Portland Public School Department News

Children, parents and staff from Nathan Clifford Elementary School planted trees, shrubs and perennials in the schoolyard on Saturday, September 24 as the culmination of a two-year project to redesign the school’s playground and field. The project, which cost about $74,000, transformed a treeless expanse of hard-packed dirt into a green field with a stone amphitheater and walking path.

The Clifford project reflects a growing trend of replacing concrete schoolyards with more natural environments. Green schoolyards tend to foster play that is “much less confrontational and much more creative,” said Nan Cummings, executive director of Portland Trails. Students benefit by connecting with nature and realizing that they can have an impact on the environment, she said.

Portland Trails worked with Clifford’s staff and Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) to launch the project in the fall of 2003. Students measured the grounds and created scale models of their ideas for redesigning the schoolyard. Parents built cedar planters and created small garden areas around the school. Barry Hosmer, a parent and landscape architect, donated thousands of dollars of his time to the schoolyard’s redesign.

The city contributed $55,000 to the project. Nathan Clifford secured grants from the Maine Community Foundation, Portland Trails, the New England Grass Roots Environment Fund and the Portland Education Partnership. Students raised $800 through pledges for their annual fun run last May. The PTO and individual families donated additional money.

Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department and the city’s Public Works Department graded and seeded the Clifford field, installed a new fence and built stone amphitheater seating and a stone dust walking path measuring 1/12 mile.

Clifford Principals Marysue Morrison and David Turner thanked the school’s PTO for championing the project. “Their limitless energy, creativity and fundraising tenacity made the difference,” said Morrison.

Bank of America recently contributed $10,000 to Portland Adult Education for its New Directions program. Since 1997, the program has helped more than 130 people gain skills to find and retain jobs. Most participants are single mothers on welfare or members of Portland’s immigrant community. In addition to its financial support, Bank of America participates in mock interviews, hosts student tours and hires graduates.

Efforts are underway at several Portland Public Schools to raise money and other donations for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Schools are holding penny drives, walkathons, talent shows and other events.

Lyseth Elementary School is planning a walkathon on Friday, October 14. All grade levels will participate. Students are asking family members for pledges, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross.

Hall Elementary School fifth graders helped organize a penny drive that will raise money for a school affected by the hurricane. Peaks Island Elementary School also is collecting pennies for hurricane relief.

Riverton Elementary School has adopted an elementary school in Texas that enrolled 50 students displaced by the hurricane. Riverton families have been asked to donate crayons, pencils, markers, books, notebooks, paper and other art supplies. Students will sort and package the items into goody bags. Riverton students also will make cards for the displaced children.

Philip Skillings, a physical education teacher at Lincoln Middle School, has organized a drop-in basketball league with all funds going toward hurricane relief. Sessions will be held before and after school. Participating students are asked to donate $1 per session.

At Portland High School, students are raising money for those affected by Katrina by selling forms with pictures of New Orleans and the name of the donor. Several hundred forms now line the walls of the school. The four grades are competing to see which one can sell the most forms. Portland High also is planning a student talent show as a fundraiser for hurricane relief.

Lyseth and Hall elementary schools collected children’s books for Gulf Coast shelters as part of Project Katrina: Read for Relief. Librarians throughout Maine spearheaded the effort.

The Portland Public Schools has hired Richard W. Paulson, Jr. as director of finance and operations. Paulson, a municipal leader and former Portland mayor, brings more than 25 years of experience as a financial controller and Portland business owner.

Paulson served on the Portland City Council from 1991 to 1997. He acted as a liaison between the downtown businesses and the City Council to develop the initial Downtown Improvement program. He also chaired the Portland Jetport Expansion Committee in 1993 and served as vice-chair of the Merrill Auditorium Renovation Committee.

The Portland School Committee approved Paulson’s appointment on September 21. He replaces Randy Stewart, who has moved to a position as business director for School Administrative District 35.

The Portland Education Partnership has created a web page that offers students, educators and community members information about how to become involved in service learning in Portland. Service learning is a teaching strategy that connects classroom instruction with community service experiences. The web page includes ideas and resources for implementing service learning in the classroom as well as examples of successful service learning projects done by Portland students and teachers.

