Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club’s citizen of the month honorees are, from left, Ryan Philbrook, Tristan Cormier, Jack Buelar, Kyan MacDonald, Alecssander Freitas, Sydney Mushrow, Olivia Pearson and Emily Rock, with Rotary Club President Aaron Hagan. Citizen of the month Elizabeth O’Leary was absent. Submitted photo
The Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club honored nine citizens of the month from Lake Region High School at a celebratory breakfast May 19 at the Bridgton Community Center.
Each senior received a certificate, a gift card and information about Rotary. Accompanied by parents and guardians, the eight who were able to attend each briefly spoke, and all had a meal.
The award is presented to high school seniors who have provided service in the community reflective of Rotary’s motto: Service Above Self, according to a news release from Carol Madsen with the rotary.
President Aaron Hagan introduced each student and presented the awards. Several of the recipients had participated in Dirigo State, a week-long program offered by the American Legion to teach high school students how the state government works and to give them experience in debating issues, running for office, and setting up a model government.
September COM: Elizabeth O’Leary of South Casco moved to Maine from Massaschusetts in her freshman year. She is interested in psychology and has taken dual-enrollment college courses in psychology. O’Leary is considering a career as a guidance counselor, a social worker, or a forensic psychologist. She also enjoys writing poetry.
October COM: Emily Rock of Bridgton enjoys sports and has been captain of her soccer and softball teams. She has volunteered at the Bridgton Rec Summer Camp and is head coach of the third/fourth-grade girls’ soccer team. This experience has helped her learn how to teach children, a skill she will put to good use when she becomes either a teacher or a coach. Rock also has had hands-on experience in governance. She was part of the LRHS DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) committee and was voted into the Senate in her week at Dirigo State.
November COM: Kyan Macdonald of Bridgton has demonstrated a real commitment to making positive changes in his community. With the help of his parents, he founded Team Kyan, a nonprofit that financially supports those impacted by childhood cancer. Macdonald also helped create the Student Summit at LRHS as a means for students to have their voices heard. Finally, he was a delegate at Dirigo State and got first-hand experience with the process of government.
December COM: Sydney Mushrow of Bridgton is active in concert band, jazz band, choir and theater. She enjoys helping younger kids and has volunteered in the Stevens Brook library and Bridgton Public Library. Mushrow plans to study business management and fashion design in preparation to her opening her own bridal shop. She wants to help every bride find her dream dress.
January COM: Jack Bueler of Bridgton comes from a family of eight children. He volunteers at the Bridgton rec program coaching basketball and helping with Halloween festivities. He hopes to become a therapist so he can help people work through their problems.
February COM: Ryan Philbrook of Bridgton volunteers at the Magic Lantern Innovation Lab and Learning Center, helping youths with their projects. He plans to earn a master’s degree in automotive engineering and work for a large automotive company.
March COM: Tristan Cormier of Bridgton is active in cross-country, and track and field. He has been active in Boy Scouts and recently became a Scoutmaster. He participated in Dirigo State along with other COMs.
April COM: Olivia Pearson of Bridgton enjoys sports. She is captain of the volleyball team and has received two Laker Pride awards. During the summer she volunteers and works as a lifeguard. Pearson wants to study marine biology and business in college.
May COM: Alecssander Freitas of Naples is the senior class leader of the Law Enforcement Program at Lake Region Vocational Center. He was a delegate in the 2022 session of the American Legion Dirigo State and went on to represent Maine at the 2022 Boys’ Nation Senate in Washington, D.C. This experience inspired him to become a serious student of government and the political process. Freitas hopes to become a U.S. senator so that he can work to improve the country.
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