Welcome to our next Director of Maine Coast Semester, Sarah Rebick!

Dear Chewonki Community,

I am pleased to announce that Sarah Rebick has been unanimously chosen by our search committee and has accepted the position of Director of Maine Coast Semester.

A graduate of Maine Coast Semester (MCS 8), Sarah returned to Chewonki as a member of the faculty in 2018 and has been a strong part of our team ever since, bringing with her a deep respect for experiential learning in nature and for the creativity and potential of young adults to make a difference in the world.

Sarah’s belief in the power and possibilities of a semester school model is palpable, as is her passion for creative teaching. She inspires students to tap into their capacity and engage deeply with their learning about themselves, those around them, and the world, planting the seeds for powerful, transformative experiences, time and again.

Our mission has always been steeped in the value of building lifelong, sustainable relationships. In service to this mission, Sarah invests in building connections with faculty and staff, students and their families, and partner institutions. I am inspired by the way Sarah lives into authentic connection and community each and every day.

These qualities, and so many more, make her an excellent choice to lead the next chapter of Maine Coast Semester, bright with promise for a healthy planet, by inspiring young adults to show their care for meaningful connection to people and place throughout their lives.

Please join me in welcoming Sarah to her new role as the Director of Maine Coast Semester!

Nancy Kennedy
Acting President
Chewonki Foundation

Dear Maine Coast Semester community,

It is my great honor to serve you and Chewonki as Maine Coast Semester’s next Director. I believe with my whole being that what we do everyday and every semester here at Chewonki matters. It matters to the world, to the communities we come from and return to, and to the individuals who discover or develop passions and purpose during their time learning with us.

In my role, I look forward to partnering with you to continue building on the strong foundation generations before me have built and innovating to meet the needs of our present context.

It is more important than ever that we maintain connection with each other, not just as we eat lunch together in the Wallace, but as we navigate living sustainably in our communities beyond Chewonki Neck.

The lessons that students learn here are as relevant today as they were in 1988 when the first Maine Coast Semester cohort arrived and as they were four years later when I and my peers learned to love the flute-like sound of hermit thrushes and care for the sheep on early morning farm chores. The world needs citizens who have tools for building and maintaining community, doing the hands-on work that needs doing, and understanding the human and natural systems that sustain us.

I look forward to connecting with you through the months and years ahead and know that our ability to thrive depends on all of us sharing our good ideas with each other and with those who have not yet spent time on Chewonki Neck. No one knows the power of this experience like those who have seen it first hand and I hope that you will join me in welcoming future generations of Maine Coast Semester students to our community no matter where in the world you may be.