September 2025 volume 12 number 1
Westbrook School Department
Dear Friends,
The new school year is up and running! After two days of professional development which included a district-wide staff meeting and celebration, students have arrived and are ready to learn. Everyone is settling in very comfortably. Classes are up and running and students are hard at work. Thanks to everyone who has attended Open Houses at our schools. What a great time to reconnect with each other and become familiar with new schools. What a great way to begin the year!
Our theme for the new school year is a simple phrase that speaks volumes: "I belong here!" The theme reinforces how our schools value and respect all members - students, families, community members, and staff. It honors everyone's voice and appreciates the contributions they make every day. It recognizes the experiences of all people and encourages everyone to make their own mark in our community. We all belong here! Let's all work together to demonstrate the theme and make this statement a reality.
I look forward to seeing you throughout the year!
Peter Lancia, Ph. D., Superintendent of Schools
Summer Construction
Several construction projects were completed over the summer months. These include:
At Canal School: new lights, windows, and ceilings; a new secure entry vestibule; a relocated main office, principal's office, and conference room; relocated student services offices and other small meeting rooms.
At WHS: new student bathrooms; a resurfaced track at Olmstead Field; repairs to pavement; removal of dead trees on the campus.
At Congin: new lighting; building envelope repairs.
Other projects include annual maintenance and inspections, security upgrades, and repairs to pavement and building envelopes.
In addition, we have initiated a project that will install solar panels to several of our schools in order to save money on energy costs and to demonstrate our responsibility and stewardship of the environment. Thank you to Director of Facilities Tony Lombardo and the Maintenance Team for managing these projects and preparing our schools for the opening of school!
Fruit Trees Coming to Westbrook High School!
You may have noticed that several dead trees have been removed from the WHS campus. They fell victim to disease. We are thrilled to announce that this fall ReTreeUS will be partnering with our school to plant an educational orchard on our grounds. ReTreeUS will break ground planting the orchard on September 25th! They are planting 6 apple, 3 asian pear, and 3 peach trees… but they will not be doing it alone. Students will get involved at every step along the way, from digging proper planting holes to mixing in compost, applying mulch and planting the trees! Students will gain hands-on experience in the basics of agriculture, and teachers will be able to utilize the school orchard as an outdoor classroom. The legacy of this orchard will extend far beyond the harvests of the coming years. Students who participate in planting and caring for these trees will gain valuable skills and knowledge while leaving a lasting impact on our school and community. Their efforts will bear fruit—literally and figuratively—for generations to come. Thank you to science teachers Brian Davis and Stephanie MacDonald who are leading this project. Together we can continue planting trees of fruit and seeds of thought. To learn more about ReTreeUS, visit their website: www.retree.us
Welcome New Employees
We are pleased that several new employees have joined our school community! Some are new to public education while others are veterans who have chosen to come to Westbrook. We are excited to welcome them here!
Noelle Auguer, WHS Multilingual Teacher
Sydney Barr, Congin Ed Tech III
Hillary Barter, WHS Ed Tech III
Kimberlee Bennett, Assistant Dir. WRVC
Megan Bissonette, WHS Teacher
Dr. Christina Boursaw, WMS Principal
Jessica Braden, WMS Ed Tech III
Catherine Bursk, WMS Teacher
Mark Campbell, Athletic Director
Samia Chaaban, Canal Cook
Anne Clukey, Bus Driver
Stephanie Cook, WMS Ed Tech III
Kathleen Corbett, WMS Ed Tech III
Philip DelVecchio, Congin Sp. Ed. Teacher
Lisa Demers, Bus Driver
Meredith Diamond, WHS English Teacher
Sam Diamond, WHS Alt. Learning Teacher
Meredith Doyle, Congin Multilingual Teacher
Stephanie Edwards Congin Sp. Ed. Teacher
Erika Gerrish, Saccarappa Cook
Ava Gillan, WMS Ed Tech III
Jayden Graham, Saccarappa Ed Tech III
Sam Hammar, WMS ELA Teacher
Alissa Holloway, Saccarappa Ed Tech III
Allison Kasprzak, WMS Sp. Ed. Teacher
Christine LaPado Breglia, WMS Kitchen
Michael Lentz, WHS Ed Tech III
Maureen Mains, Bus Driver
Jacob Markowitz, WHS Sp. Ed. Teacher
Miles Metviner, Saccarappa Multilingual Tchr.
