Old Town High School

In today's edition of "Where Are They Now?" we go back to 2016 to check in on Makayla Morey. After graduating in 2016 and being a part of the 2016 cheering state championship team, Makayla has gone on to coach the Leonard Middle School cheer team. In 2020, Makayla picked up her camera again and began to take photos for fun. In 2021, she took on her first wedding and now has her very own business that she does full-time! Makayla takes a lot of pride in being a business owner + has worked very hard to get to where she is today. On top of being a couples and wedding photographer, she is planning her own wedding with Old Town's Chris Hoxie Jr, (also an OT alum from 2016). The couple enjoy adventuring around Acadia, playing with their pup Moxie, and challenging each other to be their very best versions of themselves! Congratulations Makayla and Chris! We are happy for you and Proud of You!

Just a reminder... The deadline for signing up for the August 26th SAT is July 28th. Students need to sign up through the college board: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat Students should log into their emails for more information.

Don't look now, but we are only six days from the start of Band Camp! It all starts here. The magic of music and what will be an amazing school year in 2023-2024 of concerts, pep bands, jazz bands and lots of fun, it all starts here.

After graduating in 2017, Kaylee went on to study nursing at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. During this time, she worked at EMMC in Bangor as a CNA. She then graduated Magna Cum Laude and started her career as a nurse at EMMC in the cardiac unit. In 2 years of working there, she has precept nursing students, new hires, and travel nurses. She also has just recently been trained to be a relief charge nurse on the unit. In her spare time, Kaylee has enjoyed traveling the world. She’s been to countries like Bermuda, Jamaica and Honduras. She hopes to travel across the ocean soon! Kaylee also bought her first house after graduating nursing school! She lives there with her pets Apollo and Trooper. Kaylee hopes to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner or physicians assistant someday!

In today's edition of "Where Are They Now" we are climbing a mountain or rafting a river and traveling the world with 2017 OT graduate, Alex Blackie! Directly after graduation, Alex started rafting guiding in the Forks, Maine. He did that for 3 seasons (2017 - 2019) For the last 4 summers (2020-present), he has been working for Maine state sea kayak as a sea kayaking guide. He even worked his way into the head guide position. Alex went to the University of Maine at Machias and earned a degree in Recreation and Tourism Management graduating in December of 2020. Alex has done a lot of traveling as well. He went to Chile for whitewater kayaking in 2017, went to Nepal to hike into Everest base camp in 2018 and he has visited Costa Rica a few times. (2021 and 2022) He also went to Argentina to climb Aconcagua (tallest mountain in South America) He has rafted the Grand Canyon twice once for fun and once working as a baggage boater in May of 2023. He has lived in Utah for the past two winters working as a snow cat operator at Park City Mountain. (Winters of 21/22 and 22/23) If all of that is not enough for you thrill seekers out there, he plans to climb Mt.Kilimanjaro in February of next year. Congratulations, Alex that is an amazing list of experiences. Keep up your traveling adventures! We are So Proud of You.

Where is my yearbook? When will yearbooks be in? These are questions that we have heard or read (from emails) quite a bit so far this summer. Our best guess at this point is early to mid August. Remember, the final pages were not sent in until after graduation, so we do think it will be a little bit longer. We promise - as soon as we get new information - we will let you know. Have a Great Summer!

Old Town High School "Where Are They Now?" Our subject today is Garvey Melmed. Let's take our Time Machine back to 2014. Specifically, let's start the story on February 22, 2014. The Old Town Coyotes boys' basketball team has made their way to the Eastern Maine Class B Championship. They are playing an excellent Caribou team and the game is close all afternoon. While the game plan called for Garvey Melmed to primarily be a defender, he was needed for more offense and he stepped up. He scored the final eight points of regulation and overtime, including two game winning free throws with 22.6 seconds left in overtime to lift OT to a 43-41 victory. This was OT's first championship since 1991. They would go on to defeat Poland a week later to win the Class B State Championship. After leaving OTHS, Garvey went on to UMaine for Mechanical Engineering. If that was not enough, he also walked on to the men’s basketball team playing all four years and playing against schools that he grew up idolizing. After graduating from U-Maine, he started at BAE Systems where he has worked numerous roles in Operations, Engineering, and Program Management, and where he remains today. Garvey also moved to Upstate NY for work after graduation. He highly recommends checking out the finger lakes region for some very cool waterfall hikes! Not too long after the move, Garvey married Old Town legend, Sarah White! (He'd like to thank Mr. Priest for band class - where he met Sarah) While working, Garvey decided to return to school online and get his MBA focusing in Leadership and Management from Kansas (Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk) Then after about 4 years in NY, he and Sarah moved to Austin, TX where they've been enjoying the best breakfast tacos and daily doses of sunshine. (What is sunshine?) :) A move back to the state of Maine is in the plan for this fall! Exciting news! While he no longer competes for State Championships, you can still find Garvey at a local men’s league shooting hoops or training for the next big event (Boston Marathon in 2024) Congratulations Garvey (& Sarah) We are So Proud of both of you!

Class of 2027...keep an eye on your mailbox. Schedules are in the mail!

Does your student need extra help with reading, writing, and/or math? We have summer tutoring spots still available for students entering grades 9-12. Tutoring is one hour per subject (English/math), and you can choose to have your student participate 1, 2, or 3 days a week! These are all small group or individual, so your student will get lots of attention with the specific skills that they need! If you’re interested, please email megan.woodard@rsu34.org or call 827-3910 extension 2101. These tutoring sessions start on July 11th, but some hours are starting to fill up, so contact us soon!

