The Bridge, December 4, 2014

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Saluting the Dream C

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December 4– December 17, 2014

A Passion for Photography
story and photo by Lucas Wilcox, sixth grade, Fayston Elementary School

PRSRT STD
CAR-RT SORT
U.S. Postage
PAID
Montpelier, VT
Permit NO. 123

In his own words:
My name is Lucas and I love photography. This passion started last
year when I heard about the Vermont Drinking Water Week photo
contest. Mrs. Morse, a teacher in my class, brought in her camera
and took me outside so I could take pictures of the stream and enter
them into the contest. The focus was on clean drinking water. I
ended up winning the contest and I’m very happy that I won.

The Bridge
P.O. Box 1143
Montpelier, VT 05601

My parents saw how much I like photography and I ended up getting a camera for Christmas. It’s a Canon Powershot SX510. The
camera can take many different kinds of photos, including fisheye, which makes the photo look round. It can zoom in really far
even though you can’t change the lens. It also has a quick shutter
speed. I print most of my photos at home, but when I want them
glossy and in different sizes, I use Photo Garden, which is online.
I can have the photos sent to me or I can pick them up on Dorset
Street in Burlington.
I recently entered another youth photo contest. The category is
environmental photos and I can enter up to 20 for this contest. So far I’ve taken pictures of the
moon, which I titled “Moon From My Room.” I’ve also taken pictures of trees and sunsets and will choose some of these to
enter into the contest.
I’ve done a lot of exploring and experimenting with my camera. Recently I had the idea of trying a technique that Mrs. Morse
described to me, the Bulb Effect. This is when you keep the shutter open and wave a flashlight while taking a picture. I do this
by putting my camera on manual, then I can turn it to multi selector, which will control my shutter speed. The outcome is
really cool!
This is a perfect example of how you can find a passion that you never knew you had. My teacher told me about a contest and
from there I have learned a lot and have grown as a photographer. t

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THE BRIDGE

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D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 3

T H E B R I D G E

Nature Watch

HEARD ON THE

STREET

by Nona Estrin

Barre-Tones to Hold Holiday Afternoon Concert
MONTPELIER — Having recently returned from their 9th place finish at Harmony, Incorporated’s International Competition in Louisville, Kentucky, central Vermont’s women’s
a cappella barbershop chorus will present its annual holiday show at Montpelier High
School on Sunday, Dec. 14. This 2 p.m. performance of the Barre-Tones is a holiday season
favorite and features the chorus and its quartets, along with special guests. Door prizes and
an intermission sing-along will be part of the afternoon’s event. Tickets are $10 for adults
and kids under 8 are free. Tickets will be available at the door, or call 498-8545 to reserve.

Coalition Formed to Oppose Marijuana Legalization
MONTPELIER — A group of concerned Vermonters announced last month the formation of SMART Vermont, a grassroots coalition opposing the legalization of marijuana.
SMART Vermont is a statewide coalition of parents, grandparents, young adults, senior
citizens and other concerned Vermonters. The members represent diverse backgrounds
including drug and alcohol prevention, youth services, education, law enforcement, mental
health and business leaders who agree that marijuana legalization poses a threat to Vermont’s health, economy, youth, education, highway safety and workforce. For more information contact Debby Haskins, executive director at 456-1479 or [email protected].

Funding Available
MIDDLEBURY — Funding is now available from the Innovations and Collaborations
grants program at the Vermont Community Foundation. One of a number of competitive
grant programs, Innovations and Collaborations supports projects that help nonprofits
collaborate across sectors and regions to develop common solutions to community needs.
Typically, applications are accepted from one lead organization in association with one or
more additional partner organizations. Grants range from $10,000 to $20,000 and multiyear funding is available but not guaranteed.
Letters of interest for the Spring 2015 grant round are due Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. Visit www.
vermontcf.org/I&C to learn more or apply or call 388-3355.

