FARMINGTON — At the Oct. 22 Regional School Unit 9 board of directors meeting, Superintendent Christian Elkington outlined a series of upcoming initiatives aimed at enhancing student engagement, including career exploration events, volunteerism, a food service training program and innovative academic projects.

A key focus was the collaboration between staff and students, highlighted by the upcoming “Totally Trades” event on Nov. 8 at Foster Career & Technical Education Center [CTE]. The event, designed to introduce 9th-grade girls to careers and trades, will feature a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter and a talk by a female pilot, though she will not be flying due to her pregnancy. Students will have the opportunity to explore the helicopter.

“Totally Trades” aims to expose young women to careers traditionally dominated by men, such as construction, automotive repair, plumbing, and welding, through hands-on workshops and demonstrations.

For students not attending the trades event, a community volunteer day is planned, with cleanup efforts at local sites such as LEAP houses and Titcomb Ski Slope.

The board also heard from Marion and Tom Harrison, who led a summer aquaponics project with students. Marion developed the class after receiving a grant. “I teach alternative learning, so I knew I wanted it to be a big project that included all kinds of opportunities for students,” she said.

Students could choose the credit they earned while working on the project, which incorporated various academic disciplines. The class followed the CTE model, using three-hour blocks divided into different subjects. The project utilized the “chop and flip” method for creating a sustainable aquaponics system, and students shared their hands-on learning experiences during the meeting.

In other news, school nutrition director Andy Hutchins reported that five RSU 9 staff members recently participated alongside school nutrition teams from six other districts in a nutrition program. Elkington praised the training and lightheartedly mentioned that even he might try some of the new vegetables. Hutchins said, “I think we beat our all time record of number of meals served in the summer months by a little over 2,000 meals. So a good summer.”

In the district’s food service program report, Hutchins detailed RSU 9’s role as one of three sites in Maine to host the annual Culinary Skills for School Meals training in August. The five-day program focused on knife skills, cooking techniques, and kitchen efficiencies. The training, funded by Full Plates Full Potential and Maine Health’s “5210-Let’s Go” initiative, provided participants with new recipes, skills, and tools to improve the district’s meal program. Hutchins expressed hope that RSU 9 will host the training again next year.

Hutchins also noted that kitchen managers at Gerald D. Cushing School, Carla and Misty, worked to refresh the cafeteria with new paint and artwork after the summer meals program. The fresh fruit and vegetable snack program resumed at all elementary schools on Oct. 1, with a donor stepping in to fund the program at Cascade Brook School for the year.

Elkington addressed the district’s efforts to comply with state statutes regarding health requirements. He noted that while some families express strong opinions, the district must enforce state laws, which has led to some families opting for homeschooling. The district continues to refine its procedures to ensure all students and families are treated fairly and equally.

To address chronic absenteeism, Elkington proposed several strategies in his superintendent’s report, including starting each day with a check-in to foster a sense of belonging, implementing “Feedback Fridays” for student input, dedicating time for passion projects, and establishing peer mentoring programs. Another suggestion was hosting monthly lunch-and-learn sessions with local professionals to connect students’ education to future career paths.

The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12.