My name is Colby Allen and I am the 2023-2024 BRHS Student Body president. I am writing to advocate on behalf of the BRHS Student Body to convey our support of the referendum to be voted on April 24. 

Members of the BRHS student body and faculty have faced many hurdles stemming from the decline of our school facilities. Last March, the pipes at BRES burst and we were all crammed wall to wall in our 75-year-old school facility. Some courses were taught in the cafeteria, gym stage, and the auditorium. This was an eye-opening experience for many students and faculty. While everyone worked hard to acclimate, it was not easy and it created many challenges, from being forced to go online for weeks, to being displaced into environments not fit for learning. 

The recent break of our water main only technically affected one day of learning, but the response echoed from the BRHS student body after the water break spoke volumes. When walking down the halls and into classrooms generalized remarks like “here we go again” and “maybe this time they’ll (community, school and local) realize this place is falling apart” could be heard. These remarks have added to the frustration with the overall condition of our school(s), the dire need for action, and for our student voices to be heard.

Walking down the halls of BRHS and having to weave between buckets of murky water and wet floor signs (from ceiling leaks) should say enough about the condition that our school is in. If we reflect on the decades-long issues of poor water quality (lead tainted water), asbestos, electrical failures, mold, and a building that is not in accordance with fire code, we have to wonder, how did we get here? School administrators find themselves in a constant state of damage control and crisis management, but this patchwork is not enough to support a safe environment now or in years to come. It is difficult to understand in a region that is one of the most desirable places in Maine, why the schools are in the state that they are.

“Seahawk Nation” is slipping away from us as each day passes, and we are pleading for action. By the time changes will be made to our school(s), most of us will have graduated and yet we want to advocate for future generations of students who will pass through the halls of BRES and BRHS. From where we stand, the physical aspect of our school(s) in our towns aren’t fit to properly serve the young people of this community–a community that is known to be strong, resilient, generous, caring, and embodies the definition of community. Our hope is that this letter is received with respect and care, the manner in which it has been written and was intended. 

The following students and BRHS faculty members signed this letter of support: Ariel Alamo, Gabe Hackett, Charlotte Fuchswanz, Jordan Chamness, Suzie Edwards, Dylan North, Finn Harkins, Luke Morley, William Clifford, Tatum French, Tyson French, Nick Giles, Titan Lewis, Donna Callahan (faculty), Gabby Crowell, Nevaeh Morin, Chau Nguyen, Matt Brewer (faculty), Kennadie Murray, Ivory Cody, Emmanuel Dukelly, Tammy Blackman (faculty), Maddie Orchard, Abbie Clark, Zoe Curtis, Anna Gosselin, Emily Gosselin, Karen Higgins, Larissa Provost, Sophia Mansfield, Aubrey Holmes, Lysander Lefevere, Afton-Warren-Burdin, Silas Lehoulier, Neal Baldwin, Graham Cox, Alex Wagg, Sophie White, Bryson Fairman, Casey Phelps, AJ Crocker, Cole Hyson, Cleyton Splaine, Josh Labreque, Chase Mansfield, Rodi Mayne, Spencer Pottle, Maddie Andreason, Eleanor Marshall, Sarah Harris, Cass Amaral, Aileigh Johnson, Piper McKane, Ella Watts, Hannah Kreft, Rose Campbell, Justine Marshall, Cameron Payson, Nick Scott (faculty), Stacy Gauthier (faculty), Mason Paquette, Lily Nein, Magen Burge, Cathy Hodgdon (faculty), Grey Ferris (faculty), Chris Liberti (faculty), Kai Pitcher, Logan Bourne, Sarah Kreft, Mark Gorey (faculty), Leanne Burnham (faculty), Kristin Hanley (faculty).