Getting to Know Community Schools in Maine: Old Town Elementary School

"Education and support for our students goes way beyond the classroom," said Old Town Elementary School Principal Jeanna Tuell. As a long-time administrator for RSU 34, Tuell has been an integral part of Old Town Elementary School's shift to the Community School Model.

Tuell explains that years ago, the school's long-time school counselor raised concerns about the sheer amount of work it was taking to give their student population the support they truly needed to thrive at school. It was at that time that they had a collective realization they needed to seriously think outside the box to improve things not only for their students, families, and the community but for their teachers and staff as well.

A community school model, as defined by the Coalition for Community Schools, is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Community schools exist in all regions of the United States, and their numbers are growing fast.

"When you are looking at student support, you are not just looking at what the supports are that the student needs right now, you have to look bigger, at what they might need outside the school, and what their families might need, and how that affects the whole school environment and the whole community outside," said Jennifer Goodwin, Old Town Elementary School Coordinator. Goodwin has served in the role of Community School Coordinator since the school set in motion their plan to become a community school in 2017.

The community school model was first recognized by the Maine State Legislature in 2015/2016 when they authorized state funding for a limited number of community schools established under 20-A MRSA Chapter 333. Currently, three schools in Maine receive funding from the Maine DOE to support their community school strategies: Old Town Elementary School in Old Town, Cape Cod Hill Community School in New Sharon, and Gerald E. Talbot School in Portland.

As the longest-standing community school in Maine, Old Town has had time to build community partnerships and strategies that truly support its student population. One of those strategies is their amazing outdoor learning program which is complimented by a robust set of garden beds and greenhouses located right on school grounds.

"Almost immediately when I started, I got approached by teachers saying, 'we want school gardens,'" explained Goodwin. "The University of Maine was able to do their capstone project and build us our first 12 beds. Then we got a partnership with Rogers Farms, and then we had an amazing parent garden coordinator come on that really helped it grow."

The program has been so successful over the years that they have been able to do a full curriculum integration at every grade level. They have also benefited from a fruitful partnership with Rogers Farms that includes a community farm stand.

Old Town School Gardens:

Several other community partnerships provide their students with everything from winter fun with Winter Kids, to theatre, and even more outdoor education through Maine Outdoor Education program in Millinocket. They also partner on Community Cupboard which serves students, families, and community members.

Another important tentacle of this work is their partnership with local health services such as Pathways of Maine, Acadia Hospital, and Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) for counseling services for students and families. Their partnership with PCHC extends into a recently added health clinic located inside the school building. The clinic is staffed with licensed health care professionals who provide students not only with counseling services, but basic healthcare needs like an annual wellness check, a strep test, or an ear/eye exam to diagnose and treat common childhood viruses.

The PCHC Health Clinic located inside Old Town Elementary School:

With the incredible number of meaningful community partnerships Old Town has worked so hard to get under their belt, they are quick to credit their partners and community for their shared commitment to this work.

"When anything needs to be done, it gets done here because people really care about their community, their kids, and there is a lot of pride," explained Tuell. "Those community partners happen very naturally. It's not just one particular partner, it's a combination of a lot of people. I feel like that's what makes this town so unique and so special."

Tuell also acknowledges how incredibly important it has been for them to have a Community School Coordinator who can not only coordinate and see through the partnerships and strategies but also works to pull together administrators, teachers, and school support staff on a regular basis to prioritize the evaluation and re-evaluate their student (and community) support strategies.

To learn more about Old Town Elementary Community School, check out this video interview with Principal Tuell and Community School Coordinator Jennifer Goodwin.

Maine DOE Community Schools Consultant Ann Hanna (former principal of Gerald E. Talbot Community School) is working on advancing community school strategies in interested schools across Maine by providing technical assistance and support.

To learn more about community schools in Maine, please contact Ann Hanna, at [email protected].

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