MVDHS library (Photo: Mark Woermke)
The Madawaska Valley Culture and Heritage Society hosted a celebration of Jim Haskins’ art and musicals at Madawaska Valley District High School on June 30. Jim and Loraine Haskins were the heart of the high school during their years of work there and remained active in the Valley in many community causes such as KAPOA, Lions, fund-raising for Combermere Tornado relief, the Railway Station and Water Tower. Many friends, relatives, past students and teachers attended the event to remember Hassie. For more details of Jim Haskins’ extracurricular activities at MVDHS, click HERE to read Mark Woermke’s Porch Views: remembering Hassie.
From left: John Yakabuski chats with Helen Recoskie and Loraine Haskins; Stephen Murray; Roseann Hudder Hoffman; Sound of Music memorabilia courtesy of Loraine Haskins. (Photos: Mark Woermke)
John Haskins and his mother Loraine Haskins (Photo: Mark Woermke)
Loraine Haskins fondly remembers her years as school secretary saying she knew all the students,
They called me Mom.
She was delighted to agree with Joanne Olsen’s suggestion to sell prints of her husband’s pen-and-ink artwork. Funds raised will be split between St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation and MVCHS. The event was sponsored by Lorraine’s Pharmasave.
From left: Sylvia Post, Steve Gutoski and Pat Helferty. Cheryl Kuehl Murray and Geraldine Kuehl view Hassie’s art. Geoff Post and Paul O’Marra McElhinney.
Geoff Post was principal when Hassie came to MVDHS.
He had boundless energy. What you see here [his artwork] was a sideline to what he did at school. He ran the outdoor education program which isn’t mentioned here. The annual musical was a huge event. It seemed if anything came up that would involve students and seemed like a good idea to enrich the experience of kids in the school, he was all for it.
From left: Glen Guest, Frank Green and Jill Billings Green; Roseann Hudder Hoffman and Pat Helferty; MVCHS volunteers Nancy Checko and Helen Recoskie.
Helen Recoskie remembers,
He always did some big theme for the high school dance. I remember one year, we walked through the mouth of a wolf into the cafetorium. When we turned around we saw it was the head of a wolf and when we walked out of the cafetorium into the mezzanine we were walking on the wolf’s tail.
From left: Mike Glofcheskie with Loraine Haskins, her son John Haskins and her brother, Stan Ralph.
Mike Glofcheskie recalls,
We had an intramural program with four houses that competed for points. The more people we got involved in plays, sports, whatever, the more points we got. He encouraged us to get more kids involved … it was a lot easier for them to make friends.
Paul O’Marra McElhinney sums up what many recalled of Hassie:
It was because of him, I believe, more than any other teacher at the Madawaska Valley high school that I decided to go out and search for truth, life and everything. It was because of Jim’s appetite for life and for knowing things. I can just remember him being so enthusiastic about learning.
