Gorham School Committee welcomed two new members to their ranks on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Lola Vance, a sophomore at GHS, joined as the second student representative to the committee, and Jaci Reynolds has been appointed to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Stewart McCallister until a special election can be held in June.
Catherine Paul, an English teacher at GHS, was joined by seven current and former students who explained the history and work of the BEE Club, a school group that is responsible for the care, maintenance and harvesting of five beehives located in Robie Park. The group began in 2021 after a student’s Extended Learning Opportunity with a local landscaper opened her eyes to the benefits of beekeeping. The group sells the honey, makes lip balm, and has collaborated with multiple agencies and organizations to build and promote the program and benefits of beekeeping. Committee members praised the group and wanted more information on how to purchase the highly coveted honey and lip balm products.
The three staff members of the newly re-established alternative education program at the high school shared the philosophy and structure of their program that is currently serving 9th and 10th graders. With a focus on building a sense of community that helps the students explore their interests, passions, and real-world events as they are happening, students shared personal testimonials as to the impacts of the program in a heartwarming video. The team and GHS administrators hope that a proposed additional math teacher in the school’s budget request will allow the program to expand to also support 11th and 12th grade students next school year. Committee members praised the program and their clear impact on the lives of the students.
Gorham’s team of three multi-language learner (MLL) specialists reviewed the continued increase in the number of multi-language learners in Gorham this school year. Last year there was a much-needed position added in the spring to address the sharp rise in the number and needs of MLL students. The team noted the added position has been very beneficial for ensuring support for the students and their teachers who are trying to provide content education to them. When asked by a committee member, the specialists estimated that currently 25 languages other than English are the primary language for the students they serve.
School Committee members offered appreciation and updates for the work being done by assistant principals to address attendance issues, the cast and crew of GHS’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” the peer recognition program at the middle school, as well as the readathons at the elementary schools. The committee continues to work on their communication goal of concise, easily located information, and is working with the town council to explore capital improvement needs and the development of a fiscal sustainability plan and metrics by which to measure their success.
Assistant Superintendent Quinton Donahue directed committee members to the monthly administrative reports, publicly available online. He noted that the Maine Department of Education has released their initial calculations for the state’s annual contributions for education. Gorham stands to see an increase in state funding, due in part to the expansion of Pre-k programming and a concerted effort of the community to ensure families completed the free/reduced lunch forms that are used to determine disadvantage and subsequent funding.
The school committee will begin hosting weekly budget workshops in the superintendent’s conference room on the second floor of the municipal building each Monday evening in March, beginning at 7 p.m. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend.