In the public eye: WHS Director of Choral Music inspires generations of musicians

Editor’s Note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

For Windham High School’s Dr. Richard Nickerson, music is an essential aspect of our shared humanity, and it can change the world by connecting people of all cultures and beliefs.

Dr. Richard Nickerson is the conductor of
the Windham Chamber Singers and the 
choral director at Windham High School.
He is also the RSU 14 District Coordinator
for music. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Now in his 38th year as choral director at WHS, Nickerson has become a fixture at the school and in the community for his dedication to his students and helping them to realize their full potential in life. He directs the school choirs and teaches courses in music theory, guitar and music industry. He’s also the District Coordinator K to 12 for music in RSU 14 and is responsible for scheduling performances and coordinating the logistics for music festivals and other events.

If that wasn’t enough, in addition to his curricular responsibilities, Nickerson conducts the Windham Chamber Singers and serves as Music Director for the school musical.

According to Nickerson, the best thing about his job is that he gets to work every day with the best students in the world.

“I get to see the world through their eyes,” he said. “Probably my favorite event is the American Family Holiday concert in December with the Chamber Singers. We are very proud of the local tradition that we have created in our community.”

He says the biggest challenge of his job is that there is no single biggest challenge.

“The challenges change daily,” Nickerson said. “Just when you have one thing figured out, another challenge will appear. That likely means that the biggest challenge is not letting myself get overwhelmed. I’m still working on that.”

Born in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, Nickerson graduated from Houlton High School in Aroostook County. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Maine and obtained a Doctor of Music Arts degree from the Conservatory of Music-University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also did additional graduate work at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.

Prior to arriving in Windham, Nickerson taught for a year in Bangor. He also served for eight years as the Artistic Director for the Boy Singers of Maine and spent eight years as the Chorus Master for the Magic of Christmas Chorus with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Currently, he’s also the Artistic Director for the Maine Music Society, an adult choir based in Lewiston.

“I was aware of the choral program at Windham High School because my college choir had stopped in Windham as part of our spring tour in 1986,” he said. “When the job opened up, I was skeptical about applying because, although I knew there was a rich musical history, it meant that I would be following a very popular teacher, which can be difficult. The original position was half high school and half middle school. This meant I would be responsible for creating my own feeder program which was very appealing. I also liked the proximity to Portland because of the many cultural offerings.”

Nickerson says the greatest misconception people may have about his work is that many believe that his work with the Windham Chamber Singers is the only thing I do.

“The reason for this misconception is because the chamber singers are so visible in the community and that’s what most people associate with my work,” he said. “This is my dream job. There was a period in my life when I was thinking about moving on, but I realized that the grass is not always greener, and I am very happy. I remember once hearing that if you find a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. Every morning when I walk into the choir room at Windham High School, I remind myself how lucky I am to be able to live my dream each and every day. I came to Windham as a stepping stone to build my career, and I ended up building a life.”

Along the way there have been many memorable moments, but Nickerson said it’s hard to top the events of 1996.

“The Chamber Singers were invited to compete in the International Youth Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. To cover expenses, we recorded and produced a Christmas album,” Nickerson said. “If we could sell 10,000 copies in five weeks, all of the singers would be able to attend the festival at no personal cost. Keep in mind, this was before the internet. The level of support that we received from our community was unprecedented. It started in Windham, then expanded throughout the entire state and beyond. Not only did we sell the 10,000 copies, we ended up winning the festival. This experience opened a world of opportunities for us that included performances in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and the White House.”

He says his wife is the “choir mom” and is incredibly supportive of his work.

“She understands that much of the work I do happens outside the school day and, not only supports me, but she assists me,” Nickerson said. “I couldn’t do what I do without her.”

The most important thing Nickerson says he’s learned while working for Windham High School is that every waking moment is an adventure in learning. “ I have learned so many things that I could write a book,” he said. “In fact, I am in the final process of finishing a book focusing on lessons I have learned from my students. It’s a collection of lessons, stories and memories. I plan to release it when I retire.” <

Rookie Mama: A stitch in time saves you money, mends the planet

By Michelle Cote
The Rookie Mama

Navigating grocery shopping for my family of six in times inflation-riddled beyond our control has led me to become increasingly strategic and creative in every way I meal plan and recipe build.

It continues to incentivize my reasoning to keep on keeping on with gardening and food storage.

Increasing food costs exponentially affects larger families, which comes with the territory and at no surprise.

But what may come as the surprise is that the cost to raise four children is not exactly one child multiplied by four.

Bear with my math, here.

There are many ways in which savings are possible and funds can keep pocketed, when it comes to growing multiple littles.

And speaking of pockets – The secret is in the clothing.

Raising four boys means hand-me-downs galore – That’s a well-ensembled quartet on which you can bet.

Raising four boys also means clothes are worn and torn on the regular basis.

But these textiles needn’t be discarded at the first sign of wear, whether you launder solo or for a crew.

If you invest in good quality textiles, and said clothes become stained or dirtied, there’s a go-to Shout spray for that.

