Volume 19, Issue 2
November 2015
What a beautiful time of year. I think this has been one of the best fall seasons in
recent memory. Almost every day is filled with sunshine and warmth. The nights are
cool and crisp, just like the apples that are so abundant this year. Things are going
well here at Morse and we have many accomplishments to celebrate.
Twenty-five Morse students have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their
exceptional achievement on last spring’s AP exams. Two of those twenty-five students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average score of 4
or higher on a five-point scale on all AP exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on
eight or more of these exams. These students are Andrew Ceglinski and Kara
Leavitt. Only fifty-three Maine students earned this award this year. Congratulations
to Andrew, Kara, and all of the award recipients!
Congratulations also go out to juniors, Karen Yurek and Noa Sreden. Karen was
selected as Morse High School’s nominee for the United States Youth Senate program. Only two Maine students will be selected to participate in this weeklong leadership program in Washington, D.C. Noa is the newest student representative to join
the RSU1 School Board. Noa is also one of two Maine students to serve on the State
Board of Education.
By the time you are reading this article, the regular fall sports season will be over
and playoffs will be well underway. The winter season will begin in a few short
weeks. The first quarter will be over and the fall show, Almost Maine, will be a
memory with MoHiBa appearing on the horizon. We are always asking ourselves,
“where does the time go”? I wish I had the answer.
The iPad rollout did not go as smoothly as we had hoped this year. We tried to put
some limits on the apps that can be downloaded by blocking the app store and using
a different process. Long, technical story short, it simply did not work. We made
some changes recently and, with the exception of a dozen or so, we have resolved
many of the issues that have been frustrating for our students and teachers. If your
student is still having difficulties please have them visit our tech. department in room
411 or call 443-8253 for assistance.
The plans for a new Morse High School will really take off following the official
vote of the Board to renovate or build new on another site. By the time you are reading this, the vote will have already happened. The folks that attended the last public
forum seemed to overwhelmingly favor a new high school. These are exciting times
in the history of Morse High. Please do your best to get involved and attend the public forums.
I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season.
John B. Pinkerton
Principal
RSU1 NURSES
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NOVEMBER PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES AND SIGN UPS
“My child does not feel well...”
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held 2-5pm and 6-8pm on Monday, November 23rd and 11:30am—2:10pm on Tuesday, November 24th. Students
will be dismissed at 11am both days. Sign ups will be available on the Morse
website starting Monday, November 9th. The link to sign up and instructions
will be posted on the Morse website.
SHOULD THEY STAY OR SHOULD THEY GO????
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DRIVER EDUCATION
Sign-up for the next session of Driver Education will be on Tuesday, November 3rd. Sign-up is on a first come, first served basis. The cost for Driver
Education will be $450.00 with all checks made payable to Morse High
School (no cash will be accepted). Contact Mrs. Dysart for more information.

TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT HOURS
The normal helpdesk hours for the Technology Department are below. This is
when we have staff dedicated to the MHS helpdesk, but we are often here at
other times so feel free to call us to confirm, and then send students down.
Monday
Tuesday
7:15-8:15
11:15-2:30
7:15-8:15
11:15-2:30
Wednesday
7:15-8:15
11:15-2:30
Thursday
7:15-8:15
11:15-2:30
Friday
7:15-8:15
11:15-12:00
1:00-2:30
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FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION
Check out Morse website at mhs.rsu1.org and bookmark it!
SYMPTOM
WHAT TO DO ______________________
RUNNY NOSE
GO: Teach nose blowing and hand washing
COUGH
GO: Unless excessive
SORE THROAT
GO: Unless a fever
VOMITING
STAY: Until 24 hours from last episode
DIARRHEA
STAY: Until 24 hours from last episode
EAR ACHE
STAY: See Dr. for pain or drainage
FEVER
STAY: Until under 100 for 24 hours
RASH
STAY: If spreading or draining, see Dr.
DIAGNOSED ILLNESS
STAY: 24 hours on antibiotics or return to
school with a doctors note

FALL INTO AUTUMN WITH A RSU 1 ADULT EDUCATION CLASS!
It’s not too late to register for an adult education class. There are plenty of classes
yet to start this fall.
