HODGDON, Maine — The district has had a busy summer. The Summer School including the 21st Century Community Learning Center was held at the beginning of the summer for both Mill Pond School and Hodgdon High School. This year the district chose to offer its own School Nutrition Program for the first time in several years.
Renovation projects are wrapping up and the custodians are busily cleaning up the dirt and debris. The Mill Pond School had less renovations this year but will have new public bathrooms, a new girls locker room and a stage lift. Hodgdon Middle/High School was closed for the summer due to extensive renovations.
The major focus at both schools was ADA Compliance or accessibility for persons with disabilities. Many doorways and entrances had to be moved to provide proper clearance for people in wheelchairs.
Some doorways have automatic door openers to achieve accessibility. In addition, the school has a new fire alarm system, new student and public bathrooms, new locker rooms, a stage lift, and a new elevator. The actual elevator and lifts will not be installed until October but the preparatory work will be completed.
The last project included in the state School Revolving Renovation Fund is the re-pointing of brickwork and mortar on the original high school building. This project will restore the building to its original condition and includes sealer to protect the masonry into the future. The purpose of the project includes safety and to ensure that moisture does not enter the building further eroding the bricks and causing indoor air quality issues.
This is the first extensive renovation of either school since 1987 and goes along way in keeping the facilities up to date. Further renovations under the SRRF program will be completed during the summer of 2017.
The last project, which was completed with local funds designated for facilities maintenance, was a new roof on the first floor wing of the high school also known as the science wing. This roof was on a list of roofs needing to be replaced and was the top priority as it had seen extensive leaking over the last several years.
Another project this summer was the move of Grades 7-8 to the high school. The staff working with the students will remain consistent with last year as all the teachers and support staff moved to the first floor of the original high school building.
A new bathroom area was built that is just for the use of middle school students in their wing. This move means that regular classroom teachers will not need to move between buildings during the school day. Specialists such as art and music will continue to move between buildings as they have done in the past.
SAD 70 is pleased to establish a K-12 World Languages Program this year. Darby Stinnett has been employed to teach Spanish to all grade levels. She will have several classes at the High School and then teach weekly classes to middle and elementary students. The Rosetta Stone World Languages Program will continue to be offered at the high school for students interested in other languages or can’t fit the Spanish class into their schedule.
The school district has several new hires as well as staff that have changed to new or expanded responsibilities for this school year. These include the following:
PK-12: Shannon Stewart, school nurse; Sarah Williams, first grade; Jason Little, Jobs for Maine Graduates specialist; and Carmen Kimball, high school science.
Changes in assignment for this year include: Janet Little, kindergarten; Bronson Stinnett, fifth grade; Julie Peters, special education Ed Tech; Lisa Foster, full time administrative assistant (Mill Pond); Deloris Hammond, special education administrative assistant and data entry; Joan Fournier, part-time secretary (Mill Pond); Beth Moore, technology support.
The district is currently in the process of hiring several educational technicians and has a K-5 guidance counselor vacancy.
The staff moving to Hodgdon Middle/High School are: Rachael Upton, grades 7/8 math; Stephanie Harris, grades 7/8 English; Sara McQuarrie, grades 7/8 science and English; Kara Wright, grades 7-12 social studies; Jill Hyman, grades 7/8 special education; Andrea Jenkins, grades 7/8 special education Ed Tech; Jamie Foster, grades 7/8 special education Ed Tech; and Jill Quint, grades 7/8 regular education Ed Tech.
For more information, call Superintendent Scott Richardson at 532-3015.
