LCS Receives $250,000 Outdoor Education Grant

August 17, 2022

Dear Limestone Community School Students, Staff, Families, and Community:

I am ecstatic to announce that we have received confirmation on the awarding of a contract from the Maine Department of Education for $250,000 to Limestone Community School through the Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) federal program. These monies are to be used for an innovative pilot program on a school-wide outdoor education program for our students!

While the details of the award still need to be worked out with the DOE, we are going to have the opportunity to purchase equipment, materials, and fund outdoor education programming at LCS. This will give our students the chance to learn from the Maine outdoors, experiencing all it has to offer, while at the same time writing and reading about the history, math, and science that happens outdoors, along with inside the classroom.

The goals of this pilot are simple – increase student attendance, engagement and motivation at LCS though the outdoors; improving the overall educational experience here for our students. While this is a one-year award and can’t supplant local or state educational funds, the benefits in terms of the pilot and the materials, equipment and supplies it will provide will benefit the children of Limestone for years to come.

The architects of this award are LCS teachers Caroline Reed and Hogan Marquis. They, along with myself, attended a workshop at the University of Maine last spring and began the lengthy process of applying. Through their innovative approach, efforts, and a desire to create a better program for their students, we now have access to the funds necessary to take their ideas to the next level. Last year, our middle school students had a few opportunities to get outside for their learning, including an ice fishing trip, making homemade syrup, and an overnight camping trip. Ms. Caroline and Mr. Marquis had secured a couple of smaller grants last year to fund these activities, but this award will be much more significant here at LCS.

While this is just one example of the hard work and dedication all of our staff at LCS have for our school and students (much of which goes unnoticed), I want to personally thank Ms. Caroline and Mr. Marquis for their efforts.

This is an exciting announcement for us as our school year begins, and we have a lot of work to do to take full advantage of this opportunity. I will be sure to keep everyone updated to our progress, but rest assured, we plan to have our students benefit from this award ASAP!

Yours in Education,

Ben Lothrop, LCS Principal

Click here to see the WAGM NewsSource8 story about the outdoor learning projects at LCS.