Chewonki Elementary and Middle School is proud to announce the graduation of its eighth-grade class of students on June 8, including Huckleberry Huber-Rees of Alna, Noah Arbuckle of Newcastle, Sinead Bowdish of West Bath, Nyssa Wilkinson of Newcastle, and Hunter Winn of Georgetown.

Huckleberry Huber-Rees

Huckleberry Huber-Rees is a graduating 8th grader at the Chewonki Elementary and Middle school. He is 14 years old and lives in Alna with his parents and cat, Theo. Huck enjoys literacy and science most at school. He has won two awards for his writing this year, receiving a silver key and honorable mention in the Scholastic Art and Writing regional awards, and first place in the Patten Free Library writing competition for narrative writing. He loves science, and Chewonki’s place-based learning resources have certainly contributed to and driven his curiosity for the natural world. Huck loves going to the farm at Chewonki, and watching the lambs frolic and bound through the fields. He also enjoys playing ice hockey outside of school for the Maine Moose. Huck will be attending Lincoln Academy and is eager to meet new people and be part of a new learning community.

Noah Arbuckle

Noah Arbuckle is 14 years old and lives in Newcastle. At Chewonki, Noah’s favorite area of study is literacy, with a focus on persuasive writing for which he has received a regional honorable mention for his poetry in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and second place in the Patten Free Library Writing Contest. Over the past two years of his Chewonki experience, Noah has particularly enjoyed the multi-day wilderness trips, especially those that revolve around boating and water. Outside of school Noah is an avid sailor, skier, rock climber, and most importantly, a whitewater kayaker. Noah will be attending Lincoln Academy for the next four years and is excited to reunite with old friends, play drum kit in a bigger band, and experience the different, larger environment Lincoln has to offer. He isn’t quite sure what he wants to do after that, but a position in marketing or business interests him. Noah knows he always wants to be involved in adventures in the great outdoors.

Sinead Bowdish

Sinead Bowdish has been attending Chewonki Elementary and Middle School for 3 years, and lives in West Bath. At 13 years old, her favorite subject is literacy, and she loves playing with the lambs on the Chewonki farm in the spring. She is a 2022 finalist in the Maine Literary Awards’ Youth Competition in the fiction category, and won 2nd place in the Patten Free Library’s 7-9th grade memoir section. Sinead was selected to be a member of the library’s Teen Library Council. She plays guitar and ukulele, and frequently transcribes music in her free time. She also loves to draw living organisms such as flowers, butterflies, and people. Sinead will be attending Brunswick High School next year where she will have new opportunities in writing and arts. Sinead aspires to have a career as an author, and is looking forward to her journey through high school!

Nyssa Wilkinson

Nyssa Wilkinson grew up in Cape Cod and now lives in Newcastle. She is 14 years old. One of Nyssa’s favorite subjects is literacy, because she’s learned how to express herself through writing. She also loves learning about science topics at Chewonki, because the activities are interactive and hands-on. Nyssa was a Scholastic Art and Writing Awards regional gold key and honorable mention winner for her flash fiction and memoir, and her poetry was featured in the April Poetry Walk at the Patten Free Library in Bath. She loves to sail and is on the sailing team for Boothbay, as well as the Boothbay Region YMCA swim team. In her free time, Nyssa likes to ski at Sugarloaf, practice the guitar, and play with her dog, Poe! Nyssa will be attending Waynflete School in Portland next year. She is excited about the extracurricular activities that Waynflete offers. While it’s going to be a big change for her, she is ready for the challenge!

Hunter Winn

Hunter Winn resides in Georgetown. He is currently 13 years old and has been attending Chewonki for three years. During Hunter’s time at Chewonki he has enjoyed math and science while pushing himself to become a better writer. Hunter has had many trip experiences with his class; his favorite moment was seeing the beautiful White Mountains while snowshoeing near Flagstaff Lake. This year Hunter was selected to join the Student Library Council at the Patten Free Library in Bath. There he helps plan numerous social events for teenagers and hopes to have some opportunities to volunteer at the library. Hunter is also a Scholastic Art and Writing Awards regional silver key and honorable mention winner in the flash fiction and critical essay categories. Hunter will be attending Waynflete School in Portland next year. While he will miss Chewonki, Hunter is very enthusiastic about going to high school so that can learn more about his favorite subjects, including engineering and chemistry. Hunter hasn’t really thought about what he wants to do for an occupation, he just wants to dedicate himself to something that is meaningful to him.  No matter what happens in the future, he is determined to make the most of it.