Thumbs up to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Library in Kennebunkport and the Kennebunk High School art teachers, who partnered to display an art exhibit of student work at the library through Nov. 15. It’s interesting that Graves has never hosted an art exhibit before, since it’s a popular activity at many other libraries.
There’s a lot of talent in our schools, but those who do not have children enrolled seldom get a chance to see it. As the librarians said, it’s not only a chance for students to publicly display their work, it’s also a way for the library to increase its visibility. Hopefully, this exhibit will not be the last, and may be the start of a long-term relationship between KHS and Graves. It’s a win all around, for the students, the library and the viewing public.
Thumbs up to Lindsay and Mark Schuenke of Biddeford, who have taken their grief from the death of their child and transformed it into a positive event. The Schuenkes had a stillborn son in 2008 and have since founded Noah’s Walk in his honor, which helps bring awareness to the reality of stillbirth, miscarriage and sudden infant death syndrome. Events such as Noah’s Walk, which includes a candlelight vigil for babies who died, are important to helping these parents grieve and recognizing their loss. As Mark Schuenke said, everyone likely knows someone who had a loss, but they may not know about it because it’s just not something people talk about. We hope the efforts of those involved in Noah’s Walk help to make infant loss less of a taboo subject so that family and friends can feel more comfortable helping parents through their grief and honoring the little ones who have died.
Thumbs down to the Biddeford City Council’s decision to reject a proposal for a safety warning light in front of the Central Fire Station on Alfred Street. The light, proposed by Fire Chief Joseph Warren, would alert motorists when a fire truck is pulling onto the street to respond to a call. There is no doubt that a warning light would improve safety in the area, as it is a busy road and the line of sight is poor. Many other area departments have such lights to avert collisions between fire trucks and other vehicles. The warning light has been in the works for years, according to Warren, but was not proposed as part of the budget due to cost. He brought it up recently in light of a donation of a pole and mast from the police department. The rest of the cost could be covered by TIF funds set aside for such purposes, and sale of a surplus tower truck. So the funding is covered, the need is there, and yet the council rejected it, seemingly on principle, since it was not proposed as part of the regular budget. While we agree that process is important, it’s clear in this case that plans changed because of the donation, so it made sense to bring the project before the council at this time. And those councilors who have concerns about the bidding process could have voted to solicit additional bids, rather than quash the entire proposal. We agree with Council President Rick Laverriere that “every day we don’t have that blinker is a day we could have an accident.” With the costs covered, there is no excuse for the council to delay this safety improvement.
Thumbs up to instructor Debra Hapgood, who teaches medical sciences and health assisting at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology. Hapgood was recently recognized as the Maine Career and Technical School Outstanding Educator of the Year, and it’s heartening to know that we have this caliber of instruction in York County, at the high school level. Hapgood has been nominated before for this award, and we’re glad to see her dedication recognized at the state level. She is one of many teachers who have found their passion in passing on their knowledge to today’s youth and giving them a head start in their careers. These instructors’ interactions with students have a life-long impact: So far, Hapgood has found one of her previous students who became a physician, another who became a pharmacist, 20 who are RNs and many who are CNAs. Kudos to her quality instruction; BRCOT is clearly lucky to have her.
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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford office.
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