NIE Week 2013

2 BDN MAINE SPECIAL SECTION • BANGORDAILYNEWS.COM • February 20, 2013

NIE WEEK - View all entries at http://nie2013.bangordailynews.com

Greetings NIESupporters, Students, Parents, Teachers and

BDN readers!Once again it’s time to showcase the work

of students from all over Maine and award scholarships to seniors in the 2013 News in Education Student Supplement! The contest truly did receive statewide participation. We received entries from all over the state – from as far north as Madawaska to as far south as Wells.

I’d like to congratulate everyone who participated in this program. We had a great turnout, with more than 2,000 essays, draw-ings and editorials entered into the contest. With so many great entries, choosing just a few winners from each category proved to be very difficult. If you cannot find your entry in this printed supplement, don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you. Visit us online, at http://nie2013.bangordailynews.com to find your entry and all of the others from around the state. We are able to share and enjoy ev-eryone’s work through our NIE Web site.

Thank you to McDonald’s once again for sponsoring this year’s supplement. It is the restaurant’s generosity that has again made it possible to print this supplement and distrib-ute it to NIE classrooms all over the state.

I would like to extend a special thank you to all of the teachers who participated with the supplement this year. It is because of your hard work that we are able to put this supple-ment together and give out college scholar-ships to seniors. Your commitment to the NIE program is helping to shape students into educated, well-rounded leaders of tomorrow. It is also because of your commitment that we are now able to offer an e-edition of the BDN in the classroom. I will be supplying more information on e-edition access in the days to come. Stay tuned…

Lastly, this project would not be possible without the help of each department here at the BDN. I would like to thank Editorial, Cir-culation, New Media and the fantastic crew in our production plant for help with the proj-ect. The Newspapers in Education Program has benefited from being a company-wide effort and I thank you all for your help.

Congratulations to the 2013 supplement winners!

Kathy Cook, BDN NIE Coordinator

Davis BoardmanFirst Place, $1,000 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12 - Ms. Katie NelsonIslesboro Central School

At the end of summer, I will be leaving the island where I have lived my whole life to go to college. Instead of having 600 people in my community, as I do now, my college will have 2,500 students, and just outside the campus will be a city of 8 million.

At Barnard College in New York City, I will study political science. When I tell people my desired major, I am often met with a chuckle. People believe that my interest in politics will lead me to a career in a broken system. I see the opposite, however. The increasing dysfunc-tion of politics during the course of my life has long intrigued me and motivated me to work for and discuss candidates and issues. While I realize that it is idealistic, I believe that if the political efficacy of my peers increased, the overall nature of politics would shift drasti-cally. Portraying political issues as important to young people such as me makes my genera-tion more engaged. With the numerous issues facing people my age right now, I think that my political interest combined with my youth could help encourage more people to see the benefits of political engagement.

While at an entry level, I’ll be satisfied with any sort of political job. I hope that my educa-tion will prepare me for a successful career as an advisor or commentator in a position where I solve problems that are detrimental for my country. I wish to take classes and have internships during college that will allow me to narrow the focus of my potential jobs to social and domestic issues. Contributing to my decision to attend a women’s college was the desire to be engaged in a community where everyone is aware of the inequality still felt to-day and is interested in ending it. I see America at a tipping point right now; one at which we can make the decision to provide total equality and opportunity to all citizens or maintain the outdated social jadedness that has tarnished our country’s history.

By coming of age in the Obama era, I have developed a renewed sense of patriotism. As a child, I remember being aware of the disheart-enment of adults around me who felt that America was past the prime that they had wit-nessed as young people. Right now, however, I perceive optimism mixed with frustration among people my age. It is both the renewed confidence in America and the disappoint-

ment in the political process that entices me. Unlike older people who find my goals amusing, I believe that this is the perfect time to enter politics. Motivating people my age to take ownership of America’s future and work-ing to fix the problems that contribute to the frustration that many people feel will give me the opportunity to make changes to American politics during the course of my lifetime.

Samuel ProctorRunner-Up, $500 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12 - ArnoldBangor Christian Schools

Aristotle once said, “Hope is a waking dream.” My waking dream is to become a skilled doctor of sports medicine. I hope to earn my doctoral degree in chiropractics, fo-cusing primarily on athletes who are striving for excellence.

I’ve already begun to live my waking dream by entering the Health Occupations class at United Technologies Center in Bangor. Through the class, I will receive my CNA cer-tificate once I graduate high school. I attend a clinical at Ross Manor two days a week ac-quiring experience and comfort in my future field of study. Although, at this time, I work with the elderly rather than athletes I am still learning about the body, how it works, and the gift of good health.

