Posted on Tuesday May 25
On Friday, May 28, eight students will graduate from The Community School’s Residential Program. Zech McIntosh, Ian Betts, Tyler Sabattis, Natalie Paul, Eric Knight, Karen Johnson, Khia Newell and Billie Pirruccello have much to be proud of, and lots to celebrate. To say that this has been a busy year for The Community School would be more than an understatement. These eight students excelled at academics while balancing jobs and internships in the community, completing community service projects, taking part in experiential learning expeditions and more. Along the way, they learned sign language, started a school-wide composting program, secured YMCA scholarships and library cards for themselves, learned how to row and contra dance, won a national championship, made a student film, appeared on national television, and more.
Each student learned how to plan and prepare meals on a budget. They hosted an international Thanksgiving dinner, conducted campus tours at the fall open house, and volunteered at our annual fundraising auction.
They took the initiative to train and volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. They ran a 5K benefit road race. They volunteered with The Camden International Film Fest. They served a locally grown harvest lunch to local school children and helped local seniors prepare their garden beds. They cleared trails, moved docks and helped combat invasive aquatic species at the Tanglewood 4-H Camp.
They went hiking, rock climbing and camping. They visited college campuses. They hosted a mid-winter coffee house and they cheered for our volunteer tutors at our annual dinner. They hosted their own spaghetti dinner fundraiser. They visited art galleries, went bowling, dancing, skating and, occasionally, to the movies. They attended the Common Ground Fair. In January, they won the National Toboggan Championship for fastest high school, and they did it on a five dollar yard sale sled.
In February, the travelled to New York City, where they visited Brooklyn, China Town, Little Italy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Natural History Museum, The New York Public Library and Ground Zero. They even made it onto the nationally televised CBS early show. On their way back to Maine, the school’s van broke down, but in true Community School spirit, when they finally got going again, they celebrated each state border crossing by breaking into a lively rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
A few weeks ago, the students performed at the second annual Dancing with Local Stars benefit for the school. They performed the Cha-Cha Slide to an audience of more than 400 people and had a great time doing it. Better yet, and in a far cry from their New York travel experience, they even got to ride to the event in a donated limousine.
Next week, these students will do what they came here to do-graduate from high school. For some, it has been a long, and sometimes, difficult and challenging journey, but along the way, they found new confidence, new strengths and skills, new friendships and a whole lot of community support. On May 28, they will toss their caps into the air in well deserved celebration, and start their new lives as Community School graduates. We couldn’t be more proud.
The public is invited to attend this year’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 28 in Camden. A community pot-luck will be held at the school from 4-5pm, followed by a processional to High Mountain Hall, where the graduation ceremony will begin, around 5:30pm.
Eleven additional students will graduate in June, when The Passages Program will host graduation ceremonies in Washington County on June 12, and in Camden on June 19. The Camden ceremony will be held at 2:00pm, at The John Street Methodist Church.
For more information, call The Community School at 236-3000.
Posted on Wednesday April 28
Eight local celebrities will take the stage at the Camden Opera House next Friday, May 7 at 7PM in what’s sure to be the most talked about event of the season, Dancing with Local Stars. From the cha-cha, waltz, foxtrot and tango to that old 1970’s favorite, The Hustle, Dancing with Local Stars promises a night of talent, showmanship and over the top fun for everyone.
This year’s line-up of dancers is impressive, and includes Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley, Camden National Bank Vice President Jane Dagley, YMCA Executive Director Troy Curtis, HAV2 owner Caroline Morong, Samoset Resort General Manager Connie Russell, Graffam Brothers Seafood owner Kim Graffam, Republican State Senator Chris Rector, and Democratic State Representative Joan Welsh. All dancers will be transported to the Camden Opera House in style via limousine service donated by All Aboard Trolley & Limousine of Rockland.
The competition will be fierce, but the dancers are taking it all in stride, thanks to expert instruction Swing and Sway Dancing of Rockland. Instructors Christian Clayton, Kathryn Vaughn, Bruce Olson and Alysa Jackson have been hard at work with their “stars”, and excitement is brewing as they prepare for the big night.
Just a couple of our dances will include, Morong dancing to “Time of my Life” from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, while Russell will dazzle the crowd with his moves to “Play that Funky Music White Boy.” Graffam, who is a huge fan of the television show Dancing with the Stars, said she is very excited about the event, and all the dancers said they are excited to be dancing for a good cause.
Morong summed up the sentiment of most of the dancers when she said, “I have always wanted to take dance lessons, but more importantly, The Community School is a very important part of our community and reaches out to kids state-wide.”
