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• Anonymous

  In no way I think this could be a bad thing. Advanced education is one thing we couldn’t invest more into. The earlier, the better.

• Anonymous

  While I agree that this is a great program nothing is free.  The state isn’t going to pay for this, so I guess it’s up to Bangor’s taxpayers to foot the bill.

• Anonymous

  This is also a win-win situation for tax payers in Bangor.  Not only do area students get an amazing head start on their college education, but if the Bangor School Department can offer this program, students from surrounding areas will transfer to Bangor High School to be in this program.  Their transfer to Bangor High will result in “tuition” being paid by either the town or the parents.  If Bangor has more tuition students, then the school budget won’t rest upon the tax payers as much. 

• Anonymous

  I’m happy that the School system is making opportunities available for some of our most academically successful kids. However, the Bangor School system is facing a number of problems, many of which don’t seem to matter to school committee leadership.  For example, the State recently made significant cuts to Title 1 services, which are directed toward helping kids with learning disability be successful. That move led to a reduction in the quality of services offered in Bangor. Most troubling is that it also led to a hidden directive to the Special Eduction system to screen out more kids who need that help.  The taxpayers of Bangor actually paid educators and administrators to attend seminars that taught them to eliminate kids with learning disabilities from their rolls. That’s irresponsible.

  Similarly, there is a significant substance abuse problem at Bangor High, but the superintendent and school committee members pretend it doesn’t exist and don’t want to collect data about it.  Other local High Schools have tapped into federal grant money to actually address those problems with school-based counseling, but Bangor won’t even acknowledge the issue, let alone reach out to the kids who are struggling with it.  Hosting a one time seminar for parents (only) about bath salts does little to address the real problems that exist within our schools.

  Bangor has a large number of kids with significant mental health and family problems, but our Committee focuses on the ‘best and brightest’ and all too frequently, the most athletic. 

  We need to get the priorities of our school committee in order.  That is going to require new leadership on this committee, which is sorely overdue. It’s time for the school department in this town to evolve.

• http://twitter.com/CouncilorLongo Charlie Longo

  This is great news, and a positive step for the City of Bangor.  Congratulations to Dr. Webb and the Bangor School Committee.

• Anonymous

  There was just an election and all of the incumbents won.  How do we have change if we vote the same people in…?

• Anonymous

  If this otherwise commendable initiative means any reduction in what really makes Bangor High so special–its wonderful athletic teams–then it should be rejected outright. When Mainers think of Bangor High, they think of its wonderful football, basketball, soccer, and other teams.  Like UMaine, its leaders have long known what’s important and what’s fluff. GO RAMS!!

• Anonymous

  It’s not stated where funding is going come from.  Probably not from the state given the current state of affairs in Augusta.  There have been various organizations promoting STEM education and maybe there are grants available.

• Anonymous

  This looks great, congrats to all concerned at BHS.  However, I hope it doesn’t come at the expense of other programs including recutions in Title 1 and learning disabilities.
  No comment on any reduction in athletics (not sure if that commenter was serious).

• Anonymous

  “There was just an election and all of the incumbents won.”

  Well,  I was thinking just the opposite. 
  Last year there  was a State election. 
  So… “ the State recently made significant cuts to Title 1 services, which are directed toward helping kids with learning disability be successful. …” 

  Don’t blame the Bangor board of education for the results of that.
  I’m not saying anything about the Science Dept or the board of education being anything but practical and forward thinking, dealing with the new realities … like scientists.  

  If this high end model program, that is so very LaPage TeaPC,  works,  when the results of the conservative ideals about not funding programs for all those other than the elite, hit bottom, and become scandalous …  
  (as the State pays for kids going to the Christian Academies,  which everyone knows to be the real point of vouchers) …
  so even deeper cuts in public education funding have to made, Statewide,
  the  BHS Science Dept will be a fair haired favorite of THE PARTY,
  so then the Special Ed. Department will be able to say but here at BHS 
  we already  have experience with  a model that is proven to work.

  Cold comfort, I know, but my point is to focus on the real problem which is on the State level.  
  BHS seems to be.
  Good on them.

• Anonymous

  LOL , 
  But are you sure that  ”what really makes Bangor High so special–” for you wasn’t drama class ? 

  ; ) 

• Anonymous

  Aren’t we counting on private industry to support the public schools whose brave new world order  purpose is only  to train their ever more productive work force, Govenah ? 

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_66ZAIIT2G52RMJ2WGCIFREBVZ4 Joe

  Bravo!!!!