Holistic School of Business Finds New Home
MONTPELIER — The Vermont Holistic School of Business has found a new home in
Montpelier, right on Main Street. The new location will make the school easier to access,
and provide greater opportunities to serve the local community. The school has also been
added to the list of schools approved to receive grant funding through the Vermont Student
Assistance Corporation (VSAC). This means that Vermont residents can apply for nondegree grants to pay their tuition in the school's programs if eligible.
The school’s founder, Jason Pugliese, started the school out of his home two years ago as
a way to help lower-income, Vermont small business owners get on the right track as they
start, grow, and market themselves and their businesses. The school offers personal business coaching live and by phone. It also offers online courses that complement the business
coaching. The school also provides professional marketing services. For more information,
call 225-5960.

Roundabout Ready for Through Traffic
WATERBURY — The Waterbury roundabout is finally open all the way around. Up until
recently, it was pretty hard to get through the construction without stopping and starting
under the guidance of flaggers, but as of Nov. 21, the flaggers are gone and it was easy
going. Under construction since this summer, the cost was slated to be $3.9 million, but
final costs won't be available until all the final invoices are in, said VTrans Project Manager
Ande DeForge. As for the overall project, "It has actually gone pretty smoothly," according
to DeForge. His claim is verified by looking up the original proposal on the web under
watp.vtransprojects.vermont.gov where construction is scheduled for July-November 2014.
Sure enough, it appears to be done on time. But finish work, including landscaping, turf
establishment, sidewalk work and signage work will continue through to summer 2015.

Photographer Peter Miller Starting New Project

Watercolor by Nona Estrin

A

s avian winter residents define their cold-season territories, so do the hawks which stay here
and survive on birds. When the blue jays suddenly scream, the doves and smaller birds
whoosh up and fly for cover, and the woodpeckers freeze vertically on the trunks, we often
catch a glimpse of the majestic cooper hawk, or the smaller sharpshinned hawk. Both are willing
to cruise backyard feeders. Occasionally we return home to find a circle of feathers on the ground,
the calling card of this same genus--the Accipters--announcing that one or the other of these fellows have been successful in fueling their body for another day or so. Their larger relative, the rarer
goshawk sticks to the less developed fields and woods and is seen less often.

P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601
Phone: 802-223-5112
Fax: 802-223-7852
Published twice a month
Editor & Publisher: Nat Frothingham
Managing Editor: Carla Occaso
Guest Editor: Joyce Kahn
Calendar Editor, Graphic Design and Layout: Marichel Vaught
Copy Editing Consultant: Larry Floersch
Proofreader: David W. Smith
Sales Representatives: Michael Jermyn, Rick McMahan
Distribution: Tim Johnson, Kevin Fair, Diana Koliander-Hart, Daniel Renfro, Anna Sarquiz
Editorial: 223-5112, ext. 14, or [email protected].
Location: The Bridge office is located at the Vermont College of Fine Arts,
on the lower level of Schulmaier Hall.
Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge by mail for $40 a year during our campaign period. Make
out your check to The Bridge, and mail to The Bridge, PO Box 1143, Montpelier VT 05601.
Copyright 2014 by The Bridge

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COLBYVILLE — What’s up with Peter Miller’s “Lifetime of Vermont People” and his
downsized, squashed photography gallery in that godforsaken hamlet known as Colbyville
that is also squashed between Waterbury and Waterbury Center?” Miller recently informed
The Bridge by press release that he is starting on two large size photo books, Paris in the
1950s and “Margaux Vendange 1957”, the wine harvest in the most famous village creating
Bordeaux wines.

Name______________________________________________________

Miller says, “And no, I don't have the funds to produce them so I'm out there again, creating magic on a wing and a prayer … I'm selling photographs at low, low prices to pay
the printing bill. Peter Miller Gallery, 20 Crossroad, opposite King Kong's Hong Kong
Restaurant.” Call 272-8851 for more information.