In addition to performances by these eight local stars, Friday’s event will also include special numbers by professional dancers and dance troupes, including The Step in Time Cloggers, Katie Thompson’s Hip Hop Fusion, Rockport Dance Conservatory, Korinn Scattoloni’s Zumba Fitness Group, Shalimar’s Studio of Oriental Dance, People to People Dance Center and Atlantic Ballet Company.
Also this year, Swing and Sway Dancing co-owner and instructor Christian Clayton will dance his heart out with fellow professional dancer Kea Tesseyman of Rockport Dance Conservatory. In a new twist, The Community School students will put on their own special performance of The Cha-Cha Slide.
Master of Ceremonies Terry Bregy will be on hand again this year to entertain the audience between acts, and refreshments will be available during intermission.
This is the second annual Dancing with Local Stars event, to benefit the Community School in Camden. The Community School is Maine’s oldest alternative high school, and has helped hundreds of Maine teens realize their dream of graduating with a high school diploma.
This year’s generous event sponsors are Richard and Barbara Russo, VillageSoup, Tom and Joan Sabatino and Ask for Home Care.
Dancing with Local Stars will be held Friday, May 7 at 7:00pm at The Camden Opera House.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under age 12 and are available at HAV2, High Mountain Hall, The Owl and Turtle, TheGrasshopper, or by calling The Community School at 236-3000.
Posted on Wednesday April 7
Barb Russo presents Bruce Gamage's award
Over 50 people gathered at The Rockport Opera House on Wednesday night to honor long-time Community School supporters Bruce Gamage, Doug Felton and Elizabeth Biddle.
In addition to honoring Gamage, Felton and Biddle, fourteen volunteer tutors were celebrated for their enormous dedication of time and skill to the school.
Volunteer tutors meet with students at least once a week, and often much more frequently, to help them reach their personal and academic goals. Some of the subject areas in which tutors provide assistance are: math, science, social studies, English Language Arts, S.A.T. prep, culinary instruction, developing personal care and goal plans, and even extra-curricular skills like knitting, crocheting and sewing.
Residential Program Director Joseph Hufnagel, Passages Program Director Martha Kempe and Lead Teacher Carrie Braman introduced each of the volunteers, to much applause from the crowd, and particularly from the students themselves.
One student shouted out that his tutor had provided “the best math class ever,” and many in the crowd were teary eyed as each tutor took the floor to accept a rose and a certificate of appreciation.
Hufnagel also had significant praise for his staff and for the students, while school co-founder Dora Lievow thanked the students for helping those in the room build a strong community. Fellow co-founder Emanuel Pariser could not be at the event, but sent a poem, read by Head of School Dottie Foote, thanking the students and letting them know he’d be at their graduation ceremony in May.
One of the highlights of the night was a short film created by media maven and part-time staff member Carolyn Horn, who paired music, still photographs and video clips to create a compelling narrative of life at the school.
Featured were Passages students and their children, including footage from a recent music class they participated in, and a short clip of a graduation Passage that occurred over the internet, using technology that allowed the student, who is currently living in Japan, to see and talk to her teachers as they presented her with her diploma.
Participants also saw a glimpse of residential life at the school and witnessed students preparing food, rock climbing, camping, studying, working with tutors, and even visiting New York City. They were also treated to a voiced over video of one student performing an original poem using sign language, and another video of students learning to compost as part of the school’s new environmental education initiative with the Newforest Institute.
Participants also heard about the student’s internships in the community, about their new partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and about the many community service projects they’ve participated in since September.
The highlight of the video was recent footage of the students at The National Toboggan Championships. It was thrilling to see the students zip down the chute on their five dollar yard sale sled, and even more thrilling as the girl’s team, “C-School Ya Later” took home the National Toboggan Championship prize for fastest high school.
The crowd burst into applause as the student’s championship status flashed on the screen, and it would be (mostly) safe to say there was hardly a dry eye in the house.
After the video, Foote spoke of the enormous contributions of long-time volunteer Biddle, who has served the school in many capacities, including as board member and long-time policy advisor. Hufnagel spoke fondly of Felton, who has dedicated thousands of technical assistance hours to the school, and most recently spent many months volunteering to help create the school’s new web-site.
Board President Barbara Russo introduced Gamage, and his wife, Becky, and they took the floor together to accept a wood-framed plaque honoring their years of service to the school. Gamage has run the school’s highly successful fundraising auction for close to thirty years, and Russo said, “I don’t know what we’d do without him.”
Russo spoke of Gamage’s other volunteer service as well. Over the years, he has helped raise over one million dollars for local charities, so the crowd was particularly pleased when Gamage said that the Community School has a special place in his heart.
