Editor:

A busy start to The New School year! They have hired one new full time teacher Nate Guerin; Science, and a part time teacher Ross Kearney; film making, philosophy, Japanese, and theater. Both have fit in great with our wonderful teachers, Christine Knowles; humanities, Flora Brown; social studies, Ruth Stackpole; math, and Principal Marylyn Wentworth.

The whole school headed off to Camp Beach Cliff in Mt. Desert on Sept. 3, for three days of team building, fun, and a ropes course; which one of the students described as terrifying but exhilarating too…and would go again! The first week of classes were settled in with new community teachers, Mary Kearns: studio arts, Carolyn Ehmry: French, Kane Ferguson Spanish I and II, Nathan Maynard: environmental science, Jill Smith: math, Roland Bracy: American sign language, Mark Fryover: spirituality, Deb Levine: yoga.

The second week of school, nine exchange students and their chaperone arrived from Marburg, Germany. The New School has had an ongoing exchange with Gymnasiam Philippinum, the sponsoring organization, since 2001. 

The German students were great sports and joined the school on their annual trek to the Common Ground Fair where The New School does community service work by helping with the cleanup after the fair. The kids literarily sort the garbage for what gets composted and what doesn’t. They all stayed in the volunteer tent on the fairgrounds and spent a cold night and a couple of days of fun and hard work! The students who were unable to go to Common Ground Fair did community service work at Waban House here in Kennebunk.

The third week students worked at Punkin Fiddle at Wells Reserve, and said goodbye to their new German friends. They celebrated the visit with a dance party and sleep-over at the school. The German students had to be at the airport at 4:30 a.m. the next morning. The trip was such a success that many students want to go to Germany next year.

Those of you who drive by The New School may have noticed that the shed has been moved. This is in preparation for putting in a new parking lot. We are building as “green” as we can, recycling the asphalt, and putting down recycled gravel. This spring there will be a new Rain Garden on the far side of the parking lot to help dissipate the runoff. The garden is the senior project of Jared Kenney.

Check the Web site for classes, and Saturday workshops at www.tnsk.org.

Debra Eaton

New School Community Coordinator