It is very sad for this to happen for our kids & the State of Maine !

Why can't they come up with a combination of Boy's & Girl's Basketball team

so the kids could enjoy there precious years ? Its a tightly controlled sport &

the rules can be changed to allow the kids to have fun win or loose .

Get smart & be happy for our kids. Bob Cushing

Lakeland , Fl.

Form. Bangor,Me.

jc_bob99@yahoo.com

One of the arguments to keep this school open was that kids can just walk on the teams without "trying out". Seeing how this year there have been no high school teams I can't say this is a valid excuse. Smooth move folks. And no I'm not completely blaming on person so don't worry, I like to spread the blame evenly, I don't discriminate. Nothing brings a town together like something we can all be pissed about. I can tell this is gonna get pretty heavy for a while here folks, better get ready to call WHINE-1-1.

Any kid can join any team at Lubec, it is the ******* teachers and the principal who make it so the kids can not play. There was enough kids for volleyball but because they thought there was no commitment they cancelled it. Now because one teacher thought because the team didn't have large numbers in players that there was no need to continue the season. What does this give the kids? I can tell you right now there will be more and more kids failing in their classes and more absences. The school has already taken away many electives and now sports, what next? From the looks of it this is just another step to shutting down the school, without a school there isn't going to be a community. Principal Doak once stated he was not here to shut down our school, well when you add two and two you get four don't you. School was better off with out him, and as for the sports director, there were way better then jones.

I am continuously baffled by the negative statements people make against the Lubec school system and staff. It is not the principal or the teachers that make it so the kids can’t play. Please listen before you leap. There are only FOUR students eligible for basketball per team. The STUDENTS received low ranks and/or DECIDED to blow off practice. What are the rules to be eligible for sports? Lubec is no different from any other school. What is this teaching the kids? They need to be responsible for their decisions/actions. Additionally, there are 36 or 38 students in the high school. If one were to look at the numbers at least 12 teens would have to play to have a viable team. Using 38 students as the best possible number that would mean at least 32% (almost 1/3) of the entire High School population would have to be interested in and commit to basketball. As for Mr. Jones and the other community members that STEP UP TO PLATE to help the youth of Lubec, I would like to thank you for TRYING. Sometimes the best intentions are not recognized. The school is not taking away electives. Rather, the electives cannot be provided in the same manner as in other schools. We do not have the funding and the number of students that are needed to offer the extras for our children. This is the reality. It is not the fault of the school. Instead of complaining, try volunteering. Do something about it. Organize an activity for the kids. Get them involved. Get your friends and neighbors involved. Stop blaming. Start doing.

There were only 4 students eligible at the time the decision was made. There were 8 students playing on the girls team. The decision was made 4 days before the season was slated to start, giving team members the opportunity to hand in the work that they needed to pass. However, these students plans were shattered when the decision was made prematurely. There were Way to give your students a chance. Some students were also at work during the time of practice, which is one of the main reasons some students didn't come to practice, it's also one of the main reasons so many students didn't play.

Thank you lbckool for reiterating my point. What you stated was that the school gave the students yet another chance to be responsible and pass in OVER DUE work to that they could pass and play ball. If I remember correctly progress reports came out almost a month ago. Did the students not realize they were failing then? Do they not know the student handbook clearly states anyone who is failing a class cannot participate in extracurricular activities? The school is not systemically and purposely trying to hurt the students. They are following the rules and doing everything they possibly can to provide activities for our youth while facing in the grim reality of the low student population count and below bare bones funding. This is the tip of the iceberg. We will see less and less available for our children. Budget cuts will continue and more parents will be forced move out of the community taking thier children with them. The question is, what are we doing about it? So again I say get involved. This is your community. Step up and do something. Stop blaming. Start doing.

I say the whole thing is sad.. I think they should of had a meeting and got everyone together with the school board and say, Hey this is whats happening and if you want to play ball this is what needs to happen... Not just a few decide the whole thing. It is really unfair to the students. What about the seniors? This is suppose to be a great time for them, first they get volleyball taken away so no senior night, now basketball and again NO senior night. Thats their night to shine and now they're not getting it. I know for a fact there's a girl close to her thousand points really close, now how fair is that to her. She has worked hard for three years to get her points, how many can say they've done that. Now she'll never obtain her goal.. These kids have had their school year shattered, many come just for the sports. I really think if everyone had a chance to get involved before the decision was mad, well maybe something else could of been done, but we'll never know. To the athletes of Lubec School, I am deeply sorry for your loss i wish we as a community could of been there to help when you needed it, I have watched many many games and you are all truely talented athletes, and i hope the best for you all.

