The final Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District (CSD) School Committee meeting for the 2016-2017 year was held on Wednesday, June 14, in the Boothbay Region High School library.  

Tom Perkins, a parent of two BRHS students, provided a handout with suggestions on how the committee could be more ‘transparent.’ Suggestions included posting draft minutes as soon as possible after meetings, filming meetings and putting them online for viewing, and running upcoming agendas in the Boothbay Register. Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Eileen King thanked Perkins and said the school is currently streamlining an application called “Apptegy” that will enable users to download various school documents. Boothbay Region Community Television Channel 7 will be contacted to see if it can film the meetings.

Committee Chair Larry Colcord announced new hires for the 2017-2018 school year. They are: Christopher Baribeau, BRHS special education teacher; Abigail Manahan, CSD technology integrator; Kendra Brown, BRHS physical education/health teacher; and Adam Harter-Ives, a BRHS special education behavior teacher. King said the search for an Assistant Superintendent to fill Shawn Carlson’s position is ongoing, as is the search for a  grade 5/6 math teacher.

BRES Principal Mark Tess announced that the last day assembly on June 20 will include a presentation for “Bikes for Books” participants. Tess will also be seen on film kissing a piglet from Blue Tin Farm in Edgecomb, as he promised to do for the winners of the Jump Rope for Hearts event held for the American Heart Association. The piglet will not make a personal appearance, as Tess, and the pig’s owner, Seth Lewis, thought it might be traumatized by the noise and excitement. 

BRHS Principal Dan Welch announced that Lillian Sherburne has been chosen as student body president for the 2017-2018 academic year. 

English instructor Mark Gorey presented four two-minute videos by students who participated in his Champions for Change project. ReAnna Heino, Isabelle Curtis, Kyle Ames and Page Brown reported on their concerns regarding, respectively, the importance of students understanding finances prior to leaving school, the need for a more balanced technology and humanities curriculum, improving school lunches by introducing organic foods, and the possibility of replacing the 10 top student honors with another form of honoring students, as class sizes diminish.  

Larry Colcord was chosen as committee chair for another year and Stephanie Hawke will be vice chair. Present was new committee member Kari Babcock, who has replaced Brian Blethen. 

BRES teacher Cory Chase reported on the 2017 Career and Exploratory Class: CORE project that she helped coordinate from January through April. Chase, assisted by Boothbay Harbor Community Center’s Jane Good and Angel Ames, brought in specialists who volunteered time and expertise to work with students. Chase presented a slide show with highlights of the project.

BRES Assistant Principal Tricia Campbell recounted a year filled with efforts to promote kindness and school spirit both within BRES and out in the community. Highlights included the distribution of BRES Spirit Cards, all-school assemblies with inspiring speakers, picnic lunch concerts, Bus Driver Appreciation Week, Jump Rope for Hearts, the first ever BRES alumni art show, and the Senior Walk.

Carlson, who is stepping down as assistant superintendent to become Camden High School’s principal, passed out his final set of school policies. He told the committee he was experiencing “mixed emotions” about his departure. Several committee members thanked Carlson for the positive impact he has had on students, and told him it has been a pleasure to have him as an administrator. “My kids loved you,” Hawke told Carlson.

The next school committee meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. in the BRHS library.