CARIBOU, Maine — With the halls already decked but Auld Lang Syne not quite here, the last week of December is characterized by celebration and remembering the past year.
To help with reminiscing, here’s a short list of a few things that happened in 2012.
January
• Limestone natives Bernard and Norma Shaw were honored with the 2012 Agriculture Commissioner’s Distinguished Service Award.
• The Christopher Home of Caribou, a well-established program for at-risk boys, prepared to close its doors due to budget cuts and the harsh economic climate.
• Danny and Demaree Corriveau won the “Dancing Like a Star” trophy at the Caribou High School.
• The Bling fundraiser in Limestone raised $7,335 for the local nonprofit C-A-N-C-E-R. “We use the money for whatever the patient needs,” said C-A-N-C-E-R President Sue Nickerson, adding that assisting patients with travel costs is one of the most expensive requests for aid the group receives.
• Braedyn Berry, son of Cassandra Malone and Brandon Berry of Presque Isle, was the Cary Medical Center’s first newborn of 2012.
February
• While searching for a new fire chief, the Caribou City Council entertained the idea of hiring a public safety director instead to help reduce costs to the city; the public safety director would have been responsible for overseeing the police, fire and ambulance departments including fiscal, personnel and administrative matters.
• The tenth annual Doll Tea Party was celebrated at the Caribou Public Library, with over 20 young ladies attending.
• About $5,200 was raised for AMHC through the eighth annual Andy Santerre Sno-Run, bringing the total amount fundraised to nearly $300,000.
• Students of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics experienced the Roaring ‘20s during the annual Gatsby Ball, held by the humanities department to immerse the students in the history and culture of the 1920s before students dive in to the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• For his successful work in securing essential vehicles and other equipment on behalf of the city through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Offices, Caribou Police Sgt. Paul Vincent was recognized by the Caribou City Council with a formal letter of commendation.
• The Limestone Selectpeople expressed their interest in learning just how much it would cost the town to leave the Regional School Union (RSU) 39 and manage the school on their own; the town’s Police Department also entertained the idea of creating a ‘Good Neighbor’ program aimed at ensuring the wellbeing of seniors and disabled individuals in the town. The program would have required community support and participation.
• Five and a half years in the making, plans for the proposed Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum were halted, following a lengthy board meeting in January. While it was not an easy decision for officials with the CCDM to make, they were pleased to donated the funds they had raised to the Francis Malcolm Science Center in Easton.
March
• The County was abuzz with talks about mining Bald Mountain; the Caribou City Councilors signing a resolution showing the city’s support for the project.
• Nearly 70 citizens turned out for a public hearing in Limestone to voice their concerns about reducing police patrol hours from 24 to 18; based on the consensus of the meeting, no reduction in hours occurred.
• Winning the Northern Star Competition was Megan Ouellette, of Clair , N.B. Winning the Northern Stars United competition were “The Triplets,” also from N.B., which included twin sisters Naomi and Nokomi Oakes Ouellet with Ariane Richard.
• The County experienced days of record-setting high temperatures in the 70s.
• Members of the Caribou Middle School Gifted and Talented Program teamed up with the Caribou Public Library and the Aroostook Substance Abuse Program encouraged everyone to read ‘The Revealers,” authored by Dough Wilhelm.
• On the same day she turned 98, Limestone’s Lucy Beaulieu received the town’s Boston Post Cane.
• The Vision Café through RSU 39 brought 100 community members together to discuss how the schools should be best preparing students for the future.
• During Limestone’s annual Recognition Banquet, Norman Page received a Citizen of the Year Award along with Barbara and Ronald Gallagher.
April
• Students of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics won the 36th annual Maine State Math Meet at the Bangor Auditorium for the second consecutive year.
• W. Louis Greenier, who served as the Grand Master of the Maine Masonic Lodge, was celebrated during the Grand Master’s Reception attended by a full house.
• First-grader at the Woodland Community School Jasmine Berry, daughter of Neil and Connie Berry, was named a state grade-level winner in the Zane Bloser National Handwriting Contest.
• Aroostook County law enforcement agencies met in Caribou in support of the Youth Access to Alcohol pilot program, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Community Voices. “Some may ask, ‘what’s the big deal about it?’ I’ll tell you — it’s a big deal,” said District Attorney Todd Collins.
• Administration of the Limestone Community School hosted an open house to view the new $1.8 million biomass boiler recently installed.
• Caribou FFA chapter members Desiree Fuhrmann-Lavallee and Colby Johnson were named recipients of the 2012 DEKALB Outstanding Ag Student Award.
• Limestone Elementary Level Destination ImagiNation students won regional competition in Orono.
May
• Natasha Bishop, the daughter of Rick and Sharlet Bishop, was crowned Miss Caribou 2012.
• Officials with the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Maine School of Science and Mathematics signed an agreement that allows high school students of the magnet school to obtain college credits for the university-level courses that they take.
• Aroostook area Girl Scouts celebrated the organization’s 100th anniversary with an International Food Festival and sleepover at the Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center.
• Agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency busted a meth lab in Connor.
• The library of the Woodland School received a box filled with 45 brand new books after librarian Cindy Privette won a “Your Best Shot” photo contest through the program Reading is Fundamental. She took a photo of Amanda Poulin receiving a book.
• During the annual Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce Recognition Dinner, Doug Hunter was named Citizen of the Year; Rob Kieffer, Dwight Stickles and Marvin Hedstrom received the Spirit of Caribou Award and Carol Pierson received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Works of Heart won the Downtown Revitalization Award and C.S. Management was named Business of the Year.
• Former Limestone Vice Principal Larry Worcester was named the new superintendent of SAD 24 in Van Buren.
• The Maine School of Science and Mathematics was named 38th best high school in the nation.
• The State legislature allocated funding for about 30 school buses to be refurbished at Maine Military Authority in Limestone.
• Ralph Conroy Jr. Was named “Mason of the Year” for the Caribou Masonic lodge.
June
• Relay for Life raised $140,500 for the American Cancer Society. Over 800 individuals participated in the event to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back against cancer.
• The RSU 39 School budget was approved for 2012-13 at $18,718,271.
• Former CMS teacher Travis Barnes was named assistant principal/athletic director of the Limestone Community School
• Former Caribou City Manager Stephen Buck resigned from his position, after accepting the position of Town Manager in Stanford which began at the beginning of August.
• Caribou native Molly Bouchard was crowned Miss Maine. She will compete for the title of Miss America 2013 in Las Vegas next month.
• New Sweden’s annual Midsommar Festival featured the talents of 27 Orst Folk Dancers from Sweden.
• After three secret votes, citizens of New Sweden passed their school budget at $404,000.
