RUMFORD – During a short meeting Monday, SAD 43 directors approved five Mountain Valley High School senior French students and two chaperons visiting Montreal from Dec. 2 to 4.
Teacher Catherine Charles said the trip is planned to give students a chance to experience an urban, foreign culture first-hand. Students will have a chance to use their four years of French language instruction, while also taking in a museum, a university, and a walking tour of the city.
“We hope this becomes a tradition for French IV students,” she said.
The trip is at no cost to the district.
Board members voted 10-0 with one abstention by Mexico representative Randy Canwell who said he had problems with students crossing the border while the country has homeland security concerns. Board members Mark Touchette of Roxbury and Diane Paterson of Rumford, were absent.
The board entered a closed session with Mountain Valley Middle School Principal Charles Lever to discuss a possible investigation of one or more people within the district.
Superintendent Jim Hodgkin said no decisions would be made after the executive session. He said the session was to “discuss a possible investigation by the school board on unspecified charges lodged against a person or persons.”
In other matters, Hodgkin said he plans to meet with the Region 9 School of Applied Technology Facilities Committee on Tuesday to discuss the vocational school’s plans for renovation and expansion of their physical facility and program offerings.
He said the region’s three superintendents agree that some changes must be made in both the school and the number of program offerings. He said, too, that whatever plan is finally agreed upon must last from 25 to 30 years. He also does not want any requests for funding to go before voters more than once.
Along with SAD 43, Region 9 also serves SAD 21 in Dixfield and SAD 44 in Bethel.
The Region 9 board has been working with an architect for several months on a possible expansion of the current building on River Road in Mexico. Surveys of students and administration have also been conducted to determine what other vocational programs could be offered.
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