Isabella Messer was one of the first girls in the country to join Boy Scouts of America. Alissa Messer / For Lakes Region Weekly
Local girl is first female Eagle Scout in Troop 851
Congratulations to my daughter, Isabella Messer, who is the first female Eagle Scout in Raymond’s Troop 851.
Isabella has had a dynamic experience with Scouts, starting back with Cub Scouts in Windham in elementary school prior to joining an active troop in Raymond. She had lots of fun and crossed over from Webelos into Scouts as one of the first female Scouts in the nation when Boy Scouts of America first allowed girls to join the program.
In 2019, Isabella had the distinct privilege of being selected as one of 12 delegates nationally to Report to the Nation, giving her the opportunity to be the first female to ever represent Maine and the first Scout to represent Maine in over 40 years.
Isabella chose to serve the Matinicus Island Historical Society for her Eagle Scout Project. For more than seven months, she helped the society by finding a database program, customizing it for the island’s needs and training team members to scan and upload thousands of photos and documents. Isabella also recorded interviews of lifelong and summer residents of the island to capture their stories and perspectives that can be shared for generations to come.
It was a very rewarding project for my daughter, who said, “I have concluded my Eagle Scout project, but I am continuing to work on the project because it is so rewarding to know that this work will stand the test of time.
“People for generations to come will listen to these very words that I hear spoken to me, they will hear the stories and laugh like I do, and they will hear the lessons that I hear and, hopefully, learn as I have.
“I hope to continue on, as I have had a generous offer to allow me to borrow 12,000 negatives that date back over 50 years to scan into history. That is a really exciting opportunity for us all.”
Congratulations to Isabella for achieving her path to Eagle Scout. For more information on Raymond Troop 851, contact Scoutmaster Jeff Messer at jeff@messerte.com.
Holiday craft fair
Visit the Raymond Village Library for its annual craft fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. The fair will feature local community crafters and artists. You will be able to find some beautiful holiday gifts while supporting the local community and small businesses this holiday season.
PTO pie fundraiser
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and you can get your pies from the Raymond Parent Teacher Organization with the help of The Good Life Market. Go to the Raymond Schools PTO Facebook page or email raymondschoolspto@gmail.com to get the sheet with the pie order information.
All proceeds from the event will go towards the PTO. Orders must be in by today (Friday, Nov. 12). Pie pickup will be at Jordan Small Middle School from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 23 in the cafeteria. The snow day pickup will be from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 24. Pie flavors this year include strawberry rhubarb, apple, blueberry, apple cranberry, fruits of the forest, peach berry, pumpkin and pecan. Payment can be made by check to Raymond Schools PTO or through Venmo @Raymond-SchoolsPTO or Paypal at raymondschoolspto@gmail.com.
Book fair
The Bibliophile Bookshop & Coffeehouse is graciously hosting the fall Scholastic Book Fair for the Raymond Schools PTO from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1. The books will focus on students in pre-K to grade 8.
Stop by 1233 Roosevelt Trail for holiday shopping, stocking up on home library choices or just to get a great cup of coffee. The Bibliophile Bookshop & Coffeehouse has a great selection of events, where you can listen to live music while you shop and get in the holiday spirit. If you have any questions, you can reach out to raymondschoolspto@gmail.com.
Basketball registration
Raymond Parks and Recreation have sign-ups started for kindergarten and first grade basketball clinics, a coed first- and second-grade in-house program, boys and girls third- and fourth-grade in-house league, and boys and girls fifth- and sixth-grade in-house league. For more information and to register, visit raymond.recdesk.com.
Alissa Messer can be contacted at alissamesser@gmail.com.
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