The Betterment Fund

GouldAcademy 41st Annual CASE-NAIS Independent Schools Conference January 23-25, 2011

Bethany Allen ’89

Bethany

Growing up, I was often the only student of color in my class, my grade, or even my school.

I lived in a small, one-traffic-light town and had a happy childhood; I had loving parents and spirited siblings. My brother and sister and I spent all of our time together growing up, and most of it outside, playing by the brook that ran by our house or picking blackberries from the bushes along its banks, climbing trees, riding our bikes everywhere, and building and then protecting forts of various forms. We were such a tight-knit group that I didn’t really realize I was different from them, but I was a black kid in a white town, so I was bound to figure it out eventually.

School, or, rather, other school children, was the catalyst for this realization. Kids I had never seen before gave me wary looks or seemed to flat-out avoid me. Some kids teased me for my skin being darker than theirs or my hair being “messy.” Over the years, the chiding remarks weighed on me more and more to the point that I wanted nothing more than to just “fit in.” School became a place where I felt socially ostracized and even an occasional target of discrimination. At the same time, school was a place where I excelled, and I loved learning. By junior high, though, I was starting to dread school, and my grades even started slipping.

One of my classmates started talking about Gould – her older brother had started going there, and she was to follow him when it came time for high school. I knew almost nothing about it, but became convinced that it was the place for me, too. My mom did a little research but tempered my enthusiasm by pointing out it was unlikely I would be able to go given the tuition costs. We visited the school and attended a number of admissions events, and, at some point, we found out about the Bingham Scholarship. It was a long shot since it became available on a two year cycle; we weren’t even sure at first if the timing was in our favor. Fortunately, all the pieces fell into place, and I applied. I got accepted to Gould but had to wait on news of the scholarship before I could celebrate that achievement – without it, there was no way I could attend. Then one day I was called to the office to speak to my mother on the phone. “Looks like you’re going to be the next Bingham Scholar,” she told me.

I went to Gould with high hopes but also a ton of anxiety. Would I fit it? Would people like me? Being an ugly duckling in junior high had worn on me; I had vigorously sought the attention and acceptance of my peers to a point nearing exhaustion. It took me some time to let go of my insecurities and realize that I didn’t need to expend my energy in that way at Gould, but I did eventually, and that made all the difference. All the time and mental space I had devoted to attempting to assimilate was ultimately freed to pursue the rich curriculum, explore new ideas, activities, and sports, and, perhaps most importantly, become a member of a community.

Ironically, in a town even smaller than the one in which I grew up, I experienced diversity for the first time – and not just racial diversity, but diversity of thought and perspective. And all of this was encouraged, welcomed, celebrated. Yes, I was different in some ways from my peers, but we were all unique in some way, and those unique traits brought something to the table, something good and meaningful. I was finally able to embrace the things that made me who I was, and I came to understand them as empowering. At Gould, in addition to an outstanding education, I was given the space and encouraged to decide for myself what it meant to be me. With the enormous weight of “fitting in” off my shoulders, and with the help of dedicated, inspired teachers and advisors, I flourished as a student and was able to realize my childhood dream of getting into Harvard.

Clearly, going to Harvard created a wealth of opportunities for me that would not have been possible otherwise, and the preparation – on academic and personal levels – I received at Gould was invaluable. The years since leaving Bethel have had their share of ups and downs, successes and failures, but Gould remains a beacon of happiness and source of pride in my life. The four years I spent there were truly transformative. I can only imagine how different my life would be had I not discovered my potential for leadership, not been pushed to higher levels of reflection and introspection, not felt the fierce devotion and stalwart support from people I considered brilliant – Bonnie Pooley, Gary Hill, Lucia Owen, Mac Davis and so many other teachers. If they believed in me, I had no choice but to believe in myself. I can only imagine how different my life would be had I never heard the words, “looks like you’re going to be the next Bingham Scholar.” I’m so grateful for those words, for the scholarship and the opportunity it afforded me, and the knowledge that every two years, another kid with untold promise from some small town in Maine might hear them, too, and get to experience all the joys, wonder, and growth that is inherent in an education from Gould.

Bethany Allen ’89

Elyse Elyse D.H. Barnard ’11

Gould Academy is a small school in a rural setting with intimate intentions.

