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One of our strengths at Pemetic is a focus on service learning that helps make learning relevant for our students while helping to solve needs in the community. Students learn about problems that we face close to home and then the curriculum is woven into finding a workable solution. For instance, students were concerned about the lack of a library at the local preschool where they partner with children as reading buddies, so they built bookshelves and compiled book sets for the preschoolers to check out and take home with themes of interest for the children.

Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen the ties to your community.

One of our strengths at Pemetic is a focus on service learning that helps make learning relevant for our students while helping to solve needs in the community. Students learn about problems that we face close to home and then the curriculum is woven into finding a workable solution. For instance, students were concerned about the lack of a library at the local preschool where they partner with children as reading buddies, so they built bookshelves and compiled book sets for the preschoolers to check out and take home with themes of interest for the children. They have put up a wind turbine, solar panels, and an ice shack for the local pond for community ice skating as some other examples.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?

Pemetic’s philosophy is founded on a strength-based model which is supported with research on building resiliency and developing growth mindsets in students and staff. This philosophy is a thread that runs through everything that we do, from counseling to student assistance teams, to designing professional development and instruction. The staff was trained in resiliency strategies many years ago. This training reminded us that what is right about us is much more powerful than what needs work. We have stayed with this way of thinking in all that we do and it has made a difference!

Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement.

The strength of our Student Assistance Teams to help meet the needs of any of our students who are struggling and the ability of the teachers to work together as a team to help support them has had a huge effect on student achievement. We run our SAT’s with a strength-based approach, designing our interventions and plans on areas where the student is successful to help us with where they need work. We meet as soon as we begin to see problems, whether it’s social, emotional or academic and brainstorm possible solutions, documenting what’s working or not working and continuing until we find a plan for success.

Identify the professional development activities you use to improve the teaching portion of the teaching and learning process.

We began having after school Pizza with Peer workshops throughout the year to help teachers with any areas they felt they needed more support with. We used the expertise and strengths of the staff here to help make this a more financial and manageable way to offer professional development. Teachers would offer to share what they had learned at conferences/workshops and the school would provide pizza and refreshments for these in-house opportunities that were voluntary and fun. Teachers could request topics of interest to them and we would seek out the expertise needed to help guide the sessions.

Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.

The school culture at Pemetic is grounded on a strength-based philosophy that encourages everyone to focus on what’s going well, rather than entirely focusing on what needs to be "fixed". This has created a positive environment for our students and teachers and one that promotes wanting to continue to do even better. Our staff has attended resiliency workshops and our Student Assistance Teams are designed to help recognize and build on interests and strengths our children possess to help them be more successful in the areas that they need support with. The arts and outside interests are incorporated into the plans we design to help students achieve.

• Category 1

  Selected in 2012

• Grades: k - 8
  School Setting: rural
  Town Population: 2
  Student Enrollment: 150
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 1%
  White/Caucasian: 90%
  Hispanic: 6%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
  Asian: 1%
  Native American: 1%
  Other: 0%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
  % Reduced Lunch: 31%
  % ELL Learners: 0%
  Founded: 1938
• PRINCIPAL:
  Dianne Helprin
• CONTACT:
  327 Main Street
  Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
  207-244-5502
  dhelprin@mdirss.org