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THE BRIDGE

Berlin Pond Survey Revived,
Montpelier Ready to React
by Carla Occaso
BERLIN — Will Berlin Pond get a boat launch or ramp? What would it look like? At first
glance it depends upon the results of a land survey authorized by Berlin. However, if Berlin’s
findings favor boating access, Montpelier officials are ready to conduct their own investigation.
Berlin officials have recently met with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and
decided to advance work on a survey that had been thwarted by a petition filed last spring by
a group called Citizens to Protect Berlin Pond. That group sought a ruling to completely ban
all human activity on the pond in order to preserve the purity of Montpelier’s, and some of
Berlin’s, source for drinking water. However, the Department of Environmental Conservation
ruled against a total ban on Aug. 14 and continued allowing some public recreation such as non
motorized boating, swimming and fishing. That DEC ruling gave Berlin officials a reason to
continue pursuing the land survey.
“We have asked the surveyor to move forward and complete the survey. It probably will not
be finished until next spring” due to weather, said Dana Hadley, Berlin town administrator
on Dec. 1.
Berlin is working with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish what access
would be like if the town is determined to own land at the shoreline. Speaking to The Bridge
by telephone Dec. 1, Michael Wichrowski, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department land and
facilities administrator, said the access area is not so much going to be some kind of huge boat
launch as more of a spot “where people can park and drag a boat to water’s edge. There is no
boat launch or boat ramp that people keep saying there is going to be … it is really going to be
more of an access. On all of our properties we provide access to the water ... at this point there
no plans for construction.” The Fish and Wildlife Department is helping to pay for the survey
up to around half the cost, which is expected to be around $10,000.
The land survey could possibly show that Berlin doesn’t own frontage at the targeted spot — an
area at the north side of the pond — in which case plans to improve access would be dropped.
Or, it could show ample Berlin-owned property, and pave the way for public access. In that
case, Montpelier officials plan to do a counter survey, according to City Councilman Thierry
Guerlain by phone on Dec. 1, but council members are not going to commit dollars until they
find out what boundaries are defined. Montpelier City Council voted against allocating funds
to help pay for a land survey “for the area being considered for pond access by the Town of
Berlin,” as worded in the Nov. 19 City Council agenda. Council members unanimously agreed
not to fund a survey at present. Yet, if “there is a move to put a boat ramp on Montpelier’s and
the hospital’s drinking water,” Guerlain said. The city will “do our own survey if that survey
is in any way suspect,” he said.
“We (Montpelier City Council) are fully backing and supporting the people that want to keep
all activity off Berlin Pond,” Guerlain said. “The state of Vermont basically wants to put a boat
launch in our water supply, where we spent tens of thousands of dollars to supply the city and
Central Vermont Hospital. We support no activity on the pond. There are dozens of other
places to go fishing, kayaking and swimming.”
Montpelier actively kept up ordinances forbidding people from entering the water from 1884
to 2012 by purchasing most of the land around the pond, exercising its own authority and
using its own police force. However, five years ago the Vermont Supreme Court sided with
some kayakers who ultimately successfully argued a body of water as large as Berlin Pond is
governed by the state.

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T H E B R I D G E

Barre City Approves $4K Fuel Assistance Contribution
by Ed Sutherland
BARRE — Now that colder weather has set in, Vermonters are seriously thinking about
staying warm and how to pay the bills. For thousands of area residents, help paying fuel
bills can mean the difference between happy holidays and a long, uncertain winter. To
that end, the Barre City Council recently voted to approve $4,000 in emergency fuel
asistance — but not without a bit of controversy.
The amount falls just short of the $5,000 approved by the city in 2013. The money
helped 16 city households afford heat and electricity, according to Barre-based Capstone
Community Action. "In anticipation of another challenging winter for many Barre City
residents we ask for your support again," Susan Rossi, the group's energy services coordinator, said in a letter to Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon.
At issue during the Nov. 18 council meeting was how much to approve for heating relief
from two city-managed funds. The one councilor casting a ‘no’ vote questioned the solvency of the funds and how frugal the city was with spending. In a memo, Barre Clerk
and Treasurer Carolyn Dawes recommended $2,000 be approved, evenly split between
the Keith Fund and Brusa Trust. Both funds, managed by the city, were established to
aid the poor.
Dawes noted heating fuel prices have dropped and federal funding has remained steady
from 2013. "However, there are always those families that fall through the cracks with
regards to meeting financial requirements, or who have maxed out the available funds,"
she wrote in a memo.
Barre Councilor Paul Poirier, who represents the second ward, offered another proposal:
The city would chip-in $4000 for heating assistance.
"I added the extra $2,000 because the source of the funds is to help the poor in the city,"
Poirier told The Bridge. "With the reduction of federal funds it is important that we help
the poor maintain a warm home. We have used these funds in the past to augment the
state heating program. Carol made her recommendation as the protector of the funds, but
in this case humanitarian needs prevailed."
While the revised amount won passage, Councilor Michael Boutin voted against the

