Old Town High School

In our next edition of "Where Are They Now," we travel back to 2013 and remember Laura Rivers, one of our favorite main office student aides! After graduating from OTHS in 2013, Laura went west - to UMaine Farmington, where she graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in special education. She then taught for two years at Camden Rockport middle school. After her dad’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, she was inspired to support seniors living with dementia and left teaching to serve as recreation director at a long term care facility, and then administrator for an assisted living memory community. She now lives in Tennessee, working for Brookdale senior living in their corporate office in Nashville supporting over 600 senior living communities with clinical programming. She recently graduated with her masters degree in public health and earned her dementia practitioner certification. In her spare time, Laura serves as the community engagement co chair for the walk to end Alzheimer’s in Nashville and she is also a community educator for the Alzheimer’s association. She just purchased a house and has been busy with home projects & has also adopted a few chickens and her dog, Forest. She seems to be loving life! It was great catching up with you, Laura. Keep up the great work. OT is Proud of You!!!

It's been GREAT to see so many OTHS teachers who are back in the building today! They are all busy making preparations for the first day of school, which is rapidly approaching.... Enjoy the final days of summer!

As the summer days keep slipping away like sands through the hour glass, I thought it was the perfect time to give a big "Shout Out" to four guys who have been working hard all summer to make sure the place is squeaky clean on day 1. Thanks to Head Custodian Doug Shorey and his crew of Sam Curtis, Aaron Fowler and Keith Jennings. Nice Job Guys and Thanks for all that you do!

Just a reminder, the OTHS Science department is still looking for your old Maine Atlas Gazeteer. Before you throw yours' out, considering donating it to us. You can drop off at the main office at OTHS. Thank you in advance!

On Saturday afternoon, Old Town High School's class of 1993 stopped by for a visit. They noticed many subtle changes to the building over the last 30 years and they were really impressed by the science, art & technology wing. They were a fun group, but they could not match the word-for-word singing of the school song performed by the Class of 1972 earlier in the day. Class of 93 - Thanks for returning to pay us a visit. I hope you had a great time at your reunion last night. You are welcome back anytime! We are Proud of You!

Old Town High School's Class of 1972 dropped by for a visit and a tour of the old and new parts of the school today. They were a fun bunch - and - they remembered the school song. A few of them were actually singing on stage in MacKenzie Gymnasium! Thank you to the Class of 1972 for returning for a visit, you are welcome to return anytime. Have fun at your reunion this evening!

In mid-July, the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) were held in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Dartmouth, and Millbrook First Nation. The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) 2023 brought together more than 5,000 athletes, coaches and team staff from 756+ Indigenous Nations celebrating, sharing and reconnecting through sport and culture with the help of 3,000 volunteers. And...... Guess what? Old Town High School's very own Hayna Francis was there competing and doing very well! Hayna was part of Team Wabanaki which consisted of Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Maliseet athletes. The team had 6 participate in Track and Field and 7 participate in Canoeing/Kayaking. Hayna competed in the 100m, 200m, 300m dash. He won a bronze medal for his 300m event. There was a preliminary and a final for each. Hayna made the final for each of his events. He also ran the cross country 3k and came in 5th place. Great Job Hayna! We are So Proud of You!

RSU #34 is thrilled to share our back-to-school issue of Community Connections! Inside you will read about some of the great endeavors of our students and staff, along with important back-to-school info such as school start/end times and bus routes. Please help your kids to be on time every day this year! This issue is dedicated to the memory of our late Board member David Wollstadt, who contributed in many ways to the school district and community. Here's the link! https://5il.co/21o0w

If you haven't been to OTHS in the last couple of weeks, here are the new banners that were installed to dress up the chain link fencing around the athletic fields. One word. Wow. They look great. Big Thanks to our AD - Mr. Bousquet for the leg work, Brent Fournier, our Facilities Director and our Superintendent, Mr. Cyr, who helped with the install. Great work! Go Coyotes!

Today's trip back in time takes us back to 2008, to catch up with Erin (Burns) Card. Erin graduated from Old Town High School in 2008 and went on to attend the University of Southern Maine to major in music education. After graduating, she began teaching in the Maine public school system first in Hallowell, then Scarborough, and currently in the Augusta School Department where she teaches 6th-8th grade instrumental and general music. During her time at OTHS Erin played trombone and was actively involved in all things music. She would like to send a special shout out to Mr. Priest who provides his students with one of the very best music experiences in Maine. The OTHS bands traveled to Florida, California, Boston, and across Maine during Erin’s time in school- earning top scores in all of the festivals they participated in. All of these experiences inspired Erin’s love for music and a career in music education. She lives in Gardiner with her husband, 4 year old daughter, dog and two cats and is throughly enjoying summer vacation! Congratulations on all of your success Erin! We are Super Proud of You!

