Students in "Introduction to the Study of the City," an autumn 2003 seminar in the Bates College environmental studies program, displayed posters they made for the course at the Jan. 5 inaugural reception of Lewiston Mayor Lionel Guay Jr.

The posters will remain on exhibit at the Franco American Heritage Center at St. Mary's, 46 Cedar St., through Friday, Feb. 6.

As part of "Study of the City," students were asked to create "neighborhood portraits" of various sections of Lewiston. Students working in teams used maps, resident interviews, photography and a panel presentation to reflect the character of a given area. Downtown Lisbon Street, "Little Canada," Central Maine Medical Center and the adjacent "Centre Ville," and the Knox Street-Bleachery area were among neighborhoods the students researched.

Guay attended one session of student presentations during the fall. "It was very well-done," the mayor says, "and showed many aspects of Little Canada. It was very interesting with all the interviews. I believe this course gave the students the opportunity to learn about the city, and the rich heritage and culture that exist here."

He explains, "My reason for asking the students to display the posters is that it will show people attending the reception the involvement of Bates students in the community."

Teaching the fall-semester course was Theo Holtwijk, director of planning and development for the town of Brunswick. Holtwijk came to Bates as a Mellon Fellow in Environmental Studies, a position made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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