Maine School of Science and Mathematics

06/05/2026

While it has nothing to do with MSSM, it's still local and an interesting story. Three pilots launched in a hydrogen balloon from Presque Isle early this morning for a transatlantic flight to Europe, which could last 4 days and put them somewhere in Europe.

The story on WAGM:
https://wgme.com/news/local/pilots-aboard-a-hydrogen-balloon-are-attempting-to-cross-the-atlantic-ocean-maine-presque-isle

Live tracking:
https://my.yb.tl/pertwood

The first successful trans-Atlantic balloon launched from Presque Isle in 1978.

06/02/2026

Who are you wearing?

05/25/2026

Yesterday, for dinner, MSSM had a Musical Mystery Dinner in the dining hall. It was titled, "A Murder of Penguins" and was written by Mr. Anthony Dolan Scott, MSSM English Instructor and Humanities Division Leader. The music was arranged by Mr. Brett Vanderlaan, MSSM Music Instructor. The actors were from the 2026 Musical Theater Class. Photos don't do the performance justice, but it was interactive and entertaining. It included dinner served on school food trays. The audience was asked to dress as one of a few high school cliques, such as jock, goth, stoner, or nerd.

05/22/2026

The MSSM track and field team competed yesterday in the Aroostook County Championship meet, facing schools from across the county, including larger Class B programs such as Presque Isle.

At the county meet, the top six athletes or relay teams earn points toward the team score. MSSM athletes focused on personal records, strong effort, and competing well against tough county-wide competition. Senior Co-Captain Ben Uhlenhake placed 4th in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:20.86. He was also part of the boys' 4x800 relay team that finished 3rd in 10:42.06, along with Co-Captain Michael Dooley, Judson Smith, and Raphael Halpern. Freshmen Zander Mussmann and Ian Thibodeau both scored in the 400-meter dash. Mussmann placed 5th in 59.64, and Thibodeau finished right behind him in 6th at 1:02.07. These two are athletes to watch over the next three years.

The boys and girls 4x400 relay teams finished the meet strong. The boys' team of Ian Thibodeau, Ben Uhlenhake, Brady Bouchard, and Zander Mussmann placed 4th in 4:11.68. The girls' team of Anne Dostie, Samantha Houghton, Co-Captain Lydia Han, and Abby Creamer placed 2nd in 5:25.88. That same girls' group also placed 5th in the 4x100 relay. Roshan Roberts had a strong day in the long jump, setting a personal record of 16-10.75. That was an 8-inch improvement, placing him 8th overall.

For the girls, Annalise Roderick was a powerhouse. She placed 5th in all three of her events: shot put, discus, and the 1600-meter race walk. Several other performances stood out as well. Abe Han ran a strong 200-meter dash, and Raphael Halpern broke the 6-minute mark in the mile with a time of 5:58.87. The girls' team finished 5th out of seven teams, while the boys' team finished 6th out of seven. In all, 12 MSSM athletes earned personal records despite the cold and extremely windy conditions.

It was a strong day of competition, and the Penguins rose to the occasion.

PC: Riley Shean

05/20/2026

Two MSSM students represented the school at the 2026 All-State Conference, held May 14, 15, and 16 at the University of Maine in Orono. The event is hosted by the Maine Music Educators Association and brings together student musicians, music teachers, guest speakers, performers, and vendors from across the state.

Tailyn performed on alto saxophone, while Finn sang Tenor 2 in the SATB chorus. Both students took part in All-State rehearsals, working with other selected student musicians as they prepared for the conference performances.

The conference also gave music educators time to learn from one another and to attend professional development sessions. MSSM Music Instructor Brett Vanderlaan served as a stage manager during the event and attended several music-teacher workshops while students were rehearsing.

The Maine Music Educators Association has a long history of supporting school music in Maine. Its roots go back to 1915, when music supervisors met in Portland and formed what became the Maine Music Supervisors Association. In 1917, music teachers met in Bangor and voted to collect yearly dues, a moment often tied to the beginning of MMEA. The first Maine All-State Festival was held in 1953 in Augusta. Since then, the association has continued to support music teachers, student festivals, auditions, advocacy, and professional learning across the state.

