Rangeley community center focus of teens’ study
RANGELEY – A group of teens told the Rangeley School Committee this week that they want a community center, a chemical free place for everyone in town to enjoy.
Teens Making a Difference, or T-MAD, has been meeting since the fall of 2002 with a goal “to develop a community center for people of all ages and to engage the community in enriching activities,” member Savannah White said.
Under the guidance of adviser Corinne Brooks and the Healthy Community Coalition, the students have determined that Rangeley needs a community center, and they have asked school and community members about the need and activities for one.
The center could include space for bowling, roller-skating, karaoke, dances, pool tables, arts and crafts and a café.
“We aren’t doing this to benefit ourselves, we are doing this to benefit our community and to help those who live here,” White said.
T-MAD students have established an aggressive timeline and hope to have a building by the end of 2005.
In other reports to the committee, Superintendent Ken Coville said he is negotiating a contract with the town for emergency dispatch services for the school, school buses and the phone in the school elevator.
Principal Donald Salm said new classes would be available for high school students in conjunction with the adult education programs in Rangeley and SAD 58. Certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician classes will begin in January and a truck-driving class will start in February.
Lucy Simmons gave the committee an update on the use of supplemental tutors. The tutors will meet with Simmons on Dec. 9 and tutoring will begin in early January. The tutoring is given one-on-one and will first be offered to students who are in the lowest 20 percentile. There are 10 to 15 students who will be offered supplemental tutoring once a week.
The purpose of the project, according to Simmons, is “to encourage individual relationships that foster learning.”
Carolyn Smith requested that there be “a more defined place for the public to speak. It is important to provide this opportunity for the public.”
She also asked the committee consider installing two outside water fountains/facets for students using the skateboard park, playground and outdoor playing fields.
The committee tabled the 2003-04 Gifted and Talented Plan. Members received information about the program and how students are identified to participate. Students may refer themselves to the program or receive referrals from a parent or teacher. In addition, following a referral, students are tested and their classroom grades are considered.
Mike House was approved as a bus driver. He replaces Monica Gordon, who resigned in mid-November.
The committee discussed the school’s release policy during the recent power outage. During the outage, the school had difficulty contacting parents because of the short battery life of the backup phone system and the lack of cell phone coverage at the school. The school will update the battery backup to increase the time available for contacting parents.
Salm requested that parents immediately update emergency contact information provided to the school so they can be reached effectively and efficiently.
The committee expressed an interest in making the school available to the community during emergencies. The school does not have a generator, but committee members asked that Coville work with Emergency Management Director Rudy Davis and the town manager to explore the possibility of using the school as the town’s emergency shelter.
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