by Cali Warren

On Tuesday, May 17, 13 new members were inducted into Mount View High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society. 

The new inductees are members of the class of 2023. The students gathered in the CPAC to be inducted into the chapter by NHS advisor Miss Gray, Mr. Freeman, and the 10 previous NHS members from the Class of 2022. 

The students were elected to join the National Honor Society by a team of faculty, and have shown commitment to NHS’s core values: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. This is a very prestigious accomplishment. Hopefully, with the pandemic mostly out of the way, the new NHS members will be able to dedicate more time to community service and activities. *interviews with NHS members – add later* 

Congratulations to these students on their accomplishment and commitment to bettering Mount View High School!

by Cali Warren

On Tuesday, May 3, the Mount View High School Student Council is hosting a blood drive with non-profit humanitarian organization American Red Cross. 

Students ages 16 and older can sign up, with 16-year-olds needing a parental permission form. Not everyone is eligible to donate blood – the World Health Organization states that people who are feeling sick with a cold or flu, people who have recently gotten piercings or tattoos, and individuals under 16, but a more complete list can be obtained at the World Health Organization’s website. 

Blood drives are an excellent way to help your community without having to devote an abundance of time or pay money. “Blood is a renewable resource, your body creates what is taken in 8 weeks,” explained Student Council Advisor and science teacher Mrs. Chase. “Everyone should consider giving blood. Every pint of blood donated can save 3 lives.”

by Cali Warren

Food insecurity is a tough subject for many Mustangs, who don’t have adequate access to nutritious, plentiful food at home. This causes many people to rely on school lunches. Recently, the JMG program partnered with Maine charity Full Plates Full Potential to bring state-of-the-art equipment into our schools, along with diverse options for school-provided breakfast, lunch, and beyond.

“When we first got started, the objective was to work together to address food insecurity,” explained middle school JMG teacher Kyle Story. He addressed the fact that many students don’t eat school lunch, whether due to a lack of options to suit their diet or something else, and this collaboration was focused on student needs and feedback. “It was a collaborative, back-and-forth effort” between the middle school students, the kitchen staff, and Story. 

Eighth-grade volunteer Emma Hurd played a huge role in the success of this partnership, along with our very own MVHS sophomores Erika Hanks and Chevelle Walsh. Hanks created a survey for the high school to get a wide array of student opinions. “[It helped us] figure out what kids like about lunch, [if] they eat lunch, if they don’t eat lunch, what they don’t like, what they want to change,” Story said. On April 11, 2022, Hurd, Story, and our own Mr. Bassett delivered remarks to the school board about the importance of their work, and how they have put their grants to good use. 

This inspiring story caught the attention of 207, a nightly news show through News Center Maine that sheds light on human interest stories. A news crew led by Peggy Kaiser interviewed Mr. Story and the involved students, and it was broadcasted to our community. The link can be found here.

While our middle school Mustangs played the biggest role in enacting these changes, we all benefit from this collaboration and teamwork – we eat our lunches in the same cafeteria, occasionally sharing the same menu, and we can all learn something from the advocacy of our fellow students.

Emma Hurd, an 8th grader at MVMS, stated that she “was inspired to help with this because I wanted to see if having something new in the cafeteria would help kids want to eat lunch at school or so the options seem more appealing.” Her favorite part of the collaboration “was being able to be more involved with the school and being able to make a change.” (put as separate paragraph after paragraph mentioning Emma)

“I would say that if you are willing to give up some of your free time then it would be a great idea for you to help out in the kitchen because we are also short-staffed,” said Hurd. (add to ending)

by Cali Warren

April is School Library Month, and here at Mount View, we have two hard-working librarians who ensure every student has access to books, research databases, and other resources. Mr. Bridges, our school librarian, and Ms. Sleight, our library Ed Tech III, shared what they love most about their jobs and being a part of the community. 

“My favorite part about being a school librarian is helping students to find the information that they need to answer whatever questions that they have,” explained Mr. Bridges. “I enjoy learning what people are curious to know. I enjoy exploring the vast resources available to satisfy that curiosity.” Ms. Sleight also enjoys being able to connect with students in the library. “The best part about being a school librarian is being able to help the school community with information needs. When someone comes in not sure of what they would like, it is nice to be able to help them leave with a smile on their face and a book in hand.”

Ms. Sleight also runs the Library Club, a place for students to help out at the library, take care of books, and earn community service hours. “While visiting my local public library with my kids when they were young, I began to fall in love with the atmosphere of the library and the services the children’s librarian provided,” she explained. “I needed a career change and began talking to the librarian about what the job was like and how to become a librarian. I was reminded of the times in my youth when I enjoyed library visits and doing research. From that point, I decided that becoming a librarian was the career path I wanted to pursue.”

If you’re the kind of student who loves to hang out in the library, you can relate to Mr. Bridges. “I was that kid in school who loved to be in the library. I have always been curious enough to want to answer my questions about many things. I discovered that the library is a place where I can find answers to my questions and where I can find more questions to pursue,” he said. “What better profession than being a librarian could there be? I am surrounded by resources, and on the best of days by other people who are also curious and searching. There’s nothing better.”

by Cali Warren

It’s common to overlook scholarships until you’re a senior, but juniors should take advantage of their scholarship opportunities. The Horatio Alger Association is offering a unique scholarship opportunity for the current Class of 2023, with varying awards based on a student’s profile and financial need. To qualify, a student must have a GPA of at least 2.0 and require financial aid to get a bachelor’s degree at an accredited, non-profit institution. The scholarship is for juniors only, and prospective recipients need to display qualities of integrity and perseverance as well as being an involved student. The application deadline is March 15, so interested students should check out the program and apply online!

by Cali Warren

Most Mustangs know by now that the Unity Dunkin’ location has moved from the Depot Store to its own standalone building on Main Street. Kayla Holcomb, a Mount View senior, works at the new location and previously held a job at the old Dunkin’. 

The biggest difference Holcomb noticed with the new location is the influx of customers. “We’ve had an abundant amount of new customers compared to the original location. I’ve had a lot of customers tell me that they wouldn’t go to the one at Depot since the lobby was small and the drive-thru was really bad,” she explained. The drive-thru was often crowded and very difficult to navigate. 

Holcomb also appreciates the space at the new store. “There’s significantly more space to move around and to put things in their places,” she said. Anybody who has visited the location so far can see that it appears much more spacious than before. Another plus of the new location is a lack of restriction when dealing with closing times, according to Holcomb. “My favorite part about it is seeing all the new people come to the store and working at the store. There are so many new faces,” Holcomb explained. “Also, we have a full roster of staff to work.” Dunkin’ has an updated menu as well, suiting the new and improved location. “We have the brown sugar signature latte,” Holcomb said. “This latte was intended for lactose intolerant people, so it doesn’t come with whipped cream like the other signatures!” The latte is also customizable – “it usually comes with oat milk but you can always change it out for milk or almond milk.” 

In addition to the new latte, Holcomb wants Mustangs to note that “peppermint mocha is now discontinued”, and the “Valentine’s day takeover” begins on February 3rd. Heart-shaped donuts will be joining the lineup temporarily. 

Since students and staff alike tend to enjoy their caffeine (and donut) fix in the morning before school, Holcomb offered a bit of advice for regular customers. “The worst times to come [usually are] Wednesday and Saturday. Our supply truck usually comes in in the afternoon or a bit later. So if you’re looking for your favorite drink before that truck comes, you might be out of luck!” The Unity Dunkin’ is now located on 178 Main Street in Unity, ME.