Shalimar Poulin, who teaches art at Wiscasset High School, recently announced to her colleagues and students that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“The treatment I'm going through is brutal,” Poulin said. “The form of cancer I have is rare, aggressive and invasive. They caught it early enough that it is treatable. But I come from an athletic background. I've done half ironmans, triathlons, and I'm telling you it's like being hit by a Mack truck.”

In response to this news, students and staff have formed “Team Poulin — We Are Mighty” and have started a campaign of fundraising to help her with medical costs and to show their support. While Poulin was out of school for a few days, the group cut shapes out of construction paper bearing messages of encouragement and support on them and hung them on the windows outside Poulin's classroom.

“The other day my blood counts were low, I was feeling really drained and I looked out my door seeing the bright colors and they really cheered me up,” Poulin said. “It amazes me and I wonder how can they care so much about me.”

A number of fundraising ideas are planned. These include a Zumbathon on Saturday, May 2 in the WHS gym from 2 to 4 p.m.; a McDonald’s Teacher's Night from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, where a percentage of money spent will be donated by the business; a “Muse” paintbar event, similar to an art lesson, on May 13, and a “Colordash” event on May 30. In Colordash, participants wear white tee shirts and splash paint on each other.

Money will also be raised at in-school events such as “Jean Day,” “Funny Hat Day” and “Flip-flop Friday” where for $1 students can wear the item mentioned. The group has also designed “Team Poulin” tee shirts and will be selling them for $15 each.

“I'm overwhelmed and grateful for everyone's support. At this time of transition with the consolidation of our schools anything that brings us together as a community is a positive thing,” Poulin said.

“You say the word 'cancer' and suddenly everyone is running towards you, wanting to help, wanting to be there for you,” Poulin said. “Everyone wants to be part of the solution and they know they can't take away the pain of treatment or the fear, but they want to be there.”

Poulin is incredibly grateful for the support of her fellow teachers as well. They have made head-covers for her, and several teachers live near her in Augusta and are helping her with commuting.

“I do feel fortunate and am touched by how much people care,” Poulin said. “The words ‘I love you’ have been thrown around this community in ways you wouldn't believe and I look at things very differently than I did a month ago.”

“When I first came to Wiscasset from Gardiner I had lost my job due to budget cuts, and was really grieving,” Poulin said. “I was still recovering from surgery as I had just donated a kidney to my father and was finding it difficult to acclimate. I wasn't the art teacher the students had before, and change is hard on kids and the new person coming in.”

“With all the uncertainly at the schools I've felt I had one foot in and one foot out the whole time. Now, there is no question, they couldn't offer me a better job anywhere in the state. I'm home here, and it's not just the illness and everyone's reaction, it's the fighters in this community who support kids and teachers. I've seen the care and the passion here and I'm very grateful to be a member of the Wiscasset community.”

Poulin is 44 years old and has been teaching at WHS since 2011. She graduated magna cum laude in 1996 from Tyler School of Art/Temple University with her Masters of Art in Education and has taught at Gardiner Area High School and the Hyde School in Bath along with Wiscasset High School.

More fundraisers are currently in the works. Contact Debra Pooler, technology coordinator and student council adviser at WHS, with any questions.

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