Wolverine Tracks

wolverinetracks

BRIDGTON ALUMNI SHARE POWERFUL DIALOGUE FOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Academy was proud to host a panel of Bridgton alumni, with each guest sharing his thoughts and perspectives on pressing societal issues. Bridgton Academy Hall of Fame members Benjamin Davis ’63 and Carlos Canino ’84, as well as alumnus Jadyn Coutte ’18 joined us for a dynamic evening session facilitated by Mr. Travis Dube, Dean of Studies. After sharing their own Bridgton stories, the three alumni engaged in thought-provoking questions posed by Mr. Dube and the larger Bridgton community. Issues of race, equality, and social justice were the focus of much of the conversation. Additional discussion focused on law enforcement and its relationship to social justice. We are grateful to our distinguished guests for their perspective, candor, and thoughtful commentary, which continue to resonate with our students and campus community.

TASTE OF THE LAKES REGION EVENT ADDS WINTER FUN

February. Although it’s the shortest month on the calendar, for many in New England, it’s that time of year when winter begins to feel old. The sky is grey, the snow is grey, and while the days are getting longer, it’s easy to miss warmer temperatures and greenery. For those reasons and more, the Academy was happy to infuse some festivity into the February doldrums in thanks to the generous support of the Hancock Charitable Trust and other donors.

Bridgton Academy was excited to be the recipient of a Hancock Charitable Trust grant, specifically given to provide a special themed event for our students during a pandemic year, while also supporting local area businesses. The Taste of the Lakes Region event on campus was soon underway, featuring delicious fare from several area restaurants and allowing the Academy the opportunity to bring local offerings right here to campus.

The Taste of the Lakes Region dinner was held in the Academy’s Wolverine Den by team cohort. Prior to their dinner, each student was given a menu of local restaurant entrees to choose from. Appetizers, salads, drinks, and desserts were also provided. With door prizes and lots of laughs, it was a fun ‘outing’ on campus that our whole community enjoyed.

A GRADUATION MORNING LIKE NO OTHER

At just around 7:30 on the morning of Bridgton’s 213th Commencement Exercises, a legion of bleary-eyed students made their way up the hill to Goldsmith Dining Hall and loaded into Academy transportation. Some were functioning on only a few hours of sleep after enjoying final night festivities on campus, including a jump into Long Lake in the wee hours of the morning. Three vans and a bus headed to nearby Bridgton Hospital for an epic last-day event: getting the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Earlier in the spring, Bridgton Academy was thrilled to partner with Bridgton Hospital to provide a COVID-19 clinic for our students. When the age range expanded in Maine to include 18+ for vaccination, Bridgton students had just enough time left in their year to receive two shots of the Moderna vaccine. Because the window was so small, their second shot had to be scheduled on the morning of graduation.

Academy students were greeted by a wonderful surprise when they showed up at the hospital that Saturday morning. Health care workers were standing outside of the hospital rotunda holding a giant “Congratulations, Graduates” banner and cheering as the boys arrived. The nurses and vaccine clinic staff had even taken the time to make personalized masks for each student featuring their name and Bridgton Academy logo. As students checked in, you could hear “Pomp and Circumstance” piping over the hospital’s sound system. Once inside, there were graduation balloons and decorations, and even a table with donuts and drinks. It was a tremendous welcome for the soon-to-be graduates of Bridgton Academy and a vaccine clinic experience that these young men will not soon forget. Over sixty members of the Class of 2021 were fully vaccinated by the time they walked across the stage on commencement morning. A heartfelt thank you to the aboveand-beyond caring displayed by the staff of the Bridgton Hospital, and congratulations to our newly vaccinated Wolverines!

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP PANEL PROVIDES DISCUSSION FOR BRIDGTON STUDENTS

As part of a continuing series of conversations on campus focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dean of Studies Mr. Travis Dube hosted a Women in Leadership panel presentation for the Class of 2021. The panel featured several women leaders from the Academy including Binaca Hanson, Assistant Head of School for Academic and Student Life; Amity Gottschalk, Director of Academic Support; Jessica Priola, Director of Institutional Advancement; and Kate Tucker, Director of Student Life.

These four faculty members shared thoughts and perspectives from their professional backgrounds with a focus on how gender may have impacted and shaped some of their career experiences to date. A time for discussion was also included, with many of the students in the audience offering up thoughtful questions for the panel. In prior years, Mr. Dube has held a similar panel within his class, but this was the first time that this format appeared as a full school presentation. “I’ve been hosting this panel in my classes for the past five years and have been thrilled with the student response,” Mr. Dube recounted. “If I remember my own experience as a young man, I was too caught up in my own life and perceived problems to think about what it was like for people around me. For our students to hear about things they may not worry about because they are young men makes them more likely to show compassion to the people around them. They can hopefully appreciate and better understand the experiences of their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, and female peers. It means we’ve given young men an insight into the experiences of others. When we learn only through our own experiences, our knowledge is limited. When we open ourselves to learn from what others have experienced, it makes our lives fuller and more empathetic.” WOLVERINES IN THE SKY

Six lucky Wolverines got to experience the beauty of New England from new heights— literally! On the Friday afternoon before Bridgton’s Commencement, Shane Brait, Tim Doyle, Joe Robinson, Thomas Reilly, David Armstrong, and Joshua Zambarano—all members of the Academy’s hockey team—jumped from a plane at 13,000 feet to end their year in style. Skydive New England has witnessed several classes of Wolverines take part in this fun, yet daring, annual tradition and once again graciously hosted this year’s group of brave young men led by faculty member Mike Meserve. Just before leaving campus for their adventure, Tim Doyle ’21 confessed, “I’m scared, but my brother (Matt Doyle ’16), went when he was a student, so I have to go!” All six agreed that it was an experience never to be forgotten.