RSU 14 expands early childhood education services for preschool students

By Lorraine Glowczak

According to the Learning Policy Institute, students who attend preschool programs are more prepared for school and are less likely to be identified as having special needs or to be held back in elementary school than children who did not attend preschool.

Teacher Caitlyn Cashman gives a lesson to Pre-K students
during a class at Raymond Elementary School earlier
this week. PHOTO BY BETH PEAVEY

Studies also indicate clear positive effects on children’s early literacy and mathematics skills. To support early learning opportunities for children in Windham and Raymond, RSU 14 is expanding its early childhood education services to reach more young families.

This expansion includes increasing Pre-K offerings in elementary schools in Windham and Raymond and strengthening partnerships with community organizations.

At this time the district currently serves 66 Pre-K students, providing them with essential early learning opportunities. Yet as the school district continues to grow, school officials say that its early childhood programs must also grow to provide more families with access to high-quality preschool education, helping set a strong foundation for future academic success.

“The district currently provides Pre-K services at Raymond Elementary School and Tu Casa Childcare in Raymond, as well as A Child’s World Preschool Center in Windham,” said Christine Frost-Bertinet, RSU 14 Assistant Superintendent. “For the 2025-2026 school year, we are hoping to expand these services to accommodate 59 more children from Raymond and Windham with a funding gap of just $1,604 per student for the entire school year.”

She said that in total, RSU 14 would need to invest about $102,700 beyond what state funding provides, what she calls “a modest investment in our youngest learners' futures.”

To support this growth, the district will introduce new Pre-K spaces at Windham Primary School and partner with A Space to Thrive, a newly established childcare center that broke ground last month at 184 Pope Road in Windham.

By working with community partners such as A Space To Thrive, Tu Casa, and A Child’s World, this school and community mixed delivery system can better provide high-quality, affordable Pre-K options for local families.

“This system allows us to offer a variety of program models to meet the diverse needs of our youngest learners,” Frost-Bertinet said. “By partnering with local providers, we can strengthen the entire community’s focus on early childhood education.”

Frost-Bertinet says that this collaboration also creates opportunities for shared professional development among educators and enhances support for children’s academic and social-emotional growth.

The benefits of early childhood education extend far beyond preschool. Studies show that the first five years of life are critical for brain development, with one million neural connections forming every second.

These early experiences lay the foundation for brain development, influencing how neural connections form and function, and determining whether a child builds a strong or fragile foundation for learning, health, and behavior.

According to Frost-Bertinet, 90 percent of brain development occurs before the age of 5, making early education crucial in preparing children for success, not just in school, but also for life.

Emotional and physical well-being, social skills, and cognitive development in these formative years all serve as key indicators for future academics, the workplace, and the community.

Hannah Marshall, the Executive Director of A Space to Thrive, emphasized that the importance of reliable early childhood education during a recent interview with WGME 13 television.

“It’s crucial that parents have somewhere they can rely on and trust for their children,” Marshall said. “And we know that the more investment that goes into those early years, the better the outcomes, whether it’s academic success or social development.”

With RSU 14’s expansion of early childhood education services, more families in Windham and Raymond will soon have access to the resources needed to give their children the best possible start in life. <

RSU 14 Odyssey of the Mind teams prep for upcoming tournament

By Jolene Bailey

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an extracurricular opportunity typically designed for students ranging in elementary and middle school that allows them to use their creativity, ingenuity and energy to contribute to something bigger and outside of the classroom environment.

Students of all abilities become problem solvers while demonstrating their skills and perseverance they bring to the table throughout the season.

Odyssey of the Mind advisor Linda Berry oversees the Kindergarten through Grade 5 students participating in the RSU 14 district. This year, the program has 60 students, gaining seven more participants at Windham Middle School than last year.

Berry said that this program typically has between 50 and 80 student participants.

“Sometimes we have students who are reluctant at the beginning of the season to participate on a team with others they don't know yet,” Berry said. “That feeling typically fades quickly as students bond and develop relationships over a common goal. With OM, all students ‘shine’ and contribute towards something meaningful. As well, seeing the confidence that grows within a child throughout the season is rewarding.”