I plan a sports medicine major for the first four years of my college career. This bachelor’s degree will give me the foundation I’ll need in the athletics part of my job and an overall knowledge of how the body works while in a sport. I’ll follow this degree with three addi-tional years to earn my chiropractic degree. I have yet to decide where I want to do this, but I’ll explore options during my college years. My degree in sports medicine will also give me a de-gree with employment options so that I might earn money for graduate school.

I want to use my doctoral degree to obtain a job either at a Division I university or a profes-sional athletics program. I hope to earn a solid reputation after some years of experience, then I hope to open my own clinic. Future clientele would be athletes looking to recover from injuries, or anyone desiring to stay or get into top physical condition.

I want to help athletes improve by giving them every advantage possible. A key to using the body most efficiently is in the alignment of the spine and the rest of the body. Too of-ten athletes are looking to bulk up or increase their muscle mass through weights and work-outs but fail to see much can be achieved through plyometrics, yoga, and other ways of increasing the efficiency of one’s body. As long as I can help keep an athlete’s back

Grade 12 LIFE/CAREER PATH: Now that high school is coming to an end, you probably have thought a lot about the next step(s) in your life. Write about what life path you would like to travel down. What is important for you to live well? Explain how your plan (furthering education, school choice, major, going straight to work) will help you achieve your life goals.

Kelsey Stewart - First Place, $1,000 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12, Ms. Scanlon, Mattanawcook Academy

Continued on next page

healthy, I can help keep their body healthy. Spinal health will cut down on their injuries while increasing their success.

As a professional chiropractor I’ll be working for the good of my patients. I’ll be around sports which I love most of my day while helping people achieve their very best in what they do. I’m not going to be a doctor who schedules as many appointments as I can in one day, but one who spends a lot of one on one time with each patient. I’m going into this field because I see enjoyment and excitement — not money.

My ultimate hope would be to serve on the USA Olympic Medical Team. That would be an incredible honor: to represent my country, and help those athletes as they live their wak-ing dream.

Emily MorseRunner-Up, $500 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12 - Mrs. WilleyMachias Memorial High School

With my high school career soon coming to a close, I have been spending a great deal of my time working hard to get into college as well as planning out the next chapter of my life. There are countless things that I want to do and places that I want to see. So far, everything is heading in a great direction and I’m nothing but optimistic about the future.

I plan to spend the next four years after high school in college. I’m going to Bates College where I hope to study studio art, art history, Japanese, and East Asian studies. I would also

like to study abroad in Japan (which, at Bates, I can do as early as my freshman year). I hope that, by the end of those four years, I will be more proficient in Japanese as well as be a more accomplished artist.

I have been studying Japanese online for four years now, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. My studying even caught the atten-tion of some important people when my sister and I did a presentation at the annual MLTI Student Conference last May. These people included Apple representatives, the Commis-sioner of Education, the Senior Vice President of Bangor Savings Bank, and even the General Consulate of Japan in Boston. It was inspiring to hear such successful people praise my study-ing and that experience has definitely motivated me to take it as far as I can.

Art is another thing that I enjoy. In fact, I have been serious about art for as long as I can remember. I love creating it, observing it, and learning from other artists as well as instruct-ing others. In my sophomore year, I was asked to be an art mentor for junior high schoolers at the elementary school. Even though I wasn’t entirely sure of what these weekly afternoon sessions would entail, I was very excited and accepted the offer happily. By this year, all of my kids have graduated, though very soon I will be working with a second grader. I have never worked with someone so young before, but I’m eager for the new experience.

I want to use college as an opportunity to try new things and find new interests that I can take with me into the rest of my life. At Bates, there are so many things to try. It’s all

inclusive, meaning that every student is technically a part of every club as soon as they join the school. There are numerous sports, outing, and culture clubs that I would be very interested in attending.

I’m not positive what I want to do after college yet. Before I decide any-thing, I want to experience new things and discover what I’m truly passionate about. When I’m finished with school, I want to be doing something that I enjoy. I want to get ajob that I will be happy working every day, regardless of how much it pays or anything else. I suppose that that is what’s more important to me than anything.

