Caribou Adult Education receives Citizenship Award during annual Loring banquet

LIMESTONE, Maine — For its dedication to enriching the lives of Loring Job Corps Center students, Eastern Aroostook Adult and Community Education was presented with the center’s Citizenship Award.
Presented during the annual Evening with the North Stars event, Director of Eastern Aroostook Adult and Community Education (EAACE) Dan MacDonald said the award was unexpected.
“The Evening with the North Stars is always a great event with good food and entertainment,” he said. “We went just to show our support for the program and enjoy the evening.”
Business and Community Liaison at the Loring center, Roger Felix, spoke of EAACE’s virtues prior to the award presentation, stating that their steadfast dedication of positive spirit has allowed the Loring Job Corps Center (LJCC) to shine with student success in achieving high school diplomas and equivalency diplomas, while also providing assistance and tutoring to help students reach those goals.
“Their entire staff and their facility is top notch; they complete their mission to the highest standards while oftentimes giving up their own personal time to assist us in accomplishing our mission,” Felix said of the adult education staff. “We here at Loring are proud to have them on our team and we cannot say enough good things about this group of professionals.”
Accepting the award on behalf of EAACE were its director, MacDonald, and Adult Basic Education Academic Coordinator Lyn Michaud-Smith. MacDonald didn’t say much when presented the surprise award, but he vocalized on Monday that it was a great honor for him and the education center’s staff to be recognized with the Citizenship Award and highlighted that EAACE and the LJCC have enjoyed a long and successful partnership.
“Our partnership with the Loring Job Corps Center provides opportunity to support individuals and a large local employer,” the director said, adding how EAACA has provided everything from basic literacy skills and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes to high school diplomas and college transitions services for the students of LJCC over the years, in addition to professional development for the LJCC teachers and ServeSafe training for the kitchen staff.
“Like any good partnership, the benefits go both ways,” MacDonald said. “While many of the students are local, most are from across the Northeast and bring a great deal of diversity to the program. This enhances the experience for everyone.”
MacDonald expressed that the region’s 16- to 20-year-old students are in a position to take advantage of the many great career trainings at the center at the LJCC through their co-enrollment agreement, in addition to the supports that come along with being an LJCC student.
“Additionally, the shared resources and financial support make it possible for the program to provide a broader and richer curriculum for everyone. This truly is a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” McDonald added.
This is the 14th year that the Loring center has honored community members and organizations that have positively impacted its students through volunteering time, energy and resources that positively influence students.
The Citizenship Award wasn’t the only surprise of the evening, and an amusing coincidence found that Loring Job Corps Center Director Kristie Moir had arranged for a surprise award for Felix, and Felix had arranged a surprise award for Moir — both awards focused on outstanding leadership.
Presenting his award first, Felix commented how Moir’s leadership had seen the center through difficult times. Over the past years, Felix said that the center had faced a federal change in policy, student input freezes and even cancellation of summer breaks for students.
“You try telling a student they’re not going home for the summer,” he joked.
“But during that time, our commander stood tall, never wavering and always motivating,” Felix stated. “Our special award goes to the person who, as a leader, often doesn’t take credit for our success but believes every day in our mission.”
Moir expressed her thanks, adding that she couldn’t have a better team — or job — in the world.
“But with all due respect, I actually wanted to present an award to Roger tonight on behalf of our team, because when you talk about humility and being humble, this is the guy behind the scenes who really makes the rest of it happen,” the center director said.
Moir stated that Felix is at every event to put LJCC out into the community, working tremendous hours and whenever there’s a time to put Loring students in a situation that will make them strong, “He’s the first one knocking at the door,” she said.
She gave the example of Felix’s persistence in ensuring that Loring’s Honor Guard was selected to be the color guard of the Million Strong Job Corps 50th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. come this April.
Felix expressed his thanks for the recognition as well, commenting that success for their students in the most successful thing that can happen.
Providing entertainment during the annual Evening with the North Stars banquet were Junior Miss Potato Blossom Queen Yessenia Vilar of Presque Isle, Little Miss Caribou Madelyn Cote, vocalist Austin LaPlante of Caribou, and a score of talented Loring students including guitarist Dean Penn, vocalist Tazay Hill, rapper Brandon Rhule, vocalist Tatiana Spencer, rapper Marcus Moody — all supported by technical sound support specialist Omar Diaz.