STACYVILLE, Maine — Region Two School of Applied Technology Director David Keaton announced Friday that Michelle Birmingham from Katahdin Area High School, has been selected as the “Student of the Year.”
“This is the Early Childhood Education program’s second student in two years to claim this honor,” said Alison Reece, the Region Two Early Childhood Education Instructor, herself a former Region Two “Student of the Year” in the Early Childhood Education program when she attended class there.
“Michelle has been a student in Early Childhood Education for two years,” Reece added. “She is hard-working, enthusiastic, energetic, as well as extremely motivated and dedicated to her field of study. Michelle works well with children of all ages, having had field placement experiences with infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children in a variety of program settings.”
Birmingham also has volunteered in the Pre-K and Developmental Kindergarten classrooms in her high school during study halls and for special events, and had employment in a child care center this past summer. She will leave the program having met all the requirements for her industry recognized credential – the CECA (Certified Early Childhood Assistant Certification, issued by the Maine Roads to Quality).
Additionally, Birmingham has earned nine college credits through a dual enrollment agreement with Northern Maine Community College. She is also enrolled in a children’s literacy class through NMCC at the Houlton Higher Education center through Early College for ME, meaning she will enter college with 12 credits already accumulated.
“Michelle will be attending Eastern Maine Community College in the fall where she plans to earn her associate’s degree in early childhood education, and she intends to go on to the University of Maine at Farmington to earn her bachelor’s degree as well,” Keaton said. “Michelle is a shining example of the type of high-quality students we have here at Region Two.”
