By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — With an audience of 86 for 24 performers, two award presentations and one center update (in addition to dinner and deserts) it was a high-spirited Evening with the Northstars at the Loring Job Corps Center on Dec. 1.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
As he was unable to attend the Evening with the Northstars event held on Dec. 1, Business and Community Liaison for the Loring Job Corps Center Pamela Buck brought the excitement of the event to Hogan Tire on Monday morning, delivering the first of its kind Loring Job Corps Outstanding Work-based Learning Award that was presented to Johnny Anderson, Store Manager of Hogan Tire of Caribou.
For the past 11 years, center officials have honored a citizen or group whose actions have positively influenced the Loring Job Corps Center’s students and staff; this year’s award recipient, announced during the event, was Megan Barnes, director of the ACAP Headstart and Daycare Center of Caribou.
As explained by Pamela Buck, LJC business and community Liaison, work-based learning coordinator (and mistress of ceremonies for the event), the center’s CNA students hone their skills at the ACAP center for between 40 and 60 hours, as part of their technical achievement record. Buck said that Barnes had seen hundreds of CNA students through their ACAP learning, which center officials highly appreciated.
Barnes was presented with a plaque, which credited the Aroostook County Action Program Caribou pre-school and daycare center for its dedication and outstanding service to the Loring Job Corps Center community.
Also acknowledged with an award during the event was Johnny Anderson of Hogan Tire, who received an Outstanding Work-based Learning Award. This was the first time that this award had been given by officials with the Loring Job Corps Center.
“[Anderson, through Hogan Tire] is one of our main internship providers for our automotive students, we thank him for taking on our students and providing this direct experience,” Buck said.
Center Director Kristi Moir presented the audience with a quick center update before the evening entertaining numbers began; the way LJC has been able to partner with local businesses and allow students to further their studies, however, was pretty exciting in itself.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
At right, Megan Barnes, supervisor for the ACAP Headstart and Daycare Center in Caribou, holds her recently acquired Loring Job Corps Citizenship Award, presented to her moments before by LJC Business and Community Liaison Pamela Buck and LJC Center Director Kristi Moir.
“Since the center has opened, it’s been a true testament to the people in this community — our professionals, our legislative bodies, municipal officers and the residents that live throughout our surrounding communities that there really has been an outpouring of support for the center and there’s really not a day that goes by that we don’t truly appreciate it,” Moir said.
Moir cited an example to describe that support.
In March, the center received instruction from the Department of Labor to implement some changes to their career technical training program; resultantly, a third CNA course was added to the center, “which, I can tell you, has been extremely successful,” she said. “We have three wonderful CNA instructors and if the students already have their high school diploma or GED, they can complete that trade in about four months and find a job,” Moir added, discussing the high job placement for individuals in the medical field.
But with the increase of CNA students came the challenge of finding enough workplace training — a problem that was solved by branching out from solely working with the Maine Veterans Home in Caribou to expanding their partners to include Borderview Rehab and Living Center in Van Buren.
“Borderview up in Van Buren opened their doors with welcoming arms, and they have worked with our students side-by-side with their nursing staff,” Moir said. “Without them, the third CNA program really would not have been possible here,” she added. “They have been a tremendous partner.”
Moir also listed ways LJC students have interacted with the community by putting their skills to the test at real worksites and workplaces while giving back to the community.
These efforts have included:
• Cement mason students constructing a patio at Cary Medical Center,
• Carpentry students creating two major projects for the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge and construction of two sheds for local non-profits to fundraise with,
• Painting students practicing their trade at the Caribou City Hall as well as the new dental facility in Presque Isle, and
• Electrical students making once-a-week visits to the Maine Veterans’ Home in Caribou to visit with the residents and share in good times.
After dinner and deserts prepared by the LJC culinary students and award presentations, audience members were treated to a plethora of entertainment including a self-composed poem recitation by LJC student Mercedes Reid, a piano performance of “Chopin Nocturne Opus 55” by Alysa Snow, a hip hop dance to the song “Girls” by The Maine Dance Academy Troupe Dancers, a duet to the song “For Good” by Kelsey Kiehn and Karina Patterson, a “feet to the beat” dance by the Loring Star Steppers and a theatrical dance to “The Italian” by the 2011 Maine Potato Queen Kelsey Buck.