Wow...terrible...i feel bad for the kids but they really should hav kept there grades up...but i mean less than 40 kids that's awful and idk as far as 1000th points go...i've heard different.

Before people start blaming Mr. Jones, the teachers and Mr. Doak for cancelling the program, (which I think was done in the best interest of the school, so there could possibly be a program next year instead of forfeiting the next 2-3 years or so), these students who are failing are to blame for not having teams this year. Like Eleody said, progress reports came out a month or so ago and they had ample time to bring their grades up. Playing a sport is a PRIVEDGE

*PRIVILEGE

The academics are fine at Lubec. Seems to me, they came out above all the other Washington County high schools with their MEA's not too long ago. And, yes, SOME of the kids are lazy when it comes to their school/homework. This happens in ANY school. If the academics suck, why are some kids failing and some passing?? It all has to do with the student and how much they want to put into THEIR education! And parents should be putting their foot down and checking with their child and making sure their homework is done before going allowing them to socialize. All schools have POLICIES when it comes to requirements for participating in sports. When these progress reports are sent to the parents, the parent should be checking with the teachers to see what is going on for their child to be failing. If it's embarrasing for the parent to do this to their kid, TOUGH. Maybe if it's embarrasing to the student for their parent to do this, maybe they'll apply themself more. They also should be making their child RESPONSIBLE for their lack of passing. It's not the teachers fault these kids are flunking. It's the student and their parent/s fault. Put the blame where it belongs. There have been ALOT of very successful students from Lubec who have gone on to college, gotten degrees and have successful careers......even in recent years. Like I said, it all has to do with what the student wants to put into their education.

And Blondie.....it has NEVER been a waste of money for these kids to play basketball, because they learned sportmanship, teamwork and dedication!!

Justcuz, the school does offer weekly reports from teachers that get sent home every weekend to notify parents how students are doing, but only if the parents ask for them to do so. However, there are only a few students who do get these. And elody, the last ranking period ended over a month a go yes, which means that it's a new quarter. i.e. fresh start. Basketball didn't start until 2 weeks ago. Justcuz makes a valid point, it is the students choice to take out of what they are being taught, but blondie also has a point, a lot of kids at that school are lazy, at least half, and an equal amount love to party and often come in late or skip with hangovers. But then again, a lot of kids skip school to go fishing, and a lot of kids skipped practice to work wreathing or at other jobs, because in this area, money doesn't come easy; and seeing as Washington County is the poorest of Maine's 16, I figured some people, especially teachers, would be aware of that.

And also, the school today actually forbid students from accessing this newspaper in school, and they also forbid students to discuss basketball whatsoever. Which, might I remind you, is a violation of Amendment 1 to the constitution and our rights as American Citizens. Thank you GI-Knee-High

10:26 pm, sorry and yes, it sucks, but high-school students don't have First Amendment rights. Look it up!

If students choose to take part in the wreathing season, that is their choice. By the time basketball season starts, wreathing season is almost over. It doesn't seem to have been a problem before. And as far as jobs go, employers in this area are MORE than willing to work with the student atheletes and their work schedules vs. basketball season. I guess I don't understand your comment about teachers needing to be aware of Washington County being the poorest. Do you mean that the reason students don't get their homeowrk done is because they work? They need to learn to balance work with school work....it's all part of coming into the real world.....where balancing and prioritizing things is an everyday occurance.

This is another expression of the tragedy that has become synonomous for Lubec. It is a lovely seaside town, populated with some wonderfully loyal and caring citizens.

A generation or two ago the gym was packed to the rafters with fans watching the Hornets play ball. The Boosters worked the concession stand, Coochie Case made a running commentary on the games while he waited for the gym to clear so he could sweep up after the crowd left, there were parties and dances after the games on the weekends. Kids were more afraid to disappoint their parents than any other authority figure. People looked after one another and there was a tangible sense of community. It was an innocent and wonderful time.

All that has been lost due to a lack of industry. There are not enough families in Lubec with school age children to keep the school viable. Athletics are just a symptom of the exodus that is defeating Lubec.