Barre Beat: Businesses
Buzzing with Activity barrebeat.com
by Emily Kaminsky

B

arre is buzzing with business activity
according to Joel Schwartz of Barre
Area Development Inc. the community’s economic development nonprofit.
Case in point: The newest addition to the
downtown’s eatery landscape will be Positive Pie, which has signed a lease for 10,000
square feet with DEW Properties to open
a restaurant on the first floor at Barre City
Place on North Main Street. According to
DEW’s Matt Wheaton, preparation is now
under way for the restaurant. A prospective
opening date has not been set. Two other
tenants are locked in to rent the first floor
as well. Edward Jones Investments is taking
a few thousand square feet and The Rehab
Gym, which is already a tenant, is adding
another 1,000 square feet to its lease for
instructional space.
Meanwhile, other locations in downtown
Barre remain vacant. The Wheelock Building, a historic building on North Main
Street owned by Barre and recently vacated
by the Barre Area Senior Center, is vacant.
According to City Manager Steve Mackenzie, the city is working with the Vermont
Department of Historic Preservation to assess opportunities for optimizing use of the
building.
According to Mackenzie, other projects to
increase parking and improve driving conditions in the city are under way. The
remediation and site development of Enterprise Aly is on track having received
final approval by the City Council with
the site plan review by the city’s Development Review Board not far behind. Mackenzie expects the job will be out to bid
by February with a construction timeframe
of late spring. The Campo Place demolition, which brought down the Trono Fuels
Building behind Northfield Savings Bank,
has been completed in order to make room
for 18 parking spaces. And, the city ac-

quired the Ormsby building on Keith Avenue on Oct. 15. The bid for demolition
was awarded to Lajeunesse Construction.
Once the building is brought down, temporary parking will be available at that site.
Demolition and preparation of the parking
spots is expected to be completed by the
end of December.
Mackenzie expressed his excitement about
developments in downtown Barre as well
as trepidation about continuing to manage
the city’s various projects without a finance
director. Whether or not such a position
will be proposed to voters on the ballot in
March 2015 remains undecided. Mackenzie
is nonetheless concerned about running a
$15 million operation with no employee
devoted to financial management.
In other staffing news, the city continues
to operate with only partial staffing. The
director of public works and the director of
planning positions have not yet been filled;
Mackenzie has re-advertised the former and
expects to have to open up the search again
for the director of planning position. With
just three months left until Town Meeting
Day, the city’s Budget Committee is in the
midst of drafting the 2014-15 budget for
council review.
Do you have a story to share with The
Barre Beat? We’re queuing up intriguing
stories about Barre and its inhabitants for
upcoming Barre Beat articles. Please send
your story ideas to The Bridge at 223-5112
or [email protected]. Follow
@BarreBeatVT or @TheBridgeVT on Twitter for regular updates on Barre (and lots of
other interesting stuff).

measure, siding with Dawes' more conservative figure.
"I agreed with the clerk's recommendation," Boutin told The Bridge. "Her points were
valid and I believe we should have heeded her advice," he said. In her memo, Dawes said
the Keith Fund had a balance of "just under $18,800" while the Brusa Trust has a balance
just below $50,000.
"Paul's heart is in the right place, however those funds are depleting fast as stated by the
clerk. We need to be more frugal with them," Boutin said.
In her letter to Lauzon, Rossi referred to the Keith Fund as helping "individuals and
families [that] easily could have fallen through the cracks."
"Since 2008, the city has made donations for food banks, fuel assistance programs, emergency housing, supporting families of deployed military, and youth programs," from the
Keith Fund, Dawes explained.
The $2,000 heating assistance contribution is the first for the Brusa Trust, created by
Italian-born stone craftsman Louis G. Brusa. Capstone manages an umbrella program
covering state and federal supplemental heating assistance and crisis fuel assistance, as
well as efforts available through area utility companies.
"Capstone utilizes LIHEAP and Warmth funds to aid households in our community
to keep warm during our long frigid winters," Rossi said. According to Richard Moffi,
Vermont's fuel and utility programs director, 18,500 people were approved to receive
heating assistance. Another 2,000 household will receive help paying for firewood and
fuel pellets. In 2013, more than 26,000 Vermont households received seasonal fuel assistance, with the average benefit of $792. The majority of the funding for the program
comes from the federal government's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or
LIHEAP.
To qualify, household earnings must not exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Applicants must complete a form available at the local community action agency.