Odyssey of the Mind’s purpose is to educate all students how to use and develop their pure creativity to solve problems of any kind without fear or high confusion. When competing, the team’s goal is to fit all the required pieces into a performance skit. From making props to coming up with lines, teams do it all by themselves.

During practice, students learn and work on their teamwork and being quick thinkers. The strategy of being fast helps them in the long run with verbal and hands-on spontaneous problem solving.

RSU 14 students may sign up to participate in OM early in the school year.

OM tournaments challenge teams of students with a given problem and then they create a solution to present in a tournament open to all ages, Berry said. It is a family-driven program where adult family members typically serve as coaches.

“Once we know how many adults are interested in coaching, we begin to assign students to teams,” Berry said.

“Teams are composed of five to seven students and are grouped by grade divisions, K to 2, 3 to 5, and 6 to 8. Teams begin meeting weekly after school hours in December and January and continue until the tournament in early April,” said Berry.

At the tournament, the teams will choose from five different long term problems to solve out and include technical, classics, structure, and performance questions.

The teams then perform their solution in an eight-minute skit in front of a panel of judges. Students are also judged on a spontaneous problem, so practicing how to solve that type of issue is something that teams work on throughout the OM season.

“It is always a busy and exciting season. WPS and Manchester have been supporting OM teams for many years now and each year we try to make it the best experience for our students,” Berry said. “It's wonderful to see the relationships that flourish and grow through the program, children or adults. Some of our coaches are former OM student participants so it's nice to see them supporting the next generation in this program. The relational side of OM makes me appreciate being able to do my part with the organization of it all.”

RSU 14 teams have a proven track record of success in Odyssey of the Mind competition. In 2023, a team of seven members consisting of third graders from Windham Primary School and fourth and fifth graders from Manchester School ranging in age from 8 to 11 traveled to East Lansing, Michigan on the campus of Michigan State University for the world championship. Windham finished 23rd overall of the 67 teams vying for the title and posted the highest score in the spontaneous category among any of the 10 Maine schools represented in the championships.

This year the OM tournament will be held at Edward Little High School on Saturday, April 5. It is open to anyone if interested in seeing what it's about and watching students from across the state showcase their talent. <

Lakes Region resident helps raise $10K for fire victims’ food bank

Supermodels Unlimited Magazine celebrated its 25th anniversary in January in Hartford, Connecticut alongside artists, models, designers, photographers, and celebrities from across the United States.

The event honored SU’s dedication to empowering aspiring models and talent worldwide.

Misty Coolidge of New Gloucester was named
Supermodel Unlimited Magazine's 'Women of 
the Year' for 2024 in recognition of her
extraordinary efforts to combat hunger
locally, nationally and globally.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Among the distinguished guests was Misty Coolidge of New Gloucester, who was named SU’s Woman of the Year 2024 in recognition of her extraordinary efforts to combat hunger – locally, nationally, and globally.

"My hope was to bring the donation back to Mainers in need, but with all the horrific fires raging across Los Angeles, Supermodels Unlimited Magazine and I felt that donating to those families just makes much more of an impact right now – as they need it more than we do," said Coolidge.

As Mrs. USA Worldwide 2021, Coolidge set a personal mission to crush hunger across America. Over the past three years, she has volunteered at 32 of the 50 Feeding America food banks across the country while also traveling to 17 countries, working with FEBA and the Global Food Banking Network.

During her reign as Mrs. Worldwide, she authored her first children's book, We All Stir the Pot to End Hunger, and she visited Manchester School in Windham to lead a presentation about hunger to students and read her book to children there.

Rather than collecting royalties from her book, Coolidge committed 100 percent of the proceeds to Feeding America, furthering her impact upon the fight against food insecurity.

At her wedding venue, Coolidge Family Farm in Maine, Misty hosts two major charity events each year: Flowers that Feed, a floral runway show, and the Running of the Brides 5K for Hunger.

Proceeds from both events support her local Good Shepherd Food Bank, part of the Feeding America network. These initiatives are just a glimpse of Misty’s dedication to combating food insecurity in her community and beyond.

