At the March 12 regular meeting, the Gorham School Committee voted to hire Mensure Jushari to be a multi-language teacher at the Gorham Middle School. Durvan Grady, who had been serving as Interim Technology Director, was appointed to the position.
Superintendent Heather Perry announced that the district is not supporting Legislature Bill LD974, which establishes base rate for support staff, not because she does not value these essential workers, but that there would be a significant cost burden considering requirements to educate 3–4-year-olds and other vital expenses. She echoed the committee members’ congratulations to the girls and boy basketball teams for successful seasons and the students’ production of Radium Girls, which they were preparing to compete in the state finals.
Eliza Kensigsberg, director of the ASPIRE Gorham program, and Grace Olsen, instructor for Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO), gave updates on the program. ASPIRE provides opportunities for students at all grade levels to connect with professionals for career exposure, exploration, and experience. Currently 67 students are in the ELO program which prepares students for life after high school.
Two students, Mason Starkey and Megan Gendron spoke about their experiences. Megan interned with realtor Jen Whitehead at one of the 100 community businesses working with the program. She said she developed leadership skills and learned how to schedule her time. Mason, who works on his own car, wants a career in the trades. ELO gave him confidence to contact Shawn Moody about an opportunity to learn automotive skills. Given the success of the ELO program, ASPIRE hopes to retain Olsen’s position after the funding grant expires this year.
Michaela Lamarre, an 8th grade Gorham Middle School teacher, received a $16,000 Teach With Tech grant for Lego Robotic Kits. She described how it has enabled her students to build simple machines, create unique machines, learn circuit construction, and finally create their own robots.
Brooke Proulx, social worker for grades 4-8, presented a summary of the results of the 2023 Maine Integrated Youth Health Services (MIYTH) survey. The results indicate “that our GHS and GMA students are engaging in less high-risk behaviors compared to overall Maine state averages and have more protective factors compared to the state average,” she said.
Gorham was fairly consistent over the past ten years. The exception was 2021 “where mental health, bullying, and overall safety improved, and at-risk behaviors dropped significantly.” Her team hypothesis is that this was due to the hybrid learning model, smaller class sizes, outdoor learning, and a focus on social emotional wellbeing in addition to universal alternative teaching methods. Her entire presentation can be viewed on the Gocat recording of the March 11 meeting.
In other business, there were reports from Standing and Special Committees. The Anti-Racism and Equity Committee described the successful art-focused event organized by GHS activist. Three policies were updated and a new Educational Philosophy/Mission was approved.