The knowledge I’ve gained here, however, is as expansive as the mountain range that surrounds it. Gould has provided me with a topnotch education and given me an invaluable space and opportunity in which to grow. I’ve never felt stifled at this school, on the contrary I have been encouraged to test my limits, do my best work and explore my creativity. Students are respected here, and teachers are passionate. The relationships that I’ve formed with members of the faculty are meaningful and lifelong, and their genuine concern for their students serves as an example for me to excel, not only in the classroom, but also in the world at large.

The diverse yet close-knit Gould community has provided me with an opportunity to find where I fit in outside of my family and hometown. As adolescents, we all have difficulties with something, and the faculty at Gould gives us a chance to figure it all out. We are asked to push ourselves but not diverge from who we really are. This focus has helped me to grow both intellectually and socially over the course of my time here. I have honed in on many important skills that I will need later in life, from collaboration to critical thinking, and have become more independent and prepared for college and the world beyond.

Generally a somewhat cautious and shy person, Gould has helped me to break out of my comfort zone and to take risks. I am excited to explore new endeavors and have grown more confident over the past four years.

The encouragement and support from teachers, figuring out the give and take of living with another person unlike yourself (and making it work) in the dorms, and testing my physical limits as part of a team have made me more self-assured and independent. The opportunity to participate in Gould’s unique Four Point Program also helped me to develop each year in different ways. The infamous Junior Four Point tested my inner strength and physical endurance and allowed me to trust others in a way I’d never experienced before. Sophomore year addressed community service and creative expression, which are two ingrained facets of who I am. My senior self-supported project answers the question, “how do ethics affect national healthcare policy,” and is a cumulation of previous Four Points and independent service and study.

I thrive on creativity, and Gould has allowed me the opportunity to express myself in many ways. I have been a member of both the chorus and the band here, and have also had the opportunity to perform in three musicals, various stage productions, and concerts. With every performance I grow as an artist. I recently collaborated with two of my talented teachers to perform a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah at the 2010 Yulefest. It was an honor to share a special moment with incredible mentors in a supportive community.

If pressed to choose one aspect of Gould that truly has left its mark on me and pointed me in a new direction, I would resound with “global focus.” Not only have I had the opportunity to meet students from all around the world, the curriculum integrates the importance of a global education. My class was the first to travel abroad to Beijing, China my Freshman year through Four Point.

Experiences there opened my eyes to the world outside of rural Maine and sparked an interest within me to learn from and exchange with other cultures.

Currently, I plan to attend Middlebury College with a focus on East Asian Studies and Chinese. I will never forget how Gould inspired me and helped me to find this passion.

As Mr. Baker so aptly put it, “the girl belting it out on that stage was not the same girl I knew Freshman year sitting in the front of the bus in China.” He is spot on. The Gould environment has allowed me to grow in ways that I am still discovering. The Bingham Scholarship has made this all possible. Without it, I would never have had the opportunity to attend such a fine institution. It is an incredible school with infinite possibilities. I am so thankful to those who took a chance and believed in me. I have set my goals high, and because of Gould and the Bingham Scholarship, I now possess the tools to reach them. I tend to lead with my heart and have left a small piece of it behind.

Elyse D.H. Barnard ’11

Robert D. Bruce III ’01

Robert

On the first visit to Gould from Caratunk, my rural hometown in northwestern Maine, I knew within minutes of arriving that it was where I wanted to be.

I’m not big on premonition but as soon as Dad and I drove onto the campus, I just had a funny feeling that the place was perfect. This feeling was accompanied by some apprehension because, while my family did not lack for happiness, we knew that I would never be able to attend Gould without financial assistance.

Happily, the folks at Gould made the best decision of my young life when they took a chance and awarded me with generous financial aid from the Betterment Fund. For three years I received top-notch tutelage in small classes while enjoying active involvement in the school community as a head proctor, co-captain of the lumberjack team, crosscountry runner and lacrosse player, chorus member (always singing softly or just faking it so as not to throw off the rest out the bass section), and by participating in community service programs. Gould was my home, the teachers and staff my friends and family. I knew at the time that these experiences were special, but I was young and having too darn much fun to fully realize at the time just how special it was.

