Dear Editor:

I’m not writing to give you statistics or numbers. Lots of people are arguing over that. I’m writing today to tell you what BRES has done for my family and why we must spend the necessary dollars on the project to fix, update, and maintain this building. 

About eight years ago, I moved to Boothbay reluctantly husband at the time got a new job in the area. We had previously been living in Bath, and I didn’t want to leave my small, happy community. We came to try and adjust our lives to a new small community. 

My children quickly grew and entered into pre-k with Mrs. Rice whose gentle demeanor and kind personality nurtured my children in their first years of public school. We had a steady flow of the same kinds of educators who really helped my children blossom: Mr. and Mrs. Phelps, Ms. Davis, Mr. Barker, and Mrs. Crocker, to name a few. These people became more than my kids’ teachers. They were at the grocery store, they were at the sporting events, they were at the Halloween parade. 

Our little community has saved my children from some of the trauma they have experienced in the past years: divorce, house fire, and death. Unfortunately, we are not unique in our troubles. My children’s classmates have all experienced these things and more. But they’re persevering because they have a community.  Because of BRES, I know that they are going to a place every day where their teachers love and support them. I know my daughter is going to get the academic support she needs, and she will feel empowered. I know my son will be counseled and coached to grow from a little boy into a young man, but at the same time, his uniqueness will be celebrated. The people in that building love my kids and meet their academic needs. It’s not too much to ask to give them a school that doesn’t rain on the inside.

Katie Clark 

Boothbay