On the theme of season change and possibility, I have a more personal story to share… 

I first learned of Cobscook Institute (then Cobscook Community Learning Center) in 2015 when I was wrapping up my Master’s program at Antioch University New England. At the time, my partner Joe Horn and I were finalizing plans to incorporate Maine Outdoor School, L3C (MOS) in Milbridge, just an hour away from Cobscook. 

Like so many others, I have found Cobscook to be a welcoming space where I could connect, learn, and expand my horizons. In an effort to learn from and support a nearby organization with shared values, I offered to do my Master’s internship and final project in support of Cobscook Institute’s work. I developed a marketing plan for Heartwood Lodge, an evaluation plan for the high school program, and provided an organizational sustainability analysis.  All of these experiences brought new insights into my own purpose work and future vision.

As the seeds for MOS were germinating after we incorporated in 2016, I continued to support Cobscook Institute as the lead coordinator, writer, and editor of Cobscook Currents. Later, I began writing the e-newsletter, Cobscook Waves, and became a grant writer for Cobscook Institute. Meanwhile, I even led some MOS programs with partners like Island Institute and Bowdoin Upward Bound on the beautiful Cobscook Institute campus.

Those seeds Joe and I planted over five years ago have developed into the blooming plant that is Maine Outdoor School today. With my outdoor programming at public schools across Washington and Hancock Counties having tripled this fall compared to last fall, it was time for me to step away from my Cobscook Institute work so that I can now focus my full time energy on MOS. 

While this is an exciting step, it is certainly one full of mixed emotions as Cobscook Institute has been a big part of my life for the past six years. The good news is, I am still in Downeast Maine and am confident I will continue to collaborate with Cobscook Institute in my MOS work moving forward!

- Hazel Stark