Farming at Chapman Brook
BETHEL — Isla DeCato, 15, is spending her third summer working the fields at Chapman Brook Farm on North Road.
A rising sophomore at Hebron Academy, she spends her afternoons picking, washing and packaging vegetables for the farm stand where she’s a standout to owners Tamara and Vernon Davis.
“She holds the cherry tomato picking record — 25 pounds in 20 minutes,” Vernon Davis said, adding, “We pick together a lot.”
Tamara Davis said DeCato’s more than just a helping hand.
“She keeps Vernon on task,” she said. “If I lay out the plan and he veers off, Isla gets him back in line.”
DeCato is focused, too.
“I’m saving almost everything I make,” she said. “It goes straight into the bank.”
She’s also sharing a second summer job.
Why the split? State labor laws won’t let her work all seven days.
Tamara Davis, a middle school teacher during the year, has taught DeCato to harvest many of the farm’s 15 to 20 organic crops: kale, scallions, dill, beets, carrots, lettuce and — of course — those record-breaking cherry tomatoes.
“You pick from the bottom and grab the biggest ones,” DeCato said of the Black Magic curly kale.
Math comes into play, too. Weights, proportions and ratios are all part of packaging the produce — something DeCato said sharpens skills she’s already strong in.
Least favorite task? “Planting dill. The seeds are just too tiny,” she said.
Favorite task? “Packaging the veggies and loading up for the stand at the end of the drive,” she said. With her driver’s permit in hand, she might be making those deliveries to the farm stand herself next summer.
Supermarket sweet spot
BETHEL — At Bethel’s Mainely Provisions supermarket, owner Ben Christopher said his last two teenage hires were among the best he’s ever had.
Timothy Wakefield and Matthew Doucette, both students at Telstar High School, impressed him with their politeness and initiative far beyond their basic duties of stocking shelves and bagging groceries. Doucette, who was also studying welding at Region 9 School of Applied Technology n Mexico, even volunteered to repair some broken shopping carts and dollies.
Christopher, a graduate of a technical high school, was particularly impressed by the quality of Doucette’s work, proudly pointing out one of the newly fixed dollies on the shop floor. He noted that hiring motivated teens not only helps the students gain experience, but also brings fresh skills and unexpected value to the business.
Trail Building at Inland Trails
BETHEL — Rising Telstar High School seniors Tommy LaPointe and Cyrus Mills, both 17, are back for their third summer working with Inland Woods + Trails. On a recent hot morning, the two were gearing up for a day in Rumford, helping to construct a new all-access trail.
They met team leader Andy Bartleet of Albany Township and two other crew members at their first stop: the Bethel Community Forest. Not far from the converted snowmobile trailer or “events trailer,” they loaded tools into the back of a pickup truck and prepared for the drive to the job site.
LaPointe and Mills said working outside and seeing the benefits their work provides to the community keeps them motivated.
“We’re building something we get to use ourselves,” LaPointe said, referring to Bacon Trail and the Bethel Community Forest. “It makes a difference.”
Both were connected to Inland Woods and Trails through Telstar career counselor Carrie Lynch. Since joining, they’ve earned raises each summer and now make $17.50 an hour. “It makes us feel like they like us and want us back,” LaPointe said. “I really enjoy that feeling.”
Now seasoned trail workers, Mills and LaPointe are helping guide newcomers.
“There are a lot of things they just know how to do,” Bartleet said. “They keep me on track as well, like with all the things we are going to do today.”
The workday starts early and runs long — 10 hours, four days a week. LaPointe said the toughest part of the job comes late in the day. “Around 2:30 p.m., we hit the wall,” he said. “We don’t go crazy, but start to lose it a lot and start laughing at random things.”
Still, they appreciate the flexibility and support they get from supervisors.
“They obviously know that we’re hard workers,” LaPointe said. “If we need a break, they know we need a break — we’re not just slacking off.”
Weather often shapes the day’s tasks, Mills added.
“When you’re building trails and it rains, the ground gets muddy,” he said. “That’s when you start thinking about signs you can fix, bridges, or maybe just maintaining existing trails.”
“Every trail is different,” he added, pointing to the Rumford trail project, which features a five-degree gravel slope.
The experience is also helping both teens clarify their goals after high school. LaPointe said he’d like to work outside but not everyday. He said his father’s job as a forester is the kind of balance he would eventually hope to attain. He’s drawn to engineering, in part because of the hands-on challenges of trail work.
“Trying to figure out how to build a bridge takes a lot of engineering and thought, which I really like,” he said. “I kind of want to go into engineering, and this has helped me realize that. I like the idea of how to engineer the wood to cut and get around rocks.”
Mills said traveling to the various job sites has given him a taste for a job that moves around.
For now, the two are focused on finishing another summer of trail building — helping the community while building experience of their own.
Exploring a career with West Paris Explorers
WEST PARIS — Amelia Bisson, a 16-year-old rising junior at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, became a paid teacher at the West Paris Explorers Program two weeks ago.
Her journey with the extended school program started years ago. She attended from kindergarten through fifth grade, returned as a volunteer a few years ago, and has steadily worked her way up. A standout memory from her time as a camper is learning to knit at age 11.
Bisson has also completed the Early Childhood Education program at Oxford Hills, and she hopes to pursue a career as a kindergarten teacher. “I was a bossy kid,” she said with a laugh, “but I was able to use those leadership skills in everyday life.”
Some of the campers she teaches are close friends of her younger brother, Sawyer. Earning their respect has been one of the more challenging parts of the job.
“There’s definitely a difference between the at-home Amelia and the at-work Amelia,” she admitted.
Ice Cream Scooping
BETHEL — Hannah Bailey, 17, isn’t sure what she wants to do after high school, but she knows she doesn’t want to work in the restaurant business. Still, she said she’s content with the job she’s held for about a year.
Bailey started working at Bethel Sugar Shack on West Bethel Road when she was 16 and stayed. During the summer, she works four days a week.
“A summer job teaches you responsibility,” she said, “and helps you figure out what you want to do in life.” She landed the position with help from her friend Evi Cummings, who works at the Sunday River Brew Pub in Bethel.
She doesn’t mind scooping ice cream, but doesn’t love the fast pace of the job. “But it’s OK to do things you don’t want to do all the time,” she said.
Bailey said she appreciates the structure of the work, the clear systems and routines that let her know what to expect each day. She considers herself good at all subjects, but said math is her strongest.
“It’s a process and you just follow the process,” she said. “Algebra equations, you just follow the process to solve the equations.”
Ebony Wells of Gilead, Bailey’s co-manager and the oldest daughter of Bethel Sugar Shack owners Anthony and Michelle Wells of Albany Township, has high praise for her. “We love our kids. If they can pull through a summer, we know they are pretty reliable and consistent folks.”
“They always teach me stuff,” Wells added. “A lot of them are just goofy and a lot more secure in themselves than I think they even know they are. With Hannah and some of the other kids we’ve had here, it’s fun to watch them just grow up, too.”
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