The goal of every school is to prepare the students for the life that awaits them once they graduate, and to endow them with the tools they will need to make the most of it after they walk across the stage and take the diploma. For me, the opportunity to attend Gould Academy really did put me on the path of turning my dreams into a reality. Upon graduating in 2001, I was accepted at Dartmouth College, where I earned a B.A. in molecular biology and genetics in 2005. After a year-long adventure in Alaska caring for a kennel of sled dogs and working as a deckhand on halibut fishing boats, I returned back East and spent two successful years researching chronic kidney disease in Boston. I am now in my second year at Tufts University School of Medicine. At the same time I entered Tufts, I accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army as a participant in the Army Medical Scholarship Program. It’s worth mentioning that an old friend and mentor from my years at Gould, Mr. John Todd, did me the great honor of driving down from Maine to Boston to administer my oath as an officer. Upon graduating from medical school, I am proud to say that I will also have the opportunity to serve the men and women of our nation’s armed forces as a physician.

The generosity of the Betterment Fund and my experiences at Gould inspired me to do more with my life than achieve personal goals. That kindness I knew instilled within me the desire to ‘pay it forward’ and bring similar opportunities and support to others. Last spring, inspired by my work with Habitat for Humanity conducted during the sophomore and senior year service programs at Gould, I traveled to Guatemala for three weeks to build homes for needy families. I am also in the inaugural class of the Maine Track Program at Tufts. The purpose of this partnership between Tufts and Maine Medical Center is to fill the growing need for physicians in the state, with

participating students spending two of the four years of medical school training within the Maine hospital system. With an emphasis in rural medicine, the program seeks to introduce students to a life serving rural communities. My dream is to one day return to Maine and apply my skills as a physician by bringing topnotch medical care to rural communities.

Better yet, I keep in touch with more Gouldies than any other friends I have made, before or since. This summer a fellow Gould grad and I hiked 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Mt. Katahdin to the ford at the Kennebec River. My best friend in the world is the same guy with whom I shared a room in Davidson Dormitory for three years, and rare is the time we meet up when we don’t tell a few glory tales about pulling off some of the finest pranks in the history of Gould (no worries.. they were all laughable but quite benign!). If I’m at a wedding, chances are it is a classmate from Gould. Even now, almost ten years later, I swing by campus any time I’m near Bethel to catch up with the Shifrins and the Mannings, my teachers and dorm parents from Gould.

I was asked to write a letter to tell you how three great years in Bethel helped me in life. Honestly, I can never begin to name all of the ways in which my time at Gould Academy helped me in life. There are the ‘tangibles.’ It’s where I received the academic instruction and intense coursework that opened countless doors when I graduated, where I was introduced to French, learned how to swing a 5-lb felling axe and milk a goat, and participated in my first Habitat for Humanity build. More powerful than anything I can list on a resume are the ‘intangibles’ I took away, for it was Gould where I met my best friend, where I fell in love for the first time (alas, first-time heartbreak, too..), where I learned maturity and leadership, the pain from the loss of a close friend, and the power of trust.

For all of my life experiences, before and since, it was Gould where I became a man.

The gift from the Betterment Fund has meant the world to me, and it makes me so happy to know that other young people still have this opportunity. Thank you so much for what you are doing.

Robert D. Bruce III 2LT, U. S. Army Medical Corps TUSM ’13, D’05, GA’01

Anne C. Colpitts ’03

Anne

Peru, Maine has a lovely pond, miles of scenic farmland bordering the Androscoggin River, a gas station that always stocks Uncle Henry’s Swap it Or Sell it Guide, and a giant sandpit that is perfect for off-roading in your best friend’s ATV. What Peru, Maine does not have, however, is a high school. The Peru School eighth grade class of 1999 (a bright-eyed crowd of 27) individually faced the decision of which neighboring town’s high school their parents’ tax dollars would go to. My parents, believing that I had a lot of as-yet-untapped academic potential, suggested that perhaps I should visit Gould Academy.

Gould was only a 40 minute commute from our home, and despite the fact that in a one-income household with seven children we’d certainly never be able to afford it—visit it, we did.

I was hesitant. I knew little about Gould before my first visit, and naturally didn’t want to leave my close-knit group of friends (who had already decided which high school they’d attend), however the visit made me a convert. I wanted to go to Gould. Here was a place where I could not only expand academically, but regularly engage in all of the extracurricular hobbies that I had developed a love for over the years (theatre, music, and so forth) without having to leave campus! I applied, of course, even knowing there was absolutely no way that my parents could afford the tuition.