Coolidge was born in Waterville, grew up in Norridgewock and went to Skowhegan Area High School. After graduation, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Law and was planning to attend law school after college but became a paralegal instead, working as an intellectual property paralegal at Preti Flaherty for seven years and then as a real estate paralegal for Dead River Company for 15 years.

In 2022, the Good Shepherd Food Bank created an Ambassadorship program and made Coolidge their very first Ambassador to speak to communities across Maine about food insecurity and hunger.

“I was so honored and touched that such a huge organization would recognize my efforts and hard work,” she said. “My life for the past five years since moving to New Gloucester has been spreading the good word and mission of the Good Shepherd Food Bank. After all, we share the same goal.”

Even before she was involved in pageantry, Coolidge’s passion for fighting hunger has been evident for more than two decades in every community that she’s lived in, from Bangor to Portland, and through her volunteer efforts on behalf of the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Her mission is personal, having grown up in a household in Maine with a single mom who worked three jobs to put food on the table and relied upon food stamps and the WIC program to survive. She told students that food insecurity is greater now than when she grew up.

“So many families are feeling the results of losing jobs, the cost of gas and groceries, and struggling to pay their utility bills. The numbers I’ve seen across the country in my travels are astounding and heart breaking,” Coolidge said. “Having little ones at home myself, I cannot imagine not being able to give them the food they need. There are people visiting food banks now that have never needed to use their services before. People need to know that help is available and it's OK to get help."

It was only fitting, then, that the $10,000 raised from the Supermodel Unlimited Magazine Anniversary Gala was donated to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, also part of Feeding America. This generous contribution will have a profound impact on families who have lost everything.

Supermodels Unlimited Magazine

Supermodels Unlimited Magazine is a premier publication and the only magazine in the women's market dedicated to the modeling and beauty industry, with each issue filled with the latest fashion trends, celebrity features, emerging talent, and more! The magazine just celebrated 25 years in the industry and is now focused on spotlighting the industry’s most beautiful powerhouses, trailblazers, and philanthropists; along with those who have broken boundaries and made a positive impact in beauty, fashion and entertainment. <

WHS senior wins gold medal in SkillsUSA Maine Championships

By Masha Yurkevich

More than 1,000 students from Maine schools gathered in Bangor for the annual SkillsUSA Maine Competition on March 13 and March 14. Among them was a Windham High School student, Nik Yurkevich, who won a gold medal.

Nik Yurkevich, a senior at Windham High
School who also attends classes at Portland
Arts and Technology High School won a
Gold Medal in Automotive Refinishing
Technology in the SkillsUSA Maine 
Competition in Bangor on March 14.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

These students have been preparing for many months, even years, to compete in this annual event, representing their school and hoping to earn a gold medal for their category.

SkillsUSA Maine’s State Leadership and Skills Conference hosts more than 1,000 outstanding career and technical education students – all local contest winners – to compete in 92 trade, technical and leadership fields. The contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, testing competencies that are set by industry.

The SkillsUSA Championships are created and judged by industry to ensure that students are learning the real-world skills employers demand from entry-level professionals. These competitions represent some of the most highly skilled, in-demand skilled trade areas in the nation.

Yurkevich is a senior at Windham High School who also attends classes at Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) vocational school and his win in the SkillsUSA Maine Competition was the first-ever gold medal won by a PATHS student in Automotive Refinishing Technology.

He said that he has had a passion for automotive work ever since he was a chilsd.

“My dad is a phenomenal mechanic, and I have been working with him in the garage for as long as I can remember,” he said. “He taught me much of what I know today and continues to be my motivation and inspiration.”

Only one student per school could complete per category in SkillsUSA Maine and Yurkevich won his spot in the statewide contest after an assessment by instructors from PATHS Automotive Refinishing Technology.

Competitors opened the event by demonstrating the ability to perform skills based on the task list outlined by the National Institute for Automotive Excellence (ASE) and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). They then had to complete four different Automotive Refinishing Technology tasks and were assessed on their skills in surface preparation, spray gun operation, paint mixing, matching and applying, solving paint applications problems, determining finish defects with an understanding of causes and cures, masking, and use of safety precautions.

