Top 11 students congratulated; school board approves two new programs

FARMINGTON – After weeks of difficult discussions, meetings and votes, the school board chairman said that it was a pleasure to recognized the ultimate product of the Mt. Blue Regional School District; well-educated students.

Ten of the top students at Mt. Blue High School, as well as the Student of the Year at the Foster Regional Technology Center, were congratulated at a small ceremony that has become an annual tradition in the district. Five years ago, during another challenging year, the school board and then-principal Joe Moore decided to invite the top students and their families to celebrate their achievements.

MBHS Principal Monique Poulin congratulated students, parents and district board members and employees.

“All of you here, have had a part in these students’ achievements,” she said.

Also on hand was Rep. Tom Saviello (R – Wilton) who congratulated the students and presented them with an expression of legislative sentiment for their achievements.

From MBHS, the ten top students are (in alphabetical order):

Kelton Cullenberg, who said he intends to attend the University of Maine at Orono and major in mechanical engineering. Cullenberg also received a legislative sentiment from Saviello, for being the Morning Sentinel’s ‘Nordic Skier of the Year.’

Sarah Deveau, who said she intends to attend the University of Ottawa, majoring in psychology and French.

Jared Foster, who said he intends to attend RPI Rennsalear Polytechnic Institute, majoring in mechanical engineering.

Garrett Goodridge, who said he intends to attend Syracuse, majoring in architecture.

Amanda Hall, who said she intends to attend Yale, majoring in math and philosophy.

Adam Paul, who said he intends to attend University of Maine’s Exploration Program.

Sean Paul, who said he also intends to attend University of Maine’s Exploration Program.

Sam Prentiss, who said he intends to attend University of Maine at Orono, majoring in engineering.

Chelsea Thompson, who said she intends to attend Bates College.

Kelly Yardley, who said she intends to attend Bates College.

The Foster Tech Student of the Year was Alyssa Chretien. She intends to attend Rochester Institute of Technology, studying biomedical science.

Looking toward future improvements in educational offerings, the school board approved a pair of new programs in the Foster Tech Center.

The first is a plumbing program, which will also be initially available to Jay and Livermore Falls students. Students from these communities currently participate in a program with Ranor Incorporated, who collaborates with Community Concepts and national organizations to create an education program that gives students the basics of plumbing.

“We conduct this class as if they were employees of Ranor,” company spokesman Tim Madden said. “It’s a great program.”

Funding for the program will be provided by Ranor and the participating schools, as it is now. Eventually, Foster Tech Director Glenn Kapiloff said he hopes that the program could be expanded and taught by an instructor at the center and funded through the state funding formula and grant money. The renovations to the high school/tech center, include additional lab space for new programming, and plumbing is a discipline that Kapiloff and others had said they would like to see included.

Also approved by the board is an agriculture technology program, which has been widely supported throughout the farming community. Students would work and learn at local-area farms, whose owners would volunteer their time to teach the lesson plan. They would also sit in with the Forestry Program’s tractor safety certification process, and the biotechnology courses dealing with plant cloning, genetics and animal health testing. The idea, according to Kapiloff, is to incorporate existing programs, which are already being paid for anyway, into the agriculture technology program.

“Agriculture has something to offer every student,” Pam Harnden, who serves on several local agriculture-related boards including the Franklin County Agriculture Task Force.

The new school includes a planned greenhouse, which could be incorporated into the program. The program would begin with six students, although significantly more interest has been expressed, and what little funding is required would come from a federal Carl Perkins grant. The program could expand later, and Harnden noted that a club, FFA, which specializes in agriculture-related activities, would also be brought before the board for approval.