By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

A new year presents new challenges and opportunities to change.

The News polled area leaders as to the biggest challenges they will face in 2020, and what their “resolution” will be.

Biggest issue or challenge?

Peter Wright, president of Bridgton Hospital — “Workforce will continue to be our top challenge at Bridgton Hospital. Finding and retaining the top talent in health is becoming increasingly more difficult and complicated. We continue to invest in our people by maintaining competitive wages and benefits. That said, our true focus is now on culture and making Bridgton Hospital the absolute best place to work.”

Rick Stillman, Bridgton Chief of Police — “For the Bridgton Police Department, being able to provide quality police services and a robust community outreach program with a small staff has been a challenge. The Bridgton Police Department is fortunate to have great people and we hope to continue with the hiring of Matt Regis and Ryan McCloud in late 2019 and hope to add a 10th sworn officer and a part-time administrative assistant in 2020.

“In 2020, BPD is focused on achieving Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program certification within two years, which involves a complete revision of our current policies and the addition of many additional policies and standards of operation as well as additional training for all staff. Once certified, Bridgton can boast utilizing nationally-recognized best policing practices, increased accountability and transparency while getting a reduction in our insurance rates.”

Jay Robinson, SAD 72Superintendent of Schools — “The biggest challenge we are facing and will continue to face is supporting students who arrive at school without the ability to regulate themselves socially and emotionally. When students are not ‘ready to learn,’ it isn’t an option to simply plow ahead and start teaching while ignoring these needs. Also, when these needs are ignored, these students can’t be successful and often act out of frustration, creating a negative impact on their own learning and the learning of the larger classroom. We have responded by starting to incorporate explicit teaching in these areas from K-8, but given the acute nature of the problem we will have to continue to identify additional programs such as additional pre-kindergarten classrooms as well as other supports (staffing, outside agency support, etc.).”

David Morse, Lake Region Vocational Center director — “I think professionally, the biggest challenge I face is to help more students understand the value of the Career and Technical Education that the Vocational Center offers.  Many still see two tracks to pursue — vocational or college, whereas the marketplace doesn’t see it that way. Companies and organizations need graduates who can think critically and problem solve in every position they have. A student will learn how to do that in an Automotive class, for instance, even though they may never work in the automotive field. The thought process they learn in vocational programs can be considered even more valuable than the technical training. We have a variety of strategies we started to implement this year to help students understand this. Going forward, we will continue with these strategies and we will do more to help educators and parents understand, as well.”

Maggie Thornton, Lake Region High School principal — “The biggest issue or challenge I will likely face in 2020 is our students’ need for social emotional learning. In a nutshell, social emotional learning helps students manage their emotions, show empathy for others, participate in positive relationships and set goals. When our building focuses on this, there is a direct link to improved academic achievement and increased positive behaviors. We continue working on this as a school through professional development. Next steps will be to form a group of students to help lead the charge. Student voice is critical with this goal.”

Robert Peabody, Bridgton town manager — “Continuing to provide a high level of service to our residents and attending to infrastructure needs while being mindful of the resulting tax burden. I will approach it by the effective use of CDBG funds and revenues, seeking grant and partnering opportunities, expanding the tax base and exploring operational efficiencies.”

Colin Holme, Lakes Environmental Association executive director — “The biggest challenge I see is that people are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. We are not only spending the vast majority of our time looking at screens, we are talking about these digital experiences when we are not plugged in. Digital media, games, videos and activities are addictive and pervasive in our culture. When the day is over, what have we really experienced? We are so fortunate in this area to have a strong community. This is something that many suburban and urban parts of the country are sorely lacking. In my opinion, we need to turn to the community to get people back outside and into nature and our environment. There is nothing better than experiencing something real with someone else. At Lakes Environmental Association, we are offering programs and activities that get people back outdoors. From exploring upper watershed streams to examining the plants growing in the lake. If we do it together, it will be more fun then you expect and it will definitely beat a recap of the latest YouTube video!”

Matt Markot, Loon Echo Land Trust executive director — “Balancing work and play. We live in a community with incredible access to outdoor recreation — I want to make sure I’m taking advantage of that in 2020.”

Susan Beane, Denmark Arts Center executive director — “Preparation for a bigger building safety renovation project. (Approach) Incorporate businesses and community members in the planning and implementation stages.”

Andrew Harris, Deertrees Theatre executive director — “With the upcoming season at Deertrees, I believe the biggest challenge facing us will be the introduction of more theatre into the season. More theatre is something patrons in the past have asked for, it is expensive to provide so generating a sizable audience for it will be crucial. Getting the word out early about the plays will be important also finding and connecting with new patrons.”

Sue Thurston, Fryeburg Academy athletic director — “After enjoying my family, the challenge is finding balance between work, fun and personal health. Hoping to try some new adventure and really explore more of the outdoors we have here!”

Paul True, Lake Region athletic director — “The biggest challenge for me since I am not getting any younger is finding the time and being committed to a healthier lifestyle. I really struggle with exercise and healthy food options when I am here at the school for 10, 12, 13-hour days. It’s my own time management piece that I have to make time for myself to either get in the weight room or get out on the track, whatever it is. I have to do a better job at committing to those values. Nobody is saying no that I can’t do that, in fact most would encourage me to do it. I just have to find time and be committed to it. I have to pay attention to my total well-being. My wife, thankfully, is a health coach. She is very passionate about wellness. So, managing eating and making healthy choices at home is less of a challenge. There’s a lot of preparation. My goals are eating a healthier and more plant-based diet. To stay away from junk food as much as possible. I need to exercise more. From May to the beginning of September is usually a good time for me because I enjoy being outside and running. I can’t stand the cold weather, so now, I need to find a treadmill.”