Posted on Thursday January 28
Plaque presented in honor of The Community School Volunteer Greening Committee. These volunteers donated hundreds of hours of their time to help “green” our school last summer. The students and staff are very grateful for the volunteers time and effort.
Last fall at our Annual Open House, Dottie Foote took the opportunity to thank the Volunteer Greening Committee.
Listen in…
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Posted on Tuesday October 27
Newman’s Own Foundation awards School $25,000
The Community School is delighted to announce a recent grant award from the Newman’s Own Foundation. Newman’s Own Foundation is a private, independent foundation established by Paul L. Newman. The foundation continues the commitment of Paul to donate all net profits and royalties earned from the sale of Newman’s Own products to charity. As of June 2009, over $270 million has been donated to thousands of charities around the world.
The Community School, based in Camden, is Maine’s oldest alternative high school, and serves hundreds of students each year through its Residential, Outreach and Passages Programs. Students in the Residential Program live at the school for the academic year, working with individual Teacher/Counselors in a self-directed course of study that honors the strengths and needs of each student as they work toward earning high school diplomas.
Residential students also study with volunteer tutors, and gain important life and work skills through communal living and internship placements. Students generally attend internship placements in the morning and early afternoon, and work on academics in the late afternoon and early evening.
Students also complete daily chores and work together to plan and prepare shared meals. Residential students also participate in Experiential Learning Expeditions to both rural and urban areas.
Last year, nine students traveled to Washington D.C for the presidential inauguration, visited museums and historic sites, and wrote a published article on their experience. For many students, this was their first trip outside the state of Maine, their first experience in an urban environment, their first use of public transportation, and their first direct experience with politics and democracy in action.
This year, the Residential Program is embarking on a new initiative to bring green education to the classroom. As part of this initiative, students will calculate their own carbon footprint, perform energy audits, develop a permaculture plan, investigate wind, solar and tidal energy, and participate in internship placements with the Newforest Institute. Students will also visit Unity College and the Chewonki Foundation, learn about sustainable agriculture, and travel to the Bay of Fundy to investigate wind and tidal power sources.
Through this new Green Project Initiative, students will learn important skills for the new green economy, and study environmental issues through a social justice lens. This approach is a direct off-shoot of the school’s philosophy of relational education, in which students form strong relationships with their Teacher/Counselors, fellow students, and their local communities.
The Passages Program, for pregnant and parenting teens, allows students to study in their own homes with individual teachers who work with students on 24 core skills, including, math, science, social studies, language arts, parenting, child development, nutrition, healthy relationships, home safety, and more.
The Outreach Program serves students who have made significant headway toward their high school diplomas through either the Residential or Passages programs, but who need an extra assist to reach their graduation goals. The Outreach program also serves former students who need assistance with SAT preparation or other academic or professional guidance or assistance. This program also allows former graduates a touchstone to the school, which in some instances has served as the first safe, structured home environment many Community School students have experienced. The Community School graduated 11 Residential students last year, and will graduate an additional 13 Passages and Outreach students this month.
The Newman’s Own Foundation has provided important long-term support for the Community School, and this year, the school is thrilled to have been selected for a $25,000 grant. In partnership with the Newman’s Own Foundation and other contributors, the school will continue to reach underserved populations, and to help young students realize their academic, career and life goals. For more information about the programs and services of the Community School, visit www.thecommunityschool.org.
Posted on Tuesday October 27
The Community School is pleased to announce that the Ozymandias Fund of the Tides Foundation, on the recommendation of Ms. Claudia Rouhana, has awarded a $5,000 grant in support of the Passages Program for teen parents. The Passages Program has served pregnant and parenting teens in Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties since 1994. Last year, in collaboration with The Cobscook Community Learning Center, the Community School successfully expanded the Passages Program to Washington County.
Parenting Class
The Passages Program serves pregnant and parenting teens in their own homes, matching students with individual Teacher/Counselors who work with students at their own pace in 24 core areas, including math, science, social studies, language arts, home safety, child development, parenting, healthy relationships and more.
Last spring, the Passages Program graduated five mothers and one father from Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties, and an additional nine students will graduate in September.
One recent graduate said, “Hard to believe I’m finally graduating. If you had asked me four years ago if I’d ever receive a high school diploma, I would have probably told you no. Thanks to the Passages Program, I can say yes.”