Jamie OlsenRunner-up, $500 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12 - Mrs. WilkinsonCalais High School

The life of a blue collar worker may not be a clean one, or an easy one, but it is a very rewarding one. These jobs in-

clude working with your hands, getting dirty, and getting physical things we need and take for granted every day up and running again. While some people look at blue collar jobs, and certificates from a community college as mediocre, compared to a four year degree and a fancy corporate job, the reality of it is

that these jobs keep our society running. Our water, power, construction, and transporta-tion is all thanks to our blue collar workers getting stuff done, and these people will always be needed in this society.

I aspire to become a blue collar worker be-

Rebecca RadovioRunner-up, $500 Scholarship Winner

Grade 12, Ms. Scanlon, Mattanawcook Academy

Kendra Koezerga - Runner-up, $500 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12, Mrs. White-Capelluti, Wells High School

Rebecca Jacobson - Runner-up, $500 Scholarship WinnerGrade 12, Mrs. Elmore, Bangor High School

BDN MAINE SPECIAL SECTION • BANGORDAILYNEWS.COM • February 20, 2013 3

NIE WEEK - View all entries at http://nie2013.bangordailynews.comContinued from previous page




Grades 10 & 11 STATE OF MAINE: Maine is nicknamed “Vacationland.” Is Maine only viewed as a place of choice for vacationing? Write about the advantages and disadvantages of staying in Maine, whether for schooling or employment, versus going away to another state.

Caleb Linnehan, First PlaceGrade 11, Mr. PrestAcadia Christian School, Trenton

Hope“Maine: The Way Life Should Be” is what

a sign says after you cross into the state from the south. I guess everyone south of Maine lives in places where life is not.

But how do you rationalize living in Maine? Why do people come to Maine? It is a good place to raise a family, to keep a child safe, to live in a small town, and the list could go on.

Maine has a pristine, exotic, endlessly explorable coast along with a clean, cold ocean dotted with the heads of seals, loons, eider ducks, and seagulls. You can feast on the en-chantment of mountains pressing against the sea. Also, Maine has a magnificent wilderness that is a refuge from the busyness of the world.

You can row from a cove to watch the sun set behind Blue Hill, drive up Cadillac Mountain to be breathless while taking in panoramic views, watch finback whales, not thirty feet from your boat, see glowing blue-berry fields, and eat a lobster roll for lunch.

Maine’s weather if you do not like it — wait until it changes. Clean water in Maine comes from a free well. Maine is one of the best places to do everything and anything.

But Maine is also a state gasping for breath too. The state is bogged down in depres-sion, really a cancerous poverty. It is a state that humiliates its own people. Substandard living conditions are widespread. Wages (when work is available) are appallingly low. Mills are closed, and farm machinery stands in fields no longer worth working. In tidy villages with white, church steeples, people gather for food from the “food bank.”

Yet not many people in Maine are upset about this situation. They seem content with their lot. Since this is so, it’s understandable that government in Maine is entrusted to people who oppose change.

Per capita income is low. Businesses leave

because of high taxes and energy costs. Maine needs a lot of decent-paying jobs, especially if you want people to stay here. Hardship is compounded by the fact that living expenses like fuel, electricity, and food are high. I still wonder why cheap, power can not be developed.

What Maine needs is someone to stand up and say enough is enough. We do not need more studies and commissions to find solutions. Someone has to bring to light the value of the state. Maine has many special

advantages that need to be recognized. For example, Maine could have an important role in the world’s increasing intelligent use of the ocean. Maybe a major oceanographic research center could be developed. But in-stead Mainers get bogged down on deciding whether or not to build another Wal-Mart.

Mainers, we need to show a lot more “Yankee Ingenuity.” Maine can be more than a “Vacationland.”

Adam Clukey, Runner-UpGrade 11 - Mr. LehanSkowhegan Area High School

Why People Should Stay inMaine after High School

Maine’s nickname is “vacationland,” but it should not only be thought of as a place just for a vacation. It is a home for over 1,300,000 people and is enjoyed by some, and hated by others. Many people enjoy all it has to offer, especially people who enjoy the outdoors, and having their own personal space. It is very safe, affordable, and worth the stay, especially if you enjoy the outdoors.

The majority of people that enjoy living in Maine enjoy it because of the low population. Maine is not very busy compared to states like New York and California. A lot of people want their own space, and with a population density of 43 people per square mile, ac-cording to Wikipedia, so you have enough space to do activities you enjoy. A lot of people don’t enjoy the feeling of always being around people, and many Maine towns offer areas where you can be alone, or in an

If you grow up in Maine and want to leave after high school for college, then there are risks to doing that. For example, Univer-sity of Maine at Orono’s in-state tuition is $8,370 for the 20 12-13 school year, but is $25,230 for out-of-state tuition. That is over three times more if you don’t live in Maine. It is very expensive to leave the state for school, and other schools are even more expensive than UMO.

