This is National Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the nation. F.I.S.H. is using this week to kick off healthy lifestyle messages throughout the school year. The 2015-16 Red Ribbon Week theme is Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.

Staff and students can expect to see the following this week:

red ribbons available at high school lunches

bookmarks with facts and resources

announcements with statistics and positive messages

Have a Safe and Healthy Week!

FYI: F.I.S.H stands for Friends Inspiring Student Health

This is a photo from our annual student council Wings of Hope Walk this past Saturday on the rail trail, we raised over $600 for the American Cancer Society. Congrats to our students and to Mrs. Fotos and Ms. Abbott

I hope you all have a great week and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Nature's Classroom.  It was a true joy getting to know our sixth grade students over the course of the week and to have the chance to build friendships.  I felt like a kid at summer camp again and can't way enough about how polite, respectful and appreciative our students were.  It means a lot to a principal to be able to spend time away from school with a group of students, especially when the students will hopefully be with us for the next seven years.  It will be truly special to hand these students their diplomas as twelfth graders and to look back at this experience fondly.  Thanks to our parents for their support of this important, team building experience and for trusting us with your children for the week.  It was an honor and a pleasure.

I had to include this picture of me with one of my childhood sports heroes.  I was never a huge fan of professional wrestling, but I was on the wrestling team in high school and always appreciated "Mr. USA, Tony Atlas".  He was a former Mr. USA in body building and won four national collegiate wresting titles.  To me, as a youngster, he seemed to embody everything that was good about America....he was patriotic, strong and always fought fair.  Well, I had a chance to meet him at our WBAA fundraiser on Saturday and even had a chance to referee his match (which he won of course). It was a thrill be meet a real life "action hero" and his message to those in attendance was a positive one - "Your true heroes are your parents, your teachers and the service men and women who defend our nation and keep us all safe....soldiers, firefighters, police... These are our heroes and I salute them all !!"   Couldn't have said it better myself Mr. USA....

Thanks to our cheerleaders for braving the elements and for supporting our football team.  Thanks also for cheering on Friday night for a great cause - The Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute.
You make us proud!!

It is a cool and sunny morning here at Ocean Park Maine.  We had a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, cereal and fresh fruit.  Everyone slept well after all of the fresh air we got yesterday.  Last night's Science Fair was amazing and we sang songs as a group before bed...a great way to end a great day!  We are off to the Ocean now to explore
And learn about aquatic life.  See you soon.

Enjoy Some Photos From Day 1 At Nature's Classroom

Thanks to parents of grades 7&8 for supporting our "play day" at Sky Zone.  Thanks to our
moms who volunteered to chaperone and to the nearly 100 students who made the day so much fun!

One of our students wrote this thoughtful and insightful piece about how people treat one another on social media and the effects that this can have on a person. Thought I'd share it as it is very well done.

“The most harmful thing, to me, are words.

The saying “sticks and stones may break

my bones but words will never hurt me”- is

a complete lie. Words hurt, a lot. Whether

it’s behind a screen or face to face, any form

of bullying hurts. Calling someone names or

picking on them for what music they listen to

or for how they dress is so stupid. It’s hard to

push away all the negativity someone says

towards you because you feel like you’re

trapped inside this box. This box is being

shipped from house to house, and every house

holds an insult of some sort. You feel like you

can’t escape from it but you can. Time can heal

almost anything. You’re not damaged goods.

You’re not your failed explorations. You’re not

someone else's opinion of you. You are your own

definition of beautiful and you are your own product

of learning. Timing is a funny thing, but one way or

another, someone will always be there to help.”

-C Smith grade 9

What would Homecoming week be without the senior tailgate breakfast?
Thanks to our seniors for showing their strong leadership and school spirit all week.

Thanks to Mrs. Pelto and her class of juniors and seniors for their help with preparing me and other teachers for our presentations at Career Day!! This has been a great experience for me.