Aroostook Retired Educators Association met June 23 at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum for their first summer meeting and luncheon. There were 60 members in attendance for the lunch served by the ladies of the museum.
The association has the distinction of having the largest membership in the state with 505 members. Three of the members received special recognition at the spring convention. They were Rena Kearney of Mars Hill for community participation; Paul Bouchard of Fort Kent, a longtime active member, received an honorary life-time membership from the Maine Education Association-Retired and Richard Rand was selected as this years’ AREA nominee for the MEA-R Leadership Award for outstanding leadership qualities to the state/county associations and their communities.
Following the dinner, Principal Loreen Wiley of Hodgdon’s Mill Pond Elementary School spoke on a program called, “FISH Philosophy” which began at Pike’s Place in Seattle. This company believes in four main goals each day in the workplace. They are: play, have fun; make their (the customer’s) day; include the customer and in this case students or staff members; be there, pay attention to ones’ surroundings and those you share it with; and choose your attitude.
The Hodgdon staff has used this philosophy for the last 10 years. They sent several of their staff members to San Francisco for training and then applied that training to their school day. Students and staff are encouraged to look for the good in people, try to do something nice for someone every day, open a door, give or share a snack, offer to help someone, share a smile or a kind word of caring.
Wiley said, “When I am working with students that have demonstrated a negative behavior I try to make them aware of choosing a better attitude and before they leave my office I suggest that they “let the negative attitude go, leave it behind, start anew.”
The program offers FISH cards, which students can ask for at the office. They then present a card to a staff member, bus driver or custodian they have noticed that did or said something nice to make their day.
Wiley said she as well as many others have noticed the positive atmosphere within the school and how it even carries to places outside.
The Mill Pond School received several backpacks filled with school supplies from the retired educators group during the last school year. Janet Woods who delivered the backpacks noticed the positive atmosphere immediately upon entering the building.
Lynn McNeal, legislative committee chairman, informed members about a new website and that Aroostook County was probably the only county that provided a website for their members. The site gives important information to members. http://mcneal41.wix.com/area.
Richard Rand led a remembrance ceremony assisted by Rena Kearney and Mabel Desmond. Names of 75 deceased educators were read and a flower was placed in a vase to commemorate their passing. More than a dozen were members of the retired educator group and a $25 donation was sent to their preferred charity or their town’s library.
Life member Maxine Giberson of Houlton was a special guest who will be celebrating her 100th birthday in August. The members honored her with the “Happy Birthday” song and her meal.
Other meetings for the summer will be: Tuesday, July 21 at Nadeau Hall, UMFK; Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Edmund’s Center, NMCC and Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center. Registration is at 11 a.m. followed by a luncheon at noon.
Yearly memberships are $7 per person and may be sent to Paul Bouchard, 20 Pearl Street, Fort Kent, ME 04743. Members are asked to bring a food pantry item to each of the luncheons and items to fill the backpacks for students who are in need. A school in the central Aroostook area will receive the backpacks in the fall.
