The number of students enrolled in programs at the Region 9 School of Applied Technology at 377 River Road in Mexico, seen in 2024, is up again this school year, school board Vice Chair Bruce Ross recently told directors of Regional School Unit 56. The school serves students from Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Dirigo High School in Dixfield and Telstar High School in Bethel. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

DIXFIELD — Enrollment is up at Region 9 School of Applied Technology, the school board’s vice chair told directors of Regional School Unit 56.

“We’re having the most students we’ve ever seen there, Bruce Ross of Dixfield, who is also an RSU 56 director, said at the directors’ Aug. 26 meeting. “We had over 300 applications. Right now, we’ve got 279 that are going to be going this year.”

The past school year, there were over 260 applications. In 2023-24 there were 210.

Region 9 serves high school students from Rumford, Mexico, Roxbury, Hanover, Bethel, Newry, Woodstock, Greenwood, Dixfield, Canton, Carthage, Peru, Andover, Byron, Gilead and Upton. Sending school districts are based in Rumford, Dixfield, Bethel and Buckfield. Andover, Byron, Gilead and Newry are independent municipalities.

Eighty-five students are from Dirigo High School in Dixfield, 124 are from Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, 64 from Telstar High School, three are from Buckfield-Junior Senior High School and three are from home schools or other programs.

“All of our programs have phenomenal numbers,” Ross said. “Again, these are all tentative numbers. Automotive with 29, building trades is 34, CNA is 17 and two more pending, computer tech is at 15, culinary arts is 56, Early Childhood Education is 14, fire science is 12, heavy equipment is 12, career and technical education is 16, metal trades is 27, outdoor skills is 27 and small engines is 18.”

Ross said, “It’s a good feeling, but it’s a scary feeling because we really have never seen this amount of numbers that’s going on at the school. So it’s going to be an exciting year at Region 9.”

He added, “I still have the gut feeling that it’s keeping a lot of kids in school.”

In other business, Deputy Justin Onofrio of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, who is about to start his second year as school resource officer in the district, updated the board on what he does.

“Trust is at the foundation of everything I do,” he said.

“Every family I’ve dealt with have open doors,” he said.

Onofrio said he’s teaching lessons on mental health, social and emotional learning, online safety and emotional trauma.

In another matter, the board approved the lowest of seven bids for a bus purchase.

A $148,535 school bus bond was approved, with Androscoggin Bank bid of 5.08%, the lowest offer.

Superintendent Pam Doyen said voters approved a school budget article to borrow money to buy a bus.

“What the district has done traditionally, ever since we were SAD 21, is to take out a three-year note on the bus so that you can pay it back over three years,” Business Manager Mary Dailey said. “And what that does is helps with budgeting. Because that way usually we have three buses in rotation that we purchased so that we’re paying the first year’s installment bus number one, the second year’s installment on bus number two, and the third year’s installment of bus three. And we just kept going through that cycle, so that one would get paid off and we’d do the next year’s, and it would pick up the slack.”

The board appointed Director Carl Leuders as a representative to the Region 9 School of Applied Technology board. Wayne Thurston’s term expired.

New hires include: Dan Ludwig, IT specialist at Dirigo Elementary School in Peru; Melissa Littlehale, Dirigo Middle School math interventionist educational technician III in Dixfield; El Couture, special education educational technician III at tje middle school; Josh Newhall, Title I educational technician III at the elementary school; Nicole Berry, special education educational technician III at the elementary school; and Kelly Cavanaugh, bus driver/custodian at the elementary school.

Stipend and coaching positions approved include: Alex Miele, assistant football coach at Dirigo High School; Sam Wrigley, high school junior varsity football coach; Alyssa Newhall, high school varsity field hockey coach; Kelly Skillin, middle school Class of 2027 adviser; Jim and Yami Hamalainen, co-drama coordinators.

Volunteer coaches for high school football are Rusty Dailey, Trent Holman and Kyle Miele.

Tracy Chiasson, elementary school nutrition worker, is retiring after 22 years of service.

Jim Hamalainen is resigning as high school co-graduation coordinator.

Alyssa Bellegarde, is transferring from middle school nutrition worker (four hours per day) to elementary school nutrition worker (6.25 hours per day.

Graduation ceremonies for Dirigo High School will be June 12.