Enter The Bingham Scholarship. Receiving that scholarship was the only possible way that I could have attended Gould, and for that, I remain beyond grateful. The news of the grant seemed a bit of a miracle at the time. Frankly, more than a decade removed now, it still does.

My Gould experience did not change who I was; rather, it extracted those little droplets of myself that were already present and developed them until I graduated as a well-rounded young adult who (chintzy as this sounds) truly knew herself. In fact, “development” is the word that most accurately pinpoints what Gould did for me and continues to do for others. At Gould, I discovered what I was truly passionate about by engaging in both the activities that I adored as well as...everything else under the sun. I joined the basketball

team to fulfill my competitive sport requirement, having never played basketball before in my life. I was a terrible basketball player. I mucked stalls in the barn, scraped ketchup from hundreds of plates during dish duty, learned about Russian history and hiked mountains in snowshoes. None of these are activities I ever intend on participating in again, but participating in them was as integral to my development as engaging in the things I truly loved.

At Gould I fell head over heels in love with the stage. I fell in love with performing. I fell in love with words. I fell in love with going outside of my comfort zone. I became me.

I went on to receive my B.A. from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, where I studied theatre (on the performance track), and minored in communications. As a testament to my Gould education, the very first semester of my very first year I was asked to be a teaching assistant for an introductory English class—while I was still taking it. The liberal arts program at Gordon even required an outdoor education course, much like a (much more seasonably comfortable) junior Four Point—and I knew exactly how to survive with the least amount of discomfort (because, let’s face it, I’m never going to be a leisure back packer). I graduated in 2007 summa cum laude and have spent the past few years pursuing theatrical endeavors while holding down a day job to pay off Sallie Mae (which, I am happy to report, I succeeded in as of December 15th!).

I am not sure what the future holds for me. What I am sure of is what I love—and Gould Academy helped me find that.

Anne C. Colpitts ’03

Tom

Tom Duggan ’09

Now a sophomore at St. Lawrence University, I have had some time to reflect and reminisce about my Gould experience.

St. Lawrence is allowing for many of my interests that started at Gould to become an even larger part of my life. Recently as I was applying, and later accepted to the Outdoor Program Guide Training, I had to talk about experiences that inspired interest in the outdoors. Gould Academy created something more of the interest with the outdoors that began as a child; Gould created something more of many new activities during my four years as a student. From the first weekend of orientation on a canoe expedition on Umbagog Lake to my final hours on campus as a senior, Gould inspired me to try new things and to pursue interests on the highest level.

As a freshman I was able to try mountain bike racing. I have always had a love for the woods and riding bikes, but the cycling team allowed me to make this interest into a sport, a serious pursuit for years to come. My love for cycling grew as Mr. Southam, Coach Nellis and others helped realize my potential as a cyclist. When it came time to design a senior project, I first looked to two of my favorite things, cycling and photography. Through the Four Point Program, I was able to tryout my first career interest, photojournalism. After a ten day project at Back Country Excursions this career interest became a little bit more serious. During my senior year, a classmate and I planned a road trip to South Carolina to train for the upcoming cycling season. We planned the whole trip on our own, from the directions, to the menu, to the rides that we were going to do; we built the trip from the ground up. It was a great success and became an additional component to my first project at Back Country Excursions. After working with my Four Point advisor and talking about the trips, I was able to have another realization. I did not really want to be a photojournalist. The thing I enjoyed most about the whole trip was designing the trip. I do not so much enjoy documenting photos and ideas for deadlines, but rather allowing them to become something more after some reflection.

I had my first real encounter with reflection during my 24 hour solo during junior Four Point. I loved the whole entire trip, from my first thoughts of the trip as I heard about it on tour as a freshmen, to my current thoughts on the trip as I write about it now. It may have been the turning point for me at Gould Academy. I was doing some of the things I love, but I was doing them way outside my comfort zone. Never had I been alone in the winter wilderness for more than a few hours, but I was out there for a whole day and night. I feel that the junior point embodies the Gould experience. It pushed me to try new things, inspired leadership, and facilitated the evolution of my person. After junior point, I felt that I was able to do these things consciously and as a result build the trip to South Carolina that I talked about earlier.

Now at St. Lawrence I am continuing to push myself and further the evolution of my person. The interest of designing trips pushed me to apply to Guide Training. After completing the Guide Training Program I hope to inspire a love and appreciation for the outdoors with those who come on my trips.