Certified Nursing Assistant
11/3/15
Tarot Cards: Definition and Symbology
10/26/15
Microsoft Access
10/27/15
Beginner Painting
10/28/15
Getting Paid To Talk
10/28/15
Stability Ball
10/28/15
Drop Spinning for Beginners
10/29/15
Just Once Guitar for Busy People
11/2/15
Yoga
11/3/15
Basic Beaded Earrings
11/4/15
PowerPoint
11/5/15
CRMA Re-certification
11/7/15
Circuit Training
11/9/15
Export/Import Basics the World Is Your Market
11/10/15
Start Your Own Speed Cleaning Business
11/10/15
The A, B. C’s & D’s of Medicare
11/16/15
Mac OS X
11/17/15
Technology Explorama for Boomers and Seniors
11/17/15
How Money Works
11/19/15
Your iPad & iPhone-Getting Beyond the Basics
11/19/15
Buying & Selling on eBay
12/2/15
Just Once Piano for Busy People
12/7/15
Speed Cleaning Your Home
12/8/15
MORSE HIGH SCHOOL FOOD PANTRY
More than 60,000 children in Maine are living with food insecurity, meaning they do
not always know where their next meal will come from, or if it will be enough. That
represents 1 out of every 4 children in our state, which is the highest child hunger rate
in New England (Maine Community Foundation 2012).
The research is clear that children living in food insecure homes are less able to learn
than their well-fed peers, absent from school more frequently, and more prone to
health issues. They also experience more behavioral problems in the classroom.
The free and reduced lunch program provides our students with nutritious lunches
while school is in session. However, we know that our students experience further
need. To help fill the gaps when meals are not available, such as weekends, school
vacations, and after school, Morse High School has a food pantry available for students.
Food items, provided by donations, are stocked for after-school snacks and evening
and weekend meals. On average, the food pantry serves 32 students per day.
The food pantry is located in the library and opened 7:30 am-3:00pm (Mon., Tues.,
Thurs., Fri.) and 8:30 am-3:00pm (Wed.).
A special thank you to the Bath Area Food Bank, Carrie Harris, Sue Kelley and Beta
Sigma Phi, Mary Myers, Shaun Riley, and Morse High School’s W.O.W. Program
for your generous donations to the food pantry during September and October. You
have made a difference in many of our students’ lives!
MOHIBA
The “Sounds of MoHiBa" rolls into town on Friday and Saturday nights, November 20th and 21st. The show begins at 7pm sharp, and the tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $10 for the general public. The theme this year honors the
50th anniversary of the release of the movie version of Rogers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music". We hope to see you at this perennial classic.
Kevin O'Leary
Director
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MORSE HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY CONCERT
You are all cordially invited to our annual Winter Concert! It is being held this
year on Thursday, December 17th, in Montgomery Theater at 7:00pm. The
concert will feature both the MHS Concert Band, MHS Mixed Choir and
MHS Chorus performing a mix of traditional and holiday favorites. We hope
you will be able to attend!

If you would like to donate to the school’s food pantry, the following is a list of suggested items:
* Cans of tuna or chicken
* Peanut butter
* Jelly
* Pasta noodles
* Spaghetti sauce
* Easy Mac (no milk/butter required)
* Canned vegetables/fruit
* Single servings of fruit, applesauce, or jello/pudding
* Canned pasta
* Granola bars/ breakfast bars
* Soup
* Cereal
* Instant oatmeal
* Individual snack packs (goldfish, crackers, pretzels)
* Bread
* Paper products (utensils, paper plates/bowls, Ziploc® bags)
* Monetary donations (Checks made to: Morse High School Food Pantry)
Thanks to the Bath Area Food Bank, holiday meal baskets will be available to Morse
High Students and their families. If your family is in need of a holiday meal, please
contact Dawn Lee (dlee@rsu1.org) or Brenda Fagan (bfagan@rsu1.org), at Morse
High School Library, 443-8250 extension 1018.
