Local students named to Hebron Academy Honor Roll
HEBRON, ME--The following students were named to the Hebron Academy Upper School Honor Roll for the winter trimester of the 2001-2002 school year:

HIGHEST HONORS (average of A- or higher): Amiel E. Bowers ‘05 of New Gloucester and Elizabeth M. Cole ‘05 of New Gloucester.
HIGH HONORS (average of B+ or higher): Nathan S. Harmon ‘ 03 of Gray, Caitlin M. Hulbert ‘05 of New Gloucester and Christopher A. Stewart ‘02 of Gray.
HONORS (average of B or higher): Antonina Planson ‘05 of New Gloucester and Louise M. Roy ‘05 of New Gloucester.

The following students were named to the Hebron Academy Middle School Honor Roll for the winter trimester of the 2001-2002 school year:

HIGH HONORS (average of B+ or higher): Katherine W. Cole ‘07 of New Gloucester, Silas P. Leavitt ‘08 of Gray and Avery S. Olbrych ‘08 of New Gloucester.
HONORS (average of B or higher): Katherine D. Stewart ‘08 of Gray.

Founded in 1804, Hebron Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school for grades six through postgraduate.

Dinner, Theatre, and a Good Cause
The United Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross will sponsor a Dinner Theater evening on Saturday, April 20, at the Martindale Country Club in Auburn. The social hour begins at 5:30 pm and the show starts at 6:30 pm. The murder-mystery show will include a complete buffet and a benefit silent auction. A cash bar will be available on the premises.

Mystery for Hire will present "Murder Most Medieval," where a group of professional actors perform a mystery while the audience dines on a complete buffet meal. During the evening, people need to watch for clues to solve the crime at hand and they are asked to help solve the crime at the end of the evening.

The United Valley Chapter gives aid at all floods, fires, and disasters that occur in Oxford, Franklin, Androscoggin and Southern Kennebec Counties," said Simpson. Tickets are $35. per person or $350. for a table of 10 and may be obtained by calling 795-4004.

Celebration Days plans shaping up: Organizations wanted! If you are an organization, church, Boosters, Club, Pack, or just a small crowd, in Gray or New Gloucester, call us!! Fax us!! E-mail us!! The Celebration Days Committee is getting reaady to send invitations to join the Celebration Days Festival. Please send your organization’s name, purpose, and contact information, and we’ll take it from there. Celebration Days is a community festival held annually the first weekend in August. This year it will be Friday, August 2 to Sunday, August 4 at Gray. FMI about renting a table for your organization: Celebration Days, PO Box 1541, Gray, ME 04039; e-mail graycelebrationday@yahoo.com, call our cell phone at 318-2263. See you there!

Dunn School "Spring Into Science" Fair: will be held on Saturday, April 6th in the Dunn School Multi Purpose room. Set up will take place from 8:30 am to 9:30 a.m; judging will be from 9:30 am to 11:30 am; and public viewing will be open from 11:30 am until 2 p.m. A bake sale will be held during the Science Fair with proceeds benefiting the Dunn School library. For more information please contact Sarah Liziewski at 657-2122.

Kindergarten Screening: If your child (or a child of someone you know) will turn 5 years old by October 15, 2002, it's time to preregister for kindergarten. Screening of entering kindergarteners will be April 1 and 2 for Russell School, April 22 and 23 for Burchard Dunn School and April 25 and 26 for Memorial School. To register, call the appropriate school: Dunn, 926-51112; Memorial, 926-4322; Russell, 657-4929. If you are not sure which school your child will attend, call the MSAD bus garage at 657-2181.

Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Answers For Frequently Asked Questions
Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. Over one million Americans are diagnosed each year with skin cancer. No one, young or old, is immune. According to the American Cancer Society, this year there will be approximately 53,600 new cases of melanoma, the most serious skin cancer; about 7,400 people will die of it. Skin cancer can be prevented by avoiding exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays by using sunscreen and wearing hats, sunglasses and t-shirts, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The American Cancer Society along with Maine Center for Cancer Medicine is sponsoring skin cancer screenings in the Portland area at the following locations from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.: April 23rd at Greater Portland Medical Group, 5 Bucknam Road, Falmouth, April 25th at Maine Medical Center Family Practice Center, 272 Congress Street, Portland, April 30th, at Lakes Region Primary Care, 582 Roosevelt Trail, Windham, May 2nd, at Maine Center for Cancer Medicine, 100 U.S. Route One, Scarborough. Screenings are by appointment only and are free of charge. For more information about this screening or to register call the Center at 885-8517. You can call the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345 or check the web site (www.cancer.org) for more information about the prevention and detection of skin cancer.

