student government leader at South Portland High School, a student representative to the city’s school […]

Brimming with optimism, these graduating seniors plan to keep their lists of accomplishments growing.

The Maine children raised money to help their African counterparts pay their school fees.