UPCOMING EVENTS
November 11
November 20 & 21
November 23 & 24
November 23 & 24
November 25-27
December 3
December 12
December 17
December 17
December 23– Jan. 1
January 18
January 19-22
January 22
January 29
February 11
February 15-19
February 25 & 26
February 25 & 26
March 2
March 4 & 5
March 8—10
March 23
No School—Veteran’s Day
MOHIBA 7pm
Parent Teacher Conferences for Grades K-12
Half Day for Students Grades K-12 (11:00 Dismissal)
No School—Thanksgiving Recess
JMG Initiation and Installation Ceremony 6pm
MOHIBA Ball at Bath Middle School 7pm
PSAT Pizza Night—Grades 10 & 11 Families 5:30pm
Holiday Concert 7pm
No School—Winter Holiday Vacation
No School—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Mid Term Exams
End of 2nd Quarter
No School—Professional Development Day
8th Grade Parent Night 6pm
No School—Winter Vacation
Parent Teacher Conferences for Grades 9-12
Half Day for Students Grades 9-12 (11:00 Dismissal)
Fine Arts Night 7pm
Regional One Act Play Competition
Freshman Awareness
Junior Parent Night Post-Secondary Planning 6:00pm
3. Response to Intervention
MORSE, BRUNSWICK, and MT. ARARAT
ATHLETICS
are proud to present
In a proficiency-based learning environment, all students must demonstrate proficiency in all standards. No longer can students fail an exam, do well on the next exam and
bring their grade up to passing.
So what do we do when students (inevitably) do not demonstrate proficiency in a
standard? This is where a school will use its established Response to Intervention
(RTI) system.
Faculty members will identify a strategy that could potentially be effective in allowing
the student to demonstrate proficiency and try the strategy. If it does not work, a more
invasive strategy is deployed.
Interventions range from allowing more time for students to complete their work to
referring students for special services. Many schools schedule time for RTI work during the school day.
4. Teacher effectiveness
All 9th- 12th grade athletes, parents, and coaches are invited
and encouraged to attend
THREE DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS
Monday, November 2, 2015
Crooker Theater, Brunswick High
STUDENT ATHLETE SESSION
6:00-6:45 pm
“Life Lessons for Athletes”
Life lessons that every athlete should learn from being part of a team
PARENT SESSION
7:00-7:45 pm
“The Parents’ Role in Athletics”
Powerful messages from the mouths of student athletes
COACH SESSION
8:00-8:45 pm
“The Impact of Trust”
Discover tremendous performance impact based upon trust
Presenter, Rob Miller, was born and raised in Pigeon, MI, where he was a 4 sport
high school athlete, college basketball captain, and a youth, high school, and college coach. Rob carried his passion into adulthood with a professional career path
in athletics and has an impressive resume as an administrator, director, and commissioner of athletic facilities and institutions.
Rob was the catalyst that ignited the implementation of the Champions of Character program at the US Military Academy, and as the current Commissioner of
The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, he will share life experiences that
will connect the audience to his sportsmanship message and the power of the
coach to influence their student athletes. Rob’s message is powerful, pertinent,
and invaluable to any team, coach, parent, or student-athlete.
In 2012, the Maine Legislature passed into law An Act to Ensure Effective Teachers
and School Leadership. This law requires school districts to create a “teacher effectiveness” scale that includes student test scores, among other parameters, in each
teacher’s rating.
It’s controversial because students’ scores can change based on factors outside teachers’ classrooms that they cannot control. Districts are currently forming a committee
to develop the model of teacher effectiveness rating for their district.
In my 12 years in education, I have never seen so much change at one time. This is
exciting, consuming, stressful and revolutionary work that is underway in Maine
schools.
I urge community members, especially parents, to learn more about these reforms and
ask critical questions as Maine schools work through reform efforts. We all agree that
Maine schools should be constantly reaching for excellence. We need to know whether we are reaching in the right direction.
Eric Varney, a science teacher at Morse High School, is the 2014 Sagadahoc County
Teacher of the Year.
WHEN EDUCATION OFFICIALS TALK, NO ONE UNDERSTANDS
HERE ARE 4 PHRASES DECODED
By Eric Varney, Special to the Bangor Daily News
Posted July 31, 2015, at 6:58 p.m.