Even though it has been almost two years since I graduated Gould, I take with me the lessons and ideas inspired by my Gould experience. I am majoring in Conservation Biology and minoring in Economics. From Gould I am taking my want to continually gain different perspectives on our world. I am confident that my work in the classroom, and outside the classroom as a St. Lawrence Guide will be just another step through doors opened at Gould Academy.

At this point, I would like to thank those of the Bingham Scholarship and Betterment Fund for allowing me to have such an excellent high-school experience, that has inspired me to pursue interests, step outside comfort zones and to become an individual with an educated understanding of our global community.

Tom Duggan ’09

Megan Megan Edgar ’97

Before I came to Gould Academy my world was small.

I grew up in a small, northern Maine town. I interacted with a small group of people. I went to a small school, played sports on small teams, and traveled small distances. I’d been told the world was big, but I didn’t really know it.

The big world was inaccessible, far out of my reality.

The adults I met at Gould were happy. They liked their lives. They were active and fit. They were well educated. They were navigating through life in ways that demonstrated compassion, a sense of adventure, and fun. They made adulthood seem like something I could actually look forward to.

Then I received the Bingham Scholarship to go to Gould Academy.

I distinctly remember the day everything changed for me. It was winter carnival. Kids were outside getting ready for a rowdy game of broom hockey.

I loved hockey, but I was up in my room in Gehring Hall, looking out the window at a world I could not figure out how to belong in. And then it hit me.

A single thought that changed everything. “They wouldn’t have picked me if they didn’t think I belonged here.”

I spent a long time in complete culture shock. I couldn’t believe my peers.

They knew so much. It wasn’t just that they’d had a better education than me from the start; they’d actually been to the places we talked about. Some of them spoke several languages. Some of them were from other countries. They had parents who were real writers, athletes, doctors, and politicians. They’d had more interesting and unique life experiences by age 16 than any adult had had in my home town ever. I’d never known anyone like that.

Then there was the money. I’d never seen anyone buy six pairs of skis in one day without batting an eye. I’d never seen a Rolex. I didn’t know people actually had dilemmas about which car would be best for the weekend trip in the snow. I’d never thought about going to Tahoe for the weekend. Where was Tahoe?

And my teachers… In my small world adulthood was drudgery. It was barely paying the bills, raising kids you couldn’t afford, and spending hours at a boring job you hated and had no ownership in. The message sent was, “enjoy high school. It’ll never get any better.”

So I put on my jacket and I went out and played hockey. People cheered for me.

I made friends with the girl who would turn out to be my best friend all through school. It didn’t matter that I was a poor kid from northern Maine. I knew that now. The path of my life was up to me, just like everyone else at Gould.

Today I work as a science teacher at a charter school in Maui that emphasizes hands-on, field science. I’ve lived in Colorado, Florida, California, the British Virgin Islands, and Hawaii. I’ve traveled all over and have plans to travel more. I’ve worked as a dolphin trainer and spent a long time on the Atlantic researching humpback whales. I’ve taught skiing and led trail rides in Tahoe.

I love my job. I have fantastic friends from all walks of life. My world is big, and I have Gould to thank for that.

Megan Edgar ’97

Timothy H. J. Hodsdon ’87

It is with a great sense of gratitude that I compose this letter in the hopes, that in a few words, I can convey to you the monumental impact that my tenure at Gould, made possible by the Bingham Scholarship Fund, has had on my life.

I know that I won’t be able to do this, but maybe I can come close.

To say that Gould changed everything would be an understatement. When people ask: “where did you go to school?” I know that they are talking about college, but rather than Dartmouth or Harvard or the University of Colorado coming to mind, my thoughts immediately jump to the four years I spent in Bethel. I am not exaggerating when I say that I learned more there than I have ever learned in a four-year stretch since.

The first few weeks of my life at Gould Academy only held the smallest clues of the positive impact this little school tucked away in the hills of Maine would have upon my life. Those weeks were consumed with thoughts of how to adapt. I had come from the deep woods of Maine, and a very solitary learning experience of home schooling. Days of book study before Gould were punctuated with excursions on a sail boat, treks by snowshoe and horse-drawn bobsled to a market 19 miles away, fly-fishing, and hiking the Appalachian Trail. Adaptation meant co-existence with all of these strange, independent and utterly different people my own age. Yet this adaptation became the crux of my educational experience over the next four years. It was an exhilarating (and sometimes frightening) time – as is any a metamorphosis.

