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Friday, January 4, 2013
Volume 9 • Issue No. 1
Student Online Art Gallery Ranked First in State Art teacher receives leadership award Story and photo by Reg Bennett WELLS – In recent years students at Wells Elementary School have displayed their art work online in their own art gallery hosted by Artsonia.com. This year, Artsonia, the world’s largest online art museum for K-12 students, picked the WES gallery as the best gallery from all galleries created by Maine students for the 2011-2012 school year. Schools are ranked by various criteria including the number of artwork in a gallery, fan club members and artist statements. “This is a big deal for technology and community involvement,” wrote WES art teacher
Sandy Brennan in a letter to parents informing them of this news. In addition, Brennan received the 2011-2012 Leadership Award from Artsonia for her guidance in assisting students with this ongoing project. Her award reads: “For outstanding leadership during the 2011-2012 school year in the following areas: Family and Community Involvement in Education (and) Technology Integration in the Arts.” In a letter to Brennan informing of her award, Artsonia CEO Jim Meyers wrote, “The Artsonia Leadership Award honors teachers who go beyond the classroom walls to encourage family and community involvement in Arts Education.
The award also recognizes significant achievement in the area of technology integration within the school arts program.” This is not the first time WES has been recognized by Artsonia. Art work submitted by WES students was ranked number 2 in the state for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years. Brennan also received a Leadership Award from Artsonia for 2010-2011. “I was thrilled to see Wells Elementary as number 1 in the state,” said Brennan. “I am so proud of my students. They work hard to create great work. I’m also proud of the parents and all their support of my art program. Huge thanks go to Maryanne Foley and the volunteers who help photograph stu-
Kittery Water District Wins SHAPE Award KITTERY – Officials from the Maine Department of Labor were on hand Thursday to present the
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Safety and Health Award for Public Employers (SHAPE) to the Kittery Water District. Guy Hodgdon, technical services manager for the last seven years, said “We had applied previously, but the rate of injury was too high. This past year we had a good enough record to change that.” He credited their “pretty intense safety program” and said “employees are pretty involved in it.” The Kittery Water District has a total of 16 employees. “They do a complete inspection of all of our facilities, and all of our paperwork,” Hodgdon said of the Maine Department of Labor. “That’s process number one. If there’s anything that needs to be fixed, you fix it and it moves you to the next step to receiving the award.” Kittery applied for the first time last year. “If you don’t have an in-depth safety program, you wouldn’t even apply,” Hodgdon said, noting that only 25 districts in the state have the award.
ski, Barbara Franks and Shannon Barber. The WES gallery address is: www.artsonia.com/ schools/Wells12.
South Berwick Named as Best Place to Raise Kids in Maine SOUTH BERWICK – According to a new report in Bloomberg Businessweek, South Berwick is the best place in Maine to raise kids. According to the story, “Businessweek teamed up with Bloomberg Rankings to evaluate more than 3,200 places nationwide with populations between 5,000 and 50,000. Public school performance and safety were weighed most heavily.” The magazine also included such other factors as “median income, county-level unemployment… housing costs, commute time, The SHAPE certification recognizes public-sector organizations that voluntarily undertake a rigorous safety achievement program for their workers. The SHAPE award was originally conceived in 2005 as a way to recognize public-sector employers and employees who are striving to provide a safe and healthful workplace. It is given only to exempla-
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dent work.” The volunteers Brennen refers to include Ashley Breton, Marcia Ciorra, Lissa Kaszyn-
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poverty, adults’ educational attainment, share of households with children, and diversity.” South Berwick, which has a population of 7,219, received a GreatSchools city score of 8, the median family income is $82,212, housing costs as a percentage of income are 20.1 percent, and the county unemployment rate is 5.9 percent. “On the very southern tip of Maine, South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy, one of the oldest preparatory schools in the U.S. It also has excellent public schools: Marshwood High School, for instance, earned a 10 rating from GreatSchools. For fun, the Strawberry Festival, featuring more than 20,000 visitors and more shortcake than imaginable, is held in June,” according to the story. Perry Ellsworth, town manager said “The town of South Berwick is pleased to be seen in this fashion. We in South Berwick are proud to be recognized as one of the best places to raise
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children in the United States.” Ellsworth attributed the selection to the spirit of volunteerism that runs through the town. “I think that we’re a very people-oriented community,” he said. “There are lots of volunteers, we have a terrific recreational program, and without a doubt, one of the strongest school systems in the state of Maine, both academically and sports-wise.” South Berwick is known for its active network that really works towards children, he said. “The town ski slope (that is pictured in the Bloomberg story) in run by volunteers, sustained without tax dollars through a volunteer network,” Ellsworth said. “We have outstanding sports programs in our schools, which keeps kids engaged.” The town has a full recreation program with ski trips in winter, fun trips for kids in summer, plus four weeks of summer camp, he said, and “a community center where seniors get involved with children also.”
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