PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Schools and students are exploring unfamiliar territory with remote learning due to coronavirus precautions. Though there are challenges to the new setup, one local student has found a path to success.
Presque Isle Regional Career and Technical Center Director Tim Prescott recently learned that Presque Isle High School junior Brandon Dubie had received a special certification from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dubie, a student in the natural resources/aquaculture program at the career and technical center, is particularly interested in forestry and has participated in a successful and productive internship this year with Larry Park of Presque Isle, a retired potato farmer and small woodlot owner.
According to natural resources instructor Vicki McCurry, Dubie takes full advantage of the hands-on atmosphere in his CTE program.
“He is an active learner and one might surmise that remote learning would be a struggle for this type of student. Not so for Brandon,” she said.
McCurry said she challenged all the students in the class to use their remote learning time to pursue an Environmental Protection Agency certification in watershed management. In order to complete the certification, students must study 15 extensive modules detailing different aspects of watershed management and pass a test over each one.
Dubie completed this task in record time and was the first to earn this certification since it has been offered in the natural resources class.
“The information in this certification is valuable not just for someone who is going into a field that deals with watershed management, but for the average everyday person, because it teaches you how to be a better steward of the waterways in your community,” Dubie said.
McCurry said she is “immensely proud” of all his accomplishments, and also encouraged by Dubie’s success with remote learning.