Each student in the competition also had to complete a personal interview and an ASE written exam. The overall appearance of their finished products, speed, and proper safety practices were also judged.

“I worked in a group with two other people,” Yurkevich said. “There were nine other competitors for Automotive Refinishing Technology across the state of Maine. We had three groups of two competitors and one group of three, which was the group that I was a part of.”

Each group was given an automotive fender that they had to paint, a side of a car that they had to mask off, a side of a bumper that they had to prime, block and sand, and a different color that they had to tint and match it to.

They had an hour to complete each task, with the competition spanning four hours of time. After a break, competitors attended a ceremony with the top students in the 92 categories being awarded a bronze, silver, or gold medal.

“I put a great deal of work into this in hopes of getting gold,” said Yurkevich. “A lot of practice went into preparation for this competition. I have been at this vocational school for the last two years and have spent countless hours learning different techniques on how to ace my game.”

When his name was called to receive a gold medal, Yurkevich said that he was pleasantly shocked. He said that it felt very nice to get recognized for his hard work.

“PATHS has never gotten a gold medal in Automotive Refinishing Technology before,” says Yurkevich. “I was glad that I had this opportunity and was able to take it.”

Being a gold medalist for Maine Automotive Refinishing Technology, Yurkevich now has an opportunity to attend SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia in June, where he will be competing against gold medalists in Automotive Refinishing Technology from across the entire United States.

For his efforts in Bangor, Yurkevich received a trophy, some Snap-On tools, and a $5,000 scholarship to one of five selected technical institutes.

He said that he plans to go into Automotive Refinishing Technology in the future for a career.

“I enjoy it very much. I love working with my hands,” he said. “It is also a very needed trade in industry.” <

Windham High Project Graduation 2025 conducts Flower Sale fundraiser

By Kaysa Jalbert

This is a reminder that Mother’s Day is coming up in a few months, and a good gift is flowers. That’s why Windham High School’s Project Graduation for the Class of 2025 has got you covered with their Mother’s Day Flower Sale that is now open runs through April 12.

The flowers are sourced from a local farm in Yarmouth called Cozy Acres, a wholesale, family-owned nursery.

Options include a 12-inch Hanging Flower Basket that comes in a variety of colors from Blue Ridge to Summer Sparkler, a Daisy Tub that comes in a 10-inch Pantera pot of three Sassy Rose Pink or Beauty Yellow daisy plants that grow in a mounded shape, and a Thunbergia on a Trellis that comes as a two-gallon pot with an orange, yellow, or white thunbergia coupled with a bamboo trellis for the vines to climb.

It is a first-come first-serve event for pick-up in terms of how colors go, so show up early if the plant must match your Mum’s other décor. Flower pick-up will take place at Petals Farm and Garden in Windham from May 8 to May 10. The flower options are $35 each and 100 percent of the proceeds goes to WHS Project Graduation.

The flower sale will be the final of many fundraising events held this year for Project Graduation Class of 2025.

With a goal to raise $40,000 to go toward hosting a fun and safe graduation evening for roughly 260 graduating seniors, parents have been holding meetings, planning the evening, and organizing fundraising events since April 2024.

According to Robyn Campbell, President of the WHS Project Graduation Committee, they have just about reached their goal.

For those that are unfamiliar, Project Graduation is not affiliated with the high school but is a group of parents of graduating seniors who volunteer to form a non-profit and all earnings go toward hosting a fun and safe graduation evening. Over the school year, surveys are sent out to the graduating seniors to get a better idea of what they want to do, what activities they would take part in, and what type of prizes they would like to receive.

On the day of graduation, students and parents will meet at Windham High School at 6 p.m. About four buses will take the group out for an all-night long event with dancing, prizes and fun.

The graduates will receive a bag to bring a small handful of items such as their phone, sweatshirt and a water bottle. Everything else will be provided.

“The goal is to keep everyone together, have a fun time, hangout as a group for one last time, and make it a really special, safe night,” says Lyndsay Stretch, the Treasurer of 2025 WHS Project Graduation.

