After 30+ years being involved in education at Rangeley Lakes Regional School as a parent, teacher, administrator and school board member, I am proud of the successes of graduates of the school, and the hard work of the teachers, administrators and support staff who care deeply about the children of our community.

Taxpayers may be interested in the cost of educating a student in Rangeley as compared to other small public K-12 schools in Maine. The state provides that information. Other isolated small K-12 districts such as Greenville, Jackman and the island schools show very similar per-pupil cost. This information is available through the superintendent’s office.

If you want evidence of success of our school, recent Rangeley Lakes Regional School graduates have gone on to two-year, fouryear and graduate programs at Southern and Central Maine Community Colleges, the University of Maine, the University of Southern Maine, University of Maine at Farmington, University of New England, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Dartmouth, McGill University, Husson University, the Air Force Academy, Norwich, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maine Maritime Academy, Bentley, Emerson, Babson, UNH, University of Southern New Hampshire, Bryant College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Long Island University, Mercyhurst, Connecticut College, St. Josephs, Franklin Pierce, the University of Vermont, St Lawrence, Baird, Syracuse, Hamilton, URI, Northeastern, Lewis and Clark, Regent University, Warren Wilson College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Lesley, and many more.

Of the 120 RLRS students who graduated in the last five years, 70 percent have graduated from a program, or are still enrolled in a college program or in the military. Check any college’s success rate for students expected to graduate in four or five years and you will see that our graduates are well in line with this rate!

We have graduates who are engineers, doctors, teachers, graduates who have a variety of successful careers in the health professions, in the entertainment and hospitality fields, in technical fields, the armed services, sales and service fields, business and much more. Some work for large well known companies, such as GE and TD Bank- Boston Gardens, others work for smaller and family owned companies. If you want specific examples talk with our student services department at the school. Talk to Rangeley parents and ask them what their kids are doing -—you will hear the success stories.

There are a number of successful students who have returned to Rangeley to work, start a business, and raise a family. It is easy to count 30 to 40 Rangeley Lakes Regional School graduates who are back working and living in the community.

Another example of student success are those students who have had challenging experiences in their previous schools and moved to Rangeley, or were brought here by caring relatives. There are many stories of Rangeley graduates, who as transplants, have been able to set roots in the nurturing environment at RLRS; and with the support of family and community, have overcome some difficult problems.

Children and, as a result, schools have changed tremendously in recent years. Technology, single parent households, both parents working, latchkey children, the obesity epidemic, safety issues, and our economy all cause and reflect a different society and a different child.

RLRS has a number of unique programs to meet our students’ needs. These programs include AP and advanced courses in math, social studies, English, art and science. Students also take college courses online and through Academ-e at University of Maine. Foster Vocational Technical School offers a number of courses and we regularly send up to a dozen students each semester. Our Collaborative Problem Solving discipline program and the Core Values program help all students with their daily decision making.

Students in grades 6-12 have 1-to-1 computing and technology is an integral part of teaching and learning at the school in grades K-12. Throughout the K-12 educational experience teachers plan many opportunities for classes to travel and learn outside of Rangeley We provide a number of opportunities for high school students to visit colleges and technical schools in Maine and New England. Our community provides many programs through volunteers from KIDS List, the Fun and Fit program, physical fitness training for high school students before school and a very active PTA.

Our school is at the center of our community. It is one of the most creative places to learn and work. I think we all can be proud of its graduates and its teachers and staff and their mutual successes. Go Lakers!

Ginny Nuttall is a resident of Rangeley.