Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 2

F

rom the Headmaster

Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends of Thornton Academy,
In my third year as Headmaster, not a day goes by that I
don’t count myself fortunate to be serving the school and
community that gave me so much when I was a student.
I see and feel the support of the extended TA family on a
daily basis from my office and as I walk about the campus.
From open houses and athletic games, to class reunions,
the popular Thornton Fund Auction and our numerous arts
events, TA alumni, parents, and friends are loud (in a good
way) and proud. Several times a year, the Development staff
and I visit alumni farther afield and enjoy swapping stories
from TA’s past and present. This year, I had the pleasure
of meeting Priscilla ‘57 and Tom Hickey at a TA alumni
gathering in Florida. Upon hearing about the impressive
work our arts students are doing, they were inspired to
make a generous contribution to TA’s Friends of the Arts
program. You’ll read more about them and their passion for
supporting TA in these pages.
You’ll also read about plans for the new STEM Center
in the Scamman Science Building, TA’s most recent
building project. Four modern laboratory classrooms
(two chemistry, two biology) will complement the physics
and engineering spaces that were updated last year, and
accomplish our goal of offering a rigorous and broad-based
STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics)
education program, one that will be among the most
advanced in the state of Maine. These new classroom
laboratories will support the Science Department’s initiative
to shift to “inquiry-based” instruction, a teaching method
that combines the curiosity of students with the scientific
method to enhance the development of critical thinking
skills. The new spaces will foster greater collaboration
among students and faculty. I know you will enjoy reading
about the exciting weather balloon project undertaken by
students in Mr. Delcourt’s class, an inquiry-based learning
experience in Newtonian physics.

Headmaster Menard enjoys
attending student presentations
in a science laboratory.

nearly 200 years. In 1821, Thornton Academy’s namesake,
Dr. Thomas G. Thornton, contributed a stock gift valued
at $1,000 to (the then) Saco Academy, helping to secure a
successful future for the school. The generous donors listed
in this publication help ensure that TA has the resources to
provide a superior education for all students, and propel our
school forward as we move through the 21st Century.
On behalf of everyone at Thornton Academy, thank you for
your support.

The new STEM Center would not be possible without
the generous support of TA’s alumni, parents and friends.
Philanthropy has been integral to Thornton’s success for
Rene M. Menard ‘88, Headmaster

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POSTSCRIPTS