Summer 2022

Message from Derek Pierce

Dear Casco Bay Families and Friends: 

Nationally and locally, the 2021-22 school year was very hard - and very much harder than expected. The wounds from pandemic living and learning were deep and diverse - for students, for staff and for families. At Casco Bay, thanks to our astounding staff, students and families and how adeptly they work together, we emerge from this year unusually tired, but - somehow - stronger and better. 

In our return to full-time, in-person learning this year, our goal at Casco Bay was as clear and simple as it was ambitious and vital: to revitalize our community by engaging students in meaningful relationships and meaningful work. This spring marked the glorious return of CBHS traditions we had not seen in two years: Family Crew Night, Prom and the Cardboard Boat Race. It also saw the return of two culminations - Play is Work and The People of Portland Project - that last happened on March 13th, 2020, the final school day before the pandemic necessitated fully remote learning. This spring also spawned firsts that show the power of our continued striving to be an equitable, anti-racist school: a new student-designed Muslim prayer space, our first ever Queer Art and Activism Intensive as well as a courageous conversation on restorative justice. 

All year-long, the Class of 2022 has led the way in our community’s renewal and resurgence. All three of the firsts noted were catalyzed by seniors. To give you a deeper sense of the Class of 2022’s spirit and legacy (and as is tradition in the year’s final newsletter), I share with you some excerpts from the Class of 2022’s Final Words. 

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“I know now that I am going to go boldly into a life that scares me to the depths of myself. I am going to go boldly because when someone pokes fun or I mess up, I laugh. I laugh and I take up space.”  ~Maizie Hummel-Logee

“But it’s worth thinking about the purpose that lies beneath every step that you take right now. What are you gaining? How are you helping others? How is it making you feel? What purpose does it serve before you know the world will be over?”  ~ Fatimah Lamloom

“[T]he most important question a human can ask: What If?”   ~Silvio Morales

“... I know that this place and these people bring the best out of me and make me be the person that I want to be.”   ~Mario Pulido-Ladero

“In the words of the Great Gonzo, I'm ‘whatever.’ I am whatever I am, and that's a wonderful thing. Why wouldn't it be?...[ N]o matter who I am, who I have been and who I will become, I will treat myself with care.”  ~Finn Reidman

“I had to remain strong and push through, even though I didn't want to, and I felt like quitting.”   ~ Omar Mohamed

“I like to think that I've really come around to our misfit group of lizard people and shark fans and snail parents and cat lovers and just all around beautiful people, and I am so glad to now know the gravity behind the word ‘crewbie’.... Casco sets you up to make friends, and crew sets you up to make Casco worthwhile.”   ~ Toby Mueller 

“Red is perseverance. Red is pain. Red is love. Red is passion. My photography is an outlet for all the forms of red to flourish. My subjects are like me, transitioning from adolescence to adulthood…. As I met some kindred spirits, I noticed I was not alone.”  ~ Liv Ivy

“...[W]hy do I make myself feel like less than when we're all basically going through the same crap?”    ~Audrey Watchiba

“I heard my crew around me singing ‘Here Comes the Sun.’ I heard the swish of water against my kayak, I touched the smooth flow of the waves, and biggest of all, I breathed in the salty air. That was the moment I finally understood how to breathe.”  ~Bella Puleo

“I’m very proud to say I will be continuing to quit anything that does not serve me.”

~ Michaella Ishimwe

“Having a kind, loving, and understanding place to learn is what made me thrive …, My decision to attend Casco was one of the best decisions I ever made.”   ~Alexey Seredin

“Casco has taught me more about myself than about anything else.”   ~Zeke Appel

“[W]ith the unconditional acknowledgment and respect I received from this community came a freedom I’d never experienced before. Freedom to skip and twirl around the Great Space instead of forcing my movements to conform. Freedom to initiate wacky ideas and pursue unusual interests. Freedom to be passionate. Freedom to honor my social limits. Freedom to fly a rainbow flag. Freedom to walk up to any group of people…. So. My advice to incoming students: … come as you are; because no matter who you are, you will be seen, and you will have a place here.”   ~ Devyn Shaughnessy

***

Thank you, Class of 2022, for leading with your words, actions and example. With these Final Words and all that undergirds them, you have helped to both re-establish and re-define Casco’s noblest aims. 

Sincerely, 

Derek Pierce

Get Smart to Do Good

Atticus Wasklewicz, Patrick Vance, Mario Pulido-Ladero ,Nia Bellas, India Jenkins, 

Freya Bampton, Brighid O'Malley Deveau, Tatreaux Sokol, Romily Bitikay Ramazani, 

Josh Tyson, Kaethe-Marie Wilson

Class Writer

Megan Koren

Class Orator

Fabio Caciel-Reyes

Class Historian

Ezekiel  Appel

Class Active Citizen

Maizie Hummel-Logee

Golden Microphone Award

Silvio Morales

Character Pathway: Persevere

Deborah Mwamikazi & Lily Waterman

Character Pathway: Pursue Personal Best

Zeke Appel & Zannah Walsh

Character Pathway: Take Action to Better the World

Dima Mohamad

Character Pathway: Craft Excellence and Beauty

Jeremy  Meuser & Dominic Viola

(sponsored by Key Bank)

Character Pathway: Work Ethically

Hibo Abdi

Character Pathway: Think Creatively and Critically

Bella Bloom & Sasha Saedan

Character Pathway: Attain Knowledge

Devyn  Shaughnessy

(sponsored by Key Bank)

HOWL Student of the Year

Megan Koren

Senior Navigator

Andy Mugisha

Radix Award

Haley Allen, Joe Sato Murphy & Sumaya Shueib

(sponsored by PAG)

STEM Excellence

Aislinn Funkhouser

(sponsored by Gorham Savings Bank)

The Altrusa Connie Rickett Award for the Most Improved Student

Liban Ali & Rexy White

The College Club of Portland Award

Elsie Howland

The Reny's Scholarship

Liv Ivy, Silvio Morales & Ava Sylvester

MELMAC Scholarship

Rayane Hoch

Maine Principal's Award

Devyn Shaughnessy

Mitchell Scholarship

Fabio Caciel-Reyes

Rotary Service Scholarship Award

Maisie Hummel-Logee

Jewell Island Award - Be Compassionate

Owen  Parr, Isa Gomez, Aviva Feinberg & Tae-Su Park

(sponsored by alumni parents who wish to remain anonymous)

Hope Island Award - Build Community

Megan Koren, Finn Reidman & Bella Puleo

(sponsored by alumni parents who wish to remain anonymous)

John Stevens Memorial: Athletic Scholar

Devon Abrams

The return of the Cardboard Boat Races!

Portland Press Herald Article- Cardboard Boat Races 

CASCO BAY HIGH SCHOOL PARENT ADVISORY GROUP (PAG) 2022-2023

Useful Links

For All of CBHS (and Their Fans)
Check out the 2021-22 CBHS yearbook!

Catch the CBHS 2021-22 digital slide show here.  

Ms. Doyle has kindly put together a vast array of summer 2022 opportunities for CBHS students. Check it out here.
Here’s the 2022-23 CBHS Parent Field Guide

Summer Reading
Summer is the ultimate time to get lost in a great book. That YOU choose. All CBHS students are expected to read at least three books of their choosing this summer! More guidelines and resources can be found at the links below. 

2022 Rising Grade 9 and Rising Grade 10 Summer Reading

2022 Rising Grade 11 and Rising Grade 12 Summer Reading

Free Summer Meals Program