OXFORD — Superintendent Rick Colpitts presented service awards Monday night to two retired members of the Maine School Administrative District 17 board of directors.

Donald Ware of Norway was recognized for his 17 years on the board and Elizabeth Swift of Hebron for her 24 years.

Ware said he was proud of the Oxford Hills school board and the district’s administration.

“Our North Star is educating our children,” Ware said. “I have a passion for public education. Our schools now feed, clothe, teach morals and more to our children. We have to do the heavy lifting.”

Colpitts said Swift is known as a staunch advocate for students and a harsh critic of those who are not. She has served over the years on each of the school board’s committees.

“Her service to the district and Hebron has been remarkable,” Colpitts said.

In other matters, Dean Dillingham, the district’s director of facilities, reported on the response to the two bathroom fires set last week at Paris Elementary School and on the status of cleanup and repair efforts to get the building ready for students to return. The heating and air conditioning units in the smoke-damaged fifth- and sixth-grade wing are being replaced, as are the fixtures in the bathroom where flames were contained. Air sending units in other parts of the school were not affected.

The board was also asked to consider 72 sports or extracurricular stipend positions, and to approve sixth-grade field trips Oct. 23-25 to the Schoodic Education Adventure Program at Acadia National Park for Otisfield Community School and Oxford Elementary School. An anonymous donation was provided to Oxford Elementary School to help fund the field trip.

Director Barry Patrie of Waterford was appointed to represent the district Oct. 24 at the annual Maine School Board Association Delegate Assembly. Director Natalie Andrews of West Paris was selected as alternate.

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