So earlier this week, Lincolnville Central School posted a photo of its Kindergarten class wearing the groundhog masks they had made in honor of Groundhog Day. They were all so adorable, though if I am being honest, a bit unsettling. Something about those long toothed rodent faces.... But it got me thinking about my own Kindergarten class, 1980-1981. The FIRST LCS Kindergarten. 

So I cornered Ma to fill in the gaps of how Lincolnville ended up with its first Kindergarten in 1980.

My father was the principal of LCS for six years in the early 1970s. Every spring he would take his funding requests to the school board. Notably, Ma recalled his plea that the board provide a dumpster, as the open air dump at the side of the school grounds was attracting weasels.

And every year, he requested that the town fund a public Kindergarten.

Every year, he received a similar response, something along the lines of “we turned out just fine without Kindergarten.” Or, memorably, “Just do what I do: pay to send your kids to Kindergarten in Camden.”

Ma remembers a new neighbor, a single mom, had just moved here from Massachusetts with her two young children, showing up in the middle of the day, toddlers in tow, demanding the Principal’s wife explain why this town didn’t offer Kindergarten, after having received a less-than-satisfactory answer from the Principal himself.

Ma and this woman went on to become lifelong friends…. More on her and my relationship with this woman in a later column.

As of 1977, only four towns in the entire state did not offer public Kindergarten. Three of them were Hope, Appleton, and Lincolnville.

My parents acquiesced, and my older brother was sent to the Kindergarten of Miss Terrell on Union Street in Camden. I have early memories of picking him up there, so jealous. I really wanted to go to school.

The Lincolnville parents were not going to be silent, and got Kindergarten funding on the ballot at the 1979 Town Meeting. It was rejected.

But the momentum had started, and those parents formed a Kindergarten Board. LCS had just built a major addition, and gone from a four-classroom 5-8 grade school, with Hope hosting grades 1-4, to 8 classrooms, a library, and a massive cafeteria in the basement. 

The Kindergarten board rented a portion of this new cafeteria and partitioned it off into a beautiful classroom appropriate for rowdy, inquisitive 5 year olds. They hired a teacher, the wonderful Miss Andrus, and reached out to every parent of a child who would be 5 by October 1980. There was tuition, but it must have been modest, because nearly every child who I went to first grade with, I initially met in Kindergarten.

Memories of Kindergarten remain with me, and so many of the children I met there continue to be my friends, and continue to contribute to this community or wherever else they landed. We learned new words, built castles with the giant cardboard blocks, painted so many pictures, and sat on the big round rug while Miss Andrus read us stories from her rocking chair.

In 1981, at Town Meeting, Public Kindergarten in Lincolnville was approved by the townspeople, just before the state passed legislation requiring all towns provide Kindergarten, like it or not.

Pre K

And time marches on. Kindergarten has been well established for over 40 years, but we are now even more aware of just how important early learning is.

Pre K, education that starts by at least age 4, is now seen as an important part of public education, and is already offered in Camden-Rockport, Hope, and Appleton. When slots have been available, Lincolnville children have been admitted to the Hope and Appleton programs on an extremely limited basis.

I spoke to Superintendent Kathryn Clark, who filled me in on Lincolnville’s exploration of Public Pre-K. Lincolnville has applied and been accepted for an expansion grant from the state, which will fund many of the start up costs of setting up Pre-K. While there are some additional funds potentially available, there will be additional costs to the town. The School Board should get some hard numbers at their February 5 meeting.

The school board is exploring ways to solicit feedback from community members, so look for more information regarding this soon. 

Social Media

So upon publication, I post This Week In Lincolnville on the Facebook groups that also cover local news. These groups, as well as the email group Lincolnville Bulletin Board, are a wealth of local information- happenings about town, musings, wildlife photos….

Last week’s column inspired some conversations about local genealogy, which were fascinating. One thing I learned, courtesy of Nancy Heald, is that my understanding that the Ulmer family who settled Ducktrap (the Beach) disappeared. Nancy believes the name was “daughtered out”, and reports that her lineage traces back to the Ulmers, as well as most of the other town names. 

I looked up the 1790 Census for Canaan and Ducktrap (the Center and the Beach) and it was amazing to see how many of the names continue amongst townspeople today. Wicked local.

Aster and Rose

Saturday night my wife and I joined several friends for dinner at Aster and Rose, the new restaurant at the historic Youngtown Inn, at the corner of Youngtown Road and Route 52.

This was our second visit, and it was another fantastic meal. It tecently opened by Chef Michael and Karrie Nowak, who bought the 200 year old farmhouse and moved with their family to Lincolnville. I can’t recommend this place enough for a date night or to celebrate a special occasion, or heck, just to enjoy a bite and beverage at the bar.

I always believe in supporting local businesses, but it is easy when the food is so expertly prepared, and the staff are so awesome. Also, it was pretty cool to catch up with so many other locals filling the tables to capacity on a freezing evening in February.

Lincolnville Heart and Soul

Over 70 people gathered at Walsh Common at LCS for the kickoff of Lincolnville Heart and Soul Phase One: Imagine. A fine spread of food was provided by the Beach Store, The Lincolnville Improvement Association, and The Lincolnville Historical Society as the Heart and Soul process was described. 

Participants were asked to share why they love Lincolnville, and what their hopes are for the future of the community. There was a great deal of emphasis placed on trying to obtain input from everyone in town, particularly those who may not normally be engaged in town activities for a variety of reasons.

Community Heart and Soul is a two-year process in four phases. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, February 14, at noon, at the Lincolnville Community Library. There is a need for assistance at all levels.

Sympathy

Condolences to the family of my neighbor Robert Payne. I have clear memories of the store his mother and stepfather, Carolyn and Henry Boivin, ran just up the road from Sleepy Hollow; an easy bike ride for a young boy with a couple bucks in his pocket.

Take care of each other, my fellow Lincolnvillians, and take care of yourselves, too.