by Mary Macary

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. 

by Schuyler Hunt

Earth Day is quickly approaching as it is on April 22nd. Earth Day is celebrated to honor the achievements of the environmental movements. Earth Day helps bring awareness for different people to help protect their environment. Earth Day brings thousands of people and organizations together to support the goal of Earth Day, such as bringing awareness to global warming or other environmental concerns. Some people participate in Earth Day by picking up trash on the side of the road or volunteering with a group to do this. Even something like filling up a trash bag of garbage from the side of the road helps the environment. If you are participating by helping pick up trash, make sure you do it safely and sanitarily. Be sure to have gloves, sanitizer, trash bags, a first aid kit, etc. 

from the School Nutrition Department

Monday, 4/8/24  – Solar Eclipse Day 

BREAKFAST:  Breakfast Pizza

LUNCH:  NO SANDWICH BAR TODAY

Featured Entree: General Tso’s or Orange Sesame Chicken, Fried Rice

Hot Sandwich Choice: Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich

In Celebration of the Solar Eclipse: 

Hot Veg of the Day: Star-Shaped Potatoes

Beverage:  Capri Sun Juice

Dessert!  Moon Pie

Tuesday, 4/9/24

BREAKFAST: Pancake Sausage on a Stick

LUNCH: 

Featured Entree: Beef & Cheese Nachos, Salsa, Sour Cream

Hot Sandwich:  Choice of plain chicken sandwich or spicy chicken sandwich

Hot Veg:  Street Corn

Wednesday, 4/10/24

BREAKFAST: Breakfast Sandwich

LUNCH

Featured Entree: Crispy Chicken Drumstick, Loaded Mashed Potato, Dinner Roll

Hot Sandwich: Taco Wrap with Ground Beef or Beans

Hot Veg:  Roasted Carrots

Thursday, 4/11/24

BREAKFAST: Homemade breakfast pizza

LUNCH

Featured Entree:  American Chop Suey, Garlic Bread

Hot Sandwich:  Chicken Sandwich

Hot Veg:  Roasted Broccoli

Friday, 4/12/24  (Early Release at Noon)  NO SANDWICH BAR

BREAKFAST:  Donut

LUNCH: Cook’s Choice Every Friday

by Mary Macary

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. 

1. 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. 

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

by Schuyler Hunt

Every year on April 1st, April Fools’ Day is celebrated. April Fools has been linked back to as far back as the 1500s. The origin of April Fools has not exactly been discovered; however, there are a few different theories on where this holiday originated. Some have suggested that April Fools comes from the early 1500s when the calendars were changed from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar starting in France. “In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1,” (Zapata C.). So from this, it is believed that there were many people who were late to receive the news of the calendar change and continued to celebrate the new year, which became a joke that later led to the holiday of April Fools. Another origin that some believe April Fools came from was an old festival celebrated in Ancient Rome called Hilaria because of April Fools’ similarity to it. Followers of the cult Cybele celebrated this by “dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates,” (Zapata C.). There is another theory of where April Foold came from, people have linked the vernal equinox. People believed that Mother Nature was playing tricks due to weather changes. Although the origin of April Fools is not truly known it is a fun joke-filled holiday that many people have fun with each other.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2008, July 14). Revolution Day (Egypt) | Holiday, celebration, & history. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Revolution-Day

Zapata, C. (2024c, March 18). April Fools’ Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes | HISTORY. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/april-fools-day

by Schuyler Hunt

Easter will be recognized on Sunday, March 31st this year. It is a Christian-based holiday that symbolizes Jesus Christ’s resurrection and is celebrated by many Christians worldwide. “Easter is a Christian festival and properly begins on Ash Wednesday and has the 40 days of Lent (a time of fasting or giving up something for many) leading up to Holy Week, for Easter is a whole week-long festival in many churches across the world,” (Team, A. E).

According to the Bible, it is said that Christ died on the cross on a day called Good Friday, and then he was buried for the next three days. After this, Christ is said to be resurrected, on the day we call Easter. Easter has been associated with bunnies as well as eggs, which some people might view as an odd combination. The reason that bunnies and eggs are the biggest symbol of Easter is because of what they both mean. They both symbolize, fertility, rebirth, and new life.

From other’s perspectives, these two are the symbols of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The eggs more specifically have been painted red to symbolize his blood and Christ’s empty tomb. Eggs were also a part of the Lent as they were one of the foods given up. 

For those of you who may celebrate this holiday, Happy Easter.

Team, A. E. (2023, April 6). So why do we celebrate Easter? And what is it with the eggs and bunnies? | The Inclusive University blog. https://blogs.uwe.ac.uk/equality-and-diversity/so-why-do-we-celebrate-easter-and-what-is-it-with-the-eggs-and-bunnies/#:~:text=Easter%20is%20an%20important%20Christian,to%20life%20on%20Easter%20Sunday.

by Mary Macary

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.