Haseltine and Puliafico named Exemplary Volunteers of the Year 

At the annual June gathering for school volunteers the Wells-Ogunquit CSD honored Holly Haseltine and Carolyn Puliafico with the title of “Exemplary Volunteer(s) of the Year” for 2022-23.  Out of several hundred volunteers to serve at various times this year in the District’s three schools, the award went to Haseltine and Puliafico, in part, for their teamwork in maintaining a virtual “lost and found” project at Wells Elementary School.  The theme of this event at WES was “Strawberries” with refreshments and ingredients available to make strawberry shortcakes. 

The need to go virtual with left-behind student items came when Wells Elementary School was closed to visitors due to pandemic restrictions.  Over time hundreds of unclaimed student items such as mittens, coats, hats, etc., accumulated with no easy way to identify who owned them.  Haseltine and Puliafico worked with others on photographing and labeling these items for display on the WES website. 

“Carolyn and Holly were instrumental in keeping the virtual Lost and Found updated while WES was closed to visitors,” noted Community Resource Coordinator Maryanne Foley who has organized the District’s volunteers since 1994.  Foley, who started the lost and found project said that the duo’s names will be added to the school’s Volunteer of the Year plaque.   

“We are tremendously fortunate to have the community support what we do here at WES,” commented WES Principal Kyle Burnell later in an email.  “The volunteers, whether they be parents, grandparents, older students, or community members, are a valuable part of our school community. We're truly lucky to have such dedicated people supporting our schools!”

Janet Connell was one of the volunteers who attended this event.  She indicated that she worked this year with two different groups of second-grade students.   “I enjoy it very much,” she said of volunteering.  “It’s a wonderful school (and) they’re wonderful teachers that I really like working with.” 

District volunteers are composed mostly of retired community members, parents of students, and higher grade-level Wells-Ogunquit students.   According to Foley, volunteers give whatever time they can as clerical, classroom, library, and project assistants.  

At WES, volunteers may work in either a classroom, the computer lab, the art room, the library, or wherever else they may be needed.  Anyone interested in volunteering in the Wells-Ogunquit CSD School Volunteer Program should contact Maryanne Foley in September at 646-5953, Ext. 4204.