Honoring Allen Graffam

One amazing educator

I had the pleasure of meeting Allen Graffam many years ago at a conference. I knew immediately that he was an educator with integrity, completely dedicated to his Mt. Ararat High School students on multiple levels. Sadly, Allen passed away on May 23rd from cancer.

Allen understood the meaning of the importance of relationships, the way he taught, learned, coached, performed with the Blue Hill Brass, and lived his life. A piece of Allen will live on in his music students, the athletes he guided on the softball field, and the many other students and adults he inspired throughout his life. Allen’s many contributions and commitment to education are appreciated throughout Maine. In the words of one of his students: “I truly don’t know anyone who didn’t wholeheartedly appreciate this man. He inspired so many who shared his love of music to keep following that passion. He touched more lives than we can count, bettering all of us in so many ways.” Thank you Allen!

In honor of Allen, I’m including two videos. The first is Allan singing ‘What a Wonderful Life’ in 2012 with the Blue Hill Brass which he was also a trumpet player.

The second is a video performed by 30 celebrated trumpet players from 14 different countries. The piece is inspired by Ryan Anthony called ‘A Hope for the Future‘ written by Matt Catingub as a tribute to the true frontline heroes around the globe, health care specialists dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic! It includes classical soloists, jazz artists, educators, and is dedicated to all those around the world who care for us. Allen cared for many during his lifetime!

 

Poetry Out Loud

Register now

All Maine High Schools Welcome to Participate in National Poetry Recitation Contest

Augusta, ME—The Maine Arts Commission is pleased to announce that online registration is now open for all Maine high schools to participate quickly and easily in Poetry Out Loud 2016-2017, a national competition organized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered at the state level by the Arts Commission. The deadline for registration at http://bit.do/MaineArts_POLRegister is November 7, 2016.

The Poetry Out Loud state champion earns $200 and an all-expenses paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The National Endowment for the Arts will award $50,000 total in cash and school stipends at the national finals, with a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

Maine’s 2016 Poetry Out Loud Champion Rose Horowitz of Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, who also took first place nationally in a new opportunity for the finalists to showcase their original poetry through an optional competition called Poetry Ourselves, shown here with National Endowment for the Arts chair Jane Chu at the competition finals in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy Maine Arts Commission.

Poetry Out Loud begins at the local level, and can take place in schools anytime between now and January 9, 2017 as the program does not require full class periods and can be completed in just two to three weeks. Almost 10,000 Maine students and 220 teachers from 45 high schools across the state participated in Poetry Out Loud in 2015-2016, mastering public-speaking skills, building self-confidence, and learning about their literary heritage. The program encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Since Poetry Out Loud began, millions of students at more than 7,300 schools nationwide have been involved. Starting at the classroom level, teachers are provided with free multimedia curriculum materials – a Learning Recitation audio guide, a teacher’s guide, posters and comprehensive website, http://www.poetryoutloud.org, all aligned to national standards – to augment their regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation at a school-level, then district-level competition.

“Poetry Out Loud is one of many examples of high-quality, partnership-based programs that the NEA offers to schools and communities across the country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “By helping students foster creative thinking skills and inspire self-expression, we are laying a foundation for lifelong learning in the arts.”

To learn more about Poetry out Loud in Maine, see the promotional national videos “Get involved in POL!” and “Why Poetry Out Loud?” as well as a short video highlighting the 2015 Maine State Finals. In addition, Poetry Out Loud is aligned with both the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Standards and Common Core State Standards: learn more at www.poetryoutloud.org/teaching-resources/ncte-english-teaching-standards.

The Maine Arts Commission believes that the arts are an essential part of a well-rounded education. Through its Arts Education program, the Commission creates and supports innovative arts learning opportunities that engage both students and teachers in creative thinking, arts participation and the building of vibrant learning communities. Please visit mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Arts-in-Education to find more information about the benefits of Poetry Out Loud, as well as information on all educational programming offered by the Maine Arts Commission.

Additional information on Poetry Out Loud is available at http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/POL-Home, or by contacting Argy Nestor, Maine Arts Commission Director of Arts Education at argy.nestor@maine.gov or 207-287-2713.