All of our librarian roles are filled for the upcoming school year, but we ARE still recruiting a few members to join our RSU #34 team! https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies You can get started on a career in education in one of several entry-level roles - we support college tuition so you can keep learning and growing, opening up future opportunities! We just added a grant-funded intervention teaching role as well, and seek an additional Special Education teacher to join our team and help reduce caseloads. Educational Technicians support our students in a variety of ways. We have a couple of coach openings for fall middle school athletics, and we always seek substitutes. Please visit and share our employment page! https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies

Hey OTHS - Just a reminder... Yearbooks are IN! You can pick up your copy this evening between the hours of 6pm and 8pm in the main office at OTHS. (Note the time change from my previous post)

Attention community members! Our Science Department could use as many copies of the Maine Atlas and Guide as possible. If you have old copies hanging around that you no longer need/use - please consider donating them to us. You could simply drop them off in the Main Office at OTHS. Thank You!

The finale of RSU 34's Band Camp 2023 occurred on Thursday afternoon with a concert in MacKenzie Gymnasium. Year 27 is in the books and does not happen without a lot of work and planning. A BIG Thank You to: RSU 34 staff members: Jessup Henderson, Amanda Marquis, David May, Dr. Gert Nesin, Jeff Priest & Shianne Priest. Important adult volunteers: Chelsea Cote, Ciyenna Hall, Bernie Milligan, Betsy Shields & Steve Smith. A shout out to both Channel 5 & Channel 7 for local media coverage! A great time was had by all! Only 355-ish days to Band Camp 2024! :)

In today's "Where Are They Now?" we venture back to 2012 when Zach Mishou graduated from Old Town High School and ventured into the world. •Before graduating in 2012, Zach competed in Skills USA for plumbing and received 1st place in states. He spent many years working in the HVAC/plumbing business. Between friends and family, he was completely surrounded by people in the trade growing up. Zach worked all throughout high school learning a lot about plumbing and heating. After graduating in 2012, he put countless hours in, working around the clock, to be able to earn all of his licenses. He became licensed with his Universal Refrigeration license, propane and natural gas licenses, including all of the endorsements, such as Plant Operator, Tank Setter, and Large Equipment. He later became a Master Oil Burner Technician. In the fall of 2022, he decided to officially go out on his own and start his own business, Mishou Mechanical. In his free time, Zach enjoys spending time at camp on Pushaw Lake with his fiancé, Jami O’Clair (OT Class of 2013), their two kids Olivia and Jack, and their dog, Ruff. Congratulations Zach! You have done really well for yourself and we are Super Proud of you! All the best to you, Jami and the kids.

Well, they say that patience is a virtue. You do not need to be patient any longer! The 2023 yearbook has arrived! Mrs. Turner will be available to assist with picking up your yearbook on Monday, July 31st from 10am to 12pm and Tuesday, August 1st from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Please make plans to arrive at OTHS during one of those times to pick up yours'!

Just a reminder... The deadline for signing up for the August 26th SAT is July 28th. Students need to sign up through the college board: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat Students should log into their emails for more information.

These Old Town High School Band students (and two alums!) are volunteering as mentors at band camp this week. THANK YOU! Go Coyotes!

The halls (of OTHS) are alive with the sound of music! It's RSU 34 Band Camp week! As you can see from the pics, it is a full house with musicians of all ages contributing to a great sound and having a lot of fun!

Today's lesson, you can accomplish a LOT in ten years... "Where Are They Now?" - Drew & Riley (Marquis) Van Steenberghe. After graduating from Old Town High School in ’13, Riley moved to Germany for 4 years. During that time she became fluent in German, she traveled Europe visiting France, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Turkey and Norway and found her passion for health and wellness. After returning home in 2017, Riley began pursuing her goal of helping others improve their own health and wellness. She attended Bloom - School of Therapeutic Arts in Newport, Maine, where she earned her massage therapy license and became a certified yoga/pilates instructor. She then opened her first small business, Pause Massage Therapy. During this time, Riley reconnected with one of her best friends from Old Town High School, Drew Van Steenberghe. Drew graduated in 2012, then attended the University of Maine where he received his degree in electrical engineering in 2017. He currently works as an electrical engineer designer for SMRT Architects and Engineers. Riley and Drew were married in 2021 and currently reside in Orono. In 2022, they embarked on their next small business adventure - Hidden In Thyme, Florals & Farm. Riley and Drew look forward to watching their new business grow (literally😉). Drew hopes to expand his knowledge of beekeeping and Riley is excited to begin hybridizing her own dahlias. Congratulations Riley & Drew! We are so happy for you and so Proud of you both! :)