When it comes to education, there is no lack of public opinion. Since virtually everyone
has had some significant experience in the classroom, we have also formed our own
opinions on education. These opinions are built from our own unique vantage point and
often vary widely.
However, agreement can be found on one front: There is no lack of jargon in education.
Chances are, unless you are a teacher, support staff or administrator, you find the jargon
unnecessary and confusing.
As we sit on the precipice of significant educational reform, it is important for the public
to know what Maine educators are talking about: What is proficiency-based learning?
How does standards-based reporting work? What is the controversy surrounding the
Common Core? What is RTI, and what do all of those other acronyms stand for? What is
involved in the new teacher effectiveness legislation?
Here is a “reader’s digest” version of educational reform efforts that are underway in our
schools and in the news.
1. Standards
Standards refer to what teachers and schools want students to know and do in each unit.
Standards are not new to Maine; the Maine Learning Results are standards that have
been in place for several years.
What are new, and controversial, are the national standards that have been adopted by
many states. These standards (the Common Core State Standards) are as close to a national curriculum in English/language arts and mathematics as America has ever had.
Similarly, the Next Generation Science Standards are proposed national standards for
physical and life sciences and were slated to eclipse the Maine Learning Results. Although these science standards were supported by the education committee, the Maine
House and the Maine Senate, Gov. Paul LePage recently vetoed their inception, leaving
many science teachers confused as to which standards to teach.
Other subject areas, such as social studies, health, physical education, and the arts continue to follow the Maine Learning Results. Education decisions fall under state jurisdiction, yet many instruction and curriculum decisions are made at the district level.
2. Proficiency-based learning, standards-based reporting
These two terms essentially mean the same thing. There is a national move to clearly
identify standards in which student performance will be judged. Lessons will build up to
assessments (exams, papers, lab reports, etc.) that demonstrate a level of proficiency in
that standard.
When students have demonstrated that they are proficient in that skill or knowledge, it
will be noted on their transcript and report card. Middle and high school report cards will
look more similar to elementary school report cards, where teachers report on individual
skills or knowledge, rather than an overall grade based on averages of all of the work
done in that class.
The purpose of this educational model is to improve communication between schools
and families concerning the abilities and challenges of each student. Students will be
expected to become proficient in all graduation standards before receiving a diploma.
BATH FREIGHT SHED ALLIANCE PARTNERSHIP WITH MORSE HIGH SCHOOL
Morse High School and the Bath Freight Shed Alliance have partnered in several
ways over the last few months. The first was in May, students from Morse and
BRCTC volunteered time and man power for Freight Shed renovations. Morse
Freshmen were a great help on Community Service Day painting and prepping our
future kitchen space. We also welcomed a team of electrical students from BRCTC
along with their teacher Steve Vachon. They were able to install new electrical
hookups for the dishwasher.
This summer featured our Full Moon Dinner Series, partnering local farms with
local chefs. The Freight Shed's Food Hub Committee teamed with Maeve McGowan (Morse senior) and the Greener School, Brighter Futures initiative to bring
greenhouses and gardens to the building of the new Morse High School. Portions of
the proceeds from our dinners will go to help fund that project as well as continuing
to supply local food to the Morse Food Pantry. Our last dinner of the series featured
students from BRCTC's Culinary Arts program. Students visited Goranson Farm,
with alum, local farmer and chef Jon Merry and Julia Simmons, Special Ed teacher
at Morse and Freight Shed Board Member.
Exciting work in our community teaming local students and the Freight Shed!
NEWS FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Thursday, Dec 17th, at 5:30 in the Morse cafeteria, Morse Guidance hosts the
PSAT Pizza Night. All juniors and sophomores that took the PSAT are invited
with their parents for a pizza dinner and to receive their PSAT results. Information will be provided about what the test results mean and what to do next to
prepare for the SAT. The program will conclude in time for families to attend the
Winter Concert which starts at 7pm.
Saturday, Jan 23rd, at 9am in room 419, Morse Guidance hosts FAME (Finance
Authority of Maine) for a FAFSA workshop. Seniors and their families are invited to attend. You will leave the workshop with your FAFSA filed. FAFSA is the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the 1st step for seniors to be considered for financial aid to help pay for college. Families can file the FAFSA beginning on January 1st, 2016 at www.fafsa.gov.
