Cobscook Institute, like thousands of other organizations across the country and around the world, is doing its part to protect our community and staff, and to minimize the spread of COVID-19. As we take steps to adjust our programming, our thoughts are with you and all our friends and supporters. We send warm regards to you and your families, and hope you are staying well.
Our campus is closed for programs, until further notice. Meanwhile, our work carries on unabated and our commitment to our mission is as strong as ever. We want to let you know what we are doing to continue creating responsive educational opportunities that strengthen personal, community, and global well-being, especially in these challenging circumstances.
This special issue of Cobscook Waves takes the place of our usual Spring print newsletter so you can learn more about how we are adapting our programming to help meet the immediate needs of our community, while taking care of our staff.
Cobscook Experiential Programs
Our high school students are meeting daily for virtual learning and will continue to do so through at least April 27. Each student has a computer and Kara and Michael are using Zoom and other means to maintain the learning community and keep students connected and engaged through as regular a routine as possible. There has been 100% attendance in the online sessions.
Cobscook’s experiential approach to education has prepared the students to adapt and respond to challenges, so they are taking this change in stride. The annual spring expedition to Washington DC has been cancelled, along with the guitar project and citizen science projects in the community, but students and teachers are working together to design alternative explorations. One plan in the works is a birding unit where students will be exploring biodiversity by learning local bird calls, taking photos, and writing reflections. This will entail more independent exploration than usual, which will be challenging for some, but also an opportunity to develop self-motivation, self-sufficiency, and communications skills such as using email and online collaboration apps.
Cobscook Center
The lodge and conference facilities are closed and we have cancelled all programming through at least the end of April. We will extend cancellations into subsequent months as circumstances warrant. The Cobscook Gathering scheduled for July has been postponed. We are offering full refunds for all COVID 19 related cancellations.
We have made our lodge available for possible use by the regional medical center, if the need occurs. We will keep everyone up to date about any plans that arise.
Our IT team is offering its services to educators in Washington County as they transition to remote teaching tools. Monday Night Music sessions have gone virtual with Alan Furth leading these via Zoom. The Writers Group, a longtime staple of the Center, has moved to virtual meetings as well. We are looking at other virtual activities that we might be able to offer to our community. Check the Cobscook Institute web page, regularly, for details.
Cobscook TREE: Transforming Rural Experience in Education
Both the Milbridge and Jonesport schools are closed through at least April 27. For kids who are already dealing with trauma, the interruption of routine can amplify feelings of fear and overwhelm. Cobscook Institute staff are all hands on deck, doing everything they can to support families and give students a sense of stability and connection. They have been working to establish new pathways to provide basic needs and critical care for families. The majority of TREE students rely on schools for two meals a day; for some, these are the only meals they will have. In collaboration with the Maine Seacoast Mission and the Good Shepherd Food Bank, we’re distributing food and household items to families. TREE mental health therapists are providing consultations via Zoom. The TREE team and other staff are reading bedtime stories to students each evening, via Facebook Live. You can see them here.
The Spring and Summer of 2020 will be a unique challenge for all of us, but, as you can see, we’re doing everything we can to ensure that we are as effective as possible, in service to the community we love.
I want to close with a message of gratitude to everyone who supported us in 2019. We’ve listed you all below. So many stepped up to enable the work that we do - companies, foundations and individuals alike. Without you, Cobscook Institute couldn’t do what we do.
We cannot say it enough: Thank You. Be well. Be in touch. Social distancing should not mean social isolation. We welcome hearing your ideas, and look forward to having conversations with you as our plans unfold over the coming months. Together, we know we will find a way forward--and with our collective effort, we hope we will be stronger and even more connected than before.
With appreciation and best wishes,
Sebastian Teunissen
Executive Director
Huge thanks to our 2019 donors.
You make everything we do possible!
Companies
Bar Harbor Bank and Trust
Corey & Corey
Darling's
Eastport Chamber of Commerce
First National Bank
Frank's Dockside Restaurant
Hancock Lumber
Harris Point Cabins and Motel
Helen's Restaurant
J. M. Huber Corporation
Kendall Farm Cottages
Lubec Bay Cottage
Machias Dental, P.A.
Machias Hannaford
Machias Savings Bank
Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Ohio Brook Disposal
One4All
Quoddy House
R.B. Allen Co., Inc.