• Anonymous

  I’m sorry but I fail to grasp the need to “join” a program in order to offer the courses they should ALREADY BE OFFERING. Actually I do understand because of Maine’s adherence to a 19th century school model that was fine when there wasn’t transportation. But now, there are far too many underutilized schools in Maine all because every town wants to have it’s own schools. I know of a district whose population exceeds that of the entire state of Maine yet it has only 23 well utilized PUBLIC high schools. Some are indeed magnet schools, specializing in certain subjects. While I’m not a fan of the magnet concept, I do understand that the schools as design create enough of a student interest pool to be able to offer a wider selection of courses, and more advanced courses within the schools’ focus. In Maine, because the student interest pools are so diluted (there aren’t enough students in any one school to offer most advanced courses or to even effectively off many basic or foundational courses). When you add to that the administrative top heaviness due to position redundancy as well as the building redundancy and under utilization both of which ADD SIGNIFICANTLY to the overall cost of Maine’s schools, yet people in Maine are unwilling to change that mindset. They’d rather complain about the cost of education in Maine than to take decisive action to reduce those costs-other than to continue to cut school budgets (which solves nothing).

• Anonymous

  I went to Bangor High a few years ago and I have a  learning disability.  I only ever received the best of help.  I was able to attend classes that were suited to my learning style and to the pace that I could learn the material.  Not every high school offers that in this area.  On the other end of the spectrum, where children who are gifted are also considered needing a special form of learning, they were also given plenty of classes that adhered to them as well.  Bangor High gives an enormous amount of money to special ed.  

   As far as this seminar is concerned, what is the name of this seminar and what exactly is this “hidden” directive that you mention?  It doesn’t sound so hidden if you are aware of it.  You sound like you have inside knowledge of the Bangor School System.  You must attend every meeting or perhaps you have some other connection to the school.  Just curious how one person knows so much of the inner workings of the school system. 

  If you are so unhappy with the current school committee, have you tried running yourself?  Have you addressed these complaints you have with the school system at any recent school committee meetings?

  In regards to substance abuse, it is not a school’s problem to fix a student’s substance abuse problem.  Certainly if a teacher was aware of something going on, they could contact a parent or guidance counselor to address the problem.  But shouldn’t parents take care of their own children?  Are schools now to become the parent?  Where do we draw the line?  

  And lastly, I’m not sure how Bangor is supposed to fix the mental health problem as well.  

• Anonymous

  One of the advantages of ‘joining’ the program is that there is a commitment made by the student to undergo the intensity of the curriculum.  It will also separate out those students willing to make the commitment from the general student population that is not.

  Look at your local school’s graduation requirements and you will see that there is little sweat necessitated.  When my girls were going through high school I required them to take the three basic sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics) along with 4 years of math, and a minimum of 2 of foreign language (both opted for 4).  I was not a dragon mother, I just have a good idea of what a person needs to get a good headstart during that free tax-payer provided education.  I substituted the requirements I had had for the diluted version the school board made.  Other mothers and the guidance counselor told me I was ‘mean.’

  STEM minus the engineering is not far from what was once standard college-bound curricula in high schools.  It sounds all modern and innovative because we have spent about 30 or 40 years teaching very little solid material.

• Anonymous

  How fortunate the Bangor School system is to have teachers who are engaged, enthusiastic and proactively approaching change; I find it interesting that this new initiative is teacher driven. The positive energy this program generates will do as much for BHS as a championship winning athletic team. Wouldn’t it be great if the enthusiasm this program generates was to trickle down to middle school science programs. It’s awesome that the program includes mentoring younger students in science/technology…

• Anonymous

  Good to hear from a BHS alumnus with good first-hand experience with educational aid for learning disbailities.  We have family members with learning disabilities, including farctional dyslexia, who have benefitted from caring LD efforts toward their education.  I’m not surprised that BHS is strong in this area. 

   Many of these earlier commnets were to the much more terse, pre-vote version of the article.  After reading this more complete version, there should be no reason why LD programs should be “pirated” in favor of the STEM program.  In fact, the program could attract a significant number of LD kids who have superior abstract, spatial, and visulization capabilites.

• Anonymous

  This is a great program, and I am happy and exicted for Bangor, being a resident of Bangor and a teacher.  However, I think it is too bad that the administration uses a comparison that involves drug terminology.  We are constantly trying to enforce a dress code that does not allow clothing with drug, tobacco
  or alcohol slogans, we do not play songs at school dances that talk
  about drug culture, and we are facing really serious substance abuse
  problems with a large number of students.  I think saying that calling this”high school on steroids” is really bad taste, especially for a school administrator.

