Happy Retirement

Maine is fortunate to have such marvelous arts educators!

We know that what a teacher offers can have an enormous impact on student development day to day AND over their lifetime. As educators retire at the close of another school year, 2018-2019, I invite you to join me in THANKING them for their years of service and dedication to students across the state.

I certainly appreciate your commitment and I wish each of you a healthy retirement and many, many years of laughter and love! Yahooooooo!

The following visual and performing educators have contributed a combined 371+ years to teaching visual and/or performing arts education!

• ANGELIKA BLANCHARD, Manchester School and Windham Primary, Visual Arts
• DAWN BODEN, RSU#3 Unity/Thorndike, Elementary Music, 35 years
• JOY DREW, Wentworth School, Scarborough, Music, 27 years
• VICKY MORGAN-FICKETT, York Middle School, Visual Arts, 15 years
• MARY GANNAWAY, Elementary Music, Sanford, 43 years
• SUE NELSON, Elementary Music, 21 years
• NANCY NEUBERT, Sanford Junior High School, General Music and Chorus, 39 years
• WENDY SCHLOTTERBECK, Leavitt Area High School, Visual Arts, 34 years
• CAROL SLADE, SAD #17, Elementary Visual Arts, 20 years
• BONNIE TAYLOR, K-4 Falmouth, Visual Arts, 23 years
• RICK OSANN, Bonny Eagle High School, Theatre and Visual Arts, 15 years
• LISA MARIN, PreK-12 Moosabec Community School District and Union #103, Gifted and Talented Coordinator and Visual Arts, 23 years
• JIM SMALL, Madison High School, Visual Arts, 38 years
• VANESSA WHITE-CAPELLUTI, Wells High School, Visual Arts, 38 years

If you  know of a teacher who is not on this list please be sure and email me at meartsed@gmail.com with the information and I’d be glad to add them. Thanks!

Happy Retirement!

Maine is fortunate to have such marvelous educators!

We know that what a teacher offers can have an enormous impact on student development day to day AND over their lifetime. As educators retire at the close of another school year, 2017-18, I know that you join me in THANKING them for their years of service and dedication to students across the state.

I certainly appreciate your commitment and I wish each of you a healthy retirement and many, many years of laughter and love!

The following have contributed a combined 483+ years to teaching visual or performing arts education!

• VICKI BOVE, Gorham Middle School, Visual Arts, 40 years
• FLO ESINGER, SAD l5, Visual Arts, ? years
• ALLEN GRAFFAM, Mt. Ararat High School, Music, 42 years
• KATIE HALL, Falmouth Elementary School, Visual Arts, 24 years
• PHIL HAMMET, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Visual Arts, 16 years
• JULIE KLEHN, Waterboro Elementary School, Visual Arts, 31 years
• STEPHANIE LEONARD, Fairmount School, Bangor, Visual Arts, 25 years
• ANNE MACEACHERN, Sanford Junior High School, Visual Arts, 40 years
• JENNI NULL, Songo Locks Elementary School, Music, 40 years
• SAM MOORE-YOUNG, Carrie Ricker School, Litchfield, Music, 32 years
• BEVERLY PACHECO, South School, Rockland, Music, 36 years
• CANDACE PARKER, Lee Academy, Theatre Arts, 22 years
• MARYELLEN SCHAPER, Bonny Eagle Middle School, Dance and PE, 42 years
• CAROL SHUTT, Mount Desert Island Elementary School, Visual Arts, 22 years
• KATHI SUSI, Pittston Consolidated School, Gardiner, Visual Arts, 28 years
• THEO VAN DEVENTER, Mt. View Middle School, Thorndike, Music, 43 years
• Flo Eslinger, who is retiring from elementary visual art after serving SAD

A wonderful note from Ann MacEachern on her retirement from Sanford Junior High School after 40 years:

“I’ll miss the chance to interact with kids as they discover talents they didn’t know they had. The outliers, the experimenters and the endearingly quirky denizens of the art room have made most days a joy. 

