HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Rotary Club had its annual Student Recognition Luncheon at St. Mary’s Church on Monday May 15.
After a luncheon sponsored by Brenda Brown and her son Jim Brown, President Matthew Nightingale welcomed everyone and asked Rotarian Leigh Cummings to lead everyone in the Rotary Four Way Test. Cummings also mentioned the quote familiar to Rotarians and others, “They profit most who serve best.”
Nightingale then spoke about Rotary’s global network that makes positive and lasting change, such as eradicating polio in the world. The 75 members in the Houlton Rotary Club work diligently at fund raising to give to the area communities such as Derby Hill, the new Winter Sports Trailer at the Houlton Recreation Department, fostering literacy in schools, addressing hunger needs and many other service efforts.
Dana Delano introduced the Youth Exchange recipient Rhetta Vega, daughter of Jennifer Vega Anderson and Jason Anderson. A sophomore at Houlton High School, Vega will travel to Austria in August 2017 after her exchange student spends three weeks visiting here.
The guest speaker was Houlton Rotarian Kay Fleming, who shared her experience in 2013 as a “racer” in Adventures in Missions, an organization founded 25 years ago by Seth Barnes in his garage in Florida. Barnes now sends out 200,000 missionaries each year.
This is an interdenominational organization with humanitarian and Christian ethics at its core. Missionaries from the ages of 21 to 35 set out to do 11 countries in 11 months with backpacks and tents to work in existing missions around the world. In those backpacks are what the “racers” need for one year.
The World Race as it is referred to by the young missionaries involves a buddy system so no one is ever alone. A 24/7 relationship is necessary to do the work in sometimes close quarters. Trust is necessary with your partner as well as encouragement.
The work that Fleming encountered was teaching English, preventing human trafficking involving minors, house visits evangelizing, orphan care, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, Aids awareness, and evangelizing in remote villages. Fleming found opportunities to learn about other cultures, experiencing how others live, sharing her faith with others and seeing the world from another perspective.
Returning to Houlton Fleming takes what she learned overseas to help others effect change in her community. As she quoted “ You must be the change you wish to see in the World.”
Next in the luncheon program the principals from the local high schools and junior high schools introduced their students being recognized.
Jon Porter of Southern Aroostook Community School introduced Kylie Vining, Madison Lilley, Katelyn Slauenwhite, Kassidy Mathers, Emily Bubar, Hunter Walker, Justin McNally, Hunter Lawlor, Makayla Crandall, Lacey Lindsay, Katelyn Stevens, Robert Lillis, Tyler Bachelder, Nolan Altvater, Jackson Mathers, Clay MacArthur, Daniel Arnts, Levi Brown, Emily Canavan, Breyauna Jacobs, Hannah Landry, Makaelyn Porter, Abigail Stevens, Gavin Vining, Jayden Burpee, Madison Cummings, Bobbi Grant, Jakob Malone, Steven Rackliff, Garrett Siltz, Arianna Rigby, Rebecca Crandall, Tanor Bachelder, Marissa Boulier, Josh Crandall, Kailee Grant, James Kelso, Devyn Legassey, Luis Morales, and Mersia Thibodeau.
Tom Zimmerman, principal of the Greater Houlton Christian Academy introduced the student who travels each day from Canada to attend GHCA, Alex Walker, who then introduced his fellow students: Abigail Angotti, Darcie Campbell-McCarthy, Samuel Carmichael, Jennah Carver, Benjamin Gould, Jedidiah Grant, Ethan Jacques, Hannah Winship, Bridget Hill, Brendan Curran, Grace Graham, and Kelsey Sewell.
Peggy White, principal, PK-12, East Grand High School introduced Jordyn Cowger, Robert Massey, Cassi Stoddard, Jennifer Crone, Mallory Gilman, Morgan Crone, Courtney Stoddard, Emily Russell, Thomas Gilman, Brady McEwen, Amanda Massey, Samantha Dube, Chet Mailman, Paige Young, Hannah Crone, Josh Jones, Sarah Stoddard, Sam Plummer, and Peter Apgar.
Mary Harbison, principal of Hodgdon High School mentioned that this event was one of the highlights of the school year and then introduced Bryan Barton, Will Belyea, Katherine Berube, Joel Bond, Mercedez Brown, Sidney Crane, Jace DeWitt, Jessica Drew, Hannah Elland, Joshua Foster, Wyatt Foster, Autumn Ganzel, Tabetha Ganzel, Danny Gillotti, Janelle Goff, Melanie Griffin, Rebecca Griffin, Jill Gough, Hailey Heath, Mackenzie Hipsley, Sydney Howell, Dylan Jurson, Kora Lambert, Katherine Ledger, Lauren McGillicuddy, Sarah McGillicuddy, Grace Malone, Jordyn Merritt, Madisyn Merritt, Olivia Morris, Victorian Morris, Emma Nash, Dylan Oliver, Autumn Pierlioni, Lucas Ramsey, Megan Russell, Nicholas Sherman, Hunter Tapley, Seth Tapley, Kyle Tidd, Kathryn Rediker, Benjamin Walker, and Addison Woods.
Dan Hodgins assistant principal from Houlton High School, standing in for Marty Bouchard introduced Alyssa Abbotoni, Peter Apgar, Morgan Barrows, Rebecca Barry, Madeleine Blanchette, Matthew Bouchard, Jamie Brown, Samantha Condon, Isabelle Cosby, Tristan Cosby, Dylan Crockett, Lexi Crouse, Chloe Davis, Nathaniel DeLucca, Melanie Donahue, Samantha Dube, Elizabeth Dunn, Madison Dunn, Amelia Findlater, Hannah Foley, Paige Ford, Jacob Forest, Owen Gallop, Keegan Gentle, Davis Gogan, Kristen Graham, Tyler Graham, Benjamin Grant, Madison Grant, Thomas Griffin, Jillian Haggerty, Amelia Hanning, Victoria Holmes, Seth Holston, Sierra Hoops, Brooke Howland, Sara Howland, Amelia Ivey, Hannah Jacobs, Nolan Jacobs, Grace Johnson, Dylan Johnston, Abraham Lorom, Sydney Lorom, Nadja Messerschmidt, Addison Michaud, Kate Newman, Ambre Ouellette, Donald Ouellette, Emma Peterson, Jasmine Phillip, Samuel Plummer, Nolan Porter, Sierra Rhoda, Isaac Schools, Josiah Sherwood, Kayla Shrout, Sydney Sides, Kairlyn Smith, John Thatcher, Isaac Vega, Thetta Vega, Elizabeth Ward, Rylee Warman, Olivia White, Alexander Wilde, Anessa Wilde, and Abigail Worthley.
The Houlton Rotary Club Community Service Committee members Katie Hill and Becky Day spoke to all of the volunteering that had been done by the students representing the high schools present. Their service projects were various such as, helping senior citizens to move from one living situation to another, working for clean up day in their communities, raising funds for cancer research, volunteering at Special Olympics, donating to homeless shelters, making quilts for the Linus Project, working on the Red Cross blood drives and other projects with thousands of hours donated.
The committee’s task was to choose the school with the best representation of service and for the 2016-2017 school year the Community Service Award went to Southern Aroostook High School.