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THE BRIDGE

City Switches to Weather-Specific Parking Ban
by Ed Sutherland
MONTPELIER — No matter the season, parking in Montpelier is not a sport for the weakhearted. But it gets worse in winter.
Banning overnight parking during the winter months quickly turned a challenge into a
nightmare for residents of Vermont's capital. Someone at City Hall must have been listening,
because Dec. 4 marks the start of a selective winter parking ban.
The new ordinance, which replaces the old Nov. 15 to April 1 overnight parking ban, now
allows overnight parking on city streets, except when the city manager declares a need for
crews to remove snow. However, when a winter parking ban is announced, no cars may be
on city streets without facing hefty fines and fees.
Recently enacted ordinance Sec. 10-713 gives the city street supervisor and city manager the
authority to declare a winter parking ban. The decision is made when the two officials decide
a parking ban is required to allow city crews to remove snow.
The new rule offers residents multiple ways to learn of upcoming parking restrictions, including calling a 24-hour Snowline (802-262-6200), receiving alerts on the city website, Facebook
page or Twitter feed. As well, drivers can receive phone calls and texts when they register at
vtalert.gov, according to the city.
"This type of change has been discussed for several years," Assistant City Manager Jessie
Baker told The Bridge. While a parking ban allows unfettered snow removal and road salting,
not every night is a snow emergency warranting drivers find off-street parking.
"However, there are many nights over the winter where such a ban is not required — as it is
not snowing, sleeting, or other weather conditions require a ban to be in place. This change

will allow residents and visitors to park on city streets when a ban is not needed," Baker said.
Since off-street parking is at a premium, the city is designating two areas for parking during
declared winter parking bans. One is along Stone Cutter’s Way and the other is the Pitkin
parking lot behind City Hall. For those autos that the city must remove to clear streets,
owners will be fined $15 and must pay a $65 towing charge. Bob's Sunoco on River Street is
Montpelier's contracted towing service.
In 2013, the city's Parking Committee conducted a survey, finding 87 percent of city renters
said having enough parking spaces is a key factor when determining where to live. If the city
wants to retain or increase its tax base, finding a solution to onerous winter parking problems
likely would be high on the list of potential options.
The survey also pointed to the need for updating the winter parking ban, finding "more than
half of the respondents felt the winter parking ban should be modified in good weather."
Additionally, 43 percent of residents found the already tight downtown parking worsened
during the winter.
Neighborhoods do not go unscathed from winter parking problems, either. More than half of
the residents who reported tight parking in their neighborhoods said it only got worse in the
winter. Montpelier is not the only Northeastern city debating how to juggle clearing snow and
accommodating parking. In Augusta, Maine's capital city, the city council recently amended
their winter parking ban to offer more options to renters. In New Haven, Connecticut, the
city government adopts snow emergencies to enforce parking bans. In Ithaca, New York,
city fathers also are adopting a "snow emergency" plan, moving away from the traditional
all-winter parking ban.

Montpelier City and School: A Tale of Two Budgets
by Richard Sheir and The Bridge staff

MONTPELIER — Voters will be facing another tough budget year based on talks with city
and school officials. While the city is taking aim at budget inflation, the school is honing in
on programming needs.

that although the meetings were largely dominated by parents interested in more spending,
there were several participants who spoke up for austerity. The board asked for three budget
scenarios: A zero percent increase, a 3 percent increase and a 5 percent increase.

