Maine Connections Academy Hosts Statewide Academic Summit to Foster In-Person Learning and Community

(Pictured: Maine Connections Academy students at the University of Maine at Farmington drawing)

On January 17, 2025, Maine Connections Academy, a tuition-free, grades 7-12 online public charter school, brought students together for an in-person Academic Summit at several locations across the state. This summit provided students with valuable opportunities to engage in hands-on learning, interact with teachers, and connect with peers beyond the virtual classroom.

The Academic Summit featured a variety of immersive experiences at institutions across Maine, including the University of Maine at Farmington, the University of Maine at Orono, the Maine Maritime Museum, and the Portland Museum of Art.

Event highlights included:

• University of Maine at Farmington – Students visited the Field House, where they participated in basketball, swimming, or teacher-led activities, such as board games and crafts. Maine Connections Academy students also had a campus tour that introduced them to university life.
• University of Maine at Orono – Students experienced Cosmic Mashups, a planetarium show exploring black holes and star collisions, followed by a guided campus tour.
• Maine Maritime Museum – A hands-on program, How to Build a Wooden Vessel, immersed students in Maine’s rich shipbuilding history through interactive exhibits and demonstrations.
• Portland Museum of Art – Students engaged in Learning to Look with Visual Thinking Strategies, which was a guided tour designed to encourage deeper analysis and appreciation of visual art.

Maine Connections Academy’s Academic Summit underscores the importance of face-to-face interactions in an online learning environment, helping students to form lasting connections with their peers and educators and explore future academic and career pathways.

For more information about this event or Maine Connections Academy, click here.

This story was submitted by Maine Connections Academy. To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.