For the past several years, the Wells-Ogunquit CSD has welcomed two Wells High School students to represent their school at District School Committee meetings. Selected for this school year are president of the junior class Carys Ramsey and president of the senior class Abe Medrano.

As with their predecessors, each will have a few minutes each month to report to the Committee on current news and future events planned at WHS. Their first time reporting for the 2025-26 school year was on October 1st.

Medrano reported on Spirit Week, Homecoming 2025, the pep rally with the WHS Band, and the homecoming game. “The student section was very lively and supportive during the football game,” said Medrano who is serving his second year on the Committee.

Representative Ramsey reported on the auditions for the upcoming fall play, A Christmas Carol, featuring 33 students. She mentioned Military Appreciation Night, the date for the PSAT, and announced that the WHS Golf Team has qualified for the State Championship.

Abe Medrano was the president of the junior class last year

Before school let out for summer break this past June, Helena Kowalewski (formerly Helena Ackerson) chaired her final Wells-Ogunquit CSD School Committee meeting, concluding twelve years serving in that role. Towards the end of the June 11th Committee meeting, Kowalewski read a farewell statement thanking Superintendent James Daly, fellow Committee members, administrators, staff, and others for the opportunity to serve the District.

“As I step down from my role as Chair of the Board (Committee) and bring my 12 years of service to a close, I do so with a heart full of gratitude and deep appreciation for this journey,” said Kowalewski. “It has been an incredible honor to serve our District, our families, and, most importantly, our students. I want to extend my deepest thanks to the Board members, administrators, and staff who have walked along side me. Working together we faced challenges, celebrated achievements, and kept our focus where it matters most, on our kids.”

Superintendent Daly expressed his appreciation. “We want to thank Helena for her 12 years,” said Daly as the meeting neared adjournment. “Helena has been tremendous. When she was first on the Board, we were in the middle of trying to get a new high school.” Despite some community pushback, Daly pointed out that, “Helena came in and advocated for the teachers, and the staff. If it wasn’t for her leadership at the time, we would never have gotten that new school.”

Daly indicated that the Committee, led by Kowalewski, faced a significant challenge in navigating an unexpected “bad situation” resulting from the emergence of COVID-19, which necessitated lengthy school closures and dependence on home schooling with remote learning through the video conferencing platform of Zoom.

“When you talk about unwavering support, you have always been there, and we appreciated it,” said Daly to Kowalewski. “No matter what it was, we were lucky to have you. We are going to miss you...”

Following these comments, newly elected Committee Chair Jason Vennard entertained a motion to adjourn.

In June, on the last day of school, Jack Molloy, in an interview, looked back fondly on his seventeen years of service to the Wells-Ogunquit CSD. He served as Wells High School’s Director of Athletics (AD) from August 2007 until transitioning to Director of Student Activities in 2017.

“I was basically running the highest profile department in the District,” said Molloy, looking back over those years.  He said that he found himself in charge of scheduling all athletic events at WHS and other duties including the hiring and termination of coaches.

“I’m very proud of the fact that during my tenure, we won three state championships, two in football and one in wrestling,” said Molloy, who was very happy that his son, who played football at WHS up to the year of the championship victory, still had friends on that Warriors team.

After completing nine years as Athletics Director, Molloy became the Director of Student Activities, a role he held for eight plus years until his recent retirement.

As Director of Student Activities, Molloy oversaw WHS’s scholarship program, non-sports activities, such as drama productions, band competitions, and so forth.  

“When we hosted band competitions, I would be the administrator on duty.   It was great that the kids' (band musicians) could perform here at the high school.”  Molloy added that the WHS marching band appeared in various local parades.  

“Jack was a true gentleman and class act through his tenure at WHS,” commented WOCSD Superintendent James Daly. “He always made decisions in the best interest of students, staff, and our community. We will all miss working with him and his dedication to our school community.”

WHS Head Football Coach Tim Roche commented on Molloy’s performance in both of Molloy’s roles.   “Jack was a very important piece of our school district and will be greatly missed by all,” said Roche. “His personality was always (on an) even keel and would always be kind and compassionate when dealing with all.”

In early June at a luncheon for school volunteers, the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District (WOCSD) honored Marilyn Wade with the District’s Volunteer of the Year award for exemplary volunteer work with the youngest of students. The theme of the luncheon was “Our volunteers are WICKED OZsome.”

Following opening remarks by Superintendent James Daly, District Resource Coordinator Maryanne Foley announced to the audience that Wade had been selected to receive this honor for her work with kindergarten students. Foley presented Wade with a gift basket filled with items relating to the theme of the gathering.

