The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD School Committee hosted a presentation by Anni Pat McKenney, program coordinator for the Coulombe Center for Health Improvement, and Lisa Carbone, clinical social worker for Lincoln Medical Partners Family Care Center in Boothbay Harbor, on Feb. 14.

McKenney’s and Carbone’s presentation was designed to bring attention to the work being done in schools across the county, including Boothbay Region High School and Boothbay Region Elementary School, on forming “resilience” for children and young adults with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), otherwise known as childhood trauma. Some of these include verbal, physical, substance and sexual abuse in the home, a lack of emotional support and separation or divorce, as well as mental illness and prison time of a parent or someone else in the home.

Data from the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey showed that over 20 percent of high school students have reported experiencing three or more ACEs. Nearly a third of those with three or more ACEs reported suicidal thoughts in the past year, over a third consuming alcohol in the past month, and over half having depression for two or more consecutive weeks.

McKenney and Carbone showed the trailer of a film titled “Resilience,” a selection of the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, which links many health issues found later in life to childhood trauma and adverse experiences. Both presenters’ organizations, in addition to Healthy Lincoln County, have been trying to increase viewership of this film and its message in schools and libraries all across the county.

Efforts in the Boothbay region are being concentrated in quarterly meetings with School, Health, and YMCA (SHY) as well as the school-based health center. BRHS staff viewed the film last year and all BRES staff will have the opportunity on Thursday, March 15. There have been and will continue to be screenings with Healthy Lincoln County and McKenney and Carbone look forward to bringing in experts to teach mindfulness techniques to teachers, staff and students.

In other business, as the board began discussing the search for a new superintendent, Tom Perkins issued a concern he said was emanating from the community that the search committee’s process does not seem to be transparent.

Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 School Board Chair John Bertolet said transparency is quite a difficult feat considering the many laws surrounding the privacy of applicants.

“We can tell you where we stand,” said Bertolet. “We’re running ads and what the schedule is for meetings, but as far as anything having to do with applicants, we just can’t talk about it. I know some people think that means we’re not being transparent – we can’t be.”

Perkins expressed his concern for inclusiveness citing another search process in another part of the state which he claims is far more inclusive.

“In terms of inclusiveness, we have 19 or 20 people. We tried to include everybody,” said Bertolet, citing four members of the towns’ school committees, four teachers and four administrators (one from each school), four community members (one from each community), and one from the board of trustees. “When it comes to inclusiveness, I think that we can match about anybody.”

Committee Chair Larry Colcord asked which other search Perkins was speaking about and how their process is more inclusive than AOS 98’s search. Perkins said he would be more than happy to go and check with this committee asking permission to divulge their process to the AOS 98 search committee.

BRES Assistant Principal Tricia Campbell said students will soon be doing a “Shelter in Place” drill as the school continues to focus on staff, student and building safety. The process will be reviewed afterward and lockdown procedures will also be practiced and reviewed in March.

On Friday, Mar. 2, BRES will hold the first concert in its Picnic Concert Series during lunch. Students are asked to bring towels and/or blankets to share with other classmates. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

The board of trustees meets next on Wednesday, March 14 at 5:15 p.m.