HELPING OUT AT THE YORK FOOD PANTRY. Local Brownie Girl Scouts recently helped out at the York Food Pantry by donating Girl Scout Cookies from their cookie sale and helping to stock the shelves with items donated by members of the troop as well as other supplies on April 8. Pictured are York Food Pantry Director Tom Whalen with Juli Ennis, Althea Laprey, Elizabeth Adams, Chrissy Ellis, Lillian Hubbard, Kate Murphy, Ellie Lowenstein and Abi Kavanagh. Missing from the photo are Alicia Reynolds and Sophia Hughes.
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The Annual Fairy Tale Ball at Village Elementary School had young princes, princesses, knights, queens and all manner of characters from the favorite stories of childhood coming to life in April. Pictured here are Sophia Barbaro, May Hoover and Lillian Hubbard all dressed up for this favorite event of the first-grade year.
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FROM JAPAN TO YORK. When second-grade students at Coastal Ridge and Village Elementary Schools study Japan in the weeks ahead, they will have the help of a very special teacher: Hiroko Harada. Harada, a visiting teacher from Japan through a program that brings teachers from Japan to work with students in the United States, is seen here during a ceremony in honor of her arrival at Village Elementary School on April 28. In fact, this is her third year working with students in the York Schools. Harada will remain in York for the next five weeks, dividing her time between the second-grade classrooms in the town's two elementary schools, as students learn about Japanese crafts, language, culture and more.
Photo by Tori Rasche

PROTECTING THE RIVER. Coastal Ridge Elementary School teacher Charlotte Pierce is joined by students Jenna Healy, Mac Walter, Malcolm Hughes and Emily LaFlamme as they are welcomed to Augusta by State Rep. Windol Weaver, R-York, on April 15. The fourth-grade students and their team leaders, including parent Beth Walter, were recognized in Augusta by Gov. John Baldacci and the Department of Education for their project "What's in Our Backyard: Understanding and Appreciating the York River." The project introduced students to the historical, economic, ecological and scientific importance of the York River. KIDS Consortium, a Lewiston-based, nationally recognized leader in the service-learning movement, organized the day's events in Augusta.
Photo by Diane Johanson

MELVIN JONES AWARD. The York Lions Club has selected Lion Frank Casilio to be a Melvin Jones Fellow. This award is in recognition of his service to the community and to Lions Club International. It is the highest honor the York Lions Club can bestow upon a member. Lion Frank, as a member and past president of the York Lions Club, was instrumental in carrying out the eye care and hearing programs for individuals in the community and providing assistance to those in need. He also conducts the Books to Motels Project profitably. The York Lions Club supports youth programs such as the Little League and York High School hockey, as well as assisting with scholarships to specialized camps. The club has supplied medical equipment assistance to many and donates a nontraditional scholarship at York County Community College each year. There are always Lions mints at restaurants across the state, and the largest fundraiser is the Christmas tree sale in December. Lion Frank Casilio epitomizes the club's motto "We Serve." Pictured, from left, are Lions Club President Allen Hall, Zone Chairman Gordon Moore, P.D.G Lynda Buckinger, Frank Casilio, Secretary Treasurer Dana Hale, Elliot Lions and Dick Hennessy, York Membership Committee.
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