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Channel: Schools and Education - Portland Press Herald

Maine’s college graduates of 2025 walk across the stage to their next chapter

As we enter graduation season, here are photos of some of the newest alumni of Maine's colleges and universities. In tasseled caps and long robes, graduates from institutions including Maine College of...

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Under federal pressure, some of Maine’s colleges are renaming DEI offices

Maine colleges are joining a national trend or scrubbing words like 'diversity' and 'inclusion' from department websites in favor of more neutral terms like 'community' and 'belonging.'

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Orange baby lobsters, the rarest of their kind, find a new home in Maine’s ocean

The odds of finding an orange lobster are 1 in 30 million. The University of New England just released 15 orange babies, no wider than a thumb and no longer than a pinky, into the wild to defy those odds.

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Maine’s newest charter school concerned as Legislature looks to lower...

A legislative committee endorsed a bill to lower the number of charter schools statewide to 9. The statewide commission that oversees the schools approved a 10th on Tuesday.

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UMaine history professor puts knowledge to the test on ‘Jeopardy!’

Kara Peruccio, a professor of history and gender studies at the University of Maine, won $12,400 on the show Friday.

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Family of Deering High teen ‘mistakenly’ detained by police say he was...

The student was released shortly after he was apprehended by South Portland police officers. The department has not provided details explaining why they detained the 16-year-old.

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As Portland’s gotten cooler, are more Maine college grads staying? | Column

Census data shows the city has become more popular with recent college graduates, and some surveys of Maine students indicate more of them have been sticking around.

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In the push for a statewide school cellphone ban in Maine, local control...

Many teachers, parents and school leaders in Maine support bell-to-bell school phone bans, but lawmakers this month scaled back on a bill, citing overreach of local control.

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UMaine lab lays off 9 employees, blames federal funding uncertainty

The Trump administration recently halted more than $15 million in funding for the university's Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

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St. Dom’s board proposes new terms as diocese’s deadline looms

The Saint Dominic Regional High School board had until Wednesday to come up with $3 million for an escrow account to help fund a 'bridge year' for the high school.

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Portland high schooler brings recognition of day against Asian hate to Maine

Waynflete student YuJi Smith spearheaded the effort to get Asian American and Pacific Islander Day Against Bullying and Hate on May 18 recognized by the state of Maine and city of Portland.

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Portland Diocese says no to operating St. Dom’s for a ‘bridge year’

Church officials and the board formed to save the school are still negotiating an offer to rent the campus next school year.

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Maine marine scientist elected to America’s oldest honorary society

Lobster researcher Bob Steneck is the first University of Maine faculty member to gain entry to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Former Mt. Ararat high, middle school employee under investigation, district...

MSAD 75 Superintendent Heidi O'Leary calls the allegations against the ex-employee, who has not been charged or arrested, 'deeply unsettling' but does not elaborate.

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Portland City Council approves $171.8 million school budget

The spending plan, which would require a 5.3% increase in the schools portion of the property tax rate, advanced on a unanimous vote but still needs to be passed by voters.

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Proposed Portland school cellphone ban gets mixed reaction

Many speakers at a school board workshop Tuesday night support the proposal, but others, including many students, express concern about its implementation and equity.

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Unity Environmental University celebrates largest graduating class ever with...

The once small, residential college now enrolls nearly 10,000 students in mostly online degree programs, and will honor about 1,000 in Portland's Merrill Auditorium Friday.

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Parent, retired music teacher running in Portland school board special election

Absentee voting in the special election for an open at-large seat on Portland's Board of Education has already begun, and election day is June 10.

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Judge blocks Trump’s orders to dismantle Education Department and fire employees

The ruling in 2 consolidated lawsuits — including one in which Maine joined 21 other states — says that Trump's plan amounts to an illegal closure of the Education Department.

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Gray-New Gloucester district cuts ASL teacher in new budget

Residents of the towns voted Thursday in favor of a $35.4 million budget that, while roughly 6% higher than the prior year's, includes limited of staff cuts.

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‘Our beloved institution:’ St. Dom’s graduates its final class

Class of 2025 President Brookelyn Irene Whited said that with the school's recent troubles, the vibe was a little bit different this year. Her classmates, she said, were fully aware that they are...

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Colby, Bates commencements celebrate student contributions, next steps

The two ceremonies Sunday recognized thousands of graduates from two of Maine's premier private colleges.

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Trump administration has frozen $50M in UMaine funding so far

More than $21 million in grants was either terminated or put on hold as the university was negotiating their terms and conditions, college officials say.

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US stops scheduling visa interviews for foreign students while it expands...

An official said Tuesday the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews.

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Student visa freeze leaves Maine colleges and universities unsure about fall...

