Falmouth HS and YES earn Blue Ribbon award

Falmouth High School and Yarmouth Elementary School were named National Blue Ribbon Schools in Maine by the U.S. Department of Education.

Blue Ribbon Schools are chosen based on overall academic performance, according to a press release issued by the Maine Department of Education.

“The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content,” said Maine Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson Jr. in a press release.

In early November all of the National Blue Ribbon School winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Juniors recognized as Merit Scholarship finalists

Local students made an exceptional showing when the National Merit Scholarship semifinalists were announced recently, with more than a dozen garnering honors. Among those chosen to advance were Luke Marsanskis and Edmund Paquin of Cumberland Center, who attend Greely High School; John D. Auer, Kade J. Kelley, Liberty R. Ladd and Seiya Matsumoto, all from Falmouth High School; Paul L. Biberstein, Alec Eames and Margaret C. Perrotta, of Freeport High School; Charles R. Van West, who attends Maine Coast Waldof School in Freeport; Andrew J. Schaeffer of North Yarmouth Academy and Wyatt R. Bates of Yarmouth High School. The high schooler juniors are among approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The academically talented high school seniors will continue in the competition to vie for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships this spring. 

NYA teacher rocks out in Russia

Ross Markonish, chairman of the North Yarmouth Academy English Department, played in the 25th Annual International Belomor-Boogie Festival in Arkhangelsk (Archangel), Russia. The Yarmouth resident and his band, Ogre, performed at the festival over the weekend of Oct. 6-7, and will also play at a club while in Arkhangelsk. The Belomor-Boogie Festival has featured U.S. bands for the past three years. OGRE was recommended by the Portland-based American heavy prog band Sunrunner and subsequently invited by festival promoters. Coincidentally, Arkhangelsk is one of Portland’s sister cities and Neale Duffett, co-chairman of Portland’s Archangel Committee, helped with the details.

OGRE was founded in 1999, and features Ed Cunningham on vocals/bass, Will Broadbent on drums, and Markonish on guitars. Their Facebook page describes their music as doom metal/’70’s rock that celebrates “the riffs and glorious self-indulgence of 70’s heavy rock and traditional doom metal, crafting a sound that brought to mind the classic material of monster acts like Black Sabbath, Rush, Deep Purple and AC/DC.”

Falmouth senior named DAR Good Citizen

Jacob Seeker, a senior at Falmouth High School, has been selected as the DAR Good Citizen for the 2018-19 school year. He is the son of Mark and Robin Seeker.

This program is sponsored by the Elizabeth Wadsworth Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. These qualities consist of dependability, which includes truthfulness, loyalty and punctuality; service, which includes cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others; leadership; and patriotism, which includes unselfish interest in family, school, community and nation.

Selected by the staff and faculty, Seeker and his family will be invited to attend a chapter brunch and is eligible to enter the DAR Good Citizens scholarship contest.

Copy the Story Link