• Anonymous

  All of my previous responses were made yesterday evening for the earlier, terse, pre-vote version of the article.  Since then, it’s been said that tuition funds from transfer students into the program would help fund the additonal expenses and grants for enhanced STEM education will be applied for (several sci-tech organizations are currently soliticing applications).  As for local businesses and not-for-profits partnering for mentoring, several sci-tech organizations have such programs on the national level and have had for decades.  Nothing new but especially valuable in the technology and engineering areas, which are typically lacking in regular HS education.

  “Govenah”?  Are you identifying me with LePage or are you using a “Southern” form of address?

• Anonymous

  I’ve been told that UMaine has an outreach program for mentoring middle school students and teachers.

• Anonymous

  You obviously have little familiarity with HS curricula around the State.  Smaller schools are limited by the number of science and math teachers they employ and courses they can offer (more like late 20th century and rapidly ataining the 21st).  It’s significant that even the largest HS in the state, BHS, has previously not been able to offer the additional courses (and course requirements) to enhance STEM education the way it should be done.  I know of students in outlying shcools who transferred into Bangor (including John Bapst) in order to get more advanced classes and teaching, especially for prospective pre-Meds.  Just a thought, but maybe the establishment of a STEM academy at BHS will facilitate more transfers who otherwise might be excluded because the transfer quota was filled by “jock” transfers.

• Anonymous

  This commment was made last night before I read this current article on the unanimously improved program.  The input on BHS LD and Special Ed was also enlightening and as I commented elsewhere, there should be no reduction in these programs becasue of the establishment of BHS STEM Academy.

• Anonymous

  “”Govenah”?  Are you identifying me with LePage or are you using a “Southern” form of address?”

  Are you identifying with and then taking seriously my political sarcasm ? 

  If so, that suah is priceless and wicked funny.

• Anonymous

  Does this mean they haven’t had AP classes in Bangor yet??my grandkids in NC have been in AP for years…just sayin’…

• Anonymous

  Teach, wouldn’t  quoting  what he said, given it’s the main theme of your paragraph, 
  be how to write clearly ? 
  What you have done, instead, is like using a pronoun which does not refer back to  a noun. 

  Content- D 
  Writing-  D- 

  We expect better of  a teacher.
  You should be more focused on your student’s education, not other adult’s behavior.
  Both the content  and presentation were not up to the standards expected of a professional. 
  You are on thin ice and need to change your attitude, young lady. 

• Anonymous

  And congrats to the teachers, Mr. James and Ms. Alcott.

• Anonymous

  The sarcasm was so intense that I couldn’t see how I or my statements could be identified with the “Govenah”.  LOL.

• Anonymous

  I don’t know the complete program but they have many AP courses.  Check out previous news items on their feuds with the Maine Board of Ed which said that they were getting too much money for AP programs.  I know that they teach more students in chemistry than any other school in the state and offer courses in basic, honors, and AP chemistry.

  Reread the article.  This is more than AP classes, but enhancing the number of courses, subjects (especially in the T&E subjects) and course requirements) than are previously offered.

• Anonymous

  Learn to use commas and apostrophes correctly, then get back to us. 

• Anonymous

  The Maine School of Science and Mathematics has free tuition for Maine residents (out-of-state price $38,700), and is ranked the 12th best public school in the nation. As far as attracting students from around the state, MSSM seems like a much better deal than paying tuition at BHS, even with the new law. Of course, that’s only if you can handle winters up in the county. While this program seems great for Bangor area students, and is certainly a positive direction for Maine’s educational future, I’d be surprised if it attracts many tuition-paying students, except possibly international recruits. 

• Hopier and Changier This Time

  How about offering ‘high school on bath salts’ as well?

• Anonymous

  Both Bangor High and Brewer High have had AP courses for a long time.

• Anonymous

  WHAT???  Not everyone is interested in, or qualified for, a career in athletics!

• Anonymous

  His posts are often hard to understand, if one does not know where he is coming from. He often employs sarcasm to get a point across.

• Anonymous

  U r rite, i shood, 
  but “correctly’, is not to the best effect on the internet, 
  and the medium is the message.

• Anonymous

  is that all you can pick on  ?? I know why you did that ,that’s becuse you have NO come back happens every time  .

