Aspire Gorham

06/02/2025

This week, our 8th graders had an exciting opportunity to explore future career paths at Westbrook Regional Vocational Center! Students were able to choose three programs of study to attend mini sessions on, giving them hands-on experiences and insights into a variety of vocational fields.

A big thank you to the staff at WRVC for hosting and to our students for representing our school so well!

05/27/2025

A special plaque has been placed in the middle school’s Digital Exploration Classroom (DEC), honoring the legacy of Terri Dawson, a remarkable teacher, mentor, and friend who passed away this fall.

This plaque now stands as a lasting tribute to Mrs. Dawson’s extraordinary impact on our school community.

It’s only fitting that this tribute lives in the DEC, a space that reflects the spirit she championed. Events like STEAM Night, filled with curiosity, collaboration, and discovery, are living examples of what Mrs. Dawson believed in: that exploration and experimentation can spark lifelong passions.

Her legacy lives on in every student she inspired and every idea she helped bring to life.

04/18/2025

Thanks to the work of Angela Gospodarek at GMS, students explored genetics by testing for blood types. They added data to a growing database of blood types from 343 Gorham residents, including contributions from over 148 students since the program began.

They found that their local data largely mirrors national blood type distributions, though they observed a lower percentage of B+ types in Gorham — likely a reflection the town’s demographic makeup. Notably, 47 residents tested as O-negative, the universal donor type. This real-world connection to potential lifesaving science made a powerful impression on students.

After participating in this unit, many students expressed interest in donating blood in the future. They also created personal Eldon Blood Cards with their blood type recorded — a memorable, hands-on takeaway.

This experience was more than just a lab activity. Students learned about the life-saving potential of a single blood donation, the logistics and timeline of the donation process, and where donated blood from Gorham is actually used. It was a highly relevant and engaging way to tie genetics into real-life applications and community health awareness.

04/17/2025

How do we create products that serve people while simultaneously reducing our environmental impact? .mist and Professor Richard Bilodeau’s Team joined Mr. King’s Algebra II classes for a crash course in design thinking and entrepreneurship. Students received bags of trash and were tasked with creating a unique product. Products were rigorously scored and winners took home a prize thanks to the generosity of our community partners. This supports our district’s strategic plan by pairing academics with real world application and empowering students to take ownership of their learning. Big thanks to .mist and for bringing the partnership. We can’t wait to bring it to more students!

04/17/2025

That’s a wrap! GHS science teachers and community partners brought CareerX to a close yesterday. Students experimented with circuits, designed aquaculture farms, piloted airplanes, solved medical and public health scenarios, identified microbes and environmental pollutants, cracked cases using genetic analysis, and much more. They explored aviation, aquaculture, medical science, microbiology, forensics, hydrogeology, biotechnology, veterinary research, engineering, nursing, and scuba diving.

We couldn’t have done it without the generosity of our partners .charvat

Aspire Gorham creates opportunities for students to explore their strengths and interests through community-based career exploration. This directly supports Gorham High School’s goal to create smoother transitions between high school and careers or college. It also supports the district’s strategic plan by pairing academics with real world application and empowering students to take ownership of their learning. 

04/07/2025

Try It Day at Gorham Middle School was a success! Students explored auto mechanics, aviation, construction, graphic design, architectural design, entrepreneurship, real estate, and on and on. Major kudos to Emma Ambrose for leading the charge! We couldn’t have done it without our partners .rutherford and so many others!

04/01/2025

Ms. Ambrose joined the GMS Student Council yesterday for an interactive session on ‘soft skills’! Students practiced enthusiasm & attitude in mock interviews, built structures using teamwork & communication, and tackled workplace scenarios requiring professionalism & problem-solving.

05/22/2023

A HUGE thank you to Terri Dawson for documenting Friday's Amazing Race of Gorham. Check out the video she made to witness all of the fun we had!

Once again, thank you to our "amazing" business community for participating in this event and providing our students with a powerful experience!

5th and 8th graders experienced the Amazing Race today!

05/19/2023

It was a beautiful day for the Amazing Race of Gorham.

THANK YOU to our Community Partners, our volunteers, our VIPS, our teacher-leaders, and of course, our STUDENTS who represented Gorham Schools so well. We have an amazing and supportive community who open their doors to share their stories with our students ... how lucky are we?!

05/15/2023

Aspire Gorham has a busy week ahead ... which means lots of opportunities for our students to learn and explore various careers of interest.

This is going to be a GREAT WEEK!