Old Town High School

As we work to implement the five-year Strategic Plan, RSU 34 seeks public input on a variety of details. You can provide input through this web survey (https://forms.gle/4siZkgUuCyGyKu69A ), and/or join us in-person at the sessions shown below. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback to inform planning for our students and schools! The full text of the Strategic Plan can be found here: t.ly/pj5LW Please join us for input and discussion sessions as we plan for 2025-26 and beyond! *AES PTC Wed. 12/11 (5 PM at AES) *OTES / VRS PTC Wed. 12/4 (6 PM at OTES) *LMS PTC Wed. 11/20 (6 PM at LMS) *Staff leadership teams on 11/18, 12/10, 12/17 *Community forums (please attend whichever is most convenient for your schedule, regardless of location) *At VRS Wed. Jan. 8th, 8 AM (Multi-purpose Room) *At AES Wed. Jan. 8th, 6:30 PM (Gym) *At OTHS Wed. Jan. 15th, 6:30 PM (Cafeteria)

On Friday, Mr. Gilbert took our Envirothon team to Fall Field Days at the UMaine Forest to take part in a number of workshops related to understanding soils, aquatics, wildlife and forestry. It was a great fall day and everyone had a great time. The teams are looking forward to the regional competition in May. Go Coyotes.

How do artists shape and mend the world? This is an essential question that all of Mrs. Tea's classes will be exploring this year in art. What does it mean to mend, and what role does the artist play in the process of mending? To mend means to bring together, to heal, to weave, and to stitch. Similar words are to patch, rebuild, and connect. These are going to be the basis of many of our hallway exhibits at OTHS this year, so stay tuned! To start our exploration of this theme, we looked to contemporary artist, Matt Willey, and his global arts initiative, "The Good Of The Hive." Matt Willey visited the city of Bangor in 2023 and painted a large Bee Mural to bring awareness to the recent declining populations of bees and other pollinators. His goal is to paint 50,000 bees, the number of bees in a healthy hive. Coyotes got to try their hand at creating their own hive and bee mural outside of Mrs. Tea's room. Painting Techniques Class found common connections among their peers and created a hexagon color spectrum of character traits. Studio Art designed personal bees in colored pencil. Fiber and Fashion Design tried their hand at sewing, creating a fabric hexagon patch and learning a running stitch. Adaptive Arts learned about the importance of bees for pollination of food crops in their Bee collages. Coyotes Create Club added a sweet touch of honey and helped with display and lettering. How can you, BEE part of something BIGGER this year?! Go Coyotes.

Shout out to the University of Maine Black Bears marching band for joining us yesterday for the Riverfest parade. Their energy excitement for this parade was evident from the moment they got off the bus, went through their warm-up and calisthenics and then lined up and got ready for go time. After the parade, they nailed another great performance, which featured a solo by Old Town High School Class of 2021 alum, Nick Sullivan. Way to go, Nick! We are Proud of You! Go Coyotes.

Our annual Riverfest Parade starts every year at OTHS. Here are some pics from this morning's staging of the parade. It all starts here... Go Coyotes.

We are 1-hour from the first race of the 74th annual running of the Old Town High School Cross Country invitational. This dates back to 1950!! Ok, Coyote Nation, WITHOUT the help of technology, who was the President of the United States in 1950? Go Coyotes.