Or if your clothes are accidentally torn – there’s a needle-pulling-thread at the ready.

Things aren’t built to last as they once were – an article for another day – but we can push back a bit by making use of the sewing kit.

It’s cool to spool; a fantastic way to be passively purposeful while catching a show or riding shotgun on a long car ride.

I’m not just needling you.

Don’t feel daunted by the notion of mending clothing. Sewing step-by-step pro tips can be easily found online, and if your work doesn’t look perfect, all the better – Use visible mending to turn damage into decoration. Practice, after all, makes perfect with mending, too.

By taking time to mend clothes, you ultimately save on cash when you remove the need to repurchase the item – but you also help do your part for the planet by reducing textile waste.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the main source of textiles in municipal solid waste is discarded clothing.

Global clothing consumption is up 400 percent more today than only two decades prior – according to the National Library of Medicine, and the speed at which textiles get tossed to landfill territory is terrifying – One garbage truck per second – and this is seriously risky for the environment.

The current fashion system, according to Science Direct, constitutes one of the most unsustainable industries, accounting for nearly 10 percent of all global carbon emissions.

Whereas ‘fashion’ was once regarded attainable for only the privileged, today the market has turned to ‘fast fashion’ – creating widely available, rapidly produced and ultimately affordable clothes created by inexpensive fabrics, according to Nature Environment and Pollution Technology’s article ‘The Global Clothing Oversupply: An Emerging Environmental Crisis’.

It doesn’t need to be this way.

If we take a beat before we toss, and consider mending a hem or tear ourselves – or purchasing higher quality items when possible – we contribute to both our savings and to planetary health for the long haul.

My family doesn’t spend a lot of money on new clothes – We tend to wear clothes with solids that pair well with others to make entire new outfits.

My boys are all creatures of fabric habit and stick to their favorite go-tos, oft forgetting they have perfectly good ensembles further back on a closet shelf.

We’ve got a minimalist mindset that makes us more colt-ish in a world of clothes-horses.

Clothes-horses who may say neigh – I mean, ‘nay’ – to the idea of going fewer and further between in the world of closet space.

When we do wear out clothes to the point of zero return, we repurpose what we can – Some of the garment’s fabric may be able to be reused, whether cut into a future patch or decorative canning topper in attempt to keep as sustainable as possible.

I’ve even made costumes of old, decorative pillow cases. With a hot glue gun and fun ribbon, anyone can channel their inner Von Trapp seamstress style.

If you are a fashionable type who likes to change up your wardrobe frequently, why not upcycle or participate in a clothing swap with friends or colleagues?

These have become more and more popular as a nod to sustainability, throughout the country.

‘The Global Clothing Oversupply’ tells us awareness about the fast fashion crisis among consumers is growing. More and more are embracing the greener wardrobe approach and purchasing fewer, more cost-effective classics that stand the test of time, which can lead to significant change.

So keep stocked up on Shout stain remover sprays and sewing kits with threads of many colors – It’s a simple eco-friendly statement you can make as you continue to save funds in a way that will make you say, ‘Oh, la la!’

After all, ‘la’ is a note to follow ‘sew.’

With special thanks to Jolie Grasso of UNE’s Office of Sustainability for her source contribution.

­­– Michelle Cote lives in southern Maine with her husband and four sons, and enjoys camping, distance running, biking, gardening, road trips to new regions, arts and crafts, soccer, and singing to musical showtunes – often several or more at the same time!

WHS students prepare to present ‘Shrek the Musical’

By Masha Yurkevich

The story of Shrek is a classic that everybody young and old love and enjoy and now a new musical version is coming to Windham High School.

Windham High seniors Molly Plati, right,
and Stuart Gabaree, play Princess Fiona
and Shrek in 'Shrek the Musical' opening
Nov. 15 at the WHS Performing Arts
Center and running through Nov. 24.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Join Shrek, a repugnant green ogre monster, as he sets off on his quest to rescue a princess to get his beloved swamp back. The show “Shrek the Musical” will be offered at the Windham High School Performing Arts Center on Nov. 15, Nov. 16, Nov. 22, and Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. and at 2 p.m. Nov. 17 and Nov. 24.

Rob Juergens is the director of “Shrek the Musical” and is responsible for the blocking and the overall production of the show.

“I have an awesome and highly skilled group of people doing choreography, music direction, costumes, props, set building, makeup, miscellaneous producer things (like organizing), and front of the house details,” he says. “Mostly, I try to craft an overall vision so that all these elements meld together to make a consistent production.”

Each production is different because they each have their own story.

Juergens said this show is very well known due to the success of the original Shrek cartoon.

“You do not want to duplicate Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers; but you also want to give the audience some of the things they expect,” he said.

Every production presents certain challenges that the producer has to face.

“This production has several obstacles,” says Juergens. “This is the first time we put the pit band on stage, with all the space and sight limitations that ensue. Also, we had to create and stage a huge dragon. There are also some very tricky character transformations.”

But with every production, there are also some favorite parts.