The Montpelier City Council requested City Manager Bill Fraser to again present them a
budget that comes in at 1.5 percent above last year’s budget which represents a flat service
request that adjusts for inflation. However, John Hollar cautions “this is going to be very difficult to achieve. In past budgets we have pared. We took out a position in fire last year as well
as one in public works, and there is an unfilled position in police. All of the low hanging fruit
has been taken.” The council has taken further cuts in police, fire and public works off the
table. When asked about planning, the mayor ruled that out as well, citing the work on the
Carr Lot, the bike path and a host of other projects, saying that the existing staff are already
stretched thin. On charging a quarter or 50 cents for riders using the free circulator to get to
work at National Life, Hollar defended the current system saying, “it is the will of the people
that we offer in-city free bus service,” but he noted that everything will be discussed to shape
a budget. Hollar also considers new spending related to bicycling as “something our residents
want” as Montpelier seeks recognition as a city supportive of bicycling.

Being the district with the second highest per pupil-spending in the state for K-12 districts
with more than 500 but fewer than 1,000 students, according to a FY 2014 Vermont Agency
of Education report, the board wanted see what a zero-increase budget would look like.
Aldrich said that a zero increase budget would cost 17 staff positions and would not be considered. Their second option would raise the school tax rate from 1.75 percent to 3 percent
this upcoming year and the third option would raise the school tax rate from 1.75 percent to
5 percent this coming year.

As part of a six-year project, the city budget includes another year of sizable investment in
street repair that goes beyond the money that is bonded for sidewalks and bridges. This year,
$500,000 is budgeted for repaving. The budget will be presented by Fraser at a special council
meeting to be held Dec. 10, at 5 p.m. in City Hall. Then, during the regular council meeting
Dec. 17, the budget process will be discussed. The budget is scheduled to be finalized during
a special meeting scheduled for Jan. 7.
Montpelier Public Schools have taken a different tack from the city in their budget process.
Instead of addressing budget inflation, they addressed program needs in shaping their budget.
They held a series of meetings to draft their budget priorities. Board President Aldrich said

When asked what she says to those who voted “no” for last year’s school budgets, Aldrich
acknowledged that people are sick of high property taxes, but education comes at a cost.
“We are trying to maintain the excellent quality of education in Montpelier, we don’t want
to harm the product we are giving to our stakeholders.” The board also has some unknowns
to contend with, Aldrich let on, saying, “we are also renegotiating teacher’s contracts now.”
Aldrich said she would hesitate to cut the music budget in light of studies regarding how
important music is in education because it positively affects “how brains learn.” The music
program, which includes band, chorus and jazz, has been very popular, she noted. She also
noted how important other innovative programs have been to Montpelier High School by
pointing out that the dropout rate has gone from 4 percent to zero percent. “Adam (principal
Adam Bunting) is such a powerhouse. That school is just transformed by him,” Aldrich said.
She spoke of the achievements attained by MHS, saying, “This is an exciting district. We
have kids doing well in Harvard and in the Army. We have kids that are engaged. We have
educators who are constantly engaging students … It’s a great school district. I’m excited to
be part of it.
The budgets will be discussed during public hearings in the months leading up to Town
Meeting Day. The Montpelier School Board generally meets on the first and third Wednesdays of most months at the Montpelier High School library at 7 p.m. Meetings are televised
on Comcast Channel 16.

Rice & Riley, PLLC
94 Main Street, 2nd Floor, TD Bank Building
Montpelier, VT 05602
802-223-3479
[email protected]
Gloria K. Rice



John P. Riley

Georgiana O. Miranda



Glenn C. Howland

Areas of practice include: Real Estate Law; Commercial Transactions;
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D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 7

T H E B R I D G E

C e l e br a t i n

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o
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hi n gha m
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by

This is a special issue of The Bridge that celebrates some of the women, men and young people in our midst who have discovered life pursuits that command a passionate
response.
I like the pure fire in people who know what excites them and have the tenacity to follow a personal dream.
Just out of college I was a teacher of English at an African boys’ secondary school in Kenya. Later, I was a teacher of English and a play director at Randolph Union High
School. More recently, I’ve taught classes with prison inmates and ex-offenders.
I continue to be entirely absorbed by the problem that confronts teachers anywhere: How to engage with students and the critical — almost mysterious — but decisive
question of why one student discovers something to be excited about and why another student, just as curious, just as bright, just as well-equipped for life — finds nothing.

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y
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“Th

ducation , and that is Life in all of

its manifestations..."

