The Jackson Laboratory’s repository includes 3,300 mouse models that have been genetically engineered to mimic human disease and are sold worldwide to researchers, both live and as frozen embryos. About 75 percent of all known mice models are available exclusively from the Lab.—PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JACKSON LABORATORY

Of the school’s 426 students, 34 are now living in Bar Harbor after being born in countries as diverse as Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Panama and Saudi Arabia. The enrollment mix also includes seven African-American students.

That’s 8 percent of the school’s total enrollment, a number that was even higher before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks brought sweeping changes to U.S. immigration requirements.

The major reason for such diversity is clear: The Jackson Laboratory. The biomedical research center not only is Hancock County’s largest employer, its 38 research teams employ a small army of highly educated scientists and lab technicians from throughout the world.

“Our work force here makes Bar Harbor and the island a much more racially, ethnically and religiously diverse community than it would be otherwise,” said Charles Hewett, the Lab’s vice president and chief operating officer.

“I think the presence of these folks who are very well educated — and they’re certainly not exclusively responsible for it — has helped create a community that is very committed to high quality education. We have good schools, and I would like to think that the Lab contributes to that.”

The top administrators of the Connors-Emerson School — Principal Barb Neilly and Assistant Principal Mike Martin-Zboray — are delighted to be dealing with the educational challenges and opportunities such diversity presents, including mastery of English.

“We use an immersion program with these kids, who are usually with the K-3 range,” Martin-Zboray said. “When you put them into the regular classroom, they pick up the English language quickly. Luckily, we have two speech and language pathologists at our school, and they work with those kids on a weekly basis, one-on-one or in small groups. The resiliency of their little minds and their ability to absorb information is just incredible.”

Some of these students are the children of highly educated parents.

“I’m sure some of our kids are genetically predisposed to great things,” Neilly said. “But you also can’t discount the cultural influence and expectation and how they view education, particularly the Asians. They’re expected to do well, and there’s a lot of pride in that, and it works for us.

“I think the diversity is great,” she said. “For the most part the school community functions well with it.”