Gary Colello, Bridgton Recreation director — “I think the biggest issue I will face in 2020 is understanding that everyone is allowed to have a perspective. I think it is more important now more than ever that people need to listen to understand, instead of listen to debate or change someone’s stance. There is always a way to meet in the middle and find understanding. Perspective is everything, just be understanding.”

New Year’s resolutions…and how I will achieve them

Peter Wright, president of Bridgton Hospital — “I’ll go out on a small limb here with a personal goal connected to work. In 2020, I will continue to focus on being the best me. An endless journey no doubt, but in my mind, it means focus. Starting at home (being the best dad and husband), then work (being the best teammate and leader) and of course being a great friend. Pretty standard, I know but my plan to accomplish this is very deliberate. First, being present and focus on what is in front of me. And then achieving peak health by focusing on appropriate sleep, precise and clean nutrition and of course driving forward with physical fitness. This is more than just an idea, I have a very clear plan and road map developed through research and understanding pace. I hope, at some point, to share what I have learned through studying about this…to be an educator and leader in driving my team to focus on their health and performance to help them achieve their goals.”

Rick Stillman, Bridgton Chief of Police — “Get officers to commit to making nonenforcement community contacts at least once per day. This really shouldn’t be difficult as officers are making contacts all the time, but encourage them to make this part of their shift routine, just as fueling the cruiser or doing traffic enforcement is routine…Maybe with a little help from BN we could do a ‘get to know your officers’ segment once a month.”

Jay Robinson, SAD 72Superintendent of Schools — “One ongoing yearly resolution is to continue to reflect upon how I can better support everyone working for SAD 72. I feel like there are always ways that I can improve my performance, and I take feedback (formal feedback through surveys, less formal feedback through conversations with all stakeholders) as a method of identifying those areas for improvement. Since we always have new students and new employees walking through our doors, what ‘we have always done’ isn’t necessarily always the best way to do things. Part of my job is to assure we are evolving in ways to best serve our students and families.”

David Morse, Lake Region Vocational Center director — “One of my personal New Year’s resolutions is to pay more attention to the needs of people around me that I interact with every day. We sometimes think of helping others as defined activities, like donating to a charity or volunteering at a homeless shelter, but we encounter opportunities to help others daily. My resolution is to watch more closely for those opportunities, like taking a few moments out of a busy day to encourage someone who is hurting, or to clear snow off of someone’s windshield who is parked next to me.”

Maggie Thornton, Lake Region High School principal — “One New Year’s resolution is to continue getting into teachers’ classrooms. Being visible in the classrooms is vital. I feel as though this is where I can make the most positive impact on the school as a whole. It is great to see what the teachers are doing and how students are responding. I plan to achieve this by prioritizing my day and schedule to maximize my time in the classroom.”

Robert Peabody, Bridgton town manager — “My New Year’s resolution is to approach the upcoming year’s challenges with an open mind, relying on our talented town staff, elected and appointed boards, and townsfolk to work toward the best results possible.”

Colin Holme, Lakes Environmental Association executive director — “Like everyone else, I spend a lot of time in front of a screen. This year, I want to devote more time to reconnecting with all that surrounds me. I have been lucky enough to paddle almost all the lakes in this area, but these waterbodies are constantly changing (almost as much as the weather) and every time, it is a new experience. For 2020, I am going to explore those parts of the lakes that I have missed before and take a fresh look at the shorelines and coves I have already paddled and I am going to do it with friends and family.”

Matt Markot, Loon Echo Land Trust executive director — “Getting more sleep by limiting screen time after 8 p.m.”

Susan Beane, Denmark Arts Center executive director — “Include a creative science/arts component this summer and feature a Rocket Camp for kids. (Accomplish) Reach out to engineers in our community and model other rocket programs.”

Andrew Harris, Deertrees Theatre executive director — “Realize that 2021 will be Deertrees Theatre’s 85th Anniversary and start the plans for it now!”

Sue Thurston, Fryeburg Academy athletic director — “I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions! Life is too full of opportunities to wait to a specific day to change! If I want a change, I make the change!”

Paul True, Lake Region athletic director — “I have to set clear and concrete goals. For me right now, it is three days a week I have to exercise. The other thing I’ve learned is start small, feel good about what I am doing, and then broaden my goals and aspirations. I need to commit to healthy food options every day. You get into a mode that you are so focused on helping everyone around you achieve their goals that you put less of an importance on your own health and wellbeing. Obviously, it is personal to me because my family has had all kinds of (health) problems. I understand the risks. As my wife often reminds me, making a change because you have to isn’t ideal. We need to be preventative and not try to intervene when my health isn’t great.”

Gary Colello, Bridgton Recreation director — “My resolution for moving forward is being open to others’ perspectives. I am going to listen more and reply less. Search for solutions, and complain less. Agree to disagree and move forward with compromise. I want this world to be a little more friendly, and a little more understanding of people’s feelings and thoughts. It starts with everyone, including myself, to have a little bit more love and understanding in a time when life can be really difficult for a lot of our friends, family and neighbors.”

So, what challenges do you face in 2020?

What resolutions have you made?

Maybe you just read something that might help you find success on both fronts.