I left high school teaching because I was only reaching a handful of the students. It didn’t seem to me that high schools as they were then conceived were meeting the
needs of students. It’s also true that I didn’t know what could be done to change an educational system that I felt was entrenched.
Much of the best work I did as an English teacher didn’t take place in a classroom. My best work took place after school working with students who were making their
own choices — to be involved in rehearsing a play or to be out talking with old timers and then to be writing and publishing a book they called “Maple Sugar Trees and
Red Oldsmobiles.”
I haven’t visited a school classroom for some time. Perhaps our schools have changed. And if they’ve changed for the better I may be ignorant about those changes.
I rather suspect that schools today are much like schools were like when I was teaching. There is a teacher. There is a classroom with a blackboard, or the like. There are
books and paper. The teacher is at the front of the class and the students sit in rows behind desks. The teacher speaks. The students take out their books. The teacher
writes on the blackboard. Or the teacher reads from a student paper. Or a student reads from his or her own paper. Sometimes a student reads from a book or asks a question. Often a teacher leads a discussion. When class is finished with a story or a list of spelling words or a chapter on chemistry or history or biology, there will be a test.
The best students are the students who get the most right answers on the test.
In his continuously fresh and provocative essay called “The Aims of Education,” a British educational thinker whose name was Alfred North Whitehead — and this was
in 1916 — attempted to shake up an entrenched educational establishment and challenge the conventional teaching practices of the time.
Whitehead wrote, “There is only one subject-matter for education, and that is Life in all of its manifestations. Instead of this single unity, we offer children — Algebra;
from which nothing follows; Geometry, from which nothing follows; Science from which nothing follows; History, from which nothing follows; a couple of languages never
mastered; and most dreary of all Shakespeare, with philological notes and short analyses of plot and characters to be in substance committed to memory. Can such a list
be said to represent Life, as it is known in the midst of the living of it?”
If our schools today are anything like the schools I was once a part of as a schoolteacher, how could such schools engender or produce the excitement, commitment and
passion of the women, men and young people we celebrate in this issue of The Bridge?

"Orion was in the wrong place in the sky. How could that be?"
As part of its April 22, 2013, issue — The New Yorker magazine ran “A Reporter at Large” story by staff writer Burkhard Bilger called “The Martian Chroniclers” — an
absorbing narrative about the NASA rover exploration of planet Mars.
But what was most arresting to me in the story was not the exploration of Mars — it was something else.
Embedded in the story was a profile of one of the two key leaders of the Mars space mission, a man whose name is Adam Steltzner. It was Steltzner who was the brilliant
but unlikely scientist whose job was to design what was called a “Sky Crane” – a complicated apparatus that made it possible to lower the rover exploration vehicle onto
the surface of Mars.
Remember my description of Steltzner as “brilliant but unlikely.” Well, it wasn’t until Steltzner was a 21-year-old with virtually zero scientific or career prospects that he
showed any discernible interest in astronomy. He was a college drop-out, a bass player in a band called Stick Figures, something of a playboy, an assistant manager at an
organic market — and described in the article as a young man “with few skills and fewer prospects.”
On one night when Steltzner was coming home from a playing gig in Marin County, California, “he noticed that Orion was in the wrong place in the sky. He’d seen it earlier
that night, hanging above the lights of Port Richmond. Now it was over the Golden Gate Bridge, but the Big Dipper hadn’t moved. How could that be?”
Steltzner was stumped. But his curiosity was also aroused. This led to a number of improbable steps. Why “improbable?” — Well, as a teen growing up in a family that
had real money, he had been subject to his father’s disapproving judgment. As a child at the age of seven – a school official had told his father that young Steltzner was
“somewhat dim” and that it might be a good idea to send the boy eventually to a trade school.
All during his high school years as The New Yorker story relates: “He skipped school and climbed trees, broke into buildings and tooled around on his dirt bike. He
perfected the art of buttboarding — sitting on a skateboard and careering down hills with no helmet and no brakes — and staged rock-throwing wars with other shiftless
kids in empty lots.”
The story goes on to tell of the damage Steltzner did to his body. “Between the ages of seven and seventeen, Steltzner broke thirty-two bones and got a hundred and
seventy-two stitches.”
Is this a kid that anyone of us might recognize — full of energy and high spirits but totally without direction?
Well, after that moment of profound celestial puzzlement, Steltzner took himself over to a local community college and tried to sign up for an astronomy class. But first he
had to take physics. And he discovered, much to his surprise, that he “dominated” in physics. He was scoring a 98 on physics tests while the rest of the class was averaging 30 percent. “I was the dude,” he said later.
The dude, yes. And the dude that was Adam Steltzner finished at community college, got a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, won a full scholarship to Caltech,
went on to the University of Wisconsin for a PhD, came aboard at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1999 and subsequently became one of the two top leaders of the
rover exploration of planet Mars.
What’s to be concluded from this? All across America are countless throwaway kids — kids who somehow never discovered the book, the natural wonder, the role model
or mentor, the big idea or cause, or like Adam Steltzer, the Orion constellation somehow in the wrong place in the sky. Because they didn’t discover that one thing in life
that could have taken hold of their imagination they are now adults, lost to themselves and lost to us forever.

