Homecoming is an American tradition that celebrates the history of a school or organization by welcoming back alumni to celebrate its traditions. Last week, we celebrated homecoming with athletic and class competitions, a parade with our teams and musicians, a dance, and dress up days. After a week of themed dress-up days, the Homecoming parade kicked off the weekend festivities, where students, alumni, and the community came together to show off their school spirit. Students, athletes, and the band made their way down Main Street on floats, trucks, golf carts and flatbed trucks! With face paint, school colors, and plenty of cheering, the energy was high. The day wrapped up with the Homecoming Dance in the gym, where students had fun dressing up and dancing with friends.

Saturday kept the momentum going with soccer games on the turf. Families and friends filled the sidelines, cheering on their teams. Our students helped keep the crowd going, and of course, Eddy the Eagle made an appearance to lead the fun.

The cooler weather has arrived, and our leaves are beginning to change color—always a highlight of fall in New England! It’s easy to see why people travel here just to take in the foliage.

With the season change, we’ve also seen a bit of illness in the dorm, which is pretty typical for this time of year. We’ve encouraged all students to practice good hygiene, avoid sharing food and drinks, and wear a mask if they’d like the extra protection. We’ll continue to keep an eye on things and share any important updates as they come.

Earlier this past week, LA Freshmen were at Reid State Park participating in Coastal Clean Up. Coastweek is a national celebration of our coastal resources. In Maine, the annual Coastal Cleanup is the biggest volunteer event in the state. We are fortunate to have such wonderful opportunities in which our dorm students can participate!

Additionally, we were lucky enough to host a group of international education agents who toured our campus last week. They had a wonderful time being fully immersed in the broader LA community and more specifically our Reslife community. These agents came from various countries, and got to sit down for a panel with some of our students. Shoutout to Justin, Best, Seoyoon, Lucy, Maks, Veronika, and Marinna for representing our community so well, and for eloquently answering the variety of questions posed by the agents. Great job!

A number of our students are taking the SAT exam this weekend. The exam is a “multiple-choice, paper and pencil test, created and administered by the College Board.  The purpose of the SAT is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.” (The Princeton Review.) In addition to the SAT, junior high schoolers have the opportunity to take the PSAT October 7. This exam is often taken by Juniors and is one that will help prepare them for the SAT.

We have upcoming breaks and they will be here before you know it! Thanksgiving break is from Saturday, November 21 – Sunday, November 29. During this time, the dorm is open, and students may stay for no additional charge. Whether your student is staying at LA that week, or traveling, we need you to fill out this Thanksgiving travel form by October 26th. Again, all Thanksgiving travel plans are due by October 26th, although we appreciate having that information earlier if possible.

Winter Vacation happens just a few weeks later, and the due date for December travel plans is November 16. We will send out a similar form in the next week or two so you can submit travel information for that break as well. Please remember, the dorm is closed for Winter Vacation, and students may not stay on campus for any part of that vacation. You must make travel arrangements for your student(s).

Here is the link to our travel document that will help clarify travel policies, here is the link to the Travel FAQ with suggestions for transportation services around Portland and Boston Logan Airport.  Please read through this carefully, as it contains important information!

Be well and take care,