Working Waterfront

Island education: more than picturesque schools

By Katie Norton Growing up in a small town in Western Maine, I’ve known the feeling of community my whole life, where Hannaford grocery aisles are meeting places and hot dogs are shared at Friday night football games. But I came to know community in a different way when I… SEE MORE

An illustration of a cod schooner at sea in the mid 1800s.

Working Waterfront

Maine: A pattern of renewal after hardship

By Jack Sullivan I was looking forward to doing something fun to celebrate my home state’s 200th anniversary of statehood. I wanted to have a few friends over and make a toast to the 23rd state of this great nation—maybe even pour one out for Joshua Chamberlain. Unfortunately, March 15… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

COA grad leads expedition to find Amelia Earhart

By Laurie Schreiber Ocean explorer Allison Fundis has seen many amazing things on her journeys to the depths of the sea. Thousands of octopuses brooding along the warm-water vents of submarine volcanic systems. Rare Deepstaria jellyfish billowing like translucent ghosts, and weird gulper eels with mouths larger than their bodies.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Telling Vinalhaven student stories a worthy exercise

By Nancy Lloyd The joy of teaching lies in seeing the whole class come alive, with everyone on target and enjoying the work. Working with the Telling Room process makes that happen more often than not. The Telling Room is a Portland-based educational nonprofit that works with students from 6-17… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Focus and action during the pandemic

My recent conversations with local leaders reinforce the urgency with which I believe towns must act to secure the health, economic viability, and social fabric of their communities. One of the highest priorities is to ensure that children’s needs are met. In addition, there is a range of scenarios that… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Which is more accurate—a mirror or a painting?

By Meghan Grabill When I moved here over a year ago, people asked me what connection I had to Maine. What brought me here? My response: I had visited once as a teenager on a family trip and when a job opportunity presented itself on the coast of Maine I… SEE MORE

Arrowsic's Sukey Heard greets the Island Institute's Nick Battista at the Jan. 30 event.

Working Waterfront

Four coastal communities land federal broadband funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $9.87 million investment in four infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-connectivity for 4,527 households and 215 businesses in rural Maine, part of the first round of USDA’s Reconnect Pilot Program. The announcement was made at the Arrowsic fire station on… SEE MORE

A view of the shore near Schoodic Point.

Working Waterfront

Schoodic Institute names new president

Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park has announced the appointment of Dr. Nicholas Fisichelli as president and CEO. Fisichelli had been serving as interim president and CEO since August. “We are absolutely delighted that Nick has agreed to lead Schoodic Institute,” said David Ellwood, Schoodic’s board chairman. “The board has been… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

With endowment, Haystack looks toward the future

By Laurie Schreiber One of the most defining characteristics of the legendary Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, an international craft school in Deer Isle, is the campus itself, designed by American architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. When the campus opened in 1961, 11 years after the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island life teaches me the ‘focal’ way of understanding

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. By Caroline Carrigan Swan’s Island is a place of true simplicity. There are just three to five main roads, depending on… SEE MORE