FRYEBURG – U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, ranking member on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, says high school civics courses often encourage students to be active participants in their communities.

To help Fryeburg Academy students better understand the federal legislative process, members of her staff visited the school Wednesday to talk about her work in Maine and Washington, and her priorities for getting the economy back on track.

They emphasized the critical role America’s small businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators play in job creation, economic growth and global competitiveness. Students also got a firsthand look at how Snowe is executing her agenda to create jobs and grow the economy through committee work and legislative initiatives.

 In a statement released by Snowe after the event, she said, “Stagnant economic growth and weak economic conditions are affecting every aspect of our communities – from families and small businesses to students and school districts. In Washington, I am committed to creating a climate ripe for economic growth for America’s 30 million small businesses, which represent over 97 percent of Maine’s employers and have created 64 percent of the net new jobs in the past 15 years, because small businesses are the key to reversing the disturbing trends of high, prolonged unemployment and weak growth.”

The senator commended Fryeburg Academy students for their interest in the legislative process and  added, “Active participation in government is what makes our democracy great and keeps our nation on the cutting-edge of innovation and development and I am pleased Fryeburg Academy continues to instill these principles in their promising student body.”

Jim Wilfong, who teaches entrepreneurial studies at Fryeburg Academy and previously served as the Small Business Administration’s assistant administrator for international trade and in the Maine House of Representatives, welcomed Snowe’s staff.

“This my fourth year of teaching the entrepreneurial studies program here at Fryeburg Academy. It is essential for young people to understand the importance of small business development and its contribution to the global economy,” he said. “Developing creative approaches to problem solving will serve our students well in any career they choose. The economic well-being of the world is dependent on the innovative ideas that these students will create and develop for the benefit of themselves, for the greater good of their countries and for the commonwealth of humankind.”

Anh Vu, an international student from Hanoi, Vietnam, the daughter of Dong Vu and Men Pham and the second member of her family to attend the 219-year-old Fryeburg Academy, commented on her experience in Wilfong’s program saying, “I decided to take the entrepreneurship course offered by Fryeburg Academy as part of my preparation for my future business studies in college. My parents own a steel import and distribution company in Vietnam. They are excited for me to join the family business when I am finished with my education in the United States.”

Chandler Blake, a student from Denmark, Maine and the son of Heidi Blake and Mike Limur, added, “I became interested in small business last year when I started a little convenience store on my father’s home island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. My business was pretty successful and it really made me more interested in entrepreneurial opportunities. I plan to study mechanical engineering and perhaps start my own business in the future.”

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