06/10/2008
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Staff photo by Jim Evansfrom the Kennebec Journal
QUESTIONS REMAIN
No complaints from those who switched to Somerset County center
Vote on 1 may hurt some in election
Steeple at center of debate in Whitefield
VETERANS REQUIRE ASSISTANCE: Homelessness takes center stage
J.P. DEVINE: Overcome sadness with hope
BASKETBALL: NBA Hall of Famer Barry doles out advice at Thomas College
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Maranacook sophomore Mace dominates Class B field
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
A year later, families await answers on fatalities
Owner of topless coffee shop on the comeback trail
Officials report cheaper, better service after switch
Two people in critical condition
Young Marines stick to program
Issue of homeless veterans at center stage
GIRLS SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Winslow falls to York in Class B
Bard hits her marathon stride
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
Brian Blanchard estimates he worked six to eight hours a day between school and homework during the winter and eight to 12 hours a day during the summer.
"Working on a horse farm has taught me to work hard and you will see rewards for it," said Blanchard, who also drives a sulky in harness racing and has assisted his father with training for about 10 years.
Sunday, Blanchard read from an article entitled "A Guide to a Happy Life," that has grown old and yellow on his family's refrigerator.
Included in the advice is to listen more and talk less. "You can't learn anything when you are talking," Blanchard said.
In terms of his own future, Blanchard said he plans to attend Colby College in Waterville next year. He hopes eventually to attend graduate school for either pharmacy or to be a veterinarian.
He could also go into horse racing.
"It is pretty rewarding and challenging as well," he said. "It has taught me that things may not go so hot for a couple of years but you just have to keep at it. You have to keep making yourself known and eventually you will succeed," he said.
He called his class "very, very talented. ... They are certainly going to do great things," said Blanchard.
Lynda Letteney, principal of Mount View High School, agreed.
"This is a bright group. The top 64 students had an 85-average or better. That is unusual," she said.
Another thing that stood out is the amount of time the class of 2008 spent volunteering in their communities.
The school requires seniors to do 15 hours of community service in order to graduate. Letteney said she gave out more than 30 certificates to students who had 30 hours or more of community service.
Elizabeth Higgins had more than 310 hours, said Letteney.
"It is cultural here. It is just culture in this community to help one another," he said.
Students teach, coach, read to younger students, shovel sidewalks, mow lawns for senior citizens and even work on farms for free, according to Letteney.
Living in a relatively isolated rural area, students don't have access to the sorts of cultural and educational resources available in many larger, more urban communities, said Letteney, but she said they tend to make up for it in other ways.
"They have a tremendous work ethic and a real sense of appreciation for the efforts that are made (for them)," she said.
Among the scholarship winners in the Class of 2008 are Stephen Pantalone who will attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Edwin Santana, who received a Reserve Officer Training Course (ROTC) scholarship. He will attend Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.
The Mount View High School Class of 2008
Matthew Abbott
Morganne Andrews
Mollie Arute
Charleen Bailey
Christopher Bailey
Michael Baker
Natasha Beckett
Ashlie Belcher
Nicole Bellerose
Breana Bennett
Brian Blanchard
Nikki Blodgett
Britney Bowden
Natalie Bowden
Jacob Bragg
Melinda Brown
Elizabeth Bruns
Andrea Bryant
Justin Butterfield
Ian Campbell
Nikalee Caron
Brian Carrara
Peter Champa
Melissa Conroy
Cassandra Cook
Harlan Crichton
Lyndsey Cronin
Shannon Davenport
Dakota Davis
Lauren Dimick
Alesha Donovan
Travis Doughty
Monika Dunphy
Jeffrey Emery
Benjamin English
Eben Estell
Dani Flewelling
Joshua Fuller
Scott Gibbs
Christian Giddings
Brandon Giggey
Ian Hall
William Harmon
Charles Henry
Elizabeth Higgins
Abigail Hill
Ethan Hodgdon
Colleen Holland
Nathan Howe
Nicholas Jameson
Ethan Jean
Amber Jewett
Natasha Johnson
Kayla Kaufmann
Derek Keller
Joseph Keresey
Stephanie Klein
Caitlin Kupferman
Stephanie Larrabee
Amber Leadbetter
Ryan Lefebvre
Elizabeth Lincoln
Daniel Lombard
Kristina MacDonald
Kevin Marsanskis
Kristin Masessa
Alison Maurice
Tessa Mayberry
Amanda Mayhew
Jeremy McDevitt
Malin McWalters
Cassandra Mehuren
Jacob Mehuren
Joseph Merrifield
Gerald Merry
Tyler Miles
Waylon Milliard
Ashley Moody
Devan Moody
Reginald Moulton Jr.
Emily Nason
Darcy Nickerson
Jasmine Noble
James Owen
Stephen Pantalone
Sara Phillips
Korei Proctor
Ashley Pulsifer
Jacqueline Quebec
Derek Ricker
Katie Roberts
Alex Roberts-Pierel
Edward Rodrigues
Alicia Rolfe
Trevor Russell
Peter Saball
Edwin Santana
Autumn Smith
Christina Smith
Adam Spaulding
Kimberly Spaulding
Albert Spencer
Edyth Spencer
Sean Sprowl
Joshua St. Clair
Felicia Story
Kaylie Thornhill
Alexandra Todd
Tyler Turner
Ayron Van Hoy
Kurtis Van Duysen
Patricia Waters
Kelley Welch
Briannah Wight
Alyssa Willette
Dallas York
Amanda Young
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