The Community School is honored to have been selected for funding by the Ozymandias Fund of the Tides Foundation. For more information about The Community School, and about the Passages Program for teen parents, visit www.thecommunityschool.org
Posted on Tuesday October 27
The new academic year is now underway at The Community School, and as Residential Program Director Joseph Hufnagel says, “It’s been an incredible three weeks.” As Hufnagel ticks off the accomplishments of the new group of students, who hail from Lewiston, Calais and everywhere in between, it’s easy to see why he feels so proud of the students, and their school.
The new year started with a four-day orientation session at the Tanglewood 4-H camp, where students shared stories, dreams and goals, hiked trails, pitched tents, set up camp, cooked over an open fire, and slept under the stars. Four of the students had never been camping before, and two of the students learned, during the course of the orientation, that they are actually related to each other as distant cousins.
While at Tanglewood, students participated in academics during the day, and also performed two community service projects for the camp, including helping to combat invasive species and pulling the swimming docks for the season. “The kids are working hard, and having fun,” said Hufnagel. On one of the camping evenings, the entire CSchool staff headed to Tanglewood for a potluck dinner.
After returning to the school, the students headed out again, this time to Acadia National Park, where they went rock climbing, practiced wilderness camping, and took a short detour to Bar Harbor for pizza, ice cream and a tour of several art galleries.
Community School Residential student, Karen Johnson, receives instruction on rock climbing from Pete Fasoldt, co-owner of Atlantic Climbing Co., in Acadia National Park. This outing was part of the school's Experiential Learning Expeditions program.
In between all this activity, students have been working on math, science, social studies and English Language Arts and Literature. In addition to all of this, they have written resumes and cover letters, gone on job searches, learned how to complete college applications, and practiced business math and budgeting.
Students are about to embark on internships at Pen-Bay YMCA, The Camden Public Library, Owl’s Head Transportation Museum, Tanglewood Camp, Goodwill Industries, and other work-place sites, including a local animal shelter and nursing home.
In the meantime, all new students have secured library cards, visited the library every day, volunteered to serve lunch to school children, visited the Common Ground Fair, and worked out at the YMCA.
It doesn’t end there, as students have also planned and prepared meals, completed daily chores, gone for walks, rented movies, gone bowling, visited local art galleries, baked cookies, started weekly trips to the Newforest Institute in Brooks, and more.
While this schedule of activity might make the heads of most adults spin, the kids are loving it. When asked what he thought of the school year so far, new student Zech McIntosh said simply, “Awesome.”
For more information about The Community School’s alternative education programs, including its Residential Program, call 236-3000 or visit www.thecommunityschool.org
Posted on Tuesday October 27
The crisp fall sun shown ever more brightly on Saturday, September 26 at Camden’s John Street Methodist Church, as the Community School celebrated the graduation of six Passages students.
Amber Chaisty, Carly Lewis, Ashley Mellor, Breanna Novicka, Jane Tarbox, and Misha Taylor completed 24 core skills to successfully graduate with a high school diploma. In Passages tradition, students select the music, slides for the slide show and color of their graduation gown. This year, students in bright red, white, black and sky blue gowns attended the ceremony. With friends, family and children looking on, each student received her diploma, a copy of the slideshow, graduation newsletter and a single rose from their teacher following a few words about their work together.
The Community School’s Passages program is a home-based high school degree program for young parents (age 14-21) residing in Knox, parts of Lincoln, Waldo and Washington Counties. Graduates receive a private high school diploma approved by the Maine Department of Education.
To receive their diplomas, Passages students must complete 24 Core Skills in academics, parenting and life skills, attend group workshops, and do at least six hours of community service. Their final project, called the Passage, is a project that addresses a real passion, fear, risk or challenge of theirs. Once the topic is chosen the student plans and executes the project with the help of a committee and volunteer expert on the topic. But it is up to the student to execute the project.
Each student’s Passage represented the diverse interests and skills of the graduate. This year Amber Chaisty planned and built her own greenhouse. Ashley Mellor learned how to sew, making two outfits for her daughter and documenting it in a children’s book. Breanna Novicka completed a short novel she started years ago. Carly Lewis produced a video memoir, Jane Tarbox raised money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program and Misha Taylor journaled her move with her son to Japan.
This year Passages was especially grateful to Malcolm Brooks, the Emmy-award winning musician and teacher who provided the music and procession accompaniment. Passages teachers include Andrea Itkin, Janet Larkin and Martha Kempe. Season’s Downeast provided each graduate with a rose and Plants Unlimited lent the flower arrangements for the ceremony and reception. A special thanks goes to Andrea Itkin who created a memorable slideshow made up of the student’s own pictures for the occasion.
To learn more about Passages please go to our website – www.thecommunityschool.org or call, Martha Kempe, #236-8404 ext. 208.
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