Cub Scouts a first step in child’s journey to become a responsible citizen

By Josh Smeltzer
Special to The Windham Eagle

For going on 39 years, Cub Scouts Pack 805 has served the Town of Windham and the Sebago Lakes Region with the aim of building character, citizenship, personal fitness, and leadership in children.

Members of Cub Scouts Pack 805 get ready to march in the
annual Windham Summerfest Parade in June. At 6:30 p.m.
on Monday, Sept. 14, Pack 805 will offer an Open House
and Registration event at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in
Windham for kids and families to learn more about
Cub Scouts programs in Windham. 
SUBMITTED PHOTO 
 

According to Pack 805 Cubmaster Mike Chickering, scouting teaches children positive character traits such as being courteous, helpful, and loyal, while fostering new friendships, learning about the outdoors, and serving the community.

At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, Cub Scouts Pack 805 will conduct its annual Open House/Registration Night at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, 40 Windham Center Road in Windham. There will be a cookout, games for kids, and a chance for parents and guardians to ask about the Cub Scouts program in Windham.

This summer, Pack 805 assisted the Windham Veterans Center with a U.S. flag retirement ceremony, hiked Knights Pond Preserve, did a night hike up Bradbury Mountain, held a food drive for the Windham Food Pantry, went camping, visited Aquaboggan and participated in many more activities.

For this coming school year, Cub Scouts will go hiking, camping, and ice fishing, collect food for donation and gather clothing and toys for those in need, present the colors at a Maine Mariners professional hockey game, go candlepin bowling, participate in the annual Pinewood Derby races and other events.

Past years have included scouting activities like air rifle and archery instruction at Camp Hinds in Raymond, bike rodeos, rock climbing, and hosted presentations like Mad Science and Mr. Drew and His Animals Too.

“The scout motto is ‘Do Your Best’ and that’s what the kids learn.” said former Pack 805 Cubmaster Casey Melanson. “Cub Scouts can do anything they put their minds to. We have gone winter camping, hiking, ice fishing, and built lean-tos in the woods. We also have our annual Pinewood Derby where kids design and build their own cars and then compete against one another. As a pack we have had beach outings, cookouts, movie nights, and EVO Rock Gym overnights.”

Joining the Cub Scouts is the first step in a journey to become a responsible citizen who cares about their neighbors and the community.

“We want our scouts to learn what it means to be part of something important, what it means to help their community, make new friends, build relationships, and to have fun,” Melanson said.

The Cub Scout uniforms consist of a shirt, a rank neckerchief, and a rank slide. Pants and rank hats are optional. Scouts are encouraged to have a belt (not necessarily a scout belt) to be able to display their beltloop achievements. Each scout is issued a handbook for each rank so they will be able to learn, perform, and complete each achievement and scout activities emphasize having fun and learning useful life skills.

Pack 805 Cub Scout activities and adventures are centered around earning merit badges that are specific to each school grade level. Each badge represents a rank and advancement and refers to the progress a Cub Scout makes toward their badge of rank.

Assistant Cubmaster Kayla Desmond said that Pack 805 Cub Scouts dues are highly affordable and go toward scout activities, awards, national and local Cub Scout registrations, and insurance.

Desmond said that Pack 805 conducts a variety of fundraising activities throughout the year to offset costs to keep expenses for parents at a minimum.

Windham parents should consider having their child join Cub Scout Pack 805 because it helps them to work on self-growth, and to not be afraid to try new things, Desmond said.

“We want our scouts to learn what it means to be part of something important, what it means to help their community, make new friends, build relationships, and to have fun,” she said.

For more information about Windham Cub Scout Pack 805, send an email to [email protected] or visit www.beascout.org. <

Free Touch A Truck event returning to Windham

By Ed Pierce

Kids will enjoy the opportunity to explore vehicles of all types while parents will appreciate that the event is free as once again the Windham Lions Club will host its popular Touch A Truck event in North Windham next month.

