Schools
Hermon High School
Members of the Hermon High School JROTC program recently voyaged to the Brewer Salmon Club for a trip down the Penobscot River.
Led by program instructors (Retired) Maj. Marcel Fortier and (Retired) First Sgt. Rob Jenkins, many of the cadets within the program joined Penobscot Riverkeepers members on a guided canoe tour of the river.
Penobscot Riverkeepers president Mike Maybury hoped the trip would demonstrate the beauty of the aquatic landmark and its leisurely purposes. “The reason these other Riverkeepers and I got involved was just out of our care for the river. We hope it’s never as [polluted] as it once was,” he said.
Archeological evidence has suggested that Native Americans inhabited the river as early as 8,000 years ago. First discovered by Europeans in 1524, the river led to the foundation of a permanent Indian settlement in Old Town. Best known for it’s large salmon population, the river had once been the fifth most polluted in the United States.
“There was a point where the river was just so polluted, there was smog coming off of it. It was impossible to see past it,” Maybury said.
Students also toured the wastewater treatment facilities in Bangor and Brewer. The facilities remove waste from the water and transform it into 99.9 percent clear, waste-free liquid. The workers said they regularly remove solids that have been flushed from toilets to the facilities, ranging from trinkets and toys to hundred-dollar bills.
“The trip was so much fun, and just a really awesome experience,” a freshman cadet said.
Colleges
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
BANGOR — Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced recently that David Smallwood of Bangor helped WPI’s 400-yard medley relay team claim NEWMAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Men’s Relay Team of the Week honors.
Junior Alex Powers, sophomore Tim Petri, freshman David Smallwood and sophomore Andrew Bauer helped the Engineers get off to a great start in their double dual with Coast Guard and Division I Providence as they won the race with by nearly six seconds in a time of 3:31.53, which is currently ranked eighth in Division III.