Downeast School
100 Moosehead Boulevard Bangor, Maine 04401 (207) 941-6240 Pre-K to Grade 3
A Message from Principal Mary Helen Williams
Our school was built on farm land owned by the grandparents of one of
our much-loved, now retired staff members. For years, Martha knew
every student in the school, taught many of their parents, and probably
extended family members as well. Fifty years ago her grandparents used
to live and farm on what is now the site of Downeast Elementary.
To
me, personal connections like that are the reason we are successful at
educating the 300 or so students in grades kindergarten through third
who spend nearly seven hours a day with us 175 days a year (our
pre-kindergarten students are with us half a day). That's a lot of
personal connections.
Downeast was built on the farm in the first
place to serve as a community center and then school for the military
families connected with Dow Air Force Base, now the site of Bangor
International Airport. The base was open from 1941 to 1968. Our
primary neighborhoods refer to the name of the housing erected for the
millions of military families across the country following World War II
needing a place to live. Our Capeharts were built in the 1950's and our
building was completed about 10 years later. Around 1980, the Bangor
School Department acquired and renovated the building into the school
it is today.
One goal I have for our school is to build on its
long-standing connections, to make our school community even stronger.
Why? Because public schools face great challenges these days. Even with
our young population, we are educating children to become citizens of
the world, with solid academic abilities and the tools to navigate the
daily ups and downs of their lives. Schools cannot do this alone.
Parents, families, and neighborhoods must work together to teach these
young students what they'll need to succeed in a world that looks a
lot different than it did when Martha's family farm was here.
Parents, especially, are a vital link to school success whether it's
attending parent/teacher conferences or a family event such as our
winter Snow Ball dance.
Bangor's goal for all students is
academic excellence, and one way we're achieving that is with our
school improvement team. That means teachers and staff study reading,
writing, and math scores to improve instructional strategies. Teaching
students how to problem solve and work cooperatively is another crucial
skill we teach in school. Wellness is a new focus for the Bangor
system, and at Downeast we'll be strengthening the connection between
healthy bodies and academic achievement.
At school you'll
meet not only your child's classroom teacher, but also our specialists
for art, music, guidance, physical education, and library. The Title 1
program ably supports our classrooms, as does Special Education. Those
bright blue and red playgrounds are thanks to our PTO, the Downeast
Friends, as are Friday popcorn days and the Spring Fair.
Before
and after school activities are available here as well. Teachers have
offered Readers' Theatre, knitting, recreational games, chess, Homework
Club and other activities during Community School. We have a
long-running Big Brother/Big Sister program here, with Bangor High
School students meeting weekly with second and third graders. Look for
fun family events such as the Jack O' Lantern Jubilee, Turkey Dinner,
Holiday Stories Night , and Spirit Week.
Everyone at
Downeast--teachers, educational technicians, custodians, kitchen staff,
and office personnel, comes to school every day with the goal of
providing our young students with the high-quality education they
deserve. And the first thing we see as we walk into the building are
the gardens, reminiscent of Martha's family farm. Designed and planted
by a Boy Scout doing community service, these gardens are now
maintained by parents and staff. There's that personal connection
again. Welcome to Downeast School.
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