Boothbay Region Adult & Community Education

Directors’ Message 

Spice Up Your Life with Learning

It has been a year like no other and your local adult education programs are eager to return to in-person learning experiences! Zoom has been a life-saver during this pandemic but it can’t replace the energy and enthusiasm that come with face-to-face and hands-on learning opportunities. We are thrilled to be offering many in-person classes this fall as well as many on-line options that have proven to work well over the past year. Although we will need to closely monitor the CDC and State of Maine guidance when it comes to in-person learning, we are hopeful that with safety protocols in place we’ll be able to hold in-person classes as planned. We promise to keep you updated on any changes as we move through the fall and winter months. But meanwhile . . . . we hope you’ll take advantage of one or more of our many offerings and . . . . spice up your life!

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

As you may have predicted, adult education programs took quite a financial hit over the course of this pandemic. The loss of revenue due to cancelled classes was significant. We want to take this opportunity to publicly thank the Burns Family Foundation for its generous donation to Central Lincoln County’s adult education program which has enabled CLC to keep its doors open and our students’ learning on track. We are blessed to live in such a giving place!

There have been some leadership changes to our area adult education programs and Kayla Sikora will now serve as Director for RSU 40 & RSU 12 (now entitled Midcoast Adult & Community Education) as well as the Boothbay Adult Education program. Pam Sperry will continue to oversee the Central Lincoln County Adult & Community Education program. We will work together to offer you a variety of educational and enrichment classes across the Midcoast area. You’re sure to find something you like (or need) and, hopefully, it’s within the perfect driving distance!

Despite the difficulties of this past year and our move to remote platforms for learning, we managed to graduate a total of 20 students within our three adult education programs and our CNA program at LincolnHealth graduated another 18! In spite of the many obstacles we faced this past year, the work went on and many students saw their dream of earning a high school diploma, going to college, or completing a work training program finally fulfilled. The stress of this past year was difficult, but watching our students meet their goals was rewarding beyond measure.

Sincerely,

Kayla Sikora, Boothbay Adult Education Director ksikora@aos98schools.org