Dear RSU 21 Families,

This week's newsletter has a lot of catch up from last week...we had so much to celebrate and this week our students are being recognized for it!

But we are also looking forward to this weekend...graduation is on Sunday! Congratulations to our Class of 2023! All throughout this year we have seen how you are ready to be leaders in our communities. We are so proud of what you have accomplished, and we look forward to seeing how you will continue to represent the best in our district.

Have a great weekend!

Much love,



Dr. Cooper



KHS Band and Choir Place 1st, Win Best Concert Band at Music Festival

Last Friday, the KHS Band and Choir competed against other New England music programs in the Music in the Parks Festival. Our amazing students took home first in our size division for Band and Choir! Plus, the Band took Best Concert Band Overall as well! If you see a music student today, be sure to congratulate them! 

KHS Students Recognized at Sanford Regional Technical Center for Honors Awards

Last Wednesday, more than a dozen KHS students were recognized for their achievements at Sanford Regional Technical Center. In addition to Honors and High Honors Awards, several students earned recognition as a member of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS).

The following students, in order of their respective programs, were recognized:

Mitchell Stevens, Auto Collision Repair

High Honors & NTHS Award

Emily Hutchins, Early Childhood Education

High Honors & NTHS Award

Connor Harlow, Firefighting

Honors

Alexis Cousens, Health Occupations

High Honors & NTHS Award

Kierney Gable, Health Occupations

High Honors

Madison Hosking, Health Occupations

High Honors & NTHS Award 

Madison Stevens, Health Occupations

High Honors & NTHS Award

Rebecca Taggart, Health Occupations

High Honors & NTHS Award

Brayden Roy, Precision Manufacturing

High Honors & NTHS Award

Colby Temple, Precision Manufacturing

Honors

Jameson Kendrick, Video Production

High Honors & NTHS Award



Caleb Thill, Welding & Metal Fabrication

Honors & NTHS Award

Sea Road School Hosts Grandpersons Day

Nutrition Staff fed and welcomed 515 people last week (234 students, 281 adults) for Grandpersons Day at Sea Road School! This is always a special, cherished day at Sea Road...here a few scenes and faces from last Friday!

Girls Lacrosse Team Marks 46th Consecutive Win

Finishing the regular season undefeated 14-0 as the #1 seed in Class A, the KHS Girls Lacrosse Team has had yet another remarkable year, remaining undefeated with 46 straight wins. Seniors on the team could graduate high school having never lost a high school lacrosse game if they win it all--again.

Alternative Education Program Holds Graduation at Kennebunkport Land Trust

Last Friday, the KHS Alternative Education Program held its graduation ceremony.

The following students were recognized along with their plans after school.

(Photo Courtesy of Shelley Wigglesworth)

Ethan Berthiaume

Moving to Massachusetts to work for his father's sealcoating business.

Zachary Bishop

Taking a gap year for restaurant experience and then attending culinary school to become a chef.

Ayden Caston

Attending York County Community College to become a pharmacy technician.

Caiden Gilliam

Planning on becoming a welder.



Emily Mains

Attending Empire Beauty Schools in Somersworth, NH to become an esthetician.

Selah Raymond

Attending Southern Maine Community College to study horticulture.

Pason Porter

Attending York County Community College for Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.

Brady Gailloux

Working for his family business, Tom's Mobile Home Service.

Anthony Oliver

Planning on interning at the Water District and working at Shield's Meats and Angelina's Restaurant.

Will Watkinson

Working at Goodwill and attending Stunt School.

Family U: Maine Boys to Men Offer Parents Practical Advice for Online Safety, Consent and Boundary Setting

Parents attending the final Family University session of the school year Wednesday asked questions across a wide spectrum of topics--a regular feature for the twice-returning Maine Boys to Men, whose facilitators were more than game to entertain a Q&A on trust, expectations and online safety for kids. Many offered anecdotes about how online multiplayer games have been the go-to social spaces for their teens and pre-teens--like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft.

"Set up a gaming space where you can see what they are doing, and if they quickly hide something, or stop talking, or change the screen, something is up," said Taryn, one of the co-presenters, "and don't pretend you didn't see whatever you saw...talk to them about it."

The main topic of the evening was boundary setting and consent, a subject to remember with the acronym F.R.I.E.S. Co-presenter Austin ran down how affirmative consent in situations involving touch or intimacy has the following elements of being Freely given (without pressure or manipulation), Reversible (change of mind at any time), Informed (without lies or deception), Enthusiastic (yes, I want to; not should), and Specific (clearly communicated, no assumptions).

These situational factors were played out in scenarios, like convincing a person to give some water, but the agreement is, "Well, I guess"--coerced and convinced, not enthusiastically agreed; similarly, the situation of a movie date at the mall illustrated how someone could agree to go to a movie, but not specify which one, where, or who will pay. These are analogous factors of situational consent changing--and the denied party being prepared and accepting 'no.'

"Handling a ‘no’ is so important to consent. For middle school-age children, using a pizza analogy of ‘hey, you like olives on your pizza, your friend doesn’t…you can handle not having that on the pizza, right?’ Using scenarios like that is so helpful," said Austin.

"Just like modeling accepting behavior, we need to model saying ‘no,’ and making them comfortable and assertive toward saying ‘no,’” said Taryn. "If you are feeling uncomfortable, it is OK to say no to an adult in situations of expectations; it’s not about ‘should do.’"

Part of that modeling is body language. A 'yes' with clearly distressed or uncomfortable body language shouldn't be treated as authentic, enthusiastic or otherwise genuinely affirmative.

"How often do we see that in family social situations? The family reunions where we’re meeting an aunt we’ve never met before and she’s trying to hug everyone? It’s OK to say no," said Taryn.

And there are situations where consent should be considered with even more care and nuance, like with situations with alcohol.

"Is the consent still valid after consuming alcohol? Similarly, is the other person going to be aware of any changing consent? It’s an important conversation to have with your kids," said Austin.

Below are resources for parents and kids.

Of note is the Teen Line, which kids can use by texting TEEN to 839863.

This is a text hotline staffed by trained teens to help their peers .

Maine Boys to Men reps say it's a great resource for kids who otherwise wouldn't be comfortable asking for help or someone to talk to about their life.

District Contact Information

2022-2023 School Calendar

RSU 21 Job Postings

Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Absence Reporting:

Kennebunk Elementary School

Kennebunk High School

Kennebunkport Consolidated School

Middle School of the Kennebunks

Mildred L. Day School

Sea Road School