SAD 51 student art on exhibit at State House

Excellence in Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education was showcased by the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Arts Commission on April 26, in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta.

The Excellence in Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education is a rotating exhibit that displays artwork throughout the Statehouse complex and the Department of Education in the Cross Building. The following students from SAD 51, which includes Cumberland and North Yarmouth, will have their artwork displayed through the end of May:  Maxwell Allen, Tommy Bennert, River Buxton-Rost, Abby Civiello, Meredith Cloutier, Katie Fitzpatrick, Olivia Giandrea, Devin Gifford, Carter Gray, Toby Carter, Kristin Kendall, Audrey Labbe, Adam Lane, Clara McDuffie, Christian Meehan, Eleanor Moody, Conor Nadeau, Will Nicholson, Ella Normandeau and Shaylee O’Grady.

Lane, of North Yarmouth, who attends Greely Middle School, drew a Chinese dragon. “I took the time to draw all those tiny scales,” he said. “and that took a lot of patience.”

Moody, a third-grader at the Mabel I. Wilson School, was recognized for her “Snowman,” but she was more impressed with the State House, which she called “a cool place.”

First Lady Ann M. LePage presented each art student with a certificate and a letter from Gov. Paul R. LePage recognizing the talent of Maine students. “I am so impressed with your imagination and skills,” said LePage. “Even the quotes with your pictures express your skills, and we are so pleased to have your art work on display.”

Musicians from Greely High School in Cumberland Center performed at the celebration and were recognized for their excellence in the performing arts.

Gov. LePage’s letter to the students reads in part, “Art shows creative thinking that is seen in other subjects like with the great artist Leonardo da Vinci. He was an artist, sculptor, architect, scientist and military engineer. And even though the technology did not yet exist to build them, he envisioned the helicopter, military tank, and calculator, among other inventions. The arts are a vitally important part of any education because it’s the creative thinking that leads to imagining new ways of making things work and improving the world we live in.”

Greely student wins Municipal Association Essay Contest

Cumberland student Abigail Jean Steinberg of Greely Middle School was one of three winners in Maine Municipal Association’s fifth annual statewide essay contest, which carried the theme: “If I Led My Community…”

Part of MMA’s Citizen Education program, the contest asked students to demonstrate how they would improve their hometowns and cities if they held positions of local leadership. More than 170 essays were submitted from seventh-graders across the state. Essays were judged on knowledge of municipal government, writing quality and clarity, and originality.

Each student received a certificate and a $250 prize to be used for educational purposes. The awards will be bestowed by municipal officials in the winners’ hometowns.

Winning entries also will be published in the May issue of the Maine Townsman, MMA’s monthly publication, which is mailed to 4,400 municipal officials statewide and posted at www.memun.org.

MMA’s Citizen Education program aims to educate citizens of all ages about the importance, accessibility and effectiveness of municipal government. The essay contest, and high school curriculum developed in 2011 with Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, have the dual purpose of educating young people about local government and encouraging them to get involved as future elected or appointed officials, or as municipal employees.

‘Guys and Dolls’ is spring production at Falmouth High

The Theatre Company at Falmouth High School is staging “Guys and Dolls,” a Tony Award-winning musical based on stories of gangsters, gamblers and New York City in the 1940s. Nathan Detroit, a renowned gambler, works to find a location and funds for an ill-conceived game of craps while juggling wagers on love and life with his friends and long-suffering fiance, Adelaide. The show features crowd-pleasing songs such as “Luck be a Lady.”

Show times are 7 p.m. May 5, 6 and 12; and 7:30 p.m. May 13 and 14.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for students, children and seniors, and are available 30 minutes before show time. The Theatre at Falmouth High School is located at 74 Woodville Road. For special seating needs or for more information, email theatre@falmouthschools.org, check out the Facebook page, or visit the theatre’s falmouththeatre.org.