The web page was funded by LL Bean and completed through the work of VISTA volunteers. To visit the site, go to the service-learning link on the community page of the Portland schools website, www.portlandschools.org. For more information, please contact David Wurm at 874-8236 or  wurmd at portlandschools.org.

The Portland Education Partnership is a nonprofit organization that enriches student learning and builds support for Portland public schools by promoting opportunities for parent, business and community involvement.

The Portland Education Partnership has created a community resources database that provides students, educators and parents with contact information for local organizations willing to share their expertise with students. More than 130 groups are included in the database, which is searchable by area of expertise.

The Portland Partnership is a nonprofit organization that enriches student learning and builds support for Portland public schools by creating opportunities for parent, business and community involvement. The new web page is offered as a way for members of the education community to explore the possibilities for collaboration with community partners.

The Community Resources Database is located on the community page of the Portland Public Schools website at www.portlandschools.org. Americorps VISTA member Rachel L. Myers managed the project for the Portland Partnership. “This will help teachers make important connections in the Portland community,” Myers said. “Collaborating with experts in a particular field, or teaming up with an organization on a project, makes learning more meaningful and exciting for students.”

The Community Resources Database is funded with a grant from L.L. Bean that supports service-learning in the Portland Public Schools. Service-learning is a teaching strategy that connects academic learning with service, so that students become effective members of their community.

For more information, contact Myers at the Portland Partnership office (874-8236).

Seventh and eighth grade mentors greeted incoming sixth graders at Lincoln Middle School in Portland on the first day of school, September 6, as part of a new program called Student Asset Builders. The program aims to help ease students’ transition to middle school.

Mentors were chosen for their leadership ability and trained by Day One. On the first day of school, they helped sixth graders find their way around, open their lockers and deal with other challenges.

The program will continue throughout the school year. Mentors will meet with sixth graders one-on-one upon request, and they will plan ways to create a positive school climate.

The Portland Partnership has changed its name to the Portland Education Partnership. The new name reflects the nonprofit group’s revised mission: to enrich student learning and build support for the Portland Public Schools by promoting opportunities for parent, business and community involvement.

“We wanted our name to represent intuitively what we do,” said Susan L. Steele, the Partnership’s director. “Simply adding the word ‘education’ makes the difference. The Partnership’s board also reviewed our mission. The new mission sharpens our focus on learning yet continues to promote community involvement with our students.”

For more information about how to become involved in the Portland Public Schools, contact Susan Steele at 874-8236 or  steels at portlandschools.org.

Several new principals and assistant principals have joined the Portland Public Schools or taken on new positions. Ken Kunin was appointed interim principal at Deering High School for the 2005-2006 school year. He served as principal of Reiche Elementary School from 1998 to 2004.

Kelly Hasson has been named principal of the Peaks Island and Cliff Island elementary schools. She previously worked as a teacher leader at Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth. Ms. Hasson attended Peaks Island Elementary School and graduated from Portland High School.

Derek Pierce is principal of the new Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound High School. He joined the school in June after serving for three years as principal of Poland Regional High School and Whittier Middle School.

Tom Lafavore, the district’s educational planning director, has taken on new responsibilities as the half-time director of Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS). He taught in the PATHS automotive and Expeditionary Learning programs from 1976 to 1999.

Carlos Gomez was appointed assistant principal at Deering High School. He previously taught Spanish at Deering and in the San Francisco area. He served for one year as an executive intern to California’s deputy commissioner of education for instruction.

Ayesha Farag-Davis, the new assistant principal at Reiche Elementary, previously worked as a school counselor and student support services coordinator in the Litchfield schools.

Rick Wilson was the assistant principal at Gardiner Area High School before taking that position at Portland High in July. He previously taught math and coached for 20 years at Traip Academy in Kittery.

The Portland Public Schools has scheduled early release days for October 7, November 10, 21 and 22, December 22, January 17, February 17, March 23 and 24, April 14, May 26 and June 13 and 14. Teachers use the days for planning and professional development.