Sherry Morin, Saccarappa Ed Tech I
Polly Mueller, Saccarappa Ed Tech III
Sydney Mullett, WHS Soc. Studies Teacher
Rahila Noor, Saccarappa Ed Tech III
Megan O'Neil, Saccarappa Ed Tech III
Mackenzie Orniston, Saccarappa OT
Adam Potvin, WMS ELA Teacher
Juliana Saric, WMS ELA Teacher
Mote Sebastiao, Canal Custodian
Renee Stahl, Payroll Generalist
Maxat Stzhayev, WMS Head Custodian
Michael Toth, WMS Ed Tech III
Victoria Waxman, Congin Speech Therapist
Bonnie Wintle, Bus Driver
Keith Wixon, WMS Sp. Ed. Teacher
Izabella Zox, WMS Soc. Studies Teacher
Congratulations to Employees with New Positions
Several veteran employees have transferred to new positions. Good luck in your new roles!
Castine Barry-Grant, Saccarappa Gr. 3
Chelsea Beliveau, Asst. Dir. Special Services
Kayla Billings, WMS Math Intervention
Katrina Brown, Saccarappa, Ed Tech III
Barbara Conley, WMS Kitchen
Clayton Conrad, WMS Math Teacher
Amy Doughty, Saccarappa Title I Teacher
Emily Droge, WMS PE Teacher
Kelli Fogg, Special Services Consultant
Kim Goddard, WMS Sp. Ed. Teacher
Sarah Hager, WMS Ed Tech III
Jessica Hamel, Asst. Dir. Multilingual Program
Madelene Herbert, Saccarappa Sp. Ed. Tchr.
Lisa Krunkkala, Saccarappa Asst. Principal
Anne Leroux, WMS Intervention Teacher
Chelsea Merrill, WHS Ed Tech III
Jay Morse, Tech Support Technician
Gloria Noyes, WRVC Director
Tiffany Oliver, Saccarappa Multilingual Tchr.
Tom Rackmales, WHS Multilingual Teacher
Abigail Tucker, Saccarappa Cook
Adult Education Workforce Classes
Workforce courses are filling fast! Sign up now to secure your seat and increase your earning potential. Full scholarships available to almost all students! Spread the word!
Agriculture Education in our Schools
Our 7th graders at WMS took learning outdoors this week with an experiential lesson on Maine agriculture right here on campus! Students made real-world connections through hands-on activities and outdoor discovery. The Garden Club at Saccarappa recently received two grants, one from Nichols for $5000 and one from Whole Foods for $3500. This will fund a new irrigation system and an outdoor sink for the greenhouse as well as ongoing projects. We are proud to support and continue this engaging learning for student!
Announcing the Westbrook Education Foundation
Originally founded in 2005, the Westbrook Education Foundation (WEF) has been dormant since 2007. It's purpose is to promote our schools, encourage community engagement, and support innovative projects and initiatives that are outside of the scope of the annual school budget. A dedicated group of parents, business owners, and community members and leaders have worked with school leaders to relaunch the WEF this summer. They understand that high-quality public education is essential to the economic and social well-being of the whole community. Children are the cornerstone and the future of our city and the WEF is commitment to working collaboratively to provide opportunities for success. It is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. WEF is on Facebook and people are invited to be engaged. There will be an event on September 26 at Mast Landing to learn more about the Westbrook Education Foundation. We are all grateful to the community members organizing the WEF, particularly parents Jennifer Munroe and Ben Waxman who serve as co-chairs.
Blue Blazes Pride
Stay connected with the Westbrook Schools through out athletics, music, art, and extracurricular programs! The community is invited to attend games, band shows, art exhibits, and theater performances. One huge event is our annual Homecoming Football Game, this year WHS v. Poland Regional HS on Friday, October 3 at 6pm at Historic Olmstead Field. Cheer on the Blazes! To stay up to date on all Fall athletics which includes Boys and Girls Soccer, Volleyball, Golf, Field Hockey (cooperative with South Portland,) and Cross Country, visit the Athletics website or contact Athletic Director Mark Campbell. Also, watch for the weekly Blue Blazes Bulletin from the Athletics Department.
