Mary Moore was born and raised in Scarborough, Maine. While in high school, she was an active member of its theater group and participated in a variety of other clubs and activities. After graduating from the University of Vermont, Mary returned to Maine and worked for several years as an admissions counselor for St. Joseph’s College. This was the beginning of a lifelong journey of commitment and dedication, helping both young people and adults reach their goals and achieve their dreams. After her marriage to Peter Moore, that journey took her to the University of Maine’s Talent Search Program, to an after-school career program in Portland for at-risk high school students, then to the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce where she worked with the Maine Metal Fabrication Association and partnered with the then CETA staff to create vocational training programs for unemployed adults.
In 1982 Mary completed her Masters Degree in Counseling and joined the Brunswick High School Counseling Department. In her college planning class, she guided hundreds of students in developing their career and college goals for life beyond high school. Mary’s work, however, was not limited to the classroom and counseling office. She also served as advisor for both the Yearbook and Key Clubs. As Yearbook advisor for many years, she took students to workshops and helped them create a lasting memory book, watching the process move from paper to the digital age! The same was true for Key Club where she introduced students into the community to offer help where needed. This practice of community involvement and service continues today in many ways.
During the 43 years Mary was a member of the BHS Counseling Department, whether teacher, advisor, counselor, or department head, she put her heart and soul into her work with students, parents and colleagues. As counselor for BHS students who attended Region #10, Mary was an advocate for these students, recognizing the value of vocational and technical training and the need for skilled labor in the workforce. Mary encouraged and supported the students who chose that pathway and she was a familiar presence at Region #10. The “M Heart” scholarship seeks to provide an opportunity for students seeking a continuation of that pathway.
Awards from this fund are based on student financial need, after which recipients are requested to be graduates of Brunswick High School and Region #10 Technical High School who intend to pursue post-secondary education in a vocational or technical program, especially a program that will benefit Maine’s business and industry.