As we enter this month of gratitude, I want to honor the many staff members who work behind the scenes to ensure our students receive the support they need to overcome barriers to accessing their education. From keeping our pantry stocked and helping to fundraise so families can receive Hannaford gift cards during the holidays, to supporting CHILLS Thrift for basic clothing needs, to maintaining our snack program across counseling, athletic training, and social work offices, your care and dedication make an incredible difference every day.

We are also grateful for our community partners (Camden Area Christian Food Pantry, Area Interfaith Outreach (AIO), Maine Sport Outfitters, West Bay Rotary, Roy’s Driving School, New Hope Midcoast, and local donors) who extend our reach by sharing their resources, time, and talents to help meet the diverse needs of our students and families.

November offers us an opportunity to pause and appreciate how these collective efforts allow students to focus on learning and connection, even as external resources face uncertainty.

If your family could use some support, please reach out to Katie Cronin (katie.cronin@fivetowns.net) or Shaunna Brown (shaunna.brown@fivetowns.net), so we can help.

If you are in a position to give and support these efforts, please contact Jen Curtis (jen.curtis@fivetowns.net), so we can amplify our services during this time of need.

Thank you for being the heart of the Chills community.

With gratitude and Jammer pride,

Jen

Camden Hills Regional High School is thrilled to present its fall musical, Chicago: Teen Edition, opening November 7 at the Strom Auditorium. 

This year’s musical features a huge cast of talented singing and dancing students, supported by an extraordinary behind-the-scenes team of student producers, stage managers, and technical crew. The show also boasts a student-designed and built set, professional-quality makeup and costumes, and a live pit band that brings the jazzy world of 1920s Chicago to life. 

Set in the glitzy, scandal-filled world of the roaring twenties, Chicago follows Roxie Hart, who murders a faithless lover and convinces her devoted husband, Amos, to take the blame—until he realizes he’s been deceived. Once convicted and sent to death row, Roxie meets another “Merry Murderess,” Velma Kelly, and the two become rivals for the ultimate prize: fame, fortune, and acquittal. 

Performances will take place November 7, 8, 14, and 15 at 7:00 p.m. and November 9 and 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Strom Auditorium in Rockport, Maine.  Tickets are on sale now at stromtix.com or by calling 207-230-1660.  Follow @strom_auditorium on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos, fun updates, and sneak peeks leading up to opening night. 

Students in French 2 & 3 recently received their first pen pal letters from our partner
schools in Challans, a town near Nantes in western France (French 2) and from Segré en Anjou Bleu, a town in the Loire Valley (French 3). Throughout the year, students will be writing back and forth with their new French friends—sharing about school life, hobbies, and culture on both sides of the Atlantic.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to practice real-
world French and build international friendships!

left to right: Cole Nowell 28, Jack Lytton '28 and Cora Casas '28

Zenith’s marine science class has been out on the water searching for green crabs, and assessing the presence and abundance of knotted wrack (ascophyllum nodosum). Both community-science trips were to Beauchamp Point in Rockport, utilizing randomly assigned quadrats on transects.

Assistant Education Director, Kyle Amergian, from Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership led the crab hunt with students, adding data to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s invasive green crab investigation. Marine Ecology Director, Hannah Webber, traveled down the Schoodic Institute to guide us as we added important data to Project ASCO. The investigation is mapping ascophyllum nodosum beds along the coast of Maine in an effort to provide more information about this important marine algae harvest. There isn’t much entered data from western Penobscot Bay and we were excited to help fill that gap.

Recent investigations into marine invertebrates have been in the classroom, dissecting barnacles and scallops as part of our larger focus on how our changing climate affects life above and below the waters of Penobscot Bay. Next up are finfish, marine mammals, and waterfowl. As a final project, the class is compiling our findings in a children's book modeled after Kate Messner’s book, Over and Under the Pond.

Braden Beveridge '27 and Sam Snow '26 work on projects. Necklace & Earring Set - Cate Middleton '29, Ring - Lana Young '29

Learning new tools and considering design (negative space, 2d into 3d), Metal Fabrication students created a stencil on the computer, transferred it to 14g steel sheet steel, cut the larger shape with a jigsaw, cut details with the plasma cutter, cleaned the shape with the angle grinder and welded a secondary shape with oxy-acetylene in-order to move the 2d shapes into 3 dimentional forms.

Quinn Hoppin '26

Simeon Mansfield '29

Ruby Sowder '29

Olivia Johns '26

Painting & Drawing I has been busy working to create the illusion of form in space, dynamic compositions and material exploration. Starting with simple exercises which lead to a final drawing and final value scale painting. 

Students have worked with varied media, including graded pencils for layers value study drawings, and acrylic paint for layered color field and negative space paintings.

Left to right below: Nicky Heald and Alexa Watkins

Flatbread Fundraiser for the Italy Cultural Trip in April 2027

Students going on the Italy trip in April are holding a fundraiser at Flatbread Pizza on November 11th from 4-8pm.

A percent of every pizza sold, dine in and take out, goes to the school group.

Along with the pizza, the group will be selling tickets for a 50/50 raffle, a $500 Amazon gift raffle, and an Italy themed basket full of Italian food and goodies.  

There will also be a Veteran's Day remembrance table and an Honore Veteran on site that evening.  Order take out or dine in and enjoy the student playlist of Italian classics (Sinatra to Bocelli) while you eat!

Mangia!

Saturday, November 15th 9am-2pm

Equipment Drop Offs: 

Friday, 11/14 from 2-7pm @ the Snow Bowl

11/3 to 11/13 @ Sidecountry Sports

Proceeds go the CHRHS Ski Teams and the 4th Grade Learn to Ski Program