June 25, 2019 at 01:09AM
An anonymous donor has set up a fund to generate $50,000 annually to support extra-curricular activities at Mascenic Regional High School.
Outgoing Superintendent Stephen Russell said when he first got a letter about the gift, he thought it was a practical joke.
"I wasn't sure it was true," Russell said. "This doesn't happen every day, and certainly not in my career."
An anonymous donor from the Mascenic community set up the fund through the Maine Community Foundation, which helps administer donations for communities.
Each year, the school district will have to submit a plan for the use of the funds for the Maine Community Foundation to approve. But the funds are reserved for Mascenic extra-curricular activities in perpetuity, Russell said.
The district has already submitted its plans for how to use the money next year, and the plan has been approved. All three schools in the district will be benefiting from the fund.
Mascenic would use about $13,810 of the fund, which will benefit the cheerleading team, the school band and Destination Imagination.
About $4,500 will be used to buy a new vibraphone for the band, and polo shirts for both the school band and chorus to use as uniforms for concerts, parades, pep rallies and community events. The district would use $3,810 to replace 10-year old training mats for the cheerleading team, and $5,500 for travel and a coach stipend for the Destination Imagination team.
In Boynton Middle School, funds would be used to start two new clubs and bolster the Boynton Buddies program.
One of the new clubs would be for archery, run in the fall and spring for 12 to 15 students. About $4,427 would cover a stipend for a coach, 12 compound bows and accessories and foam targets. The other would be for a FIRST Lego Robotics team, with funds to buy six Lego kits, yearly registration for competition and a coach stipend.
Boynton would also use $5,700 to expand Boynton Buddies, a long-standing mentorship program between Franklin Pierce University students and Boynton Middle School, where college students are paired with a middle school student to provide a positive role model and enhance social skills.
Previously, students were pulled from classes to participate in activities with their mentor. With the additional funds, the program will expand to an afterschool and weekend program, including weekly visits between buddies and monthly field trips.
Highbridge Hill Elementary School will use about $10,500 to run the Little Husky's Summer Enrichment Camp, a two-week summer camp that will run this year, and provide activities such as drama and arts, music, outdoor adventure and creative problem-solving.
The school will also be using some funds to fill 42 backpacks which have been donated to the school with art supplies, games and puzzles to present to students throughout the school year.
Last week, Russell received notice from Liz Fickett, the Scholarship Funds Manager at the Maine Community Foundation that the proposed uses for the fund had been approved.
Russell said the district should receive the funds within the next few weeks.
"I want to stress how pleased and appreciative of this person's generosity we are and their willingness to contribute to our efforts to provide our students with a great mix of opportunities and activities," Russell said. "We thank you."
An anonymous donor has set up a fund to generate $50,000 annually to support extra-curricular activities at Mascenic Regional High School.
Outgoing Superintendent Stephen Russell said when he first got a letter about the gift, he thought it was a practical joke.
"I wasn't sure it was true," Russell said. "This doesn't happen every day, and certainly not in my career."
An anonymous donor from the Mascenic community set up the fund through the Maine Community Foundation, which helps administer donations for communities.
Each year, the school district will have to submit a plan for the use of the funds for the Maine Community Foundation to approve. But the funds are reserved for Mascenic extra-curricular activities in perpetuity, Russell said.
The district has already submitted its plans for how to use the money next year, and the plan has been approved. All three schools in the district will be benefiting from the fund.
Mascenic would use about $13,810 of the fund, which will benefit the cheerleading team, the school band and Destination Imagination.
About $4,500 will be used to buy a new vibraphone for the band, and polo shirts for both the school band and chorus to use as uniforms for concerts, parades, pep rallies and community events. The district would use $3,810 to replace 10-year old training mats for the cheerleading team, and $5,500 for travel and a coach stipend for the Destination Imagination team.
In Boynton Middle School, funds would be used to start two new clubs and bolster the Boynton Buddies program.
One of the new clubs would be for archery, run in the fall and spring for 12 to 15 students. About $4,427 would cover a stipend for a coach, 12 compound bows and accessories and foam targets. The other would be for a FIRST Lego Robotics team, with funds to buy six Lego kits, yearly registration for competition and a coach stipend.
Boynton would also use $5,700 to expand Boynton Buddies, a long-standing mentorship program between Franklin Pierce University students and Boynton Middle School, where college students are paired with a middle school student to provide a positive role model and enhance social skills.
Previously, students were pulled from classes to participate in activities with their mentor. With the additional funds, the program will expand to an afterschool and weekend program, including weekly visits between buddies and monthly field trips.
Highbridge Hill Elementary School will use about $10,500 to run the Little Husky's Summer Enrichment Camp, a two-week summer camp that will run this year, and provide activities such as drama and arts, music, outdoor adventure and creative problem-solving.
The school will also be using some funds to fill 42 backpacks which have been donated to the school with art supplies, games and puzzles to present to students throughout the school year.
Last week, Russell received notice from Liz Fickett, the Scholarship Funds Manager at the Maine Community Foundation that the proposed uses for the fund had been approved.
Russell said the district should receive the funds within the next few weeks.
"I want to stress how pleased and appreciative of this person's generosity we are and their willingness to contribute to our efforts to provide our students with a great mix of opportunities and activities," Russell said. "We thank you."