Fuel Funds Still Available: Money is still available to assist Cumberland County residents with heating bills this winter, through PROP’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). PROP is trying to reach eligible people that have not applied for the program since July 1, 2001 to sign up for this help. An eligible family of three can have income up to $1,829 per month. Three-member households with a child under age two or a senior over age 60 can have income up to $2,073 per month. This program ends April 30, 2002. Applicants may call PROP, toll-free, at 1-800-698-4959 or 874-1140, or come into their Portland office at 510 Cumberland Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, to set up an appointment.

The Nature Conservancy offers information on invasive plants:
At first glance they may look pretty, but invasive plants, such as purple loosestrife, kudzu, giant salvinia, multiflora rose and the tree of heaven, pose a serious ecological threat.
Once used widely in gardening, landscaping and erosion control, these species - typically transplants from distant places - can be found in backyards, along roadsides and in business lots across the country. Free from the natural checks and balances of their native realms, these alien invaders establish themselves in new areas and eventually supplant native species, wreaking havoc on our environment and economy.

What percentage of threatened or endangered species in the U.S. are impacted by invasive species?
How can invasive species hurt the economy?
How much does it cost to deal with invasive species?

You can find the answers to these questions, view pictures of commonly found invasive plants that may be in your own backyard, and learn what you can do to help at http://nature.org/invasives.

COMEDIAN BOB MARLEY PLAYS PINELAND
Comic Bob Marley made his mark on Comedy Connection and went on to The Tonight Show and David Letterman. The Maine native also appears in the forthcoming film “Liar’s Club.” Here’s your chance to see him at the intimate Pineland Commons at the Pineland Center in New Gloucester. Marley’s performance benefits the new Fiddlehead Center for the Arts, which offers classes in the arts, music instruction, and foreign language, to students in grades K-12 in Gray. Fiddlehead will move to brand new facilities at Pineland this fall.

The $20.00 ticket price includes hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. You’ll also get a sneak preview of all that’s going on at Pineland, and a chance to win a door prize. General admission
tickets are on sale at Cloutier’s store on Route 100 in New Gloucester and at Community Pharmacy in Gray. Tickets are also available at Fiddlehead's where Mastercard and Visa are
accepted. For more information contact Fiddlehead Center for the Arts at 657-2255.

Deadline Approaching For RWS Recycling Committee's Annual Essay Competition for High School Seniors
Winner of essay competition to be awarded $1,000 scholarship
PORTLAND, Maine - The deadline is approaching for high school seniors to enter an annual essay competition sponsored by the Recycling Committee of Regional Waste Systems, Inc., a non-profit municipal solid waste and recycling organization serving 27 cities and towns in southern Maine.

The winner of the competition, open to students accepted or enrolled in a two- or four-year college, will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be used toward tuition, books or other college fees. Deadline for entries is April 15. This year's essay topic involves the comic strip "Blondie" and asks students to answer a question about recycling and solid waste management. The RWS Recycling Committee obtained copyright permission from the comic strip for the contest, which asks students to: "Develop an argument or creatively express a viewpoint in which you take a position and address the cartoon's ironic commentary on the everyday waste management and recycling dilemma confronting these characters, and by implication, all of us."

High school seniors entering the competition must also show a history of academic excellence and community involvement. Materials will be evaluated and judged by the volunteer recycling committee, made up of RWS board members from member communities. The essay competition rules and entry form can be found at the organization's web site, www.regionalwaste.org.

Essays are due by April 15, and may be submitted by high school seniors who are residents of any of the 27 cities and towns served by RWS. They are: Baldwin, Bridgton, Cape Elizabeth, Casco, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Gray, Harrison, Hiram, Hollis, Limington, Lyman, Naples, North Yarmouth, Ogunquit, Parsonsfield, Porter, Portland, Pownal, Scarborough, South Portland, Standish, Waterboro, Windham, and Yarmouth.

Students may obtain and submit an application to: Recycling Essay Competition, Regional Waste Systems, Inc., 64 Blueberry Road, Portland, Maine 04102. For additional information, persons may call Missi Boothby at 773-6465. Applications may also be submitted by e-mail to rwssch@regionalwaste.org.