Maine was voted the least violent state on www.upi.com in 2012. This is something people looking to move out of Maine should consider before moving. If someone wants to start a family,

then that person should consider safety as a top priority. Maine is a place many people can feel safe and secure, and I think that that is an important factor in life because I’m pretty sure everyone wants to be able to feel safe in their own home.

One of the biggest arguments about stay-ing in Maine after high school is the oppor-tunities. The problem with that is that a lot of people think opportunities are just going to pop up and be right there for you. This may be the case every once in awhile, but some-times you have to make things happen and create your own opportunities whether it is for school or a job, or even for anything else.

Maine is completely worth the stay if that is what you decide is what you want to do. There is good schooling, which is cheaper than out of state. Jobs all depend on your field of choice. No matter where you go, there is going to be more or less jobs in certain career fields, it all depends on how popular that field is and how many jobs there are. In the end, I think Maine is worth the stay and you won’t regret the decision.

Zac Palmeter, Runner-UpGrade 11 - Mr. ArnoldBangor Christian Schools

Maine is home to magnificent coastline

cause of my high school classes in techni-cal education, and automotive. Whether it’s making something cool out of wood, or making a vehicle rise from the dead again, the job brings me satisfaction, and although I am not positive what job I’ll have in the end, I will be happy as long as it requires some form of mechanical skill. I am currently looking into refrigeration

because of decent pay, and the demand for the job throughout America, and Canada.

If I can get a decent paying blue collar job, with a nice home, and family to go to at the end of the day, and some all terrain toys in the garage I’ll have all I could ever ask for in life. I will also have gained many rewarding, skills over the years of work to be a great handy man around the house, Sounds like a satisfying life to me!

Continued from previous page

Brianah Weston - First PlaceGrade 11, Ms. Scanlon

Mattanawcook Academy

Jacob Mulligan - Runner-UpGrade 11, Ms. Scanlon, Mattanawcook Academy




and dense forest. Rocky shores and fall colors create a picturesque portrait. Maine is a beautiful place for vacation. But, just as you don’t judge a book by its cover, Maine is more than its exquisite external beauty. When you live in Maine you know this. The benefits of living in Maine far outweigh the benefits of other states. Maine’s natural resources and increasingly favorable tax environment are providing a plethora of job opportuni-ties. The people of Maine are friendly and peaceful and have some of the finest educa-tional opportunities in the nation. Why live anywhere else?

Maine’s natural resources provide more than beautiful scenery, memorable hunts, and a sense of peace. Because Maine is over 90% forest, the most of any state, there are ample jobs that protect, use, and develop this precious resource. For example, the Univer-sity of Maine uses forest products to conduct biofuel research. In addition, Maine’s coastline provides multiple employment op-portunities. Lobstering, fishing, and marine biology are a few examples of the rewarding jobs right outside the back door, In 2011,

Maine had more job growth in the private sector than half of the other states.

It is not enough for a state to have the resources for good business, a state must also be business friendly in order to attract more businesses and increase job opportunities. Maine’s tax climate is becoming increasingly favorable. It has moved up seven states on the State Business Tax Climate of 2013. If this trend were to continue, Maine would rank in the top ten states in three years, making it an even more ideal location to start a business.

Maine people are the finest anywhere in the country. My dad, who grew up in New Jersey, jokes that when he would walk down his hometown streets, no one would say hi; but here in Maine, even a total stranger will ask about your day. Maine’s friendly people and the lack of violent crime (Maine has less than 1/3 the amount of violent crimes as other states) make it an ideal location for raising a family.

Maine is also an excellent place to get an education. Maine has three of the nation’s top-ranking liberal arts colleges including Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates. These three rank 6th, l8th, and 22nd, respectively, in the nation

for liberal arts colleges according to US News and World Report.

When people outside the state think of Maine, they usually think of its aesthetics: the isolated Alagash wilderness, the rock cliffs of Acadia, the pristine lakes deep in the woods, and the final steps of the Appalachian Trail. But Maine is so much more. Its plentiful resources provide numerous job opportuni-ties. These opportunities, paired with Maine’s improving business tax climate, friendly people, safe environment, and educational prowess, make Maine unequivocally one of the best states to live in. As the license plate states, Maine truly is:

The Way Life Should Be.