Red Sleigh
Scythe Supply
Foundations
Anonymous
Charles G Wright Endowment for Humanity
Couch Family Foundation
Davis Foundations
Elmina B. Sewall Foundation
Fisher Charitable Foundation
Harold Alfond Foundation
Helen and George Ladd Charitable Corporation
Maine Arts Commission
Maine Community Foundation
Margaret E Burnham Charitable Trust
MCF Harbor Point Fund
Meadow Fund
Morgan Family Foundation
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust
National Recreation Foundation
Network for Good
Quimby Family Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Stone Foundation of New Jersey
The Boston Foundation
UM-EPSCoR Grant
United Way of Eastern Maine
United Way of Greater Portland
Fleck Family Fund
Individuals and Affiliates
Susan Abt
Bob and Ruth Ahrens
Carol Anderson
Bill and Kathy Attick
Dorothy Ault
James and Joanne Ausprey
Jim and Jeanne Backhaus
Larry Barker
Susanne Holt Bear
Mark and Kathleen Beaudouin
Chiori and Izaak Beck
Mary and Bob Belenky
Terry and Cathy Bell
Nancy and Warren Berkowitz
Charley Martin-Berry & Jake Berry
Steve Bien
Margaret Boyle
Audrey and Joseph Bradbury
Katey Branch
Jane Briggs
Ed and Betty-Jo Brine
Alan Brooks
Betsy Brown and Herb Wilson
Catherine Brown
Lynn Brown and Russ Warne
Jan Brown
Lyn Mikel Brown and Mark B. Tappan
Michael and Julie Brown
Stacy Brown
Pam and Larry Broyhill
Mary and Howard Burnell
Carol Carew
Ann M Carter
Erin Chalmers and Julia Drees
Robert and Marjorie Chandler
Christ Episcopal Church
Tim Christensen
Sharlene and Will Cochrane
Judith Beth Cohen and Mark Schneider
Lester and Joyce Coleman
Barry Costa-Pierce
Michelle Cousineau
Paul and Louise Cowan
Joyce Cox
Louis and Sylvia Cox
Charlotte Cushman
Patty Dann
Margaret DeBoy
Ralph and Carol Dennison
Susan Dewey
Maxene Doty
Carol and David Dowley
Downeast Salmon Federation
Mary Dunn and Stuart Shotwell
Kate Elliott
Marion Elliott
Rhonda Feiman and Petra Hall
Kathleen Fitzgerald
Karyn and Philip Flood
Harold Fogelson, M.D.
George and Pat Fowler
Cyril and Dute Francis
Clare French and Curt Iden
Rees and Joanna Frescoln
Pat Fry
Bill and Heungboc Fulton
Fundy Chapter, Maine Audubon
Ross Furman and Deb Train
Abe and Heather Furth
Alan Furth and Katie MacGregor
Alex Furth
Eileen Furth
Jane Furth and August Matzdorf
Sue Furth
Judy Futch and Paul Smith
Jessica Gardner
Cate and Dick Gilbane
John Giles
Donald and Susan Gipe
Harold Goodman
Monica Goodwin
Charles and Elizabeth Greenland
Rosie Griffith
Peter Grua and Mary O'Connell
Saul and Irene Grysman
Nancy and Brett Guisinger
Babette Gwynn and Jane Barker
Carol Hancock and Greg Johnson
Ellen Harasimowicz
Diana and Robert Harding
Gay Haroutunian
Butch and Janna Harris
Thomas and Emily Haslett
Sam Hayward
John Heald
Martha Heald
Phyllis Henigson
Michael Henry
Eric and Beth Hinson
Bruce and Amy Hodgdon
Sandra Hodgdon
Mark Hoffman
Hans Holznagel and Kathryn Harlow
Sally Hoople
Dick Hoyt and Jean Bookman
Nancy Hume and Jim Merlihan
Andrew Hunter
Judith Hupp
Nick and Joan Hurd
Debbie Jamieson
Jeff and Gretchen Johnson
Penny Johnson
Emily Jones
Gwendolyn Jones
Joey and Paula Jones
Judy Jones
McGinley Jones
Seth Jones
Theresa Kerchner
Joni M Kinney
Roland Knausenberger and Robin Barthholf-Knausenber
David and Margo Knight
