Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 2

Rene Menard, '88, welcomes the faculty
and staff at the beginning of the school
year
Message From
The Headmaster
Dear Alumni, Parents,
and Friends of Thornton
Academy,
The new school year is now underway
and nearly 400 of our students—our
seniors—are contemplating what
comes next. With the help of their
families and guidance counselors,
most are visiting colleges, writing
personal essays, studying up for the
SAT, and otherwise preparing for
college or university admission. Others
are consulting military recruiters,
researching apprenticeships, exploring
travel or gap year options, and
investigating potential employment
opportunities. But their learning won’t
end with high school graduation.
This spring’s new alumni will find
themselves continuing their education
well beyond Thornton Academy in one
way or another.
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As the poet William Butler Yeats
observed, “Education is not the
filling of a pail, but the lighting of a
fire.” At Thornton Academy, we do
everything we can to light a fire in
every student. All stages of life will
present opportunities to learn, to grow,
to adapt, to acquire new skills and
knowledge. With the option to pursue
interests like dance, photography,
journalism and engineering, with the
thoughtful advice of parents, and the
knowledgeable guidance of the school
counseling staff, TA students receive
a lot of help in developing individual
paths for the future. Our goal is to
prepare our students well, to give them
a strong foundation, one that supports
and encourages their ongoing pursuit
of learning, wherever their interests
and talents lie. This is our mission.
The power of continuing education
is the theme of Postscripts. The cover
story highlights Ben Leary and Caleb
Bailey, both from the Class of 2017,
who are the first to have completed
the unique STEM partnership
between Thornton Academy and the
University of Maine. Additionally,
you will read about Greg Scontras,
Class of 2004, who has earned a PhD
in linguistics, and James (Jake) Ward,
Class of 1982, who serves as Vice
President of Innovation and Economic
Development at the University of
Maine, Orono. We hope you enjoy
these and the other stories in this issue.
There are many more graduates whose
stories are thus far untold, but the
profiles in this issue of Postscripts
make one thing clear: When you leave
TA, you are well prepared for the
journey that awaits you!
Rene M. Menard ’88, Headmaster