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Windham High expands Extended Learning Opportunities; pilot field trips funded by $7,000 grant
Summary
Extended Learning Opportunities coordinator Lorraine Gosiak told the board ELOs give students community‑based, student‑led credit options; a $7,000 Maine C3 mini‑grant will fund a pilot field‑trip series this year.
The Windham Raymond School Board heard a detailed report Wednesday on Extended Learning Opportunities — student‑directed, community‑connected experiences that can earn academic credit — and that a $7,000 grant will fund a pilot series of exploratory field trips across Maine.
Lorraine Gosiak, director of community connections and ELO coordinator for the high school, said ELOs are typically student‑led projects that pair learners with community mentors for experiences ranging from vocational exploration to community‑service and career internships. “What makes an extended learning opportunity different? It's like an independent study, but its community connection component as well as a student gets to be in charge of their own learning,” she said.
Why it matters: ELOs provide alternate pathways for students who do not access voc‑tech programs or who want to explore career paths not available in the regular curriculum. Gosiak said ELOs commonly earn 0.5 elective credits per semester and that her office has worked with roughly 40–50 community mentors in recent years.
Program details: Gosiak described individual and group ELOs (the civic leadership group ELO met before school and presented at external forums) and said collaborative ELOs with nearby districts are possible but face transportation and scheduling barriers. She said 41 students had applied for ELOs in the current cycle, four applications were for group ELOs, and she expected roughly 20 individual participants after the application deadlines and interviews.
Grant‑funded pilot: the district received a $7,000 mini‑grant from Maine C3 to pilot a Student Exploratory Adventures program (four field trips) inspired by Educate Maine’s ELE program; the first trip will visit the Downeast Institute for aquaculture work. Gosiak said the grant requires tracking student outcomes showing whether trips sparked further study or career exploration.
Challenges and next steps: Gosiak identified transportation as the leading operational challenge and said she sometimes uses a school van to get students to community mentors. Board members suggested exploring new local transportation services and community volunteer programs as possible supports. The presentation concluded with board expressions of support and requests to share electronic links and resource materials with the full board.
