Easton superintendent honored
EASTON NEWS
by Debbie Smith
Frank Keenan was honored April 16 at a retirement celebration party at the Easton Elementary School.
Photo courtesy of Debbie Smith
GUEST OF HONOR — Frank Keenan, longtime superintendent and principal in the Easton School Department, was surprised by guests at a retirement party in his honor. He is holding his little granddaughter as he greets the people.
They celebrated Mr. Keenan’s last 10 years as superintendent at the Easton School Department and his amazing 42 years in education. Believe it or not, the party was kept a secret from Mr. Keenan until he walked into the school and was met at the door by his children and their families. He thought he was attending a church supper that he was supposed to present a speech on behalf of someone else. The hall was lined with family, friends, faculty and colleagues to greet him.
There was an hour of socializing and appetizers and entertainment by the Easton High School chorus. Tom Osgood, a school board member, welcomed everyone and gave the benediction. A wonderful dinner was served which included chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls and cake for dessert.
Photo courtesy of Debbie Smith
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE — The Easton High School Chorus performed at Mr. Keenan’s retirement party. The chorus members include, from left, front row: Marissa Parlin, Kerrigan Arnett and Danielle Dudley. Back row: Meghan Frank, Taylor Lawrence and Jessica Bennett.
There were several presentations made by other superintendents from the area. Dr. Gehrig Johnson, superintendent SAD 1, spoke about the memorable times he and Frank have had shared over the years. Jake Clockedile, a retired superintendent and a former superintendent of Easton, addressed Mr. Keenan and the crowd. He and Mr. Keenan are both from Mars Hill, so he had lots of stories to tell. Roger Shaw, superintendent of SAD 42, (Mars Hill) made everyone laugh at stories about Frank’s younger days. They went back many years. There was even a video presentation of Mr. Keenan’s good old days playing basketball on the Mars Hill Panthers. Oh, those short shorts.
Photo courtesy of Debbie Smith
PUBLIC SERVICE — The National Honor Society members served the meal and helped out in many ways during the retirement party in Mr. Keenan’s honor. Participating members of the National Honor Society were, from left: Sydney Trask, Mindy Desmond, Jacob Bacon, Cody Tompkins, Reed Clark, Holden Turner, Zach Clark, Taylor Lawrence, Ariana Babineau and Lauren West.
David Hopkins and Sandi Flewelling, members of the Easton School Board, read submissions from Dick Durost, a former superintendent in Easton, and Harry Pringle. Even though the speeches were all funny and made us laugh, everyone spoke highly of Mr. Keenan. They were all good friends with him and respected him for what he stood for, hard worker he is, his love of the students and his ability to always put his family first.
Also, there was a presentation from the students of the elementary school. By watching their video you could see how loved Mr. Keenan is by the students. Every morning Mr. Keenan stands in the hall and greets the students when they come into the building. I have even witnessed him bending down and helping the little ones with their boots, shoes and mittens. At lunchtime you can find him eating in the cafeteria with the students. Everyone wants him to sit with them and he takes turns doing that very thing. They all love him.
He is a very caring and wonderful boss and one of the best I’ve ever had. He will certainly be missed. He is well respected by all who know him. But I must add and not forget his loving wife, Darrilyn. You know what they say “Behind every successful man is a woman.”
The program ended with the school board presenting Mr. Keenan with gifts.
I must close with “after 42 years, school is finally out.”
Senior play is Saturday
Photo courtesy of Debbie Smith
READY FOR THE STAGE — Easton High School’s Class of 2011 will present their Senior Play entitled “Aunt Maggity’s Dark and Stormy Night” on Saturday, April 30th. Cast members include, from left, front row: Amanda Dayringer and back row: Jonah Bacon, Mindy Desmond, Holden Turner, Jacob Bacon and Ariana Babineau.
There will be a Senior Play entitled “Aunt Maggity’s Dark and Stormy Night” being performed by the students of Easton High School on Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m. It will be produced by special arrangements with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. Englewood, Calif. The admission price is $4 for adults and $2 students and senior citizens. Hope to see you there.
Family Math Day
On Saturday, May 7, a scheduled storm make-up day for Easton, there will be a Family Math Day from 9-10:30 a.m. Parents make sure that you attend.
Students of Month
Wendi Malenfant, assistant principal of Easton Elementary School, has announced the March Students of the Month at the school.
Cecelia Ferris
is a fifth-grader who is very conscientious with her schoolwork and kind to her classmates. She often seeks out peers who could use a friend, and goes out of her way to make everyone feel included. She is a hard worker and sets a great example for her peers.
Cecelia is the daughter of Danny and Leslie Ferris.
Kassidy Brewer
is a first-grader who has really come out of her shell, according to her teachers. She is kind and helpful, and looks for opportunities to always give her best effort. She never gives up, and her work ethic is commendable. She can be counted upon to do the right thing and she is a great friend to her peers.
Kassidy is the daughter of Jason and Danielle Brewer.
The Annual Arts Night Concert
Photo courtesy of Debbie Smith
Happy Days Club
A meeting of the Easton Happy Days Club was held on April 14th. President Nina Trask opened the meeting. There was a prayer by Rogena Thomas followed by a salute to the flag and singing of “America” which was accompanied by Lianna Demerchant.