The Blue Blazes Marching Band opened their season on September 13 with a stellar performance in Biddeford. This year's show The Light Within, is visually stunning and musically complex. Watch a preview of the WHS Blue Blazes Marching Band and Color Guard show recorded at the end of Band Camp.
RESPONSIBILITY at Congin School
Again this year, students at Congin School will focus on special themes each moth to help build their community. For the month of September, they will be working on "Responsibility", and students will be earning Congin Cougar paw stickers whenever they show an act of responsibility. They have a goal of 400 paws by the end of the month, and if they make our goal, they will have a spirit day celebration! What a great way to begin the new school year! Pictured with the students are Coco the Congin Cougar, School Counselor Christine Woolworth, and Principal Marc Bisson.
Students have EARLY RELEASE every Wednesday afternoon. This is important time for our staff who participate in Communities of Practice where they work together to monitor student progress, design instruction, and learn about new practices. All students at all schools are dismissed one hour earlier than their usual dismissal time.
WRVC Teaches Trades... and Builds Futures
Channel 13 News recently featured WRVC in a Back to School segment on Career and Technical Education. Watch the feature and get an inside look at the incredible work happening in our classrooms, workshops, and labs... where passion meets purpose, and students prepare for bright futures in real careers. Brandon G., Fiona H., and Isabelle F., three outstanding former students, were featured in the story as were Director Gloria Noyes, Assistant Director Kim Bennett, and Chef Maureen Hernandez who was a WRVC student, intern, substitute teacher, and now Culinary Arts teacher.
Teaching and Learning in Westbrook
What are our goals for the year?
Every fall, our schools, programs, and departments develop annual Success Plans. These are improvement plans that focus on our district's four Strategic Priorities: Teaching and Learning, Equity and Opportunity, Social and Emotional Learning, and Communication and Collaboration. Staff work collaboratively to develop goals, determine action steps, and determine ways to monitor, assess, and report progress. Success Plans will be completed in October with a summary published to our district's website.
In the area of Teaching and Learning, we are focused on increasing achievement. We are doing this through ongoing professional development in early literacy as well as language development. Our instructional coaches will be working with teachers throughout the year. A team of teachers will also participate in a course as a follow up to one from past year which that was rooted in current research and practice including the Science of Reading. Another team of teachers participated in an institute on SIOP, an evidence based framework to support language and literacy development for all ages and grade levels as well as levels of language proficiency. These will support the increased achievement of our students especially in literacy. Additionally, we are launching a process to renew our K-12 Learning Standards and Course Blueprints in English language arts and math. This will help us focus on our learning targets and provide instruction for all students.
We will also be forming a task force to review programming and practices in our Title I programs in the elementary schools. This will help us plan effective intervention for the future especially given a reduction in funding in our ESEA federal grant which funds that program.
Please take part in upcoming programs to engage with our schools. Also there will be opportunities to learn more about teaching and learning through our website and the Education Programs Committee. Let's work together to support to success of all students!
Legislative Sentiments for Great Accomplishments
At the August School Committee meeting, State Rep. Suzanne Salisbury presented two Legislative sentiments to a student (a recent graduate) and an employee. A Legislative Sentiment recognizes people for important accomplishments with a statement that is sponsored by a local Legislator and read aloud in the House Chamber for the whole Legislature to hear. WHS Class of ‘25 alum Logan Burns recently achieved Eagle Scout status and School Nutrition Director Mary Emerson was honored as Maine School Nutrition Director of the Year. Congratulations Logan and Mary! And thank you Rep. Salisbury!
Meet at the 50 – A New Westbrook Tradition
On Friday, October 3rd at 10:15 AM, the Westbrook community will come together on Olmsted Field to celebrate “Meet at the 50,” a new tradition that honors the connection between the past and future of our schools. At midfield, the Kindergarten Class of 2038 will meet the Senior Class of 2026, symbolizing the passing of the torch from one generation of Blue Blazes to the next. The event will also feature our building administrators, teaching staff, the Westbrook High School Band, and members of the Westbrook community.
“Meet at the 50” highlights what makes Westbrook special - the sense of pride, tradition, and shared purpose that unites us all. By celebrating both the beginning and culmination of a student’s journey, we are reminded that every generation of Westbrook students contributes to the history, culture, and spirit of the Blue Blazes.We invite parents, families, alumni, and community members to join us in the stands as we launch this new tradition together and celebrate the strength of our Westbrook community.