• Anonymous

  Ok, I’ll admit that I was careless and did not reread my comment thoroughly, as I was in a hurry. But saying the content of my comment was not up to the standards expected of a professional?  I am simply stating an opinion, just like the others that have commented.   All I’m trying to say is that it seems inappropriate to me for a school official to be using that kind of comparison when we are constantly fighting drug , tobacco and alcohol use in the schools.  So, I had a typo or two…teachers can and do make mistakes…we are human, after all.  And I am quite focused on my students’ education, thank you very much.  I am not sure why you feel qualified or informed enough to comment on the level of my students’ education.   Your need to ‘grade’ my comment makes you seem arrogant and your assumption that I am a “young lady” is inaccurate and condescending.   Thank goodness the majority of my students are more mature and articulate than you are. 

• Anonymous

  This is fantastic news. Good for BHS moving ahead. Its too bad we couldn’t have something similar with the arts, both visual and preforming. 

• Anonymous

  I take away a strong sense of sarcasm from that post.  Another candidate for the sarcasm font…

• Anonymous

  I kind of thought so but wasn’t completely sure.

• Anonymous

  If you had acted on your first instinct, 
  you would not wasting everyone’s times making how you :
   ” couldn’t see how I or my statements could be identified with the “Govenah”, seem like it should be MY problem, not yours, truly alone. 

  It is only about you, all the time, if you relate and rise to the bate.

  That, Gopher, is a general point about the current state of the national political debate.
  So don’t take it personally. 

  There is a conflict …. or  I’m conflicted, anyway …
   about how taking the higher ground is no longer understood nor respected by some who see it as just being too liberal and too intellectual versus being sleazy, and dishonest 
  but, sadly, politically effective like FNN and the TEA Party, 
  who for some reason are not being seen as being the real RINO’s. 
  Go figure. 

  11 months out from the General Election exploring that, dealing with that, finding ways to stick  a pin in the cynical political methodology of the dumbing down of my beloved America to serve the purposes of a few, seems worthwhile to me. 

  There seems to be no forum to discuss the methods * of opinion making,  the methodologies of control and manipulation of the democratic process … at least, I have found none.

  So , in most places, it always involves both needing an example then over blowing it … beating to death someone just doing what everyone does anyway. 
  Sorry, man. 

  But at any rate, thank you and Lynn, for your comments. 
  Please do expand on them if you see any merit in trying to understand the methods to he current madness in our national politics. 

  It is not lost on me that, mostly, what I do, here, 
  so what people see is just play, idly, with how to counter what I see as unthinking methods. 
  Exploring how to be politically effective on the internet is mostly what I post … but you can tell when that is what I’m doing, by the sloppiness in my style.  
  That tells me something, too. 

  The BDN is no place for that kind of discussion, both respecting their business model, but more importantly, the discussion ends when the thread is closed, so this is  handy place if you think there any merit to commenting further on my thinking 

  .  http://thepoliticalbrigade.yuku.com/reply/231312/People-really—paid—PR-work–posting–internet-forums—t#reply-231312

  Have  nice day.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4UDTWMPKI35IE47KZU6WOMVFFY David

  Bangor has one of the higher dropout rates in the State . They almost lie when they say its 6% the real number is 25% .Get the kids who need help to quit and test scores go up lol. More money for Dr.Webb .School cant fix all societies problem but they are not even trying. I didnt see Dr. Webb take a pay cut with the budget cuts what she make like $135k.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4UDTWMPKI35IE47KZU6WOMVFFY David

  What are they doing for the Kids that need the most help? the drop out rate at bangor high Is one of the higher ones in the state. Seems like Dr. Webb is GAMING the system get poor kids the drop out makes higher test scores. Raise the Bar some more and see how we can get more to dropout.  Then the middle upper class parents complaine about crime drugs welfare. School cant fix all societies problems But the admin dosnt try. Many great teachers have the hands tied.   If DR. WEBB wants credit for hight test score the she MUST TAKE THE BLAME FOR HIGH DROPOUTS. We wounder why so many kids on Drugs ,Crime Welfare. Could it be the education dosnt go the extra mile for kids that need it most.

• Anonymous

  Bravo! I couldn’t have said it all any better.

• Anonymous

  The description Paul Butler uses coupling STEM at BHS with the effects of a usually illicit drug demonstrates the infiltration of mixed signals into the very top of the school system. I would hope a more appropriate metaphor may be offered; drug abuse is no ‘joke’.

• Anonymous

  ” But saying the content of my comment was not up to the standards expected of a professional?  I am simply stating an opinion … ”
  Where did I say anything about your students ? 
  I think my point was about your behavior based only upon what you posted. 