Oscar Steinmann, Runner-UpGrade 11 - Mrs. WilkinsonCalais High School

Maine — VacationlandAugust 9, 2012; 8 am- The bus door

opened and it was still a little dark and I was tired from a long bus ride from New York City and an even longer flight from Frankfurt, Germany. So I left the bus that day very tired and cramped from the bus ride in Bangor, ME. That was my first impression of the easternmost state of the United States of America. I am an exchange student from Germany.

It was a rainy day and the sun just came out occasionally. Walking into the dorms of Hus-son University with my heavy luggage, I saw the license plates, which where new for me. I had never seen a license plate with a picture on it. After looking at the picture for a little bit I recognized the word written above the actual

numbers. The word “vacationland” was what I read and I almost couldn’t believe it. But car by car which was driving by said “Vacation-land” — its license plate.

I could not believe what my eyes saw. I stood there on this rainy and gray summer day, which was supposed to be one of the warmest in my home country, in Bangor and had barely ever even heard of the state Maine, and the license plates on every car said that this was supposedly the perfect place to go to for relax and enjoy the vacation.

After a couple days and also driving on the airline to Calais, ME I realized that this rain and the gray is not everything this state can offer. I realized how beautiful and relaxing the fact is that you can stand at a point on little mountain and see trees everywhere around you. I had a small recoil in the first week of fall sport where I signed up for the Calais High School soccer team and had to practice on our soccer field which is next to a forest. In this first week of soccer practice I got introduced to the Maine Blackflies. But although I had this misadventure I was still very pleased of the natural properties in Maine and it eventually became even warm, unlike the first day.

The autumn was an incredible experience for me. On the way to Houlton we stopped at the Million Dollar View in Aroostook County. The red leaves and brown were beau-tiful and finally stated my opinion of Maine.

Now, during the winter I really enjoy snowboarding for wh1cl~ this state is also very convenient, and I also realize that rural towns exist a lot and, Iike Calais, have cold winters, but a warm community.

Paige Gillespie, Runner-Up - Grade 11, Ms. Loper, Calais High School

Annie Abbott, Runner-Up - Grade 11, Mr. Prest, Acadia Christian School, Trenton




Lora Archer, First PlaceGrade 10, Ms. Scanlon, Mattanawcook Academy

Kenny Russell, Runner-UpGrade 10, Ms. Loper, Calais High School

Cameron Dionne, Runner-UpGrade 10, Mrs. Pooler, Schenck High School

Breanna Perkins, Runner-UpGrade 10, Mrs. Pooler, Schenck High School

Grade 10Art Winners





Zackary Williams, First PlaceGrade 9 - Mr. PrestAcadia Christian School, Trenton

TomorrowReceiving information from a dog-sledder

in the Arctic - collecting weather data from Brazil’s rain forest - writing mystery stories with students from England — and this was done by students sitting in classrooms in Maine.

Technology can provide an environment for learning. Without a doubt, technology has served students well, particularly students who are poor, geographically isolated, or learning disabled. Technology has helped dyslexics and sight-impaired.

Clearly, technology in Maine is here to stay. But how can technology in Maine keep head-ing in the right direction?

First, technology must be part of daily learning.

Second, technology must be used wisely to support existing curriculum. Just doing drill lessons is not what technology is about in schools.

Third, teachers need to understand tech-nology thoroughly. They need to be trained constantly in the use of technology. Technol-ogy of any type can not be dropped into the classroom with a teacher who has little technology training from a workshop.

However, even with this done correctly, technology is still only a tool, and life can happen without it. Common sense is very important. People must realize how impor-tant teachers are. I have a concern about a student losing that special relationship or bond with a teacher. Will some day students

think a relationship with technology is more important than a teacher?

My teachers care. They teach as if I were their own. Mediocrity is not tolerated in the class-room. A constant refrain is, “I know you can do better.” My teachers value honesty, reward, hard work, and learning is held high. They teach ethics and build character. I have learned that a good citizen doesn’t steal, he pays his taxes, he respects the rights of others, and uses words like “please” and “thank you.” Also, I have learned about freedom and human nature.

Fundamental skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic have been emphasized. But teachers have shown me much more. They have shown me ways of getting information, asking pertinent questions, analyzing, evaluating, and drawing conclusions, posing new solutions, and working cooperatively with others.

My teachers have challenged me to learn from my mistakes. I really feel this is vital to education. I am so thankful to have teach-ers who care to make me learn from my mistakes.