When I look back, I realize that Gould presented challenges that mostly had to do with relationships with my fellow man and woman. Life as a lone boy in the woods was idyllic, yes, but unrealistic from the standpoint of life in a society of adults. And, this may be the noble realm of the mind and the soul– the place where our ideas, thoughts, conflicts and triumphs meet, where we realize our likenesses and similarities. I would love to take time to speak to each memorable event that contributed to the Gould which, above all, excels in an education of empathy.

At Gould I read essays by Emerson as part of my stormy relationship with Mac Davis’ American Literature class. Stormy, by the way, is a compliment.

Mac, and Gould, taught me that conflict, how a ship in a storm that takes you off course, often leads to the discovery of destinations one might never have imagined. One of those essays was “Self-Reliance.” I felt very confident about this one, given my upbringing. If anyone knew the secret to self-reliance it was me, I thought, remembering how effectively I had been tucked away from the influence of others in my youth.

The essay proved to be surprising. I jumped in with the preconception that self-reliance meant supreme independence from those around me. Instead, inevitably, Emerson spoke about our self-reliance in the context of others.

Being reliant on one’s self wasn’t a way of separating one’s self from others, but rather a way of living gloriously in the midst and to the benefit of society as a whole.

My experience with Mac and Emerson, combined with a myriad of others, sum up what Gould did best. Not only did I gain an exemplary education, but did so in the context of society as a whole.

Bill Clough told us incessantly to “take a risk.” His words stay with me to this day and resonate next to Emerson’s. “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” Most importantly, Gould has galvanized my sense of self and my joy in those around me. I have rarely allowed fear to govern my decisions and actions. What most inspired me is how all of the educators at Gould led by example, taking risks of their own on a daily basis.

I will be forever indebted to the Betterment Fund and the Bingham Scholarship for the opportunity to open my eyes to a way of learning – one of open and fearless exploration across the globe.

Timothy H. J. Hodsdon Gould Academy Class of 1987

Hillary Hough ’07

Hillary

My Gould Academy experience is something I will hold with me every day for the rest of my life.

Before attending Gould Academy, I was very unhappy in the public school system for a number of reasons, academic and social. Upon my arrival at Gould, I knew I had discovered a community where I was going to thrive.

To this day, I would gladly boast to be one of the very proud alumni of the academy and wouldn’t trade a day of my Gould experience for anything in this world.

Gould Academy allowed me to find myself and learn that being myself is the only way to go through life. The connection I received from the Gould community was one that supported me through thick and thin. The friendships I established are life long and deeper than I can imagine I will ever develop again. The relationships with my teachers, my coaches, my dorm parents, and faculty are considered some of the strongest family I have. The skills I learned whether in the classroom, on the field, on the mountain, on my Four Point travels, in my own dorm room, at assembly or even dare I say in the dish room, are ones that reflect in my every day life. Gould gave me everything I am today. I would not be who I am without my Gould experiences.

When I sit back and think about how lucky I was, I even begin to get emotional. None of us knew when we were attending the Academy how lucky we were. It was simply high school to us; we knew no different and many took it for granted. It was not until I left for college did I realize, oh boy, I would give anything to go back to such a place. I remember visiting a year or so after I had graduated in 2007, and by seeing the present students I was presented with an urge to go up to them, take them by the shoulders, and look them in the eye and say “you have no idea how lucky you are.” Even if I did go through with it, I wouldn’t expect them to understand what I was talking

about. In fact, they would most likely think I was crazy. But some day they will look back and understand how lucky they were to have Gould Academy be their home for however much time they were able to attend.

As a Bingham Scholar, I was able to attend Gould Academy for three years and graduate with, of course, what I would consider the best class that ever walked, the class of 2007. Without this financial gift of the Bingham Scholarship, my Gould experience would have never been possible. Of course during my stay at Gould, this was also something that I did not understand, yet now I see really how ultimately lucky I was to receive such a gift that gave me the world as I know it today.

I take this time now to thank you for giving me such a gift; it may just have been one of the biggest gifts I will ever receive.

Thank you so much for everything you have done.

