FARMINGTON – Field trips topped a brief agenda at SAD 9’s board meeting Tuesday night.

The board unanimously approved a trip for eight second-year American Sign Language students who will travel to Brattleboro, Vt., in April for a week at the Austine High School for the Deaf, the only high school exclusively for deaf students in New England.

The trip, which is estimated to cost $1,500, is at no expense to the district, ASL teacher Lori Lewis told the board. Students in the class have been pulling together a bake sale and a spaghetti supper as fund-raisers and Lewis is also seeking a grant from Wal-Mart that will cover a majority of the cost.

Mount Blue students will attend regular classes with the Austine students, participate in school activities and stay in dorms with them in the evenings.

“All of them are very excited to go. This will be a difficult week for them both emotionally and linguistically,” she explained, because the Mount Blue students are only in their second year of ASL. Although they can communicate, are not fluent.

Board member Bob Flick said he was thankful for Lewis’ efforts in cultivating a program in a unique and necessary subject not taught in many schools.

“You’ve developed a sensitivity in our children that has long been overlooked,” he said.

A second trip, for the Class of 2004 to go on a 24-hour cruise on the Scotia Prince out of Portland for Project Graduation, was also approved. Other high schools will also be on the boat.

Students will leave June 13, the day after graduation, which for the first time in three years will be on a Saturday night.

Since their freshman year, students have raised more than $12,000, class adviser Kelly Sabin told the board.

Ninety-eight percent of seniors voted for the trip and more than half are expected to go, she added.

“The kids are just pulled together as a group. They want to do things together,” Sabin said.

A third trip for the wrestling team at the high school to travel to Bangor for an overnight competition was also approved.

Talking beef

The board also reopened a discussion on the use of irradiated beef in the district’s hot lunch program.

Late last year, they approved the use of the meat, with the stipulation that parents and students were notified of which menu items it would be used in.

Since then, the three board members who voted against the meat use have received a packet of information outlining the negative sides of irradiate beef from a concerned citizen.

Jo Josephson, who is adamantly opposed to the zapped beef, said she was still concerned and stressed the importance of notifying parents and students.

District Superintendent Michael Cormier said so far, no irradiated meat has been purchased by SAD 9 and the district is not planning on buying any at this point.

It was a “political enough” issue though that the board needed to have their say on it, he said, and suggested the topic be addressed at a later meeting, when all board members, including Alison Broome, who was also against the plan, are present.

In other business, the board also accepted the appointments of Eric Hathaway and Jeremy Smith as education technicians at Mount Blue High School.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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