The promise of technology is great, but it will only be successful if it is placed in the hands of a good teacher. Technology’s knowledge and skills are necessary, but values and virtues of character from a teacher are timeless.

Samuel Apalsch, Runner-upGrade 9 - Mr PresAcadia Christian School, Trenton

Hold Your HorsesMany technology companies are working

closely with Maine teachers to support new kinds of technology in the classroom. The

reasons for technology becoming a signifi-cant part of a student’s education are first, technology can make learning all subjects easier, and technology is especially valu-able in developing students’ language and problem-solving skills. Second, students can use technology to reach networks, and these resources provide a huge amount of informa-tion that students cannot get from textbooks. Third, technological literacy is necessary for good jobs and good careers.

But technology has some problems, and I do not think the textbook should be done away with yet. Technology can stop students’ creativity. Technology has only technology’s way of doing something. Textbooks stimu-late students to create their own stories and encourage imagination.

Additionally, textbooks provide informa-tion that has been expertly researched. Text-books organize information so people can understand it. Technology is not cheap either. On top of the initial costs to each school sys-tem, the additional costs of serving technol-ogy, protecting it from theft, and providing teacher development add to the cost.

Also, can teachers find additional time for technology? Time for planning and time for learning new skills is going to take many hours.

So for Maine schools, there is a need for technology and textbooks in the classroom. There is no right way to educate children. It is helpful and important for students to be

exposed to different kinds of learning experi-ences. But whether technology, textbook, or even something else, the best teacher is still the “teacher.”

There are many values learned from teach-ers and not just technology. First, I learn more about love. Love is not loving someone one moment and hating that same person the next moment. Love must become a permanent part of a person, and that person needs to know what it is liked to be loved. My teachers show me that at school.

Secondly, my teachers teach me to be happy. Happiness is not the greatest goal in life, and you can not be happy all the time. However, I can remember the first book I completed in school. I was all smiles, and I thought I was a pretty important person. My teacher helped me catch the joy of reading.

Thirdly, I learn that honesty matters. I can not imagine life without that value. Honesty means that you can be trusted. You don’t lie to other people, and you will do what you say you will do. You accept blame when you have not done what you are supposed to do.

Fourthly, I am taught bravery. Bravery is needed to live in a life of grief and failures. Life is a process of good and bad. You learn that people get hurt, old people die, and friends can betray you.

Fifthly, and there is much more, a teacher gives a student a hope for the future — a

Grade 9 TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOL: Different kinds of technology dictate how students learn in the classroom today. Weigh the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages of having so much technology at your dis-posal for learning versus traditional methods of learning.

MacKenzie Lee, First Place - Grade 9, Ms. Scanlon, Mattanawcook Academy

Nicole Jacobs, Runner-up - Grade 9, Mrs. Pooler, Schenck High School Continued on next page



dream. Teachers help children have a “good dream.” Teachers introduce children to books, music, and art because that is where good dreams are found.

I will always take teachers over technology.

Kristen Beal, Runner-upGrade 9 - Mr. PrestAcadia Christian School, Trenton

Slow DownThe technological revolution in Maine

is moving at a fast pace — maybe too fast. It is like a great river, and schools and stu-dents are being swept down the river. Well, today it is time to get out of the river and take a look at the technology.

I agree that all technologies have a great potential for education, but before too much more money is wasted, we must ask some questions about technology.

Industry has carefully aimed at educa-tion and is trying to convince us that tech-nology will solve all educational problems, and it won’t. Industry advertises to teach-ers and parents to, spend as much money as possible on technology so children do not fall behind. Adults, however, including teachers, must evaluate what is good for students and not get caught up in trends.

Look at some of the schools in Maine. If you go into some schools that pride themselves on technology, you might have difficulty in finding any students using technology. Many expensive machines are sitting idly and growing quickly out-of-date in classrooms. Technology is great, but it does not do the student any good if

teachers do not use them with their daily lessons.

Now teachers often go to the school’s technology teacher, if the school has one, but this person is very technologically skilled but has no background in curricu-lum. Also, in many school systems there have been cutbacks in arts, physical educa-tion, and even textbooks for increased technology. All of this trading-off has sub-tracted from successful, traditional ways of learning like teachers and textbooks.

However, “good” technology can be help-ful to a student and a school’s program, but many things must be kept in mind.

