Portland Public School juniors interning for nonprofits

Two students from Portland Public Schools have been named 2018 Bank of America Student Leaders.

Bilan Mohamed, from Deering High School, and Reagan Brown, of Portland High School, will participate in the Student Leaders program, through which BOA helps connect community-minded high school students to jobs, skills development and service.

During the eight-week internship and leadership conference, students participate in a paid internship at a local nonprofit organization, where they learn firsthand about the needs of the community and the critical role nonprofits play. In addition to the paid internship, participants will attend the Student Leader Summit held in Washington, D.C., where they will explore how government, business and the nonprofit sectors work to address critical community needs. 

Bilan, who is a junior, will intern at the Boys & Girls Club. According to Deering guidance counselor Libby Heselton, “Bilan has a big smile and a bigger to-do list. Highly intelligent and mature, she is interested in everything and strives to understand all she can.”

Reagan, a junior at Portland High School, will be an intern at United Way of Greater Portland. Portland High history teacher Sally Reagan said in recommending Reagan that she is “among the most dedicated and meticulous students that I have encountered in my 25-year teaching career. She has a deep interest in politics, history and the world around her.”

CBHS junior explores marine science at Bigelow Bay

A Casco Bay High School student was among 16 juniors who completed a week of living and learning at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay on May 25.

Elinor Tierney-Fife worked side by side with Bigelow Laboratory scientists, went on a research cruise, conducted experiments, and learned how to analyze results as part of the 29th annual Keller BLOOM Program. BLOOM is an acronym for Bigelow Laboratory Orders Of Magnitude. 

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

Deering named National Merit Scholar

A Deering High School student was among 2,500 winners of this year’s National Merit $2,500 scholarship program. Lucy S. Tumavicus was chosen from more than 15,000 finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.

As noted in a prepared release announcing the winners, Tumavicus’ probable career field will be international human rights.

Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

The Portland Board of Public Education on June 5 honored Deering High School junior Bilan Mohamed and Portland High School junior Reagan Brown for being chosen to participate in an internship program sponsored by Bank of America. From left are DHS Assistant Principal Abdullahi Ahmed (Bilan’s father); Superintendent Xavier Botana; Brown; Heather Smith (Reagan’s mother); Mohamed; Board of Education Chairwoman Anna Trevorrow; and Rose Parsons and Bill Williamson of Bank of America.

Copy the Story Link