Please join us in welcoming Laura Thomas to the CCLC Team! Laura serves as the School Resource Coach for TREEand is assigned to work within our first full partner school, Milbridge Elementary School.

While both of her parents grew up in Maine, Laura grew up all over the US and in Europe, as her father served in the United States Air Force. Her son Malachi was born in 2003, and in 2004, Laura started college as a first generation, nontraditional college student through a TRIO program called Onward.

Five years later, Laura graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a minor in Spanish from the University of Maine in Orono. For the last seven years, Laura has worked as an ESL teacher for MSAD 37, which serves the four communities surrounding Harrington, and served on the Board of Mano en Mano, which provides education and housing opportunities while removing barriers to health and social services for the diverse populations of Downeast Maine. She has been their Board President for the last three years.

Laura’smotivation as a teacher stems from her desire to remove barriers for her students, allowing them to overcome any obstacles in their paths toward success. It is important to her that families feel welcome at school and connected to the success of their students. Her former colleagues and administrators agree, “She is an outstanding educator, a passionate mentor, and an effective change-maker. Her commitment to students and families is unmatched.”