Meeting of July 25, 2019
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new police station didn't go quite as planned and Rotary's participation in it was inadvertently overlooked. There will be a do-over, we are told.
The Zambia global grant is officially happening and Thursday's speaker will talk with us about it.
Thursday is also Food Pantry (August 1), so if you are so inclined, please volunteer during the 6:00-7:30 p.m. time frame.
Program
Wendy Shaw and Sarah Alice of the Great Works School were recipients of a Marshwood Educational Foundation grant to provide an after-school program called Cool A.I.D. (Academics in Disguise). Wendy is a speech pathologist at the school and Sarah Alice is a teacher there. Along with volunteer and educator Debbie Brickett, they created this after-school program to improve students' vocabularies, which is crucial to future success in school and life. The program results in having these 4th and 5th graders who are participating in this pseudo-club feel more connected to the school community. Students cannot express or understand as well if they have a poor vocabulary. The after-school activities are experiential and community-based. This past year they had units in cooking, visiting the elderly at Berwick Estates, NHSPCA, a can drive, working with flowers, a trip to Hannaford's, preparing a spaghetti supper, and ending the year with a trip to Hadlock Field in Portland. The major expense is transportation costs. Now that they know it works very well they wish to continue the program but they need to fund raise, which is what they are doing now. They are fired up and ready do it again. Eventually the transportation budget may end up on the school budget but for now it can continue only with their fundraising efforts.