Good Afternoon Coyote Nation! Did you know that Athens has been continuously inhabited for over 4000 years? Or that it is the birthplace of democracy? The informational meeting /sign ups for our 2026 trip, "The Ancient Mediterranean" will be on October 2nd at 6:30 in the OTHS Cafe. Registration information will be coming in a few weeks! If you are interested in learning all about this amazing opportunity, please follow the link to register. https://rsvp.eftours.com/vvcukxj

RSU 34 is currently hiring for several roles! *Part-time contracted Occupational Therapist *Speech & Language Pathologist *Special Ed Educational Technicians *8th Grade Long Term Substitute Teacher *Substitutes for Teachers, Ed Techs, Food Service, School Nurses, and Custodians For more info and for applications, please visit https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies

Get your winter coats and snow shovels ready Coyote Nation because it’s going to be one harsh winter! Well… at least that is what the Woolly Bears are saying. In Mr. Gilbert’s wildlife and marine research class, students gathered and measured over 160 Woolly Bears to see how many were mostly black, mostly brown, or even in both colors. According to local legends the color patterns predict our winters. Mostly black caterpillars mean a harsh winter (which is what we found in our data), while mostly brown ones mean a mild winter. Go Coyotes.

The Maine CDC and Dept. of Education have encouraged sharing that risk is currently elevated for several serious mosquito-borne illnesses. You can find more information about the risks and actions you can take here: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/vector-borne/index.shtml#mosquito

On September 15th, two OTHS Class of 2024 graduates were recognized for the distinction of completing all the requirements to attain the rank of Eagle Scout; the highest Scout rank.  Currently, only 6% of Scouts will become Eagle Scouts.  This is truly an accomplishment!  Pictured here are the newly promoted Eagle Scouts; Brayden Porter and Alexander O’Meara. They are surrounded by fellow members of the Troop, who also happen to be OTHS JROTC Cadets. Congratulations Brayden & Alexander! We are Proud of You! Go Coyotes.

I often tell people that Old Town graduates seem to be everywhere, and I ran into that unexpectedly again this afternoon. While on the field introducing myself to the officials, I learn that one of them is an OT grad. He goes on to say that he has been a school principal and is now the Superintendent of School Union 93! Shout out to Derek Perkins, from OT's Class of 2003. I wonder when he donned the green and white as an OT football player if he ever imagined he would find himself back on Victory Field on a gorgeous September afternoon wearing the black and white stripes in the role of an official?! Derek, Thanks for being an official and Thanks for doing all that you do each day as an educator. OT is proud of you! Go OT!

The Old Town JROTC started a Go Ruck Club this past week. The club is open to all OTHS students and staff. This morning’s challenge was the 9-11 Tribute. Participants started with a 2001 meter ruck march, completed 9 sets of 11 pushups and sandbag (or ruck) thrust, and finished with another 2001 meter ruck. The next event will be the  Mogadishu Mile in October.

Day 1 at OTHS and the band sounded like they were in mid-year form as they were cranking out the tunes to get ready for Football Friday night this week. Go Coyotes.

Coyote Nation... Keep your eyes open for our international travel meetings that will be happening in September. Get ready for Italy and Greece April 2026!! Yotes in Europe 2.0 Go Coyotes.

Day 1 for Old Town High School's Class of 2028 is in the books! Grade 9 spent the day getting to know staff, administration and learning their schedule and the layout of the building. This half-day experience will be tremendously beneficial as all grades join them next Tuesday. A Big Shout Out to OT Student Council and President Rhiannon Bousquet, as they gave up their last day of sleeping in to make our newest Coyotes feel at home. Go Coyotes.

From our opening RSU 34 breakfast to an afternoon faculty meeting. The OTHS staff is back in full force and ready to meet the Class of 2028 tomorrow morning and then everyone on Tuesday morning. Go Coyotes.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the last days of summer.... We had a number of staff back in the building, especially the last couple of days, as they make final preparations for grade 9 on Thursday and all grades on Tuesday! We are excited! Let's Gooooooooooo Coyotes!

Chromebook Pick Up begins THIS afternoon from 3pm to 6pm. Parents/guardians will also be asked to sign a couple of documents regarding student expectations. The whole process should not take more than 15 minutes. Can't make it today? We will be here Wednesday and Thursday as well! 3pm to 6pm. Go Coyotes.

Shout Out to Old Town High School's Class of 1964! They are having their 60th reunion this weekend. Have a Great time!