October 18, 2022, Issue 10

Dear friend,

Greetings from the Anchor!

As we move into November we say goodbye to the last of our summer residents and start to batten down the hatches for the winter. But rest assured the Anchor will continue to publish every month, and we hope that it will help keep you entertained even on the coldest of days. 

Potential jack-o'-lanterns line the wall outside the farm stand at Two Coves Farm on Harpswell Neck, while others continue to grow on the vine. (photo by Pam Berry, from front page of the October 2022 print paper)

Our readers tell us that they consider the Anchor their personal Yellow Pages so we want to make sure we continue to provide as many ad options as possible. Jane Warren, our new Advertising and Sponsorship Manager, is seeking new partners, large and small, for our winter issues. Our ad rates start at $40 and we provide free design services. We encourage anyone who runs a business or nonprofit organization to contact Jane at jane@harpswellanchor.org, or call (802) 922-5863. Joining the Anchor shows your support of local, nonprofit news!

Cheers!

The Harpswell Anchor team

Keep a Look-Out for Newsmatch 2022!

Harpswell News, the nonprofit organization that publishes the Anchor, announces its Newsmatch 2022 program. Any tax-deductible gifts received between November 1 and December 31^st will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by business sponsors. 

All of our readers will receive a mailed letter about this exciting fundraising drive during the first week in November. We'll also send a reminder in the November e-blast. 

Anchor volunteers always have a great time! (Photo: Janice Thompson)

Seeking Volunteers for Newsmatch 2022 Mailing!

Many thanks to those who have volunteered to help us with our fundraising appeal mailing! We are seeking more helpers (because, as they say, "many hands make light work"). 

We are tentatively scheduled for 1 pm on Monday, October 31st for the project. Of course Halloween costumes are not required! 

Contact Janice to help out - and thank you -  

EDITOR'S CORNER

Back in March, the Anchor received a tip that Harpswell Coastal Academy, the public charter school on Harpswell Neck, was in crisis. A decision was imminent: either close or consolidate at the end of the school year, just months away.

Supporters of Harpswell Coastal Academy speak during a public hearing at the school on September 29. (J.W. OLIVER PHOTOS)

The Anchor went to work and broke the story that Harpswell Coastal Academy had decided to pursue consolidation — closing its branch on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station and bringing all students to its original location in the former West Harpswell School. The story went statewide the next month with reporting by Maine Public, which credited the Anchor with the scoop. The Times Record has also produced strong reporting on the school in recent months.

Since that first story, the Anchor has continued reporting as Harpswell Coastal Academy sought and secured approval for consolidation, applied and advocated for renewal of its charter, and ultimately met with disappointment as the commission declined to renew its charter, which will force the school to close at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.



It is not for the Anchor to say whether the commission's decision was the right one, but it was moving to hear testimony from families and students who credit the school with transforming their lives. At meeting after meeting, students talked about how — for a variety of reasons — traditional public schools did not work for them. Bullies tormented them. Lessons didn't engage them. Administrators didn't understand or accommodate their health issues.

At Harpswell Coastal Academy, they found a school that treated them as individuals, allowed them to learn at their own pace, engaged their interests. Above all, they found a community that accepted them, regardless of ability or identity. That's no small accomplishment. But for the state, Harpswell Coastal Academy's persistent shortcomings in areas like absenteeism and finances outweighed its success stories.

When any school closes, it affects the community. At the Anchor, our thoughts are with the students and teachers as they navigate this upheaval in their lives.

Good or bad, the Anchor covers the news that matters to the Harpswell community. The Anchor will continue to report on Harpswell Coastal Academy as it prepares to close, and on the future of the building and campus beyond next June.

J.W. Oliver

Editor, Harpswell Anchor

Would you like to receive the Anchor at your winter address? Or would you like to add an out-of-town friend to our mailing list? Let us know! Contact janice@harpswellanchor.org or call (207) 504-4428 to be added. These mailings are supported by tax-deductible gifts, with thanks to our donors. Please consider making a gift today! 

The Anchor is YOUR paper, and our community makes it happen! Please consider getting involved by:

• Submitting events for our calendar (for nonprofit organizations only);
• Suggesting story ideas;
• Offering to volunteer (email Janice);
• Purchasing Anchor merchandise;
• Requesting that a paper be mailed to an out-of-town address;
• Writing a Letter to the Editor;
• Making a tax-deductible gift;
• Taking out a sponsored ad in the paper or our website; and
• Liking us on Facebook.

THANK YOU!!!