1. All technology should be backed by sound educational ideas.

2. More money needs to be sent on es-sential teacher education in all areas, not just technology.

3. Technology coordinators must be prepared in education.

4. Technology which might have ques-tionable results on learning must not be purchased at the expense of art, music, drama, and physical education which are important subjects.

5. The best remedial work is still given by teachers trained in areas like mathematics and reading.

6. Reducing class size instead of pur-chasing technology is more important in schools.

7. Good planning and supervision, like in a traditional classroom, is needed so students get meaningful learning, not just entertainment and drill.

In Maine we need to think continu-

ally about education and think whether technology is to prepare students for a new trend or whether we want students to be intelligent, reasoning human beings.

Teddi Gardner, Runner-upGrade 9 - Mrs. DumontBrewer High School

Old School vs. New School EducationWhen it comes to technology in schools,

there is a very sensitive balance that needs to completely ditch old school learning techniques. The answer is clear; we need an equal balance of the two. The two methods complement each other perfectly when used correctly.

With most situations in the classroom using electronics, there are pros and cons. For example, exploration. Computers allow students to learn through freely research-ing the web instead of just finding the answer in a textbook. By allowing students this freedom, it keeps them much more engaged. The down side to this is that some students won’t be able to handle the free-dom. They’ll get distracted by the vastness of the technology and go to other websites and programs. By supplying the students with some internet time and some time with the textbooks and/or articles, library books, etc, they’ll have time to get plenty of extra information offline, while keeping the distracted kids focused.

Another example is the struggle with mentally handicapped children. 14% of kids in the United states have some sort of mental handicap, equally about 43,983,127 special needs kids. Special needs technol-

ogy can be very expensive and take an inordinate amount of money to purchase and operate. If, however, a school can se-cure a grant to pay for these machines, this would mean each student could go at his or her own pace as opposed to having to go through a textbook as a class. This would help these children to get the proper help they need without being rushed through a lesson.

One last example would be a kinder-garten that gave all of their students laptops. The teachers all said that they were an excellent learning tool and that the kids all loved the programs; but one father was concerned about his child’s handwriting. If kids were always typing everything, when would they learn how to write letters, numbers, symbols, anything? When would they learn how to hold their pencil? At their age they absorb so much information, it seems it could almost be counted as depriving them if we took away their opportunities to learn all of the basics at that age.

There are a couple opposing views to this topic. Some people believe that we should only have old school education techniques; textbooks, chalkboards, hard cover books, etc. Although this way of learning has worked in the past, technology allows stu-dents to see into a whole different world.

In conclusion, when it comes to educa-tion, we need a healthy mix of both old school and new school learning styles. This enables us to help everybody’s personal learning preferences to be met, improving the student experience everywhere.

Mayez Travis, Runner-up - Grade 9, Ms. Loper, Calais High School

Emma Libby, Runner-up - Grade 9, Ms. Scanlon, Mattanawcook Academy




Grades 7 & 8 BULLYING: Bullying in schools and cyber bullying are in the news a lot lately. What does your school do to try and prevent bullying? In what ways can you help to stop bullying?

Stephen Crawford, First PlaceMs. Kristen LauIslesboro Central School, Montville

Bullying in Our SchoolsBullying is a huge problem in many

schools across Maine. How schools take care of this problem is also a problem. Our school has a punishment method that ap-pears to be somewhat effective, but many schools have issues catching the perpetra-tors. Our school and many others expect kids to just tell the teachers, or have the bullier confess. This doesn’t always work; the victims are either too scared to say anything, embarrassed, or the perpetra-tor is their friend and they don’t want to get them in trouble. Whilst the bullying

continues we as a community cannot have a safe learning environment for this com-munity’s children.

Many kids come to our school because of our lack of the issue of bullying. This is partially because of our small community and also from our student body being fairly good people to begin with. Now I believe that we could still improve upon our policy we now have: have listening teachers, and have teachers watch the students while in class. The problem is that most of our small amount of bullying happens during class while the teachers are watching.

I think that we could improve in several ways: instead of having a confrontation with the victim and the perpetrator, we could

have a teacher, perpetrator conference, or find a way not to involve the victim as much as we have in the past. This may make it easier for children to confess (to being bul-lied), seeing as the children would not have to worry about the perpetrator further hurt-ing them. This could also be helpful seeing as that way the children wouldn’t have to have a stressful conference with the bully.

Another idea is that in schools in Maine teachers should be more attentive while watching students during the student’s time at school. It might be helpful if there were also teachers on the buses, or just someone to make sure students are not being bullied. This second idea may not catch, but prevent bullying in our schools. I hope that one

of these ideas will work since it could be extremely beneficial to our students.

