Hawk’s Eye

By Karen Sattler
Hodgdon Mill Pond School
    As we embark on a new year, it is always fun to look back at those moments that stand out in our minds… maybe it was a special vacation, a new friendship, a loss that may have been difficult to overcome.  But, being resilient individuals, we have made it through to 2012! Let’s hope this year brings many great things to our school and students!
    In our last column, we mentioned the fifth grade students’ food drive. They fell a bit short of their goal of collecting 1,000 items, but the tradition continues and a new generation who learned to reach out and “pay it forward” has been launched. A big thanks to all who had a part in this effort!
Contributed photo
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH — Mike Varney was named the Employee of the Month for December at Hodgdon Mill Pond School.
    Each month, students and staff alike are asked to nominate someone for “Employee of the Month.” That honor was bestowed on Mike Varney, our “techie” here at Mill Pond. His nomination came in the form of a letter from Stephanie Harris. Her comments included, “He goes above and beyond every day to ensure our technology is in place and working properly.”
    He has been known to make more than one trip to a room to fix and re-fix an issue. Varney does all of this with a pleasant attitude and extreme patience. He is never condescending when explaining how something could easily have been remedied. “Mike is such an asset to our district, and we are fortunate to have him!” Harris concluded.
    This past Friday, our annual spelling bee was held. Through many rounds with some very challenging words, our spelling champ is Kevin McAfee, a seventh grade student. Runner-up was Sydney Howell.  Kevin will go on to represent our school at the district level.
    Lastly, from the after school program, we are celebrating the generosity of those who fulfilled a request through Donors’ Choose.  This small request for the simple items needed to run our program will help keep us within budget.
    We also had the unique opportunity to take a select group of middle school girls to the Houlton performance of “The Nutcracker,” as presented by the Robinson Ballet Company. Four after school staff prepared an elegant pre-performance dinner (including fine crystal). The folks as Dead River were gracious to offer us a room in their main offices to decorate and use. The girls met early for a bit of primping with hair being curled and put up and even some make-up to finish off the look!  From our seats together in the balcony at Houlton High School, all of us enjoyed the beautiful staging and elaborate costuming that helped to bring the story to life.  Our hope is to offer more such cultural opportunities as they become available to us.  Our next outing will be in January as we travel with students from kindergarten to grade three to the Collins Center for the Arts to experience “Clifford the Big Red Dog – A Family Musical.”
Contributed photo
ATTEND SHOW — Hodgdon Mill Pond Students who attended the “Nutcracker” performance include, from left, Kathryn Rediker, Addie Woods, Janelle Goff, Fawner Thomas, Shelbey Saunders, Rebecca Ward, Mariah Gantnier, Karen Sattler, Destinee Dhuy, Dawn Bossie and Nancy Ellis.
    We have more plans for future trips, so if you feel you can help out in any way, we’d appreciate a little financial boost!
    Until next time, curl up with a good book and share a story or two with those children around you … and if you don’t have any of your own, I know where you can find 50 to 60 of them every Monday through Thursday!
    Happy New Year and best wishes for many blessings for all in 2012.