Update: November 15, 2021
"Day of Welcome" Contributes to a Sense of Belonging
A sense of belonging is important for all students as they enter school each morning. Staff members, administrators, a Board member, and the Cumberland Police department & Cumberland Fire/EMT gave students in grades 4-12 an extra welcoming greeting as they arrived at school at GHS and GMS 4-8 recently. The Day of Welcome is a way for the entire school community to show that each student belongs and we are happy to welcome them to school. Special thanks to GMS staff members Ali Waterhouse & Bobbi Goodwin for their leadership of this annual event.
Veterans Day Activities
In observance of Veterans Day, our schools provided a number of activities to educate students about the importance of the holiday and its place in our nation. Here is a sampling:Mabel I. Wilson School
MIW Librarian Maureen Driscoll read this book to 2nd and 3rd graders:
Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero, by Patricia McCormick. This is the amazing story of a horse who helped American soldiers in the Korean War.
Third Graders had a virtual visit with veteran Jen Tyll, the Commander of Post 91 in Yarmouth and a Greely parent.
Greely Middle School 4-5
Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero, by Patricia McCormick. This is the amazing story of a horse who helped American soldiers in the Korean War.
Third Graders had a virtual visit with veteran Jen Tyll, the Commander of Post 91 in Yarmouth and a Greely parent.
Greely Middle School 4-5
Students were introduced to 21 Steps & The Cemetery Keepers of Gettysburg.
Grades 9-12
"Greely Grad, Ryan Pooler (2017) made his rodeo debut for his hometown audience as a rodeo clown bullfighter at the Cumberland Fair in September. The exciting job is topped with a feeling of danger. According to Ryan, he isn’t supposed to feel any fear but he does say there are jitters when the bull and rider are released. He does have a burst of adrenaline that keeps him focused on the job of keeping the rider safe from the bucking bull."
Ryan can be seen at left in the photo below:
21 Steps is illustrated by Matt Tavares, a Maine author/illustrator and 1997 graduate of Bates College, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Check out the information from Bates on this: https://www.bates.edu/news/2021/11/05/award-winning-illustration-by-matt-tavares-97-chosen-for-veterans-day-poster/
Students were shown a short video that shows the changing of the guard & one Matt took while he was doing research for the book. To highlight the local connection, students became familiar with a picture of the Cumberland Veterans Memorial.
Below, GMS Library Assistant Sally Somes reads 21 Steps to students:
Also in grades 4-5, students in Dena McFarland and Kathleen Follett's classes were busy last week learning about Veterans Day and honoring all our veterans with handmade cards.
Students were very excited about the "Wall of Heroes" project. Students formulated a list of veterans they might know or veterans they are related to. This proved to be an engaging activity and students were reading each other's names as they attached them to the "wall" - which quickly turned into 2 walls.Greely Middle School 6-8
Veterans Day is addressed in social studies classes. 8th grade teachers spend time during the week of Veterans Day discussing the meaning of the day. Then they make cards for veterans that are delivered by teacher Peter Gillingham to the Scarborough Veterans home. Other grade levels show a video about Veterans' Day and hold a discussion about it afterward.
Students were very excited about the "Wall of Heroes" project. Students formulated a list of veterans they might know or veterans they are related to. This proved to be an engaging activity and students were reading each other's names as they attached them to the "wall" - which quickly turned into 2 walls.Greely Middle School 6-8
Students participated in a trivia challenge, focused on past U.S. military engagements, during Advisory.
UMaine Application Day
Congrats to the 38 seniors who were accepted to the University of Maine (Orono) for UMaine Application Review Day at GHS, with $125,000 in scholarships awarded. Members of the University's Admissions Office traveled to GHS and met with students who had filed their applications for admittance to UMaine. Many thanks to the GHS Guidance Office for coordinating this experience for students.Who Done It?
Using science solves a "murder mystery" in Ken Fowler's biology class at GHS as students became forensic lab scientists and worked to put the pieces together in identifying the events and "perpetrator" surrounding the mystery.
Greely Alumni Spotlight
As Chase Copp, of the GHS Ranger Review Staff, wrote:"Greely Grad, Ryan Pooler (2017) made his rodeo debut for his hometown audience as a rodeo clown bullfighter at the Cumberland Fair in September. The exciting job is topped with a feeling of danger. According to Ryan, he isn’t supposed to feel any fear but he does say there are jitters when the bull and rider are released. He does have a burst of adrenaline that keeps him focused on the job of keeping the rider safe from the bucking bull."
Ryan can be seen at left in the photo below:
Congrats to PATHS Students of the Quarter
