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Summer 2007
After more than a year in planning, our Archangel Committee hosted two teachers from the Archangel Region from July 19 to August 15, 2007. Visiting Maine was our old friend Nina Fedoseeva, an English teacher from Archangel School Number 21, and our new friend Nikolay Abramov, a chemistry teacher from Kenozero Secondary School in Northwest Russia's Kenozero National Park. The centerpiece of their busy stay was their participation in a week¬long "Lake Science Academy" at Camp Kieve on Damariscotta Lake that was organized by the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute. Nina and Nikolay joined more than 20 New England high school science teachers at the Academy where they learned the biological, chemical and geological principles of how lakes work. Each of the teachers will integrate the dynamics of freshwater ecosystems into his or her own teaching curriculum. During the week, Nikolay gave a PowerPoint presentation to everyone at the Academy about beautiful Kenozero National Park; one teacher at the closing ceremony exclaimed "I will see you in Kenozero Park! You have made this a rich experience to learn from each other!" Nina translated for Nikolay throughout the week and participated in the science as well. At the closing ceremony, others spoke of Nina: "a true gift . . . amazing ... an inspiration . . . contagious passion"! MLCI Executive Director Shippen Bright thanked our Archangel Committee for sponsoring Nina and Nikolay and said that "all of the teachers at our program felt that having Nikolay and Nina at our Academy enriched their learning and broadened their understanding that water issues are worldwide in scope." MLCI Education Director Rex Turner added that Nina and Nikolay "put a warm and friendly face to a place and a people on the other side of the Earth; I know for a fact that everyone cherished having them participate." In addition, one of the presenters at the Academy was Mary Ann McGarry, a science professor at the Plymouth State College (PSU) in Plymouth, NH; she said that interacting with Nina and Nikolay was "absolutely the highlight" of the week and she hopes to lead a PSU sponsored science exchange trip to Kenozero National Park in summer 2009. Nina and Nikolay responded "we met wonderful learned people, thoughtful, really caring for the world around and eager to do their best for it . . . every minute of our stay here was outstandingly interesting and important for us...we will put into life what we've learned here!" Our guests were also involved in many other activities during their stay notably: (1) a visit to Acadia National Park where they gave the Kenozero National Park PowerPoint presentation at the Schoodic Research Learning Institute (special thanks to Elizabeth Johnson, an official with the National Park Service); and (2) a visit up at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire for informal talks on a possible relationship between MWO and the Solovki Weather Station (special thanks MWO Director of Summit Operations Ken Rancourt and to Committee Member Rodolphe Marrotte). Finally, this visit would not have been possible without the amazing work by Archangel Committee members Steve Cowperthwaite and Dennis Marrotte; their hard work made this a truly meaningful and memorable event! Please click on the following names to view letters from Ms. Fedoseeva and Mr. Abramov about their recent visit.
Archangel Committee members assisted Maine District Court Clerk Linda
Jacobson in hosting five Russian court administrators in July 2007. The
delegates from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Astrakhan and Krasnodar were briefed on
a wide variety of Federal and State court issues.
Archangel Committee Vice Co-Chair Dennis Marrotte traveled to the Archangel Region in June and July 2007 to continue work on a number of important and ongoing Sister City programs. He met with educators at Archangel State Technical University (ASTU) and Public School Number 11 for informal talks on linkages with American high schools and colleges (such as the University of Southern Maine and Plymouth State College). He traveled to the Solovki Islands for administrative planning with the proposed Open World Delegation from Solovki to Maine in December 2007. In addition, he carried the 83 piece photography and painting exhibit "A View Across the Ocean" from Archangel to the Solovki Islands where it will be on display for abut 3 months; this is the exhibit that was carried over to Archangel by the April 2007 delegation from Maine - and future venues for the show include ASTU, School Number 11 and Severodvinsk. Finally, Dennis was able to visit with many old friends and spend some time visiting the Pinega Region.
Four Maine legal professionals traveled to Russia in May 2007. The Maine delegation was lead by District Court Judge David Kennedy and also included Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, Violence Intervention Partnership Director Fay Luppi, and Child Centered Solutions Director Susan Wiggin. After a Russian Rule-of-Law partnership meeting in Vologda, our delegation participated in a highly successful program in Archangel focusing on domestic violence, substance abuse, high-conflict divorce and innovative prosecution programs.
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