So much has happened in the past two weeks!
As we try to comprehend the horrors of Newtown, Conn., we are reminded to speak honestly and with a level head when discussing this issue. We should show compassion and care, and listen with our hearts as well as our ears. If we can promote the fact that we will always speak truth, then our
students and children will feel they can tell us important things. There are many lessons and values that can be taught out of this tragedy, if we take the time.
Contributed photograph
VISITOR — Brandon Baldwin, schools and curriculum coordinator, Civil Rights Team Project, under the Office of Maine’s Attorney General visited Hodgdon Mill Pond School. Shown with Baldwin are from left, Elizabeth Neher, Grace Derosiers, Rhonda Foster (Civil Rights adviser), Leigha Jurson and Dylan Jurson.
Our middle school welcomed Brandon Baldwin, schools and curriculum coordinator, Civil Rights Team Project, under the Office of Maine’s Attorney General. Baldwin spoke about “Understanding Bias,” a presentation that challenges students to recognize their role in contributing to a culture and climate of bias. He used Dr. Seuss’s film, “The Sneetches,” to help students understand the concept of bias and used examples of ugly incidents which have taken place in Maine. He concluded with information on the Maine Civil Rights Act, and a challenge for students to accept the responsibility for assessing and changing the school’s climate.
Immediately following Baldwin’s presentation, the eighth-grade students held their raffle drawing for a Kindle Fire e-reader device. Twenty-nine students worked together to raise over $1,100 toward their spring class trip. Winner of the prize was Jill Quint, an ed tech at Mill Pond School. The top three sellers for this raffle were Jace DeWitt, Jamie Palmer and Josh Malone.
Our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are hitting full stride, honing skills and teamwork to give their very best on the floor.
As a community service project, the Hodgdon Middle School Girls’ Basketball Team set aside an evening to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Coach Sarah Harbison split the girls up into groups and kept the bell ringing in shifts from 3-8 p.m. on Dec. 12.
As we begin this new year of 2013, may we take the good from last year and continue it, and may we find a way to make positive changes and contributions to this year. Maybe we can join the “26 Acts of Kindness – Maine” movement to a kind thing for each students and staff taken from Sandy Hook. Look for the opportunity to find the good in people, and tell those who matter to you just that! Happy New Year!
