Trail project earns NYA sophomore Eagle Scout status

Samuel W. Yankee, a rising sophomore at North Yarmouth Academy, was presented with the rank of Eagle Scout, Scouting’s high honor, May 20, at Freeport Community Library.

The son of Amy and Tod Yankee of Freeport, Yankee is a member of Troop 45, charted by the First Parish Church Congregational of Freeport. His Scoutmaster is Adam Landry and his Life To Eagle Coach is Thomas Hall. Troop 45 is part of the Casco Bay District of the Pine Tree Council.

In order to achieve the rank of Eagle, Yankee had to earn 21 merit badges and show leadership by planning, developing and completing a community service project. For his project, Yankee led his troop members and community members to create a new hiking trail for the Freeport Conservation Trust.

Yankee has been active with the SailMaine high school sailing program, as well as winter and spring track and student government.

The rank of Eagle is earned by less than 4 percent of all youth who join Boy Scouts of America. 

National Merit Scholar honors for local students 

National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced three local students will receive scholarships from the nonprofit entity.

Richard C. Hilscher, who attends North Yarmouth Academy, and Alison M. Noyes, who is a senior at Falmouth High School, are two of 2,500 students nationwide who will receive $2,500 scholarships as finalists in the state of Maine. As award-recipients, they demonstrated the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and the potential for success in college. Emilia Faye-Ming Ruth of Yarmouth was one of approximately 3,500 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. Ruth plans to attend Northeastern University. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. The awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. 

YHS senior is distinguished volunteer

Olivia O’Halloran of Yarmouth, a senior at Yarmouth High School, was presented on June 8 with an engraved bronze medallion to recognize her selection as a Distinguished Finalist for Maine in the 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

O’Halloran has dedicated hundreds of hours to volunteering with “Art Attack,” a summer camp that encourages young children to create art from the natural resources around them. She also served as a mentor to an elementary school student and traveled to Peru and the Dominican Republic to help children in need.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. All middle and high schools in the U.S., along with all Girl Scout Councils, county 4-H organizations, Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award last November. Two state honorees — one middle and one high school student — plus a select number of distinguished finalists from each state and the District of Columbia, were selected based on criteria such as personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.

Falmouth, Yarmouth students complete marine science program

Two local students were among 16 juniors who completed a week of living and learning at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay on May 25.

Eleanor Adams of Falmouth High School, Ben Cox-Faxon of Yarmouth High School worked closely with Bigelow Laboratory scientists, experienced a research cruise, conducted experiments and learned how to analyze results as part of the 29th annual Keller Bigelow Laboratory Orders Of Magnitude Program. 

The five-day summer workshop provides students with a hands-on experience about the biological, chemical and geological characteristics of the local marine environment and see what a career as a scientist might be like. Students apply for the program, for which 16 are selected from each county in Maine.

Samuel Yankee of Freeport attained the rank of Eagle Scout by building a new trail for the Freeport Conservation Trust. O’Halloran

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