Most fundraising events are held in the fall. The project’s biggest fundraiser was the Golf Tournament held at Point Sebago that raised about $21,000. In addition, they also sell Mum flowers each year from Cozy Acres, sell raffles at football and basketball games, work at the Snack Shack at the Gambo soccer fields, conducted a bottle drive, and had a pie sale at the Windham Craft Fair in November.

Project Graduation meetings are about once a month during the spring and summer. Their busiest season is fall and that’s when they meet bi-weekly to make sure everyone is on board with the plans, volunteers are coordinated, events are put together and the checklist has been gone over.

The parents volunteer to chair a fundraiser event. If there’s no volunteers, it usually falls on a board member such as Stretch or Campbell.

“It’s a lot of work for parents,” says Stretch. “Like many things there’s only a handful of people that help out, but many parents who can’t offer time will give donations for prizes and the project and its great. It’s a lot of work, but it’s all worth it to make a safe night for our kids.”

Stretch says her oldest son is graduating this year, making this her first year working on Project Graduation. She also has a daughter in eighth grade, and her youngest son is in sixth grade.

Campbell says her oldest son graduated in the Class of 2022 and her youngest will be graduating this year. Stretch said that Campbell’s experience from working on Project Graduation in 2022 has made her the perfect leader for this year’s planning.

The mission of Project Graduation is to keep kids safe on the night of graduation.

There is a binder that gets passed down from each class onto the next. The next committee meeting that will be held on the first weekend of April will meet with the class of 2026 parents to start planning their own Project Graduation for the next year. <

In the public eye: WMS principal instrumental in creating learning environment for students

Editor’s Note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

A school principal plays a crucial role in fostering a positive and productive learning environment and Greg Applestein is certainly proof of that.

Greg Applestein has served as the principal
of Windham Middle School since July 2023
and is dedicated to finding ways to help
struggling students and celebrating the
successes of WMS students.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

Applestein has served as Windham Middle School principal since July 2023 and takes his leadership role seriously.

“Maintaining a good balance between the work I do with the students and the work I do with the staff is one of my biggest challenges,” Applestein said. “Anyone who works in education is always working in a world where there are multiple and competing priorities. And on any given day, all of them are just as important as any one of the others. So being able to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate said priorities such that I can act on them in a timely manner, which lead to satisfactory outcomes for all is definitely one of my biggest challenges.”

Among his duties as WMS principal, Applestein is tasked with ensuring the safety and security of all students and staff, to continually help WMS improve in our areas of need in all that they do with and for the students, and to be compassionate, responsible, and respectful with and to all students, staff, families, and community members in helping them to achieve their full potential.

Applestein enjoys his work and says interacting with the school’s students and staff on a daily basis is the best part of his job.

“Over the past 35 years, I’ve been in four other schools, in four other districts, in four other parts of Maine and I get to spend my days with the best students, staff, families, and community members in all of Maine,” he said.

According to Applestein, the greatest misconception that people may have about his job as WMS principal is that school administrators only meet with the students who are in trouble.

“For me, the more time I can put into developing and maintaining good working relationships with all students proactively, the more positive and upbeat my relationships with students will be,” he said. “I spend some time each week meeting with students to let them know how well they are doing and how proud we are of them.”

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Applestein’s father served in the U.S. Air Force, so his family moved around a lot when he was in elementary school. When his father retired from military service, the family moved back to Pennsylvania when he started sixth grade and Applestein lived there through college.

He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in English Education in May 1990. He went on to obtain a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine in May 2012.

Applestein taught English and Video Productions for 22 years at Belfast Area High School and then served for three years at Ellsworth High School as assistant principal and worked for five years as assistant principal at Scarborough High School. Prior to joining Windham Middle School, Applestein was the principal of Bonny Eagle High School for three years.

“I knew RSU 14 had a great reputation due to its students, staff, families, and community members and that was one of the many reasons I applied for this position,” he said. “Secondly, I had heard and read about all of the school renewal which was occurring in this district and the work resonated with me and my core values and beliefs. Thirdly, I have always wanted to work at the middle level as middle level students are energetic, honest, and experiencing rapid growth and development over these three years. I always thought I would like working with this age group, and I am humbled, blessed, and grateful to be serving in this role.”

