April 25, 2024 / marymacary / Comments Off on Principal Gray’s Insights of the Mount View Trip to France and Potential Future Trip to Spain
by Mary Macary
Recently, some of our Mustangs went on a trip to France! This trip was an exchange program with some French students from Lycée Blaise Pascal, a school in Segré. It was thanks to our principal Mr. Gray that the students were able to go on this trip due to a connection from his previous job.
Mr. Gray commented that the trip is comparable to the German exchange program in that the students matched up with a French student and host families. He also revealed that next fall, the French students will be coming to our school! According to Mr. Gray, the students were able to experience French schooling for some time and were able to interact with the rich culture and students. Luckily enough, our students were also able to interact with some Irish exchange students who were there as well! After visiting the school, the Mustangs were able to do some touring of Historical sites in Paris.
While the trip to France was a blast, Mr. Gray did have an issue with the travel company they went through, writing in an email, “One thing that I would do differently, next time, is work with a different travel company. The portion of our trip that was not the exchange (the time in Paris) was organized by a travel company that didn’t provide the kind of service I was expecting. I will not be using them again next time.”
The next time he is referring to might come sooner than you’d expect as Mr. Gray revealed this, “We actually have another trip planned similar to this next year, with a partner school in Spain. This time, the Spanish students will come to us first, next fall, and we will travel to Spain next February.”
To get an opportunity to host French students for two weeks next fall should contact Mr. Gray as soon as possible!
To visit Spain next year, contact Mr. Gray immediately! He is currently putting together the group and has a meeting scheduled for May 7th, at 5:30 pm!
All information was gathered from an email from Mr. Gray,and he gave full permission for me to use his name and words in the article.
Mount View High School is a school filled with talented students. Highlighted here is just some of the artwork created by students at our school this year shared here with their permission.
This piece titled “Trees at Sunset” is a watercolor painting made by Bailey Cartier on 9×12” paper.
This piece is a gridded portrait titled, “Billie Eilish” which was made by Mia Donovan using graphite pencil.
Also made by Mia Donovan was this hollow form sculpture titled,”Lil Dino Guy”, made using red clay.
This shattered value piece was made by Rene Benedict using charcoal and smudge on a 12 x 18” piece of paper.
A group of 29 of our high school students from music, science, and art classes took a trip to see the solar eclipse on April 8th! They traveled to Blair Hill Inn in Greenville facing Moosehead Lake. Mr. Davenport, the teacher who organized the trip, commented, “The eclipse looked fabulous,” and “We were in totality and had the full show: the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, it went dark, we could see the gorgeous silver white corona of the sun around the moon”.
While the eclipse was fabulous, the journey back was not. While the ride back was supposed to take two hours, it ended up taking a draining five hours. Mr. Davenport’s description was that the, “Ride back was brutal.” He claimed that it took 3 hours just to go 17 miles. Leaving the inn at 4pm, the students and teachers didn’t make it back to the school until 9pm. On their entire journey back home, they only made one stop around 7pm in Guilford’s Irving and Family Dollar.
Despite that, Mr. Davenport felt it was worth it in the end, saying, “It was amazing. I won’t ever forget it and will be doing all I can to see more of them in the future.”
Here are some images of the eclipse captured by students!
All quotes from Mr. Davenport pulled from an email he sent to me with full permission to share his name and words.
Whether you live in Maine or you’re just visiting, one way to enrich yourself with art, culture, history, and new experiences is to visit some of the excellent museums of Maine.
Portland Museum of Art
With a rich history of over 140 years, the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) is one of the oldest museums in the United States. This magnificent museum has permanent historical pieces inside, but it is also the host of exhibits and collections that come and go, guaranteeing that you’ll see something new and exciting with every visit. This museum is family-friendly, with Family Days that offer opportunities for kids to experience and experiment with art-making and films. The hands-on interaction doesn’t stop with Family Day though, because PMA also has workshop days to help guide visitors through unique spaces and allow them to participate through hands-on activities or prompts to immerse themselves into the experience. For a wide variety of art from both artists of the past and artists of today, and for immersive interactions with opportunities to meet some of the artists showcased in the museum, if you have any interest in art, Portland Museum of Art is the place for you and your family.
Maine Maritime Museum
As a history museum that offers specialized interest in Maine and the sea, the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine is an excellent place for people interested in history and the maritime environments of Maine. This museum offers glimpses of the past with exhibits showcasing historical artifacts such as the contents of their historic boat collection. Not only does it have historical offers, but it also allows marine biologists to showcase replicas and discoveries of things in Maine’s very oceans. For maritime enthusiasts and history lovers, Maine Maritime Museum is a pot of gold waiting to be discovered.
Farnsworth Art Museum
If you’re looking for a more culturally relevant and diverse museum, Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine is hard to overlook. With lots of diversity and inclusion, the museum offers a broad look at Maine’s art and culture, showing who the people of Maine truly are. Along with ever-changing exhibits, this museum also has permanent exhibits from many influential artists such as sculptor Louise Nevelson, painter Gilbert Stewart, and impressionist painter Childe Hassam. When it comes to Maine’s historical and modern influences in America, the Farnsworth Art Museum has it all.
