PARIS — The new solar tracker that is being installed at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School is part of a larger project to expand electric vehicle infrastructure in the area and market western Maine as a “green destination.” Norway’s Center for Ecology-Based Economy is spearheading the project after receiving a $60,000 anonymous donation, according to CEBE […]
Schools & Education
News and information about schools and education from the Sun Journal.
SAD 17 to get $1M in state funds
PARIS — The Oxford Hills School District is set to receive more than $1 million in additional state funding, but there are consequences that come along with that check, Superintendent Rick Colpitts told the Board of Directors at its Monday, July 17 meeting. “That’s great news but there’s still a lot of confusion about it,” Colpitts […]
SAD 17 seeks funding for new school construction for Agnes Gray, OHMS
OXFORD HILLS — On a snowy November school day in 1956, students at the West Paris High School were evacuated when a faulty sprinkler head released spraying water against the ceiling, causing it to sag, and leaving two inches of water on the gymnasium floor. Sixty-one years later that same Viking sprinkler system is protecting […]
Hebron Station may travel to Hebron Station
HEBRON — The majority of the SAD 17 Board of Directors have agreed to move forward with a plan to relocate an abandoned railroad building on Station Road across the street to a parcel on the Hebron Station School property. The Hebron Historical Society is attempting to save the railroad building, which some believe may be […]
Former student to revitalize Hebron Station School gardens
HEBRON — A former Hebron Station School student will renovate the school gardens as his Eagle Scout project. “I had a lot of good memories here. One of them is them in the gardens,” said Andrew Estes of Hebron, who is now an eighth-grade student at Oxford Hills Middle School and a Life Scout with Troop […]
Students build classroom for Agnes Gray
WEST PARIS — Students at Agnes Gray Elementary School may soon learn some of their lessons in an outdoor classroom. “It’s pretty special,” said Principal Elizabeth Clarke, who along with third-grade teacher Betsey Cooper have spearheaded “The Outdoor Classroom Initiative.” It’s a five-year project supported by the school staff and PTO that will ultimately result in […]
Empowering girls through art: Hebron Academy juniors head to Africa
HEBRON — Lifelong friends Avery Jurek and Rachel Brouwer know first-hand the power art can have on one’s development and self confidence. The teens will now share that feeling of empowerment with girls (and boys) this summer through their work with an art education camp in Malawi. The first-ever, two-week long art camp is the culmination […]
Oxford Hills Middle School: A space odyssey with Dr. Jessica Meir
PARIS — Find your passion and take a risk. Students and staff at the Oxford Hills Middle School got a unique opportunity last week to see and hear from a NASA astronaut who may one day be circling the Moon or on her way to Mars. “Make sure you are doing the one thing you […]
SAD 17 hits milestone with EPS funding
PARIS — For the first time, SAD 17 officials will ask voters in its eight district towns to raise and appropriate locals funds, which exceed the state’s Essential Programs and Services allocation model. The proposed amount exceeding EPS is $1,094,849. The simple explanation for the “overage” is that it is not an overage, but rather shifting […]
School budget up 1.73 percent
OXFORD HILLS — SAD 17 Superintendent Rick Colpitts has unveiled the proposed fiscal 2018 school budget of $39,688,294 – a 1.73 percent hike. The budget reflects a 1.47 reduction in state subsidy and a 4.19 percent increase in local assessments. Based on Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget, the SAD 17 budget is a $674,415 increase. The […]