School seeks to boost boys' aspirations

Story here. Excerpt:

'LEWISTON - It's the same at Lewiston High School as it is throughout Maine and the nation: Girls are outperforming boys.

More girls make the top 10. Girls dominate extracurricular activities. More girls go to college.

That worries Joan Macri, head of the high school's aspirations program, who fears that boys who skip college could be shut out of higher-paying careers.

One reason fewer boys go to college can be found in the student parking lot, Macri said. Boys are more likely to own cars and to get jobs to pay for them.

"They have to pay for insurance, gas, some make car payments," she said. "They get part-time jobs. A lot of money goes into their cars."

Learning can take a back seat to earning.

To change that attitude, parents of freshman boys are invited to a "Shifting Gears" meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the school. The guest speaker is Lynn Miller, an educator from the University of Southern Maine.'