The 13 members present were: Joanne Johnson, Nina Trask, Rogena Thomas, Rena and Keith Richardson, Jean Ann Ames, Marie Hewitt, Annette Copeland, Arlene Ladner, Elizabeth Ladner, Helen King and Lianna and Paul Demerchant.
The club’s next meeting will be Thursday, April 28th. Tammy Delong from the Area on Aging will be the speaker. She will be explaining the changes in the new Medicare Buy-in, which will affect many people in Aroostook County. The meeting starts at 11:30 a.m. Easton residents age 55 or older are invited to attend. See you there.
Council on Aging meeting
The Northern Maine Council on Aging will be meeting at 9:30 a.m. on May 16th at the VFW in Ashland. There will be finger foods and Easton members are welcomed to attend. A trip to Oxbow is planned for June 9th for a buffalo burger at the Homestead Lodge and a stop at Oxbow Wreaths. There will be a limit of 16 people, so sign up early.
Ideas for other trips include Horn of Plenty in Houlton on May 26th, and Anderson’s (Canada) and Brookside Diner in Smyrna.
Birthdays and anniversaries
On April 27th Samuel Galitano, Corey Colwill, Fred Osgood, AnaRae Holmes, Paul Dudley, Samuel Clark, Jessica Monson and Bryan Young will all turn another year older. Also Von and Roxanne Perry have an anniversary on April 27th.
On April 28th Joy Ferris, Hayward Ames, Cindy Kimball and Cameron Hitchcock all have a birthday. Also Desirae and Mike Rickman have an anniversary that day.
Nichole Dudley, Diane Holmes, Mary Holmes and Landon and Brandon have a birthday to celebrate on April 29. A birthday celebration will be in order on April 30th for Julie Horton, Shelley Clark, Lorraine Wilcox and Hailey Ireland.
On May 1st Marie Dunnarummo, Emma Rickman and Wayne Patterson all have a birthday. Cheryl Fogarty, Tanesha Desmond and Ellen Nadeau will be another year older on May 2nd. On May 3rd Travis Carter, Becky Blodgett, Matthew Beaton, Drew Sotomayer, Amanda Beyeler, Terry McMahon and Megan Blosser will all be celebrating their birthdays.
Blessings to you all on your special days.
Benefit for Day family
There will be a benefit supper for Cheyanne Day, a kindergartner is our community, on Friday, April 29th. The spaghetti supper will take place at the Hall starting at 6 p.m.. A minimum donation of $5 per person is requested. There will be a silent auction following dinner and 50/50 tickets will be sold.
The Daisy Troop that Cheyanne belongs to is heading this up if you are willing to help with setup, cooking or cleanup please contact Kyla Legassie or Kristina Lento. Donations are also being accepted at Kathadin Trust (Easton location only).
Town Clean Up Day
The Town of Easton will provide a collection point a the town garage on the Fry Pan Road for Easton residents only on Saturday, April 30th from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
New Zumbatomic session
The kids loved our last session of Zumbatomics, the crazy-cool dance-fitness workout for kids (ECP through 8) set to hip-hop, salsa, reggaeton and more. so we are going to go for it again for four weeks in May. Classes will be held every Monday starting May 2 through May 23 at the Hall. Kids may be bussed to the Hall after-school and should be picked up by 4 p.m. The cost will be $8 for the first child from each family, $6 for the second child, $4 for the third child and the fourth child is free!
Shriner’s Circus Trip
We will be going to the 3 p.m. show of the Shriners’ Circus on Friday, May 6. The bus will depart from the elementary school at 2:10 p.m.. Tickets have been donated by the Shriners this year for anyone who wants to attend, but pre-registration is required! Hillary Trainer already has several names on the list but if you have not signed up, please e-mail her at eastonrec@myfairpoint.net so she can add your child’s name to the list. Additional money is recommended for snacks and souvenirs, on the day of the event. If any parents are able to join us, it would greatly appreciated!
Zumba and Zumba Gold
Zumba & Zumba Gold classes each began another session the last week of April. Zumba classes will be held on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Zumba Gold will be held from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Classes will begin on April 25 and run through May 26/27 at the Elementary School. The cost is $40 to attend twice per week and $22.50 for once a week. The drop in rate is $5 for either class.
Kindergarten swim lessons
Children in kindergarten (and those 4 and older who are not in ECP) will have the opportunity to take swim lessons on Mondays from April 25 through May 23. We will leave directly after their 1 p.m. dismissal and return in time to ride the after-school buses home. We will be carpooling to the pool in PI, so if any parent is available to help please let Hillary know. The cost is $20, please make checks payable to the Town of Easton and drop them off at the Town Office as soon as possible so travel arrangements can be finalized.
Softball in Easton
There has been interest expressed about having a co-ed adult summer softball league. We haven’t hammered out all the details; whether we will have sponsored teams or just a “pick-up” league. Please let me know if you have interest in participating or know someone who might. We would like to begin this league in May and have it end on Field Days week-end (July 9).
Any questions please call Hillary at 551-7737 or e-mail to eastonrec@myfairpoint.net.
Debbie Smith is the correspondent for Easton. She can be reached by e-mail at debbie-smith04_69@hotmail.com or call 488-5530.