In a Choices Matter Campaign on March 19th, 2024, author and public speaker Chris Sandy visited our High School. He told his story, revealing that he had driven drunk and killed two people. For this, he was sent to prison for eight years, and he is still on parole for what he did to this day. Sandy, in great detail, told his story, shared his regrets, and brought reality to the distracted driving accidents we all hear about from his unique perspective. He described his time in prison and discussed the ways in which he did, and continues to, atone for what he had done, such as being part of the Enduring Regret film, befriending a victim of a distracted driving accident, and trying to be the best person he can be. Despite all this, he acknowledges that he can never be simply forgiven. Sandy’s presentation was powerful, impacting students and teachers alike to reflect on their mindsets and to be more aware than ever of just how dangerous distracted driving can be.
While Sandy focused on his own personal experience of alcohol-induced distracted driving, the message extends to distracted driving as a whole. When you are not focused on driving, people can get hurt. One way he really honed in on his point was by emphasizing that the party he was driving to when he caused the accident was just down the road from his previous location. It was a road he was familiar with, a road he drove on with confidence. Many of us can relate to the familiarity of certain roads, the type of road that you grew up on, one where you feel invincible. But you are never invincible, as proven by Sandy. Careless driving can cause severe harm even if it’s somewhere you know or if you’ve driven on the road a hundred times, or even if you’re just driving down the road. Sandy enlightened us to his past experiences in order to prevent us from making the same mistakes that he did.
March 18, 2024 / marymacary / Comments Off on Mount View Senior Graduation: The When and The Where
By Mary Macary
The end of the 2023-2024 school year is rapidly approaching, and with that, many people are curious about the seniors’ big day: Graduation! Just a few short months away, the Mount View Seniors will graduate on June 9th, 2024 at 1:00 pm. This will take place indoors in the gymnasium due to the fear of unpredictable weather for an outside graduation.
As for tickets, each senior will draw spots, during marching practice, for about eight seats each to see where their closest friends and family will be seated! Speaking of marching practice, for any seniors unaware, this will take place Wednesday, June 5th through Friday, June 7th at 8:30 am, just before graduation. Student attendance is mandatory in order to be a part of the graduation ceremony.
Be prepared and good luck to Mount View High School’s 2024 graduating class!
It’s March, which means it is Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month. MS is an unpredictable autoimmune disease that is detrimental to those who have it. It affects the central nervous system and affects everyone who has it in differing intensities. MS gets progressively worse over time though. Currently, the cause of it is unknown, but researchers have observed that it is about three times more likely to occur in females than males, and a total of about 2.8 million people have it globally. MS can be incredibly painful to those who have it because their immune systems are attacking themselves. The range of potential symptoms and complications include, but are not limited to, fatigue, paralysis, loss of vision, depression, and even death.
Not only can MS directly affect those who have it, but it can indirectly affect the loved ones of people who have it. MS can make it difficult for an individual to function properly physically, mentally, and emotionally, depending on the person. This can cause a strain in families, causing potential psychological distress.
Thankfully, in the last decade, there have been impressive advancements in MS research, therapies, and medications. While it is still currently incurable, MS can be slowed. People with MS have been showing an increase in expected life spans within the last decade of up to 7 years on average, meaning the average life expectancy has gone from 75 years to around 82 (Gower). Awareness of MS has led to donations that have made it possible for scientists to gain funding for research, for MS patients to get help paying for treatment, and for many opportunities to facilitate education on the disease.
Works Cited
Gower, Timothy, and Brunilda Nazario. “MS: How Does It Affect Your Life Expectancy?”
As someone who loves nature, state parks are a wonderful way to get out of the house and go hiking and exploring beautiful, safe areas. As the nice weather slowly but surely approaches, these five state parks are some to consider visiting!
Franconia Notch State Park
Franconia Notch State Park, is located in New Hampshire. It got its name from Franconia Notch, a well-known mountain pass in northern New Hampshire. This park has a lot to offer, including skiing. If you like to ski, then you might be glad to hear that this state park is home to Cannon Mountain, a premiere ski area containing 11 lifts that service 285 acres of skiing that covers the terrains of two mountains and the highest ski area summit in New Hampshire. Apart from skiing, this park also offers swimming at beaches, boat rentals, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and many winter activities. No matter the season there is always something to do for active people at Franconia Notch State Park.
Baxter State Park
If you want to hike, camp, and explore, then Baxter State Park of the northern Maine woods is the place for you. Many maps are available to view the potential trails to hike on, of which there are more than 215 miles of, many of which are located on Mount Katahdin. If you’re looking for a challenge, trails on the Katahdin are very strenuous, but if you’re not up for the challenge, there are still many miles of trails for you. With camping reservations made up to four months in advance, there are plenty of opportunities for you to land a spot in one of the 337 campsites. Exploration is made possible with the 209,644 acres of land that this state park covers.