Our school’s punishment method seems to work quite well. We have a three category system made by the principal and a fourth category made by students. The three prin-cipal categories are orange, red, and dark red. In this order they go from least inap-propriate to most inappropriate. The fourth category is yellow for simple classroom disruptions.

Our state’s schools need to do a better job watching our students, and creating a safer environment for students, this will help with the massive issue at hand. Working together we will be able to keep students happy and healthy.

Elizabeth Fortier, First Place - Grade 8, Mr. Gallant Orono Middle School

Want to see more?We received hundreds of great essays and illustrations this year. We don’t have room for them all in this supplement, but you can see all the entries and winners at the BDN Maine NIE Week Web site:

http://nie2013.bangordailynews.com

Kassandra Eberhart, Runner-up - Grade 7, Mr. Gallant, Orono Middle School



Steffi Victoria, First PlaceGrade 5, Ms. ColemanSeDoMoCha, Dover-Foxcroft

Students Should Wear Uniforms to SchoolAlthough students don’t like to wear

uniforms to school, I believe it would be a good idea. Many students like to be different and don’t want to wear uniforms to school, because they all have boring colors and they would have to wear them to school every day; but those students don’t understand how uniforms are helpful.

To begin with, one day I was bullied at my school: some kids made fun of my color,

clothing, and hairstyle. After that happened, I started spending more time in front of the mirror decorating myself to look beautiful. Even though I think I am naturally beautiful, I failed to understand that, and because of the time I spent in front of the mirror, I was not punctual in going to school.

In addition to what I stated earlier, what came to my mind was my school in India. I asked myself did these things happen in India? The answer was “no”, this did not happen in India. We wore uniforms, hair bands, socks, and shoes that were similar. For this reason, they did not have a chance to

bully one another, as everyone had the same uniform. Nobody bothered others for their dressing as everyone’s was alike and the poor kids were comfortable because of this.

Kids think they have to keep up with the latest fashionable outfits and this can make them feel prideful and they can start thinking that they are better than others. This can make the poor kids become jealous, angry, and envious and it makes them feel bad about themselves, which can affect their stud-ies. Instead of learning what the teachers are telling them, they are more interested in what others are wearing.

Also when the poor kids are teased and bullied it can cause negative thoughts and dangerous things like cutting themselves.

My main point is that I do not want par-ents to waste their money buying outfits for their children, and not be able to buy them the things they really need.

I am not saying that you have to wear uniforms to school, to be honest, I person-ally don’t like to wear them either, but it is really very helpful in cutting down bullying and allowing children to focus better on their studies, rather than on what to wear to school each day!

Benjamin Partridge, First PlaceGrade 4, Ms. GagnonEllsworth Elementary Middle School

Prepare for a splash of color! I, Benjamin Partridge, have a choice of art as my favorite subject in school. The first three paragraphs below will tell you specific reasons why art is my favorite subject in school.

The first reason why I like art the most is surrealism. Surrealism really stands out to me. I like surrealism because it makes me want to jump into the picture. Surrealism is the way that makes it easier for me to draw.

The second reason why I like art is paint-ing. Painting shows emotion. I like all of the bright colors that paintings show. Painting is

one of the most common ways to make art. Most artists used paint for artwork.

The last reason why art is my favorite subject is the texture. Texture makes me want to grab everything out of the picture. Texture is usually done with hatching and cross-hatching. The hatching and cross-hatching make the picture have 3D texture.

Surely you now understand that art is my favorite subject for school. What I’m trying to say is art is your own world. You can create your imagination on a canvas. Art is one of the many ways to feel free. Surrealism, paint-ing, and texture are ways to do this. Hope-fully you feel that now art lets you free.

Grades 5 & 6 Should there be a student dress code? Should schools requirestudent uniforms or a dress code? Why or why not?

Grades 3 & 4 Exploring your school: What is your favorite subject in school?Please provide 3 reasons why it is your favorite.

“Football player.”Lucas Moore, First Place

Grade 2, Mrs. Archer, Helen S. Dunn, Greenbush

“I’m going to be an astronaut and blast off to the moon.”Brody Davis, First Place

Grade 1, Mrs. Sanborn, Bradford Elementary School

“I want to be Batman and a wrestler.Jaden Davis, First Place

Kindergarten, Mrs. Parker, Peninsula School

Grades K-2 What do you want to be when you grow up?



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