Edgecomb Eddy’s sixth graders go the extra mile for their community, taking to heart the school motto of the three Rs, Respect, Responsibility, and Reflection.  As the oldest students of the school, sixth graders have always taken leadership roles, but in recent years, teacher Laurie Brown has expanded their duties to reflect today’s increasing awareness of individual responsibility in shaping our world.  In addition to traditional classroom jobs, such as sharpening pencils and passing out papers, these 6th graders take on special assignments that benefit the entire Eagle Nation.   

Their days have a rhythm marked by more than their rigorous academic curriculum.  At arrival, 6th graders perform three community jobs. They assist the littles ones at breakfast and clean up the cafeteria.  They compose and deliver News and Announcements over the intercom.  And they hoist the flags in front of the school.  They set the tone that this is a place of compassion, communication, and pride.

After lunch, 6th grade students help wash tables and sweep the cafeteria floor.  Others collect and weigh the leftovers and take them out to the compost receptacles near the school gardens.  One lunch period yields anywhere from 11 to 26 pounds of compost that would otherwise go into a landfill.  

At the end of each day, the flag helpers lower the flags and fold them according to flag etiquette.  Another group surveys the playground for any extra sleds or balls that were left out after recess, and they store them in the equipment shed. Other afternoon jobs depend on the season, such as watering the gardens or changing out decorations in the flower boxes.

There are once-a-week jobs as well as daily ones.  Library helpers organize books in the school library with Mrs. Heather Chouinard, the Library, Art, and STEAM teacher.  Mentoring younger students is a highly anticipated part of the week.  Retiring teacher Mrs. Jennifer Gosselin’s second graders look forward to their older friends’ help with reading, making crafts, and research projects, and the feeling is mutual.  Friday is also Recycling Day.  Following color-coded maps of the school, sixth graders collect paper from classrooms and staff rooms.  Then they carry the bags of paper out to Ms. Brown’s car.  Since the school does not have a contract to dispose of recycling, Ms. Brown takes the paper to the transfer station every Saturday morning.  

All of their contributions are valuable, but it is their culturing of the environment through composting and recycling that has the greatest impact on the students’ sense of accomplishment. During trips to Chewonki Outdoor Education and Gulf of Maine Research Institute, in science class, and at Science Club with Maine School Science Volunteers, students have learned about the work of decomposers, or FBI (fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates) teeming in compost. They look forward to watching how their black gold will improve the quality of the school gardens and orchard. Spearheaded by fourth grade teacher Mrs. Sarah Currier, the gardens have become as iconic a part of EES as the woods that the students get to play in.  Local organizations have had pivotal roles in opportunities for land stewardship at EES.  Environmental educator Tracey Hall from Boothbay Region Land Trust used to take them on nature walks, (and now, their Pre-K and K teacher Cindy Casey works there!)  The Boothbay Rotary Club sponsored the garden for many years, under the guidance of Ingrid Merrill.  Students recall planting seeds under the classroom grow lights donated by the Botanical Gardens through Erica Huber.  They learned the importance of pollinators when they planted the perennial garden with the Boothbay Garden Club, who donated plants, soil, and their time to the children of EES. Two years ago, students planted a fruit tree orchard, made possible through a grant from ReTreeUs.  The 6th graders have grown up with green thumbs, thanks to the generosity of the community.

Head Custodian Dee Douin tells the kids every day how grateful she is for the important work they do.  She has even pointed out to them that the reduction of the paper and food waste that used to go to the dumpster is resulting in significant savings to the town’s taxpayers.  

This class is the first to graduate after eight years at EES, the first to take advantage of Pre-K, and they are shining examples of Edgecomb’s dedication to early childhood education.  These 11- and 12-year-olds from Edgecomb and Alna take care of their school and their environment in authentic ways.  Accepting those responsibilities has empowered them to be more thoughtful, committed, and engaged citizens.