His most memorable moments while working for WMS occur when students are recognized for upholding the school’s core values.

“We host a grade level Community Meeting at the end of each of the four marking periods in the year. In our Community Meetings, staff give ‘shout outs’ to students who did a variety of things well during the marking period,” Applestein said. “And the students are recognized for upholding our core values of Compassion, Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility. These have been very memorable moments because our students are recognized, honored, and valued by our staff and students and I’ve never met a student who couldn't benefit from all of that.”

He says the most important thing he’s learned while working for WMS is that there’s a very palpable feeling of community, collaboration, and a can-do spirit which all permeate the hallways, classrooms, offices, courts, and playing fields of WMS. <

Landry French Construction to serve as General Contractor for Windham Raymond Middle School

By Lorraine Glowczak

The RSU 14 Board of Directors unanimously voted on Wednesday, March 5 to enter into a contract with the Scarborough-based Landry French Construction as general contractor for the new Windham Raymond Middle School to be built at 61 Windham Center Road.

Landry French Construction will serve as the General
Contractor for the new Windham Raymond Middle School
at its location on Windham Center Road in Windham. The
site is currently being prepared and materials are being
delivered. Construction is expected to start soon and the
school to open by August 2027. PHOYO BY ED PIERCE  

Building construction is set to begin at the start of April, with the building scheduled for completion for Aug. 1, 2027, and ready to welcome fifth through eighth-grade students in the fall of that year. The project remains on schedule, and the community will soon see visible progress as construction begins.

Landry French has produced many well-known construction projects, such as buildings at the Casco Bay Ferry Lines, the Colby College campus, the Yarmouth Public Safety complex, and the new cancer center on Rock Row in Westbrook. They have excelled in creating first-rate educational facilities, as well, demonstrating their commitment to excellence in every project they undertake.

“Landry French Construction has an impressive portfolio of school and civic projects and is recognized for completing high-quality work on time and under budget,” said RSU 14 Superintendent of Schools Chris Howell. “The company is working to complete the new Skowhegan Elementary School and is currently working on a K-8 school in RSU 10 in Mexico, Maine.”

Also impressive is the fact that the construction is coming in under budget, which is important to lowering the expected budget increase.

“The first-year payments for the project will increase the 2026 school budget by 8 percent, with a little over 6 percent covered by an additional subsidy from the state of Maine,” Howell said. “While this represents a larger-than-usual budget increase due to school-related debt, the additional subsidy will help cover a majority of the new costs.”

The project remains on track and is currently running $11 million under the original projected budget. The building will include all the features previously discussed with the community. This means that nothing will be cut, including the much-anticipated 600-seat auditorium and indoor walking track.

As mentioned in a July 26, 2024, article written by Ed Pierce, once the school construction is completed, Windham Middle School and Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond will be combined into what will be known as Windham Raymond Middle School.

The original Windham Middle School was built in 1977 and was originally intended for a maximum capacity of 483 students. That number has grown in the last few years to exceed 650 students, with sixth graders being housed for some classes at the adjacent Field Allen School, originally constructed in 1949.

Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond was originally constructed as an elementary school in 1960 and currently has about 180 students.

The RSU 14 plan calls for students in Grades Five to Grade Eight in both Windham and Raymond to attend the new school.

Windham fifth graders currently attending Manchester School would attend the new school, as would Jordan-Small Middle School students from Raymond.

The maximum capacity for the new school is expected to be about 1,200 students and the building is expected to be viable for at least 50 years.

Howell points out that team teaching will be implemented, creating an atmosphere of a close-knit community.

“The teaming structure will give students the feel of being in a smaller school within the larger school,” he said. “Each team will have spaces that are dedicated to each of the core subject areas,” he said. “In addition, the building will be structured to allow for the integration of some of the applied arts within the team. The development of this team structure will serve to bring the best possible facilities to each team. In contrast, the original Windham Junior High School, now Windham Middle School, was built as a departmentalized Junior High School.”

With the contract now approved, Windham and Raymond residents can look forward to seeing progress on the new school, which promises to be a state-of-the-art facility for students and the community alike. <