St. John’s students dress down to donate for  hurricane relief

Students at St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick left their uniforms at home on Sept. 20 and dressed casually, not as an act of defiance, but rather in the spirit of compassion. Students could wear regular clothes to school if they also brought a donation for Catholic Charities’ hurricane relief efforts.

“The St. John’s community has a long history of helping those in need,” said Timothy Forti, principal of St. John’s. “When we scheduled the ‘dress down day’ to support the relief efforts, the response was overwhelming.”

Donations totaled over $1,000.

“With an enrollment of 117 students, to raise more than $1,000 is an amazing testament to the generosity and giving spirit we have at our school,” said Forti.

The proceeds will now be donated to Catholic Charities, which is supplying humanitarian aid and resources to affected areas.

PFL to host college application workshop

Registration is now open for a workshop on the Common Application for College scheduled at Patten Free Library on Tuesday, Oct. 10. The event for high school seniors will be held 6-8 p.m. in the library’s Community Room at 33 Summer St. in Bath. Several local college counselors will be on hand to help students learn the basics about the Common Application website and about how to develop a strong personal profile. The event is free and open to any high school senior; however, registration is required.

 “We’ve had a great response to this workshop over the last few years,” said Roberta Jordan, outreach and instruction librarian. “I think everyone who attends feels as if they get much-needed assistance and encouragement on their Common Application, thanks to Leslie Trundy of Morse High School, who leads the workshop. Wendy Thompson of Westport Educational Consulting will also be presenting again this year. Of course, the free pizza also makes the reality of the college application process a little less painful.”

Interested students should bring their own laptop or tablet, but a limited number of library laptops are available. Parents are welcome to attend, as well. Students may register by email at rjordan@patten.lib.me.us or by phone, 443-5141, ext. 25. 

Pair of local students are National Merit semifinalists

Two area high school students are semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program. Mt. Ararat High School Principal Donna F. Brunette announced that Peter Mao has made the grade in Topsham, and Kyra C. Teboe has been named a semifinalist at Brunswick High School. Teboe and Mao are among 16,000 semifinalists named nationwide and will share in an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million to be offered next spring. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

Topsham VFW sponsoring scholarship

Reverend Joseph Lamarre Memorial Post No. 2197 in Topsham will be sponsoring local students in national VFW scholastic programs. Students in School Administrative District 75, which includes Harpswell, Topsham, Orrs Island, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Orrs Island – along with Brunswick, Lisbon and Freeport – are eligible. The “Voice of Democracy” competition is offered for high school students and the “Patriot’s Pen” is offered for middle school students in grades 6-8. The post will select a winner in each category, and sponsor them in district competition. Last year the local Patriot’s Pen winner made it to the state finals.

This year’s topic for the Voice of Democracy is “American History: Our Hope for the Future.” The top award for the national winner is a $30,000 scholarship. The topic for Patriot’s Pen is “America’s Gift to My Generation.” The top prize for the national winner is $5,000.

Entries must be submitted locally to the Post by Oct 31. For more information, visit the Post Facebook page at vfw post 2197 topsham, or contact the post commander by email at cha_rogsteve@comcast.net.  

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