The players were given extra chances to get their work done.

Why have a meeting to talk about the rules, every student and parent got a copy and signed them. Every player went to a meeting and they were explained the rules. Volleyball was not taken away, sometimes you have to look in the mirror. The powers that be made a difficult decision based on the facts. I would not be fair for the team to fold half way through the year as this would mean have to sit out for 3 yrs and then have a club team before you can get back to varsity.

I fell bad that the season was canceled, but you cannot put all the teams on the schedule at risk, you have to look at the big picture. As for 1000 points, I'm sure that if someone was close to 1000 points, she would much rather be just playing ball for the love of the game. Individual stat are not that important.

WHO ARE YOU ELEODY????? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY HAVE HANDBOOKS THAT THEY FOLLOW BY????? ARE YOU A TEACHER OR A PERSON OUT OF TOWN THAT WATCHES THE KIDS EVERY MOVE! VERY WELL THEN! IF YOU POSSIBLY THINK THAT LUBEC IS A AWFUL SCHOOL, ITS NOT! THERE MAYBE NOT OVER A BILLION KIDS IN THE SCHOOL, WELL THERE IS UNDER 40 TEENS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL! THIS SCHOOL WAS THE BEST UNTIL THE STUPID PARENTS WANTED THERE KIDS TO GO TO WA! IT'S A WASTE OF MONEY! LUBEC WOULD'VE HAD MORE SPORTS, MORE PEOPLE, MORE EVERYTHING IF THE PARENTS HADN'T HAVE FRUIT LOOP BRAIN TO SEND THEM THERE! THERE IS ABOUT 40 OTHER PEOPLE FROM LUBEC THAT GO TO THAT PLACE IT IS A WASTE OF MONEY! 1,000'S OF DOLLARS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN THANKS TO ABOUT 50 DIFFERENT KINDS OF PARENTS! IT IS SO STUPID!!!!!!!!! THERE IS MORE KIDS FROM PRE-K TO 5TH GRADE THEN HIGH SCHOOL! THERE IS ONLY 26 KIDS IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL! WHY GOD WHY!

I recently moved back to Maine from North Dakota. In ND, schools have been experiencing sharp enrollment declines since the 1930s, and many school district have, out of necessity, started to "co-op" on athletic programs - that is, combine the athletes from 2 or more schools to field varsity teams. I taught in a school in western North Dakota that cooperated with a school 23 miles away. Same distance from Lubec to East Machias. And that was over gravel roads in, frankly, much more severe winter weather than downeast Maine. Those two schools had a combined high school enrollment of 34. Small schools in rural Maine should perhaps consider using cooperative sports programs, so deserving kids in small towns don't have to be denied access to athletics.

I am one of the "Fruit looped parents" who have sent my kid to WA. I don't regret it for one minute. My kid WANTED to go! We all saw the writing on the wall 3 years ago that there wouldn't be enough dedicated kids for a team. We went through try-outs at WA where only the talented survive, and she made it. Not a day goes by that she doesn't thank us for sending her to a "real high school". She has had to work very hard to catch up with the kids in her class to be on the same level in her eduation as they are. Will my other kids go to WA? YOU BET! This isn't about not liking our community, Lubec. It's about giving our kids the best chance they can get to be sucessful in life.

Lobsterman, I'm sooo glad you have the money to pay the tuition for your children to go to WA. Alot of parents don't have that luxury. So, most of the kids that go to Lubec really do try and make the most of the education they get....and they DO go onto college and they DO succeed! Lubec IS A REAL HIGH SCHOOL, they just get the short end of the stick with funding. And that's because of the STATE and THEIR cutbacks!

Flyonthewall, where are you getting your information? Have you sat in on one of the math classes? Call me crazy but I'd say that the math programs that the high school provides are pretty solid. For the elementary I'm not sure that I can say the same, not because I'm against it but because it's been a good many years since I have been there myself. May I ask you what is so bad with small classes? It seems to me small classes would be an advantage because they students could have a better chance getting whatever help they may need. So some classes don't have kids on the honor role, are you going to blame the teachers? The chance for the kids were there to get on the honor role, it's not like names are pulled out of a hat at random. How is WA so great, same education, just more options, I'm not pro WA but it's just the truth. Why send your kids to a school that you have to pay for, Machias school is practically the same school only you don't have to pay for it. I guess common sense isn't all that common anymore.