Today we turn the "Where Are They Now" spotlight back to 1990 to check in on Clem Labree. After graduating from Old Town High School in 1990, Clem studied Announcing and Production at the New England School of Communications. That led to a 24 year career in sports talk radio in which he became one of the most recognized voices in our area. Truth be told, while he had to be careful not to show partiality during his broadcasting days, he continued to bleed green and white the whole time. In 2014, he shifted gears and graduated from the University of Phoenix with a BS in Healthcare Administration. Currently, Clem works for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center as the Manager for Walk-in Care, Endocrinology and Diabetes, and the Anticoagulation Clinic. He has continued to stay involved with Old Town High School and RSU 34, as a major player for both the Athletic and Achievement Halls of Fame. Clem, thanks for all that you have done for OTHS & RSU 34! We are proud of you!

Happy 4th of July!

In our next installment of "Where Are They Now?" we check in on a young lady who was the captain of our 2016 Cheerleading State Championship and went to cheer at the University of Maine, Ms. Julia Van Steenberghe! In 2019, Julia won Miss Maine USA and represented our state by competing at Miss USA! Julia obtained a bachelor's degree from UMaine in 2020 in Elementary Education & Child Development and Family Relations. In 2022, she completed her master's degree in Human Development and she was named Outstanding Graduate Student in her program. She lived in Italy for a summer working as an Au Pair for a family of four boys teaching them English. She is returning to the area full-time in August as she continues her work for the University of Maine in a new role as Assistant Director of Academic Advising, Recruitment and Student Success at the Maine Business School. Keep up the great work, Julia! We are proud of you!

Old Town High School has turned out some amazing graduates in its 100+ year history. Let's turn back to 2012 for our next edition of "Where Are They Now?" Today, the spotlight is on Lee Jackson. After graduating from OTHS in 2012, Lee began studying political science at the University of Maine. In 2013, Lee was elected to the Old Town School Board. In 2014, Lee was named a Rising Star by the Republican National Committee. In 2016, Lee was named Crew Member of the Year by the McDonald's Corporation and was presented a Key to the City of Old Town. After leaving Maine, Lee traveled around the country working for the Leadership Institute to mentor young people, helping them strengthen the leadership skills necessary to engage with their local communities and transition into the professional world. Lee currently resides in Richmond, Virginia, where he is an active member of City Church and serves as the Deputy Director of the Virginia Lottery. Prior to joining the Lottery, he served as the Confidential Assistant and Traveling Aide to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Best of Luck in the future, Lee! We are proud of you!

Old Town High School has turned out amazing graduates for well over 100 years. This summer, we are going to profile several of them from a variety of classes in a series we will call "Where Are They Now?" Our first edition has us looking back to 2018, when Oliviah Damboise graduated from OTHS as one of our most decorated Track & Field athletes in school history. She went on to U-Maine to be a student-athlete studying Biomedical Engineering, while also on the Track & Field team. In 2022, she graduated with her bachelor's degree and was named the Most Outstanding Senior Biomedical Engineering Student. After graduation, she made the decision to follow her passion and pursue a career in real estate. Currently, she is a real estate agent at NextHome Experience, where she takes great pride in helping her clients navigate the real estate world.  Oliviah's future aspirations entail further scaling her real estate business and venturing into investment opportunities as well. Best of Luck Oliviah! We are proud of you!

Tip of the hat today to Mr. Dave Ploch who retired from teaching this year after 40 years in the classroom. Mr. Ploch also coached swimming for 31 years, winning 14 state championships! Let those numbers sink in for just a moment. Mr. Ploch was at the State House today, as a guest of State Representative and RSU 34 School Board Chair Jim Dill. Dave - Thank you for everything. You've had a profound impact on so many students and student-athletes who have gone through OTHS. You have left an indelible mark on our school. You are a class act and you will be greatly missed.

Today, as a part of their week-long JROTC Cadet Leadership Camp, these OTHS Cadets hiked up to Mt. Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine. A few other Cadets climbed all the way up to the summit. Tomorrow, they will make a 17 mile canoe trip down the Androscoggin River.

During the last couple weeks of school, the Old Town Fire Dept paid a visit to OTHS. Several students were very excited to explore the inside of a fire truck. Shout out to OT Fire for making this happen for our students!

Does your student need extra help with reading, writing, and/or math? We have summer tutoring spots still available for students entering grades 9-12. Tutoring is one hour per subject (English/math), and you can choose to have your student participate 1, 2, or 3 days a week! These are all small group or individual, so your student will get lots of attention with the specific skills that they need! If you’re interested, please email megan.woodard@rsu34.org or call 827-3910 extension 2101. These tutoring sessions start on July 11th, but some hours are starting to fill up, so contact us soon!

RSU #34 is making a big email transition beginning at 3:30 Friday, June 16th. We anticipate that email will be down through the weekend, possibly also including the federal holiday on June 19th. Please continue to use our @rsu34.org addresses, but anticipate that your email will not be received until Tuesday. Thank you, happy last day of school, and have a fantastic weekend!

OTHS JROTC cadets Jesse Bouchard, Norah Sanborn, Kevin Murray & Miles Felcman at Dirigo Pines earlier today for a Flag Day ceremony.