Shannon Knight
Elen Knott
Elizabeth Koopman
Doug and Alice Kraus
Margaret Kravchuk and Harold Hamilton
Chris Kuhni
Rachel and Lloyd Lachow
Matridarshana Lamb
Shirley and Dick Lange
Dana and Denise Leavitt
Megan LeBoutillier
Melissa Lee and Eric Lookbaugh
Mary Lemmon
Rich and Darcy Lettieri
Peggy and William Lindberg
Hildie Lipson
Lisa Llorente
Mark Longo
Duane and Carol Lowenstein
Ann Luginbuhl
Arnie Macdonald and Liza Moore
John and Sue MacGregor
Paul and Barb MacGregor
Maine Blackfly Breeders Association
Cynthia Major
Pat Mallar
Patrick Maloney
Joanne Marian
Sally Mayer
Patricia and Mike McCabe
Bruce and Jeannie McCarthy
Steve and Karrina McCarthy
Kara McCrimmon and Penny Guisinger
Sue and Mike McCrimmon
Howard McFadden
Jill and E.J. McGrath
Andrew and Becky McKenna
Paul McKinney
Megan McOsker
George and Rose Mellors
Brian and Patricia Milliken
Leonard and Renee Minsky
Elizabeth and Richard Mistler
Molly Mithoefer
Fred Morrison and Laurie Sanders
Charles and Sara Mull
April Mullins
Peter and Debby Murray
Joyce Mykleby and Bob Von Rotz
Alex Naar
Rita and Timothy Nelson
Marianne New
John Newell and Linda Courtney
Wayne and Sandra Newell
Paul and Sue Newlin
Felicia and Brian Newman
Vivian and William Newman
Richard Norton
Stephen and Cynthia O'Brien
Michael O'Flaherty
Susan O'Keeffe
Dayle Owen
Jane and Glenn Page
Ken and Stephanie Page
Audrey Patterson
Paul Francis and Titia Hulst
Paula Laliberte
Perry Elementary School
Fred Pierce
Suzanne Plaut
Lawrence Porges
Joann Portalupi and Ralph Fletcher
Deborah Porter
Katie Porter
Lanette Pottle
G.E. Pry
Dede Ragot
Drs. Charles F. and Esther Rauch
David Ray and Kay Loftus-Ray
Howard Reed and Judith Ashley
Ala and William Reid
Gerald H Reis
Lew and Bunny Richards
Robert Ring, III, M.D.
Ruth Rohde and Sigmund Roos
Roosevelt Campobello International Park
Ginny and Brian Ruder
Sallie and William Satterthwaite
Bill and Susan Schoff
Julia Schulz
Brian, Frank, Sam, Henry Schuth and Alice St. Clair
Kristine Schwartz
Rob Scribner
Annie Seegmiller
Dwight and Melinda Seegmiller
Opal and Craig Seeley
John D Simard
Ann and David Simmons
Mary Jane Smith
Matthew and Jennifer Smith
Madonna Soctomah
Dr. and Mrs. David Sousa
Jack and Denise Spaulding
Bob Spencer
Hans and Ellie Spiegel
Don and Sherrie Sprangers
Joe Stacey
Bruce Stahnke
Richard and Janice Stanhope
Andrew Staroscik and Kerri Warren
Glenn and Sally Stephenson
Ginnie Stevens
Sarah and Paul Strickland
Paul Sullivan
Maureen Sze
Beverly Tappan
Elizabeth and Isabel Tappan-Defrees
Terri L Taylor
Sebastian Teunissen
Ken Thomas
Lisa and Kevin Thompson
Janet Tibbets-Brown and Joshua Brown
Frank Trocco
Katherine Tyler
Sepp Huber and Sheila Unvala
Geri Valentine
Krista Vining
Paul Vinzani
John and Terry Viselli
Lisa and Jeff Wahlstrom
Pat Warner and Geer Morton
Katherine Warren
Damon Weston
Paul and Janet Weston
Shanna Wheelock
Jean White
Kerry Wick
Sidney Williams
David Winski and Laurel Storm
Mark and Arlene Wren
Kirstin Hotelling Zona
Thomas Allen Zona
Every gift to Cobscook Institute is essential and much appreciated. We have carefully reviewed this list to include everyone who supported our work in 2019.
If your name has been omitted in error, please let us know.