Smugglers Notch State Park
A park with a rich history, Smugglers Notch State Park, runs through the Green Mountains in Vermont. This park was utilized in the early 1800s after the Embargo Act forbade American trade with Canada and Great Britain. Vermont, being so close to Montreal, was hit hard by this, so through this state park, illegal trade with Canada continued. The park was then later used by slaves as an escape route to Canada. Aside from its rich history, this park has a lot to offer, with many historic structures, campsites, a 3.5 mile long scenic highway, biking paths, and the unique offers of cave exploring and ice climbing. For history lovers or people looking for a hands-on camp experience, this state park is the one to visit.
Crawford Notch State Park
Accessible to leashed pets, Crawford Notch State Park located by the notorious White Mountains of New Hampshire, is a wonderful place to bring a family. This versatile park offers plenty of camping opportunities as well as places to golf, swim, hike, boat, , bike, horse ride, sightsee and more. You can even shop and see live theater entertainment. In addition to the seemingly endless opportunities, Crawford Notch has beautiful views and places to visit such as a historic museum called The Frost Palace, scenic drives that allow you to see great mountains and unique views of nature, thousands of hiking trails, and stunning waterfalls. All of this is accompanied by incredible wildlife, ranging from moose to rainbow trout. The Crawford Notch State Park has a little bit of something for everyone!
Acadia National Park
Last, but not least, is Acadia National Park. This beautiful area along the Atlantic Coast of Maine sits just next to the bustling town of Bar Harbor. With around 60 miles of coastline, more than 150 miles of hiking trails, and nearly 33 miles of motor roads with scenic views, Acadia National Park is massive. Not only impressive in size, Acadia National Park has some of the most beautiful views in the state of Maine. One of the most visited locations is the stunning Cadillac Mountain, known for being the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard in the USA. Another excellent view is at Jordan Pond where you can look at the prominent mountains bordering it, including the Bubbles, mountains that, as their name suggests, look like bubbles. Not only can you look at the Bubbles, but you can hike them too!
The First African-American Woman to Travel in Space, Mae Jemison
In 1992, 35-year-old Mae Jemison became the first African-American Woman to go to space. As a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle, Endeavour, she and her crewmates were in space for about eight days orbiting Earth.
As a young girl, Jemison had always felt she was destined to go to space. She felt this way despite knowing that when she was a kid, no women or people of color had gone to space. It was her dream. After being enrolled at Stanford University at the young age of 16, Jemison’s dream was closer than ever, soon graduating with a degree in chemical engineering in 1977. Furthering her education for several years, in 1987 she finally decided to reach for her dream of becoming an astronaut by applying to NASA, being accepted to go to space in the first mission after the explosion of The Challenger.
One of her main inspirations for her love of space as a kid was Star Trek. What’s special about this is that she later became the first real astronaut to appear on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, being featured just a year after her space mission. In addition to achieving her dreams and being able to act in Star Trek, Jemison also wrote several children’s books.
Though she left the world for only eight days, when she came back, she had made a permanent impact on the acceptance and view of African-American women not only in NASA, but in the scientific community in general.
Black History Month serves as a way to recognize the achievements of Black people both in the present and throughout history. It was in 1976 that this month officially became Black History Month as a way to honor the achievements of Black people that are overshadowed, as well as recognize and bring awareness to the struggles of Black people in America. This year, the theme of Black History Month has been decided as African Americans and the Arts. This highlights the influences and prominent figures in American arts, including performing and visual arts, literature, language, music, film, and even fashion.
One prominent Black artist whose contributions should be recognized is Kara Walker, an American painter who is most known for her room-size silhouettes made of black cut paper. Their sharp contrast with crisp lines offers a means for Walker to portray clear imagery and effective messaging. Walker’s works contain powerful messages about historical narratives, violence, subjugation, and sexuality. One large message she aims to deliver is the damage caused by slavery, a history that cannot be buried. She reveals through her work that the slavery of the past still harms America today. Walker is also a feminist who often speaks out against racism.
“I think really the whole problem with racism and its continuing legacy in this country is that we simply love it. Who would we be without the ‘struggle?’”(Kara Walker, 1997).
As she gained popularity and recognition in the art world, winning several awards such as a MacArthur Fellowship in 1997, Walker has been allowed increasing creative freedom and resources, thus allowing her to create projects such as, “…calling to me from the angry surface of some grey and threatening sea, I was transported” (2007). Through this short film, Walker used the silhouettes she was known for against stark brightly colored backgrounds to portray her messages through animation. The purpose of this film was to contrast American slavery with the genocide in Darfur in 2003. By making notions of the past, through her brilliant art Kara Walker is able to bring awareness to the grievances of the more recent upsets throughout the world. An activist for people of color and for women, Kara Walker is an incredible artist and a brave woman.