“One thing I love about this production is the ‘singability’ of the musical numbers,” says Juergens. “All too often you see a show, say ‘wasn't that great’, but then you don't find yourself humming any of the songs.”

Molly Plati is a WHS senior and plays Princess Fiona in the “Shrek the Musical” production.

“My favorite part of playing Fiona is her spunk,” says Plati. “Fiona is not an ordinary princess; she is sassy and funny but has a heart of gold. I love getting to bring her to life on stage. One of the biggest challenges I face playing Fiona is playing an Ogre. I won't spoil the surprise, but a funny duet in the second act will really have you on the edge of your seat.”

Plati says that Shrek the Musical has a fantastic blend of humor and heart, much like the original movie.

“The characters are well-developed, and the storyline carries essential messages about acceptance and self-love,” Plati said. “The music is also a highlight, with catchy songs that go hand in hand with the entertaining dances. Our vibrant costumes and creative set make ‘Shrek the Musical’ a performance you want to attend.”

WHS senior Stuart Gabaree plays Shrek and loves the humor of his character in how he interacts with the other characters in the show.

“I love imitating a Scottish accent, but I have to make Mike Myers proud,” says Gabaree. “I also really like the themes that this show presents of being open to new things and stepping out of your comfort zone.”

This is a show that you certainly will not want to miss.

“I highly recommend everyone to come and watch the tale of how an outcast ogre goes on a mission to rescue a princess and ends up falling in love with her,” Juergens said. “First of all, we have a reputation for shows with high quality performance standards, and we will hit those again. Second, it is a hilarious show with many awesome characters. It is wonderfully memorable musically, and it is a guarantee that you will be humming these songs for a long time.”

Tickets for ‘Shrek the Musical” will not be sold in advance. They can be purchased at the door by cash or check; the cost is $17 for adults, $15 for students, children and seniors. Saturday, Nov. 16 is a special RSU 14 night, and all RSU 14 student tickets will be only $10 then. <

Review: ‘The Wild Robot’ a nice kids movie, but little appeal for adults

By Matt Pascarella

Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes

“The Wild Robot” is the story of ROZZUM Unit 7134, or Roz, who gets stranded on an island uninhabited by humans. At first, it runs all around asking various animals if there’s anything it can do to help; to which it gets a negative response. Roz is chased by a bear and accidently crushes a goose nest, killing everything but one egg. Roz cares for this one egg until it hatches and names it Brightbill. Once her mission with Brightbill is complete she struggles with deciding to leave the island or not – knowing Brightbill will return in the spring. Unbeknownst to Roz, her manufacturer, Universal Dynamics is searching for her. This movie was OK to decent at best; there was no want for me to find out what happened next.

One of the biggest pluses of “The Wild Robot” is its all-star cast which stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Stephanie Hsu, Ving Rhames, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, Mark Hamill, Avrielle Corti and Bill Nighy.

A robot, ROZZUM Unit 7134 or Roz (Nyong’o) finds itself alone on an island. It starts by running around frantically asking a variety of animals if they need help, because this particular robot was programed to complete tasks.

The animals are not interested and either ignore or attack Roz. While Roz is being chased by a bear, she steps on and crushes a goose nest, leaving just one egg undamaged. Once the egg hatches, Roz takes care of this gosling, naming it Brightbill (Connor).

Roz meets a fox, Fink (Pascal) who says everyone is trying to survive. Some of the best parts of this movie are the lessons given by the various animals.

Roz begins making decisions from her head and her heart. She’s trying to teach Brightbill how to fly. Roz and Fink help teach Brightbill the survival skills needed.

As Brightbill gets bigger, he is bullied for his size and the relationship he has with the “monster” that killed his family. Angry this truth has been kept from him, Brightbill leaves Roz.

An owl, Thunderbolt (Rhames) reminds Brightbill he wasn’t supposed to make it this far. Thunderbolt helps Brightbill join the migration.

Once Brightbill leaves for the winter, Roz is sad her task is complete. Fink suggests she stay.

With winter coming, Roz activates her return transmitter. Brightbill returns to Roz before heading out and admits he forgot to say something before he left.

Fink stays by Roz’s side and helps save the animals when a major snowstorm hits the island.

When spring arrives and Brightbill returns, you get a little bit of Roz’s backstory.

Roz’s manufacturer, Universal Dynamics comes to get Roz and might not take “no” for an answer.

Since this is a DreamWorks movie, I was thinking it might fall along the lines of “Shrek,” or “Kung Fu Panda,” but there aren’t as many jokes for adults in this one. I also found it a little on the slow side, with not a whole lot happening until halfway through. On the plus side, this is a very sweet movie which showcases what love and sacrifice mean. It’s a good movie for kids that has a bunch of lessons, like the importance of kindness or trying your hardest against all odds. One of my favorite lines is “To survive, we must become more than we are programed to be.” This is not worth seeing on the big screen, wait for it to be available on streaming.

One robot thumb up.

Now playing in theaters and available to rent. <