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; shall expand the state’s cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

Poetry Out Loud State Finals

March 15, 3:00 PM, Waterville Opera House

THE MAINE ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS
Maine High School Students Compete in National Poetry Recitation Contest

Augusta, ME—The Maine Arts Commission is presenting the 2016 Maine State Finals for Poetry Out Loud, a National Poetry Recitation Contest, on March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Waterville Opera House. The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is free and open to the public. Jennifer Rooks, MPBN’s Public Affairs Host, will be the emcee. Doors open to the public at 2:30 p.m. and no tickets are required.

Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Since Poetry Out Loud began, millions of students at more than 7,300 schools nationwide have been involved. This school year, almost 10,000 Maine students have participated in the program, providing them with an opportunity to master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

“Poetry Out Loud is one of many examples of high-quality, partnership-based programs that the NEA offers to schools and communities across the country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “By helping students foster creative thinking skills and inspire self-expression, we are laying a foundation for lifelong learning in the arts.”

Poetry Out Loud is organized by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, and is administered at the state level by the Maine Arts Commission. It began this year in Maine’s high schools where each school selected a champion to compete in a regional competition. From the two regional finals, 10 students were selected to compete in the State Finals. One student will move on from the State Finals to represent Maine at the National Finals in Washington D.C., where students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico will compete for a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends for the purchase of poetry books.

Congratulations to the following students who will participate in the Maine State Finals at the Waterville Opera House:
•  Lydia Caron, Bangor High School
•  Morgan Steward, Carrabec High School
•  Shiloh Munsen, Freeport High School
•  Charlotte Benoit, Greely High School
•  Danielle Barrett, Hampden Academy
•  Sylvia Holland, Maine Coast Waldorf School
•  Rose Horowitz, Mt. Ararat High School
•  Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School
•  Anna Bucklin, Searsport District High School
•  Ben Millspaugh, Waynflete School

For more information, please visit http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/POL-Home or contact Argy Nestor, Maine Arts Commission Director of Arts Education at argy.nestor@maine.gov or 207-287-2713.

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; shall expand the state’s cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

Southern Region State Finalists left to right: Charlotte Benoit, Greely High School; Rose Horowitz, Mt. Ararat High School; Ben Millspaugh, Waynflete School; Sylvia Holland, Maine Coast Waldorf School; Shilo Munsen, Freeport High School

Northern Region State Finalists left to right: Lydia Caron, Bangor High School; Morgan Steward, Carrabec High School; Danielle Barrett, Hampden Academy; Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School; Anna Bucklin, Searsport District High School

Happy Retirement!

CONGRATULATIONS and BEST WISHES!

Best Wishes to the following for a wonderful – happy and healthy retirement. Combined they have contributed over 350 years of teaching art or music to students across the state of Maine. Their expertise and commitment to education is appreciated and I am certain their students will miss them! Never to be taken away from them, or the districts they have served, is the impact they have made on students education in the arts. THANK YOU all! I hope you will continue to be involved in arts education in Maine by providing me (argy.nestor@maine.gov) with an email address to continue to be on the Maine arts education list-serv.

• Debi Lynn Baker – Greenville Schools, K-12 Visual Arts, 27 years
• Sheila Bohlin – Mt. Ararat High School, Visual Arts, 39 years
• Carolyn Brasslett – Glenburn, Music, 40 years
• M. Stanley Buchanan –  Nokomis Regional High, Newport, Music, 47 years
• Carol Deetjen – Boothbay Region Elementary School, Visual Arts, 32 years
• Jane Frost – Richmond, Visual Arts, 25 years
• Randy Menninghaus – Brewer High School, Visual Arts, 35 years
• Richard Morin – MSAD #40, Music 39 years
• Dwight Tibbetts – Cony, Augusta 32 years
• Althea Woolf- Village Elementary School, York, Visual Arts, 37 years
• Gerald York – Jonesport-Beals High School (Union #103) Jonesport & Beals Elementary Schools, Music, more than 25 years
• Mary Zane- Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, Visual Arts, 13 years