Retired educators plan meeting

     CARIBOU, Maine — The final summer meeting of Aroostook Retired Educators’ Association will be held Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center.

     Registration will begin at 11 a.m. with a $14 buffet luncheon served at noon. The guest speaker will be Mark Shea, Power of Prevention Drug Free Communities project coordinator, who will discuss drug and paraphernalia identification.

     At the August meeting, Dottie Martin welcomed the group to the NMCC campus. A remembrance service for deceased educators was presented by Beverly Knowles. More than 70 folks involved in education were commemorated in a video presentation which included the names and birth and death dates of each person. Knowles also read the poem, “Heart of a Teacher,” by Paula Fox.

     Lynn McNeal presented the second reading of the proposed changes in the constitution. He explained each change and the rationale for that change. The changes were unanimously accepted under unfinished business.

     Dayna McCrum, a senior at Central Aroostook High School in Mars Hill and Future Farmers of America state president, was the guest speaker. She took the members of AREA on a trip to South Africa through a video presentation of her learning experience there. She shared the culture and the agriculture of Cape Town, Johannesburg, and the farms and villages of the area. She said she appreciated her learning experience and answered questions from the audience.

     Janet Woods reported that the recipient of the Bulging Backpack Project this year is the Dr. Levesque School in Frenchville, which houses grades K-6. Donations for the project can still be brought to the September meeting and the school will receive the additional donations. Also donations of non-perishable food items will still be accepted at that meeting.

    Dues of $7 are still being accepted. The membership goal for this year is 505.

      All retired educators are encouraged to join for information, involvement and renewal of friendships.