To the editor:
Those who are fighting to keep New Sweden School open are doing so for the benefit of the students. Unfortunately, for some in the community, the decision is purely financial. The numbers are important for those deciding which way to vote, but numbers do not tell the whole story.
New Sweden School is teaching with the future in mind. New technologies, like robotics and 3D printing, are embraced and worked into the curriculum. Life skills classes give students experience outside traditional school curriculum that will serve them throughout their lifetimes. Helping out in the kitchen gives students a deeper level of pride in their school.
The multi grade classrooms are beneficial in many ways. The student-to-teacher ratios are low, benefiting students. Sending the children to other schools translates into more children per classroom than New Sweden would have if it combined more grades. There is something intangible about how New Sweden School benefits our children. My first-grade son benefits from knowing seventh- and eighth-graders. He looks up to them and considers them his friends. The older children benefit from being role models for younger children in their community. There is something to be said for being a part of a school where everyone knows everyone else. Affluent people in larger communities pay private school tuition to mimic the small class size and individualized education that New Sweden School provides.
New Sweden School students compete in cross-country running, cross country skiing, track and field, soccer, baseball, softball, and basketball. One unique thing about New Sweden School is the abnormally high rate of participation. Students, who in larger schools would not have the opportunity, enjoy competing on the New Sweden and Union 122 teams. There is also an afterschool skiing program at New Sweden School for students in all grades from pre-K through 8th grade.
The music teacher is superb. Several students are selected for All Aroostook Band and Chorus each year. The hallways showcase interesting and beautiful student artwork. Children’s Stage Adventures provides the special experience of putting on a stage production. In New Sweden, every student is able to participate in the play.
New Sweden School has Lego League and Lego League Junior teams competing in challenges with other schools. Students also compete in spelling bees and on the math team.
Despite budgeting concerns, the education at New Sweden is top notch. The students can tell that the teachers truly care about them and their education.
Closing the school will make the community less attractive to homebuyers. It will hurt the community to lose the school. Closing the school cannot easily be undone. Once it’s closed, it will change the community. The children will have to be bused elsewhere and will lose their sense of community identity.
My hope is that the voters of New Sweden will consider the costs of closing the school that go beyond dollars and would have a long lasting impact on students and the nature of the community.
Heather Mladek
Stockholm