  Relative to professionalism,  let’s review your comment: 

  “being a resident of Bangor and a teacher.  However, I think it is too bad that the administration…  uses a comparison that involves drug terminology.” 

  This rises the question where you teach. 
  Given you are  teacher living in Bangor, it seems to infer they you very well might be teacher in the Bangor  school system who is calling to task your supervisors for not speaking in  a politically correct  manner. Aren’t criticizing  adults for not speaking in PC manner that you demand of your students, which are what grade level, BTW ?  ?  

  So I never said it not your right to vent PC platitudes ( at your coworkers…  ?) 
  but I stand firm on the fact it is not be wise, nor is it very professional.

  If you are not  teacher in that system, then sail your own boat.
   I learned at BHS to question those who would presume tell other how to express themselves. 
  That would have been in … not an advance placement, back then,  so what..an honor social studies two year semiar style course called Problems of Democracy. It was, in point of fact, 
   much like the sort of science program that they are developing now,  and it served me well in life. 

  Of course the BHS community, being the second largest in the State, has enough diversity that being more liberal and more respectful of the students, is both the tradition, and, knock on wood, 
  does seem to result in less stories in the paper about students rebelling against PC foolishness 
  than like at some other area schools. 

  So what is it that was said in article that you have found so offensive, exactly ? 
  You still have not quoted it, so others can really judge for themselves , have you ?
  If you are a real professional educator, not just working as  a teacher, why not ? 

• Anonymous

  wolly, 

  This exchange is another good example of what I’m  talking about in my  comment,  below: 

  “There is a conflict …. or  I’m conflicted, anyway …  about how taking the higher ground is no longer understood nor respected by some… ( or how to ) to discuss the methods * of opinion making,  the methodologies of control and manipulation of of the democratic process … ( and) Exploring how to be politically effective”  ( in countering it ) … 

  I often respect your opinions and ways, so please do comment on what I’m saying there.
  I have to think that talking to each other about what we really think is more productive 
  than  responding to PC authoritarians or Neo- Know Nothings obstructionists and having to pretend to actually respect or take their gamesmanship seriously.  

  Not that messing with them is not musing, when one is in the mood. 

• Anonymous

  As I said above… go with your first instinct because ‘It is only about you, all the time, if you relate and rise to the bate.” 

  ’nuff love. 

• Anonymous

  Back in days, before there were any advance placement courses, BHS had honors sections in several departments that served the same purposes … impress college admissions…
   just without the college credits.  BHS is just repackaging the ways it has always served its students to suit the new crew in Augusta’s reinvention of the wheel.  Above people asked about where the $$$ will come from. I could not think how to say this “new”  program, while real enough and a great focus, might not take much to operate,  as it just formalizes what they have always done to challenge  advanced students at BHS . 

• Anonymous

  Gopher if you know how grant funding reallyworks, support this magnet program
   …. wink, wink. 

• Anonymous

  Oh, geesh…I don’t want to get into a banal fight here, but I DID quote the article…I said that it was, in my opinion, inappropriate to call the program “high school on steroids”…and there WERE quotes around those words, if you take another look at my original post.  

• Anonymous

  Looks like the chem teacher added the quote for the story not Butler. Too bad its the headline. Sounds like a cool program.

• Anonymous

  Looks like the chem teacher added the quote for the story not Butler. 
  Too bad its the headline and reporter ran it that way.  Sounds like a cool program.

• Anonymous

  Looks like the chem teacher added the quote for the story not Butler.
  Too bad its the headline. Sounds like a cool program.

• Anonymous

  Meh… never mind.

• Anonymous

  The possibly unwise headline was added to the online version from the more realistic print version.

• Anonymous

  Also, not everyone who would like to or can qulaify can get into MSSM.  Time will tell how successful BHS STEM is.  I’ll bet it will be since several kids already transfer to Bangor schools from nearby smaller schools to get a better education.

• Anonymous

  At the risk of “wasting more time”, I think you prolonged the dialog by responding as you did.  If you wanted me to take the bait (note spelling), I guess I did.  Note that my comments are not “only about me”.

  Enough.  I’m still trying to figure out where you stand on this topic and the national topics you inserted.

• Anonymous

  I believe you’ve identified yourself as a teacher in other posts.  I’m somewhat familiar with the existing BHS science programs and I believe you’re unwarranted in being cynical about the motives for offereing advanced courses.  If anything, BHS has been bucking Augusta bureaucracy in re their advanced courses.  Note that the proposal stated the infrastructure is already in place so it does indedd formalize as well as expand previous endeavors.

• Anonymous

  Back atcha!