As a longtime resident of the Lewiston-Auburn area and a current high school teacher at Poland Regional High School, I would like to take a moment to say thanks to two outstanding educational establishments.

PRHS and Bates College have established a boys-Bates mentoring group that is designed to raise the aspirations of young male students, both academically and socially. PRHS has allowed several teachers to begin this partnership with members of the Bates College soccer team.

This relationship has recently been taken to another level.

This year, Jacob Bluestone, a Bates College junior, has organized and directed a project that involved five PRHS students photographing and documenting their world around them. They were given the opportunity to dive into the world of photography, including the chance to enter the darkroom. The results from this undertaking culminate with a public display of their photographs at Bates College. This photo exhibit will run from March 26 through April 9.

In these times of putting our educational institutions under the microscope and asking what are they doing with our children, I want to thank these educational institutions for the opportunities they have provided these young men.

Bates College is grooming exceptional students who are willing to go out of their way for others. They have helped school students involved at PRHS to move out of their comfort zones and take on new challenges in their lives.

Chad Petherbridge, Auburn