Join us at The Gem at 6:30 pm to celebrate Telstar High School’s Freshman Academy being highlighted in the “Learning from Maine” PBS series! We will be joined by “Learning from Maine” Host/Lead Producer: Derek Pierce, Telstar High MSAD44 Superintendent Mark Kenney, THS Principal John Eliot, Telstar Freshman Academy Teachers, MSAD44 School Board Members and MSAD44 students.. This event is FREE and open to the entire community. Please join us!

What if… 9th graders could spend the whole year learning in the woods of Maine—gaining knowledge and resilience that strengthen an entire community? (THAT’S TELSTAR HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN ACADEMY they are talking about!)

What if… students earned course credit while working in real businesses, earning money, and building their futures? 

What if… one solution to the teacher shortage was already here: high schoolers stepping up to teach in their old elementary schools? 

This sense of possibility is at the heart of “Learning from Maine,” a new video series from Maine Loves Public Schools. 

Nationally, we frequently hear a narrative of “failing schools.” But go inside classrooms across Maine, and you’ll see a different story: teachers, parents, and communities working together to provide students the skills, values, and opportunities they need to succeed.  “Learning from Maine” uncovers what’s happening and what’s possible in Maine schools, sharing stories of resilience, hard work, and innovation.

Hosted by pioneering Maine educator Derek Pierce, each of the first four episodes spotlights a Maine public school finding bold new ways to catalyze student success and strengthen our communities.