A retired schoolteacher with a Master’s Degree, Wade began teaching in New York State in the early 1960s. Following an extensive teaching career spanning several decades in various locations, including North Berwick, she is now a school volunteer.

Wade was surprised and honored to receive the Volunteer of the Year award, which she had not known existed prior to the luncheon. In an interview, she mentioned another kind of award or reward that she receives for volunteering, one that is more personal and intrinsic.

“My award comes from working with the children,” said Wade, who began volunteering at Wells Elementary School in 2022, where she worked in the classroom of Susan Bastille. “I like to see the little kids grow in their learning (with) different personalities and how they change and mature…I’ve seen them become readers and know their numbers, adding and subtracting.” Before the summer break Wade focused on reading with the kindergartens on a one-on-one basis.

According to Foley, school volunteers, as a group, contribute "thousands" of hours of time assisting teachers and students in the District's schools and athletic fields. Volunteers include a mix of retired teachers and other community members, including high school students and parents. Anyone interested in volunteering in the WOCSD is encouraged to contact Maryanne Foley at 646-5953, extension 4204.

Wells High School will soon begin culling student records for the Class of 2024.  If you are a member of that class and would like to have your student records, there are three ways to request and obtain your cumulative folder. The best way to reach Guidance Counselor Erin Sanborn is by email.  Her address is esanborn@wocsd.org.   You can also submit your request in writing, along with your name and mailing address, to Erin Sanborn, Wells High School Guidance Office, 200 Sanford Road, Wells, ME 04090.  The third way to request your school records is by telephone to Erin at 646-7011, extension 2204. Please note that to request your folder, you must do so by October 15, 2025.

The Health Office at Wells High School is preparing to confidentially dispose of student health records for the classes of 2014 and 2015 in accordance with 255 Maine State Archives, Chapter 10. If any former student of WHS would like their health folder, please make a request for it in writing and send that to Pat Endsley, RN, at pendsley@wocsd.org, or mail your request to Pat Endsley, RN, at Wells High School; 200 Sanford Rd., Wells, ME 04090. This should be submitted before August 4, 2025.

Effective July 1, 2025, Superintendent James Daly has announced that Theresa Curran will fill the position of Interim Principal at Wells Elementary School.

Ms. Curran has served as the assistant principal of Wells Elementary School since 2017. Previous to joining the Wells-Ogunquit CSD, she was the assistant principal of Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Prior to that she held administration internships at Mildred L. Day School in Arundel and RSU#21. Her career in education began as a Kindergarten and third grade teacher in the state of New York, followed by Kindergarten and first/second grade positions in Maine with RSU#21. She also created the Adult Education program at Mildred L. Day School and directed that program for one year. Ms. Curran attended St. Joseph’s College in New York receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Study. She obtained a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine.

On Thursday, April 16, 2025, the 39th Wells-Ogunquit CSD Literary Achievement Awards Ceremony took place on stage in the Olenn Performing Arts Center at Wells High School. The event was video recorded and will be cablecast on Spectrum Public Access Channel 3 in Wells and Ogunquit for two consecutive weekend evenings beginning Friday, June 13th, ending Sunday, June 22nd.

At this time, 65 students who placed in this year’s creative writing contest were invited to attend and be recognized in front of a large audience of parents and others. Twelve First-place winners were invited to read all or a portion of their submitted writings. In the 12th-grade category, there were two students who tied for first place.

Those who came in first include: Rowena Beamis (Kindergarten), Harley O’Hare (1st gr.), Tiernan Burnell (2nd gr.), Everly Cavan (3rd gr.), Adalyn Oakes (4th gr.), Lucy Minogue (5th gr.), Mary Abbott (6th gr.), Riley Gosselin (7th gr.), Laila VanWeest (8th gr.), Phoebe Roach (9th gr.), Sahil Altaf (10th gr.), Ainslie Donovan (11th gr.), Elizabeth Nichols (12th gr.), and Alana Johnson (12th gr.).

The current co-chairs of the Literary Achievement Awards program are Pamela Lear and Brenda LaFrance. Both are Wells Elementary School staff members who organized the 2025 Awards event. This writing contest is judged at two levels by a mix of community volunteers and school staff members. The writing submitted is generally in the form of a fictional short story, poetry, or a non-fiction piece.

Since 1986, this writing contest has encouraged, recognized, and rewarded outstanding creative writing at all grade levels. Over four decades, thousands of WOCSD students have participated in this contest. Long-time sponsors of the contest include the Wells-Ogunquit CSD, the Rotary Club of Wells, the Rotary Club of Ogunquit, and Las Olas Taqueria in Wells.