Retirement will give me a chance to reorder my priorities: more family time (I have 5 grandchildren), my OWN art projects need attention, traveling adventures, live music venues, environmental concerns, sorting years of accumulation to make space for new blessings… the list goes on. 

To ARTS teachers everywhere: Keep pushing for expansion ARTS time in school schedules, physical space in school buildings and fewer students per art teacher. The world needs creative problem solving now more than ever!”

Congratulations and THANKS to our Retirees

Maine is fortunate!

We know that what a teacher offers can have an enormous impact on students development day to day AND over their lifetime. As educators retire at the close of another school year, 2015-16, I know that you will join me in THANKING them for their years of service and dedication to students across the state. Maine appreciates your commitment and we wish you well and many healthy years of laughter!

Combined the following have taught for 583 + years. HAPPY RETIREMENT!

• BRIAN HUTCHINSON, Winslow, Band: 42 years of service
• VENNICE HUTCHINSON, Winslow, Vocal Music: 38 years of service
• SUE SCANLON, Mattanawcook Academy, Lincoln, Visual Arts: 43 years of service
• FRANK CHIN, SAD 54, Visual Arts: 38 years of service
• ELLEN NORTON, King Middle School, Visual Arts: 44 years of service
• SUE OLMSTED, Durham Elementary, Music
• ROBIN KENISON, Bath Middle School, Music: 34 years of service
• HOLLY SMITH, Rockland High School, Visual Arts: 31 years of service
• KAL ELMORE, Bangor High School, Visual Arts: 26 years of service
• EDIE GRENIER, MSAD #20 Fort Fairfield, Visual Arts: 36.53 years of service
• JUDY BABBIDGE, Connor Conslidated School (EUT), Music
• ALISON BRENNAN, Calais High School, Music: 38 years of service
• BONNY COX, RSU50-K-12, Music: 21 years of service
• CAROL SHUMWAY, Mt. Blue High School, Music: 27 years of service
• KAREN RENTON, Yarmouth, Music: 34 years of service
• ANN DILLON, Greeley Middle School, Music: 29 + 14 years of service
• WANDA WHITENER, Tremont School, Music: 38 years of service
• DEB GRABBER, Granite Street School, Millinocket, Art: 10 years of service
• CAM WEIR, Yarmouth Elementary School, Art: 40 years of service

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 visual or performing arts 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. May your days be filled with sunshine wherever your journey takes you!

• Pat Reed – East End Community School, Portland, Visual Art, 27 years
• Penny Appleby – Leavitt Area High School, Performing Arts, 40 years
• Dianne Anderson – Traip Academy, Kittery, Visual Art, 20 years
• Jonathan Smith – Oxford Hills Elementary School, Music, 28 years
• Nancy Capone – Lake Region School District, Music, 25 years
• Marta Robbins – James F. Doughty School, Bangor, Visual Art, 28 years
• Charlene Farnham – Searsport District Middle & High School, Music, 40 years
• Jack Clifford – RSU 19, Music,
• Mark Schumpert – RSU 19, Music,
• David Kent – Windham, Music,
• Kath Hartley – Bangor High School, Visual Art, 25 years
• Deborah Jellison – Mary Snow School, Bangor, Visual Art, 27 years
• Helena Bosse – Dr Lewis Libby School, Milford, Visual Art, 20 years
• Sybil Wentworth – MSAD 40, Elementary Music, 39 years
• Marianne Tibbetts – Augusta, Elementary Music, 35 years
• Ann Stepp – Portland, Music
• Robert Helstrom – Fort Fairfield, Music, 11 years
• Sandra Irwin – Tremont School, Visual Art
• Chris Prickitt – Dexter Schools, SAD46, Music
• Nancy Curran – South Portland, Music

Please note that some of these teachers started their careers in other schools/districts but the one listed is where they are retiring from this year.

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