The 7th annual Windham Lions Touch A Truck event will be
held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 12 in the parking lot
behind Hannaford Supermarket in Windham. The event is
free but donations benefit causes that the Windham Lions
Club supports throughout the year. COURTESY PHOTO

The 7th annual Windham Lions Touch A Truck will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 12 in the parking lot behind Hannaford off Route 302 in North Windham. Although admission is free, donations will be greatly appreciated as proceeds benefit a variety of Windham Lions Club programs year-round in the Windham community.

During this year’s Touch A Truck event, children and families will be able to climb into the cab of a fire truck, see the inside of a police car, explore land excavators, dump trucks, snowplows, cement mixers, and much more. There will be many large vehicles on hand from throughout the community for kids to inspect, climb into the driver’s seat, and honk the horn.

Free water will be supplied by Poland Springs to Touch A Truck participants and snacks will be available.

“As with all events we hold, all profits are returned to our Windham community,” says Bob Simmons of the Windham Lions Club. “One of our local businesses started us off with a gift to raffle off and others joined in. This added feature will hopefully help us to raise more money. Our intentions have always been that our Touch A Truck adds enjoyment to the children and their families that come to our event. However, the raffle could help us raise more funds as we try to help as many families as possible through our Adopt-A-Family program during the holidays as well as other activities throughout the year.”

Simmons says that members of the Windham Lions Club are grateful for the participation of Windham agencies and local businesses that have helped make this event possible.

“The Touch A Truck event provides a hands-on educational community event to see and touch the trucks and machinery used in the community and to meet the men and women who operate these machines,” Simmons said. “Participating vehicles will be displayed in a safe, supervised environment and it’s the perfect venue for exploring the machinery while learning about the people who build, protect and serve Windham.”

Former Windham Lions Club President Evelyn Brissett is credited helping to launch the event.

“I had done some research online and it seemed like Touch A Truck would be a fun way to interact with kids and people in our community,” she said. “We also want our community to be aware that the Windham Lions Club does exist and with everyone’s help we can make life a lot brighter for those less fortunate.”

Brissette said that since the Windham Lions Club staged its first Touch A Truck, the event has exceeded all expectations in terms of participation and the Windham community’s willingness to help others.

According to Simmons, the Windham Lions Club works throughout the year to uplift the community, such as providing Christmas gifts for local students and families in need and contributing donations for worthwhile school activities such as Odyssey of the Mind, and scholarships for Windham High School students.

He said that when Windham residents take an interest in their own community, and work together for a cause, they can make a significant difference.

All proceeds from this year’s Touch A Truck event, coupled with the club’s annual Stuff-the-Bus event in November will go a long way to helping those in need in Windham, Simmons said.

Since its founding, the Windham Lions Club has played a significant charitable role in the community, supporting a variety of causes and issues affecting the lives of residents.

Some of those include purchasing and manning Windham’s first rescue van in 1968; significant donations to the Windham Public Library; helping with expenses related to eye exams and eyeglasses for participants when they meet the Lions Club criteria; assisting with expenses related to hearing tests and hearing aids when they meet the Lions Club criteria; conducting RSU 14 eye screening with more than 5,500 students screened to date; sponsoring the “Student of the Month” program in local schools; Breakfast with Santa; the annual Stuff-the-Bus program with more than 10,000 pounds of food collected for those in need; supporting the Windham Veteran’s Center; and collecting used eye glasses and hearing aids for those in need. <

SMAA receives $99,731 grant to expand dementia respite care

Southern Maine Agency on Aging has been awarded $99,731 from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation (CDRI) to enhance the quality and availability of dementia-specific respite care for people living with dementia and their caregivers across York and Cumberland counties.

Southern Maine Agency on Aging is among 34 organizations nationwide selected to receive grant funding. The award will support the launch of Dementia Respite Without Walls, a community-based pilot designed to bring respite services directly to rural communities where families may face transportation challenges or have limited access to center-based programs.

The pilot will provide weekly, four-hour respite sessions in familiar community settings such as churches, grange halls, and community rooms. Two 12-week cohorts will serve approximately 12 to 24 people living with dementia while giving their caregivers dependable time for rest, appointments, errands, or other needs.

An open house will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Casco Community Center, 940 Meadow Road in Casco.

