Additionally, an award to the University of Southern Maine’s Veterans Upward Bound program, the only program of its kind in the state, received a noncontinuation notice the same day. As part of the program, students logged nearly 1,000 hours of community service in local organizations ranging from elder care to early childhood education. Levi Cavener, a Buckfield Junior/Senior High School teacher, has advised Upward Bound for the past three years. The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the University of Maine in Orono both host Upward Bound programs, and the University of Southern Maine hosts Upward Bound and Veterans Upward Bound. (David Leaming/Staff Photographer)Mountain Valley High School alumna Darcy Chase, who joined Upward Bound in the early 1990s, said the program was life-changing.