In addition to the excellent teaching staff at Morse High School, support professionals are here to help students work through challenges and grow in the areas of
personal and social development. All students have the support of their assigned
School Counselor, the Guidance Secretary, the School Nurse and the School Resource Officer. Some students in need of additional support may work with the
School Social Worker or contract to work with the Sweetser School Based Social
Worker. Lastly, Morse has two interns to work with students on a short tern basis
and connect them with additional supports as needed. Below is a short biography
of the support professionals working at Morse.
Leslie Trundy (students with last name A-F) has had her dream job at Morse
since 2005. She is advisor to the Interact Club and is the Class of 2019 Class CoAdvisor. She lives in Bath with her family and enjoys hiking, cooking, and reading. M.S. 2003 University of Southern Maine, B.S. 1993 Michigan State University.
Amber McGowan (students with last name G-M) lives in Woolwich with her
family and enjoys golfing, kayaking, and cooking. She is the Class of 2016 advisor. She has four children, Connor (USMMA '14), Keegan (Salve Regina '14),
Aidan (UNE '18) and Maeve (Morse '16). Amber holds a M.Ed. from Liberty
University and a B.S.W. from University of Maryland.
Mandy Nalls (students with last name N-Z) graduated from Morse in 1998 and
has been fortunate to work here since 2010. She is the advisor to the National
Honor Society. She lives in Bowdoin with her family and enjoys reading and
traveling. M.S. 2009 University of Tennessee, Knoxville, B.S. 2002 Dickinson
College.
Guidance Secretary: Lynn Rouillard-Hill graduated from Morse in 1985 and
Westbrook College in 1987. She is a lifelong resident of Bath, Maine. She enjoys
spending time with her husband, three daughters, son-in-law, and especially her
grandson, Colby. She has been employed with RSU1 for 26 years and has been
the Guidance Secretary at Morse for the past 20. When Lynn isn't spending time
with family, she enjoys traveling up north, relaxing by camp fires, skiing, and
shopping.
School Nurse: Katrina Barter is a lifetime resident of Maine and Morse High
alumni, class of '88. She is the Class of 2019 Co-Advisor. She lives in Phippsburg with her husband and two sons. Katrina is a registered nurse with many
years of experience working with adolescents. When she isn't spending time
with family, she loves to be sitting quietly on the beach with friends or working
in her garden.
School Resource Officer: Chuck Reece graduated from Morse High School in
2003 and continued his education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. He
earned a four year degree in Parks and Recreation Management with a concentration in Natural Resources. He also earned a two year degree in Criminal Justice. He has been coaching multiple sports in our community since 2008 and is
currently the boys varsity soccer coach. Chuck graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in 2012 after transitioning from a career as a park ranger.
He is an avid fisherman with a passion for enjoying the outdoors.
School Social Worker: Andrea DiBenedetto earned her Master's degree in Social
Work from Adelphi University. She also completed a post Master's program in
addictions and has an Addiction Specialist Certificate. She has worked as a
School Social Worker for 26 years and has experience as a home-based family
counselor.
Sweetser School-Based Social Worker: Justin Trozzi graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta in 2007 with a B.A. in Social Sciences. After two years
in the mental health field, he returned to school and graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 2011 with a Master's in Social Work. He is now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the State of Maine. He lives in Bath and
enjoys motorcycles, fly fishing, and independent film.
Interns
Susan Boyce is a school based intern from Sweetser. She has an extensive background working with children, adolescents, and families. Her work experience
includes a 30 year career as a Health Educator and as a trainer for the Maine
Department of Education in Family Life and HIV/AIDS education. Susan retired from teaching in 2007 to pursue her Master’s degree in psychology and
counseling, specializing in adolescents. A mother of three adult children, Susan
recognizes the many challenges that families face.
Elizabeth Walker is a low-residency graduate student at Goddard College in
Vermont. Her goal is to become a counselor for children, adolescents and their
families. She is interested in the expressive arts as a therapeutic tool, and believes every individual has seeds of great potential within them. She lives with
her family in Bath.