NSB Delivers $20,000 Check for Oxford Hills Students’ NorthStar Experience

OXFORD HILLS — Starting this month, students at Oxford Hills Middle School will be exposed to adventure challenges, leadership lessons, and relationship building all designed to help them reach their highest potential. In mid-September, representatives from Norway Savings Bank delivered a check (picture, caption below) for $20,000, part of a $120,000 partnership with MSAD #17 to fully fund the NorthStar 4-H Youth Mentoring Program experience for a cohort of students over the next six years (from seventh grade through twelfth grade).

“I was delighted to learn that NSB funded the NorthStar experience for us. I am grateful that our students will have access to mentoring, support, and a wide variety of experiences and that this opportunity will support the success of many of our learners as they navigate the middle and high school experience,” said Heather Manchester, Superintendent of Schools for MSAD #17.

“The NorthStar staff has worked with Oxford Hills Middle School staff to share team building strategies for advisory groups. The first trip for the students in the program was the Common Ground Country Fair in September,” said Cynthia Remick, Curriculum Director for MSAD #17. “We’re so thankful to NSB for this generous donation and ongoing support of our schools!”

The NorthStar program is designed to help young people in rural areas discover passions and purposes while raising academic performance.

“It’s a model that follows students over a six-year period and, in the process, expands horizons, increases self-resilience, and showcases leadership skills for young people in rural communities,” said Ryder Scott, Executive Director of the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond where the program is based. “We’re so grateful that NSB appreciates the positive impact this experience and the mentors have on young people.”

NSB has also funded the experience for students at Telstar Middle and High Schools in Bethel since 2022.

“It has helped me learn to make new friends in different ways. I have learned many valuable life skills, like how to give a speech publicly without looking confused or nervous. This program is amazing,” said one eighth-grade Telstar student.

“It’s helped me in lots of ways,” said a Telstar seventh grader. “It’s the best.”

“It doesn’t take long to realize how impactful NorthStar is in the many ways it teaches and encourages effective communication, conflict resolution, and goal setting,” said Dan Walsh, President and CEO of NSB. “The genuine enthusiasm of both the students and the adults is great to see, and you can tell the participants are gaining a new and fresh appreciation for all of the positive things Maine and the world have to offer.”

A difference is being made one relationship and imagination-expanding experience at a time.

“I hope that the students develop strong relationships with the adult facilitators and their teachers at school, that they learn skills for self-advocacy, that their aspirations are raised, and that they gain leadership skills from the various civic and community service opportunities they experience,” said Manchester.

To learn more about the NorthStar program, visit https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond/northstar.

Pictured (L to R): Michael Grass, Market Manager VP for NSB; Dan Walsh, President and CEO of NSB; Ryder Scott, Executive Director of the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond; Heather Manchester, MSAD #17 Superintendent of Schools; Cynthia Remick, MSAD #17 Curriculum Director; Melissa Rock, Marketing Director SVP for NSB