For Tailyn and Finn, the conference was a chance to perform with strong student musicians from across Maine. For MSSM, it was also a reminder that the arts remain an important part of a complete high school experience, even at a school known for science, technology, engineering, and math.

05/19/2026

On a cloudy Tuesday, Mr. Katsman’s CubeSat Club launched two student-built payload boxes from the MSSM campus with help from Dr. Rick Eason, a retired University of Maine associate professor emeritus.

Dr. Eason has a background in electrical and computer engineering and remains active in UMaine’s high-altitude ballooning work. We are grateful for his time, expertise, and support in giving our students a real launch experience.

These CubeSat-style projects give students hands-on practice with engineering, sensors, data collection, weight limits, flight planning, and recovery. The payloads may not go into orbit, but the learning is very real.

At the time of this post, the balloon was moving at 25 mph at 63,000 feet, headed directly toward Prince Edward Island.

This is the kind of experience that makes MSSM different. Students are not just hearing about science and engineering. They are building, testing, launching, and learning from what happens next.

More photos on MSSM FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maineschoolofscienceandmathematics/albums

05/16/2026

Three MSSM students recently earned second place (out of 151) in the Tyler Technologies Maine App Challenge, a statewide competition that gives Maine students a chance to design and build original mobile apps. The challenge, held in cooperation with the University of Maine, encourages middle and high school students to explore software design, coding, and future career paths in Maine.

For the MSSM team, the experience went beyond winning a prize. Gabe Kirmani said one highlight about the event was, “meeting a lot of really great connections there, and we had a great time with the other participants.” The team spoke with Tyler Technologies staff about real-life technical topics and earned internship interview opportunities. Saketh Adabala, who did most of the programming, said one of the best parts was learning how Bluetooth communication works through hands-on programming.

Easton Allen’s marketing and video work also helped the team stand out. He filmed and edited the project video, then connected with Tyler Technologies staff about possible summer internship opportunities in marketing.

The Tyler Technologies Maine App Challenge began in 2015 and has awarded more than $110,000 to students across the state. This year’s winners were honored May 3 at Tyler Technologies’ Yarmouth office, where students received a share of $10,000 in scholarships through 529 college savings plans.
Congratulations to our MSSM students on a strong finish and meaningful learning experience.

(L-R: Easton, Saketh, Gabe)
https://youtu.be/DswomFZboLI?si=MHG0uZyNM6siXurI

05/15/2026

MSSM junior Ahliya Roy spent the fall semester in Washington, D.C., serving as a U.S. Senate Page. The program placed her in the middle of the daily work of the Senate with her days often starting at 5:00 a.m. as school started before sunrise, followed by work on the Senate floor, running papers, helping senators, listening to speeches, and staying ready during votes. Some nights stretched late, with pages working until 2:00 a.m. while amendments and papers moved through the Capitol.

Ahliya said MSSM helped prepare her for the academic side of the program. “I think academically I was a lot more prepared than a lot of the other students,” she said. “I kind of knew that you have to get things done when you have the opportunity to.”

The semester also changed how Ahliya sees her future. Working around senators and national leaders made Washington feel less distant. “I could work in the Capitol, and that's a normal thing,” she said. “That doesn't have to be something crazy or unreachable or a dream.”

For Ahliya, the people may be the ones who stay with her the longest. She lived, worked, studied, and built friendships with students from across the country. “No one could ever fully understand what it's like to be a Senate page unless you've been one,” she said. “You've seen me at my worst but also at my best.”

Congratulations, Ahliya, on representing MSSM in Washington, D.C.

[Her time in Washington, D.C. was during the fall semester, but there was miscommunication about when we could post this story.]

05/14/2026

MSSM was happy to welcome Dr. Kiersten S. Purington to campus today. She will give the keynote address at Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ 31st Annual Commencement Ceremony on May 30, 2026. Dr. Purington visited the campus to meet the seniors before giving her address.

Dr. Purington has a strong background in leadership, organizational development, project management, and life sciences. She founded Blue Dragonfly Solutions, LLC, where she provided project and program management support for life sciences clients. She also worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and has experience in research, grant writing, and improving organizational operations. She is the President and CEO of Aroostook Partnership in Caribou, a private/public partnership that engages the private sector leadership, talent, and resources in the region to ensure the economic survival and growth of Aroostook County.

The Commencement Ceremony will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com//streams