Interested participants need to be screened prior to attending the Open House. To be screened, they need to contact Adult Day Program manager Nicole Garrity at 207-396-6508 or send an email to [email protected].

“Caring for someone living with dementia can be demanding, especially for families in rural communities where respite services may be difficult to access,” said Megan Walton, President and CEO of Southern Maine Agency on Aging. “This grant will allow us to bring trusted, dementia-specific support closer to home while giving caregivers time to care for their own health and well-being.”

Dementia Respite Without Walls will bring trained staff, individualized care planning, and therapeutic activities into each community. Portable engagement kits will allow staff to provide meaningful activities adapted to each member’s interests and abilities. The initiative will also include caregiver support, volunteer training, community partnerships, and program evaluation, with the goal of developing a model that can be replicated in other rural communities.

In conjunction with the grant, Southern Maine Agency on Aging will receive online training and ongoing technical assistance from the CDRI to ensure respite services are dementia-capable and to support sustainability. The CDRI will also collect data and evaluate the impact of projects from all grant recipients to inform public policy.

“We congratulate Southern Maine Agency on Aging on this award and look forward to partnering with their team to expand access to dementia-specific respite care,” said Lauren Stratton, director, psychosocial research and program evaluation at the Alzheimer’s Association. “Each funded program contributes to a growing national network of innovative respite models, helping advance sustainable solutions that better support caregivers and people living with dementia in communities across the country.” 

The Alzheimer’s Association created the CDRI in 2024 after receiving a $25 million grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Through this initiative, the CDRI is distributing $25 million over five years to local respite providers and organizations to enhance the quality and availability of respite care nationwide. Visit alz.org/cdri to see the full list of this year’s grant recipients.

About Southern Maine Agency on Aging

Southern Maine Agency on Aging supports older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers throughout York and Cumberland counties. Through services including caregiver support, Adult Day Programs, Meals on Wheels, Medicare counseling, and information and resources, the organization helps people maintain their independence and quality of life. To learn more, visit www.smaaa.org.

Funding Disclosure

This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of a financial assistance award totaling $18,228,216, with 75 percent funded by ACL/HHS, and $4,941,389, with 25 percent funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ACL/HHS or the U.S. Government. <

Through-Year Assessment Data shows continued student test score growth

AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Education (DOE) recently received the verified aggregate data from Maine’s Through Year Summative Assessment, and Maine students’ average Rasch Unit (RIT) percentile scores are at and above the most recent MAP Growth National Achievement Norms.

Maine's Through Year Summative Assessment and student
Rasch Unit percentile testing scores are at and above the
2025 national testing scores. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

The 2025 achievement norms were established using scores from approximately 13.8 million students nationwide over the course of two years.

Maine students’ average summative achievement scores on the Through-Year Assessment have also increased every year since 2023, marking a positive trend that contributes to a much broader picture of student success.

The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) state score estimates have received a great deal of media coverage over the past 18 months, with multiple new studies and reports continuing to recycle the same data from that testing event every few weeks.

Maine’s 2024 NAEP score estimates were disappointing and continued a slow decline that began in 2011.

Maine DOE officials say that while NAEP and the Through-Year Assessment both provide some information about student performance in Math and Reading, the two assessments are very different, and the data they offer are produced in very different ways.

NAEP uses a random sample of about 1,700 fourth and eighth grade students per test and creates what the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES) calls state “score estimates.” The score estimates are actually a statistical projection that assumes that all students in the state would perform at a level similar to the sampled students.

The Through-Year Assessment, on the other hand, is taken by more than 85,000 Maine students (every student in grades 3 to 8 and in grade 10). Unlike NAEP, the Through-Year Assessment provides student-level data and school-level scores that can be used by teachers to give parents a better understanding how their child is performing and by the state in determining levels of support through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Experts caution against using standardized test scores alone to evaluate the success of schools, policies, or programs, recognizing that these data provide just a glimpse into the much bigger picture. Local assessments, teacher observations, passed course rates, and graduation rates, for example, offer information that builds toward a more complete picture of academic performance.

