The Aspire Gorham Initiative began with a planning year in 2018-2019 and then the first implementation year in 2019-2020. This program began as a fully grant-funded program via our partnership with the MELMAC Foundation and Jobs for Maine’s Graduates (JMG). Over seven fiscal years our grant partners contributed a combined total of just over $1.2 million dollars to support this program. Today, because of the demonstrated positive impacts of this program upon our schools, our students and our community, the Aspire Gorham Initiative is fully funded locally.

What is Aspire Gorham?

Aspire Gorham is for everyone. This community-wide initiative encourages students in every grade and Gorham school to consider their futures. Collaborating with businesses and community organizations in and around Gorham, the Aspire Gorham team connects students to professionals for career exposure, exploration, and experience opportunities from kindergarten through 12th grade. At each grade level we have a specific focus as outlined below:

Grades PK – 5 = Exposure: Building future-ready skills and inspiring students.This foundational stage of Aspire Gorham provides introductory career-related opportunities that incorporate dramatic play, experiential learning, time for discussion, parent engagement, and the development of future-ready skills that foster children’s aspirational strengths and interests.

Grades 6-9 = Exploration: Supporting students to explore their strengths and interests.Deepening the career exposure that occurs in early childhood and elementary education, this stage encourages students to actively “try it” and explore many different careers and skills without fear of failure. Students continue to focus on developing future-ready skills through ongoing exposure to and engagement with their community.

Grades 9-12 = Experience: Empowering students to craft their future stories.

Building upon the foundations of career exposure and exploration, students partner with teachers and community mentors to pursue authentic career experiences directly tied to future goals and are located in the community. Students also actively engage in career exposure and exploration activities as they refine their skills and take steps toward realizing their aspirations.

Each year data is collected for students trying to measure the impact the program has had over time. You can find a full review of the data collected for the 2023-2024 school year on the Gorham Schools website under Aspire Survey, but these are some of the highlights:

• 93% of students report that their teachers have “high expectations” of them.
• 92% of students report that their counselors and their teachers help prepare them for a successful life after HS graduation.
• 85% of students report that they learn things in school that they believe have a direct connection to their lives after graduation.
• Participation in Internship programs has increased from just 25% of students in 2021 to almost 80% of students participate in internship experiences now.
• The percentage of students participating in either JMG or CTE programs has increased from 27% in 2020 to 38% in the spring of 2024.
• The number of students participating in Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO’s) since 2020 has quadrupled.
• The number of students participating in early college courses has increased from just 4% in 2020 to 75% in spring 2024.

   

  The Aspire Program ranges from sponsoring our Littlest Learners program at Baxter Memorial Library for our earliest learners to field experiences and curriculum connections to aspirations in the early grades to events like the Amazing Race, Try It Day, and Junior Achievement programming at the MS level to ELOs, Internships, CTE programming, and curriculum-embedded career exploration activities at the HS level.

  The bottom line is that our classroom learning is purposefully connected to meaningful and authentic opportunities for students to explore their aspirations from birth all the way through!

  It is an incredible program for our students and one that requires many community partners to be successful. If you have an interest in helping out – please reach out to Eliza Kenigsberg, our career aspirations and ELO coordinator to share your interests and learn more about how you can be involved in this program! Her email address is eliza.kenigsberg@gorhamschools.org.