The Trump administration on Tuesday said the State Department wants to ramp up scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity.

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St. Dom’s board considers Lewiston location for high school

The board and the Portland Diocese continue to negotiate over what will happen next year with Saint Dominic Academy's Auburn campus.

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Rural Maine town weighs leaving school district as costs rise, enrollment falls

Embden is one of several western Maine communities exploring withdrawal from their regional school district.

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Maine’s only medical school to expand in new home

The University of New England medical school will be moving from Biddeford into a new, $90 million building in Portland.

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North Yarmouth Academy graduates reflect on passions, expanding comfort zones

On Sunday, 42 diplomas were given to North Yarmouth Academy's class of 2025. Two standout graduates shared their experiences at the academy and what is next for them.

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Cape Elizabeth voters prepare for pivotal vote on $86.5 million school project

It is the third time Cape Elizabeth voters have been asked whether they approve of a hefty investment in the town's schools in the past four years, with previous efforts failing at the polls in 2022...

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South Portland superintendent announces resignation

Tim Matheney, who joined the district in 2021 and will wrap up his duties on Dec. 5, cited differences with the school board, saying the members 'should have the opportunity to identify a new leader...

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Member will resign from Freeport-area school board after end of school year

RSU 5 board member Cheyenne Farrell resigned before serving out her 2026 term, saying she could no longer serve in a way that aligns with the level of engagement and energy the role deserves.

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Bill to support later high school start times passes in House, Senate

The measure, which originally mandated a statewide 8:30 a.m. or later high school start time, was amended to create funding for districts to pilot a later start time.

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Falmouth graduates reflect on paths of learning, leadership

Falmouth High School seniors Hannah Josephs and Travis Dow reflect on their high school experiences and what is next in their bright futures.

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Scarborough High revives student newspaper after 12 years of inactivity

A group of underclassmen founded The Storm this school year at a time when more and more young people eschew traditional media sources.

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Kennebunk High School seniors return to elementary school as mentors

Over the course of two weeks, several high school seniors spent time with elementary students as part of their senior project.

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Trump administration plans to abolish TRIO college access programs; Collins...

Sen. Susan Collins and others in Congress are trying to save the programs that open doors to higher education, while the U.S. Department of Education's proposed budget for 2026 would eliminate all...

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Maine’s K-12 schools report record high immunization levels

Vaccine coverage has reached 'more than 97%' in Maine's K-12 schools, achieving 'herd immunity.'

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Maine schools warning of ‘nihilistic violence’ at state’s urging

Administrators are acting on information from the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency, which was alerted to the groups' existence by the FBI about a week ago.

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Biddeford High School sends off Class of 2025

175 seniors walked the stage in Biddeford High School's Tiger Gym, where they heard messages about keeping it simple and making their impact on the world.

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Southern Maine communities gear up for school budget, bond and candidate votes

A bond project in Cape Elizabeth and the budget in Gorham are among the elections that are expected to be closely contested on Tuesday.

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Meet our 2025 Grads to Watch from southern Maine

This year's standouts include top scholars and athletes, several musicians, artists and social activists, a few immigrants, a plumber in training, a technology whiz, a filmmaker and a future physician....

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UMaine professor wins $1M grant to take a new look at old plants

The open source computer model that Jose Meireles is developing will use genetic analysis and reflective light to study already collected plants, saving field and lab time and money and protecting rare...

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Portland elects Sawtelle to school board, approves education budget

Retired Portland teacher Jayne Sawtelle has won the at-large Board of Education seat in a special election, and the $172 million budget passed easily.

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Portland will ban cellphones during school day

The bell-to-bell ban that begins this fall received unanimous approval from the board but opposition from its student representatives.

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Lisbon voters overwhelmingly reject school budget

Residents voted Tuesday on a proposed $21.27 million school budget that contained a nearly 8% property tax increase.

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Topsham-area voters approve $57.9 million school budget

The fiscal year 2026 budget reflects a 5.52% increase from the previous year.

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University of Maine helps develop database on college hazing deaths

A professor leading UMaine's Hazing Prevention Research Lab said the lab also hopes to conduct the first national study on college hazing in 17 years.

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Despite fears, most Maine districts OK school budgets

Voters in at least 6 districts, including Kennebunk-based RSU 21 and Gray-New Gloucester, rejected their school budgets, while a long-debated Cape Elizabeth bond project and a contested Gorham budget...

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Nah, we changed our minds: EPA restores $1.6M UMaine PFAS grant

The federal agency's reversal comes 1 month after it declared that the University of Maine's research into ways to reduce effects of forever chemicals on farms was inconsistent with the EPA's funding...

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