By MaryMargaret Portera
MSSM Intern
On Jan. 5, Maine officially welcomed Gov. Paul LePage to office. During his inaugural address, among other things, he recognized the people of Maine, the brave men and women serving from the state, and his ideas for securing jobs for the people of Maine and educating students. He also specifically mentioned the magnet school in Limestone as a shining example of Maine’s best academic aspects.
Gov. LePage said, “We need to train the next generation of workers in Maine in the industries that offer the most potential.” He wants to do this through better education for the students in Maine. The governor clearly has faith that the Maine School of Science and Mathematics will help achieve this goal. “We have one of the world’s best Science and Math magnet schools in Limestone, Maine,” LePage said.
Gov. LePage used Danny Hayes as evidence of MSSM’s educating abilities. A graduate of MSSM, Hayes is now on the Dean’s list at the University of Maine as an engineering student. Hayes is, of course, not the only successful student to come out of MSSM. Established in 1995, MSSM has a 100 percent college acceptance rate. The school also has a Gold Medal ranking in America’s Best High Schools 2010 by USN magazine.
Michael E. Sonntag, acting executive director of MSSM, said, “One thing I hear in my position is that many across the state don’t know much about MSSM. We are trying to change that … to get the word out about the school.”
“To hear Governor LePage refer to us as a world class school of mathematics and science tells me he has heard the message,” he added.