Hillary Hough Gould Academy, Class of 2007 Semester at Sea, Fall 2010 University of Maine, Class of 2011

Mary Jo Reed ’95

Mary Jo

It has been a few years since I’ve had the occasion to compose anything written and at all formal.

I have had the good fortune to own and operate “MJR Electric” for almost 10 years now. This small electrical contracting firm in southern Maine has been my pride and “joy” since shortly after completing my B.A. in Sociology in 2002.

During summer vacations while attending Gould (’95) and throughout college, I worked alongside my father in the field and my mother on the administrative side of their own electrical company. At the time, I had no idea that I would eventually run my own company, let alone a contracting business which built on the skills I gained while earning “gas money” in high school and supplementing my loans and scholarships while completing my degree.

It was after attending my five year GA reunion in 2000 that I contacted Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland. I expressed my interest in volunteering, as I had done for my Sophomore Four Point at Gould, and hoped that I would be able to help “pull some wire” for one of their upcoming projects. I held only a Maine State Helper’s License at the time and that would not allow me to pull the necessary permits. I looked into the licensing process and began filling my remaining elective credits with the coursework necessary to sit for the licensing exam. I had been able to document the necessary work experience while employed by my parents (who moved on from their business a year or so before I graduated from college.) But it was my experience with Habitat for Humanity while at Gould that revealed this opportunity, which swiftly led to buying my own van, hiring employees and building a strong, word-ofmouth reputation which has kept me busy and provided my living since 2001.

As a woman in a traditionally male field, I am repeatedly asked “what’s it like being a female electrician?!” Much of the ease that I have in the trade comes from working alongside my Dad for so many years, but also his attitude that you can be anything you set your mind to becoming. The opportunities generated by the “Gould experience” built on this encouragement and impacted me in a complimentary way, bringing the “no fear” attitude together with innovative learning opportunities.

I knew little of the world outside of Maine before joining the Class of ’95, a year early, at age 13. Moving into Ghering Hall seemed much like staying at a hotel (except for the lack of a pool!) My Freshman year, our Four Point Program was a first for Gould – international student exchange. “WOW!” I had been in a plane a few times, but this was something that no one in my life had experienced, very nontraditional and outside the box relative to what I knew of the world up to that point.

Sophomore Four Point with Habitat, again, had me in a world I did not know, finding ways to give what I had to offer to those who needed a hand up.

Junior Four Point was the best! Another Gould first, splitting the boys and girls up on different hiking expeditions. Although the boys hardly noticed we weren’t around, the girls were given an opportunity to fill all of the roles necessary to make it through eight days in the woods in the Maine winter. Mac Davis (my advisor) and Bonnie Pooley led our trip and were as personally instrumental in developing a change in my path as the experience itself, a change in my path that I have always traced back to those eight days; a change as monumental as learning to walk, read, or write. Through the outdoor experiential education experience, Mac and Bonnie helped me gain the skills to “play nice with others” and work toward a common goal. While planting the roots for my love of the outdoors, they instilled in me the knowledge that I could be self-reliant and trust myself to get through all that life would throw at me. It is not possible for me to do justice to the experience of Junior Four Point with words (my apologies to Mrs. Owen, the chair of the English Dept.!)

Had the Bingham Scholarship not been available and awarded to me in 1991, it’s difficult to imagine that I would have arrived at such a place in my life. The experiences I was privy to every day, but especially during all of Gould’s Four Point Programs, continue to influence and enrich my life on a daily basis. However, if not for the meaningful daily guidance of the faculty (and not just by getting me to assembly on time!) and their vibrant and ceaseless efforts to help me gain from the GA experience and all that it had to offer, my prep school experience could have missed the mark. My advisors, teachers and coaches provided me with an understanding of “opportunities and challenges” in a way that has contributed immensely to my personal and professional success.

Although my parents knew they could not afford the tuition for me to attend a private high school, they were able to see my potential and because of the Bingham Scholarship, the Betterment Fund and the Admissions Department, I have been able to become “anything I wanted to be…” just like my Dad promised I could. I feel I am on the verge of ‘tooting my own horn,” but without the guidance of my family and Gould Academy, I often wonder if I would have known just how great I could be. The Betterment Fund is at the heart of what created this possibility, and I am lucky to have the opportunity to be so thankful. Thank you!

Mary Jo Reed Gould Academy, Class of 1995