Here are a couple of announcements from Portland Public Schools that have come in recently, starting with the news that a handful of the district’s musically inclined high school students were named among the best in Maine.

The following few paragraphs, provided by the district, give more details:

Six students from the Portland Public Schools were selected by audition to participate in All-State Music Festivals.

Dexter Morse, a student at Portland High School, and Nick Thompson-Brown, a Deering High School student, were chosen for the Jazz All-State Festival on January 5-7 at Scarborough High School.

The following students will participate in the All-State Band-Orchestra-Chorus Festival on May 17-19 at the University of Maine in Orono: Julia Kang, a violinist from Deering; Gabe Doss, a cellist from Portland High; Lucy Bauer, a Portland High soprano, and Owen Carten, a Portland High tenor.

Meet your student representatives on the Portland School Board

The district also sent out an introductory memo on the two newest student members of the Portland School Board. It includes a lot of background on the students, what they can and can’t do as student reps on the board, and some statements from the students in question about their views on serving in the district government:

Charles “Chip” Weber, a Portland High School junior, is a school
newspaper editor, member of the soccer, baseball, math and Academic
Decathlon teams, class treasurer, Student Council representative,
photography club officer, Key Club member and singer in the chorus and
men’s a cappella group.  He’s just added a big, new responsibility:
representing Portland High on the Portland School Board.

“I’ve fallen in love with Portland High and the teachers and students
within the school,” said Chip.  “Unfortunately, a great amount of
problems plague our school and the other schools that I have grown up
through.  I want to help fix these problems that have to do with the
efficiency of our school, the amount of waste we produce, the failing
technology that always seems to interrupt classes.”

Chip was one of three students inaugurated to the School Board on
December 5.  Zev Bliss, a sophomore, represents Casco Bay High School
(CBHS) and Shaina Lam, a junior, represents Deering High School.

They are serving during a time of big changes, including the upcoming
retirement of Portland Superintendent James C. Morse, Sr. and the recent
passage of a comprehensive plan framework for the district.

Zev, a member of the CBHS chorus, said he decided to run for the office
because “the school has come to mean a lot to mean…It’s really
successful.  I want to see if I can pass on something to the rest of the
Portland Public Schools.”

Shaina participates in Deering’s Key Club, Future Teachers of
America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Upward Bound, the Phoenix Project and
the Unity Project.  She competes on the school tennis team and plays
violin in the Deering orchestra.  Shaina said she decided to run for the
School Board because “I wanted to represent my community.”

Portland’s student representatives serve one-year terms.  Although
they are not allowed to cast official votes, they participate actively
in School Board meetings and workshops.