In Maine’s statewide Measure What Matters outreach, Maine DOE has heard from business leaders, educators, parents, and community members that the people of Maine prioritize active, applied learning; project based and “real world” projects; creativity, adaptability, and other durable skills that will prepare students for success in a dynamic future landscape. <

Maine registered fishing guide offers presentation at Raymond-Casco Historical Society

By Sue Pride
Special to The Windham Eagle

At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Raymond-Casco Historical Society, located at the corner of Route 302 and 1 Shadow Lane in Casco, will host a free event featuring Registered Maine Guide Glen Gisel.

This evening program will be of interest to anyone who has experienced the joy of fishing, whether you are a weekend angler, a youngster hoping to catch your first fish, or an experienced sportsman.

Gisel has spent a lifetime enjoying Maine’s waters and says, “I have had a passion for fishing, boating, and being on the water since I was a young boy.,” It’s a passion he now enjoys as his vocation.

We all have valuable “good old fish memories, like the family time out in the boat with your dad, out with the guys, out with the girls, camp memories, the one that got away, and of course the one that was this big! Our daughter at age 5 was so excited catching her very first fish with a piece of ham from her lunch sandwich as bait.

Everyone has great fishing stories. Glen Gisel is no exception and his experience, and his fishing knowledge will make for an engaging evening for all who attend.

The Raymond-Casco Historical Society is excited to announce plans for a new exhibit on the vital resource of Sebago Lake to the Lakes Region for its environment, economy, recreation, and history. This exhibit is scheduled for completion by 2028, and will include the Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Sebago Lake, Panther Pond, Casco and Raymond Hatcheries, fly fishing artifacts, and so much more.

The Society will be aided in this project by fishing historian Pete Leitner, who will assist in framing and preserving artifacts, photos, and historical documents for the exhibit. The display will explore the Paleo-Indian period, early settlers, the sporting industry, local Maine fishing guides, today’s anglers and fly fishermen.

Anyone who may have artifacts, photographs, fishing equipment, documents, or other items they would consider donating to this exhibit is encouraged to contact Raymond-Casco Historical Society, P.O. Box 1055, Raymond, ME 04071, call 207- 655-6389, or visit the RCHS campus on Saturday and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. through September.

All events are free and we gladly accept any donations in order to keep bringing you these varied and interesting events.

Follow the Raymond-Casco Historical Society on Facebook and visit www.raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org for scheduled events, news, and photos. <

Outdoor films ‘under the stars’ at Hacker’s Hill

Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) will host the Maine Outdoor Film Festival (MOFF) at Hacker’s Hill in Casco at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14.

The Maine Outdoor Film Festival (MOFF) will be held at
Hacker's Hill in Casco at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14. The
event includes seven short films and is open to the public.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

In addition to its flagship festival in Portland, the Maine Outdoor Film Festival tours Maine with specially curated screenings of films about the outdoors, conservation, and recreation. This is the eighth year in a row LELT has hosted a screening at Hacker’s Hill, which is owned and managed by the Bridgton-based organization.

The film program to be shown at Hacker's Hill will include seven short films and will last an hour and a half.

The event is free and open to the public. There is a suggested donation of $10 per adult to benefit LELT, the stewardship of Hacker’s Hill, and land conservation efforts in the Lakes Region of Maine.

The films will begin at 7:45 p.m. but attendees are invited to come early to watch the sunset.

Attendees should bring a blanket or chair, warm layers, and a flashlight.

For more information and the full film program, visit maineoutdoorfilmfestival.com/2026-casco.

Notification of cancellation due to inclement weather will be posted on the Loon Echo Land Trust Facebook page.

Loon Echo Land Trust, founded in 1987, is a community-supported nonprofit organization that protects land, ensures public access to the outdoors, and builds and maintains recreational trails in Raymond, Casco, Naples, Harrison, Sebago, Bridgton, and Denmark.

The organization currently conserves over 9,300 acres of land and manages a 35-mile trail network across the Lake Region.

For more details about LELT properties, upcoming events, or how to get involved, visit LELT.org or their Facebook page. <