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THE BRIDGE

A Middlesex Girl Loves Hunting, Outdoor Living
by Vicky Tebbetts
Jenna’s father, Paul, is an avid hunter. The youngest of eight, Paul has been hunting in
Vermont for almost four decades. When she shot her first buck, Jenna and her family
were visiting Paul’s parents in East Montpelier. It was youth hunting weekend, the days
before rifle season opens to all in November.
Jerome's mother, Sherry, describes the moment from Paul’s father’s perspective: “It was
almost time for them to come out of the woods. We heard the shot and Papa waited for
her to come back.” The rack of the 150-pound deer now hangs in the Jeromes' living
room beside other trophies from Paul’s bounty. The tanned hide is warm beside the
hearth, a Vermont-style version of the proverbial bear rug. The sausage, smoked quarters,
tips, and other portions of the venison became food for the Jeromes. The prestige of bagging a buck lives on.
Running also feeds Jenna’s love for the outdoors, from the U-32 cross-country team in
the fall, indoor and outdoor track in the winter and spring, to training with the Nordic
team in the summer. It all began five years ago with “Girls on the Run,” an elementary
school program that inspires confidence and a love of fitness; prior to that Jenna says that
she would complain about walking 10 feet. Now, it’s a different story. “People think I’m
kinda crazy, because I run all the time,” Jenna chuckled. She especially looks forward to
meets and the opportunity to get to know new people and try to beat her own personal
best race times.
High school can be tough, but she makes it work. “Most of my friends do this stuff right
along with me,” she says, reclining against a plush coyote pelt thrown over the arm of the
couch. Flipping through photos from a friend’s coming-of-age celebration at the Capitol
Plaza the night before, she is radiant in an empire-waist, strapless gown. From camo to
cosmetics, Jenna’s clearly got it covered.

Jenna Jerome. Photo by Sherry Jerome.

T

here is plenty to do at age 14 in Middlesex. You can go hunting with Dad, ride
your four-wheeler through the trails (cut by none other than Dad), and travel the
Vermont Association of Snow Travelers network on Mom’s snowmobile toward
Calais and Cabot — or Camel’s Hump. In warmer weather, you can cool off at Bolton
Potholes or Curtis Pond. And in every season, you take to the roads on a run that averages three to six miles daily.
Hunting season is the most golden of all. Tracking, chasing and taking aim… it’s all part
of being outside. It is part of being where you are most comfortable - especially if you’ve
been playing in the mud since you were a kid.
For two years, Jenna Jerome was a camper at Buck Lake Green Mountain Conservation
Camp in Woodbury. There she set her sights on clay pigeons, skinned a beaver, threw
knives at a target, and earned a trapper’s license. The following autumn, she shot her
first deer. Jenna was hooked. “Being outside, sneaking up on it, there’s this rush. You
get all this energy.”
Hunters were the original conservationists, and deer hunting is part of the Jerome’s heritage. “I’ve been around it since I was little,” she observes. She was about eight years old
when she first peeked in to see her father dressing a deer. “I just stood there watching it,”
she recalls. Now, she skins her own deer, but leaves the gutting to Dad.

Target practice, and an interest in bow hunting for a longer season and more hunting
opportunities, fill most of her spare time. When not on the hunt or the run, Jenna plays
guitar and chronicles her days in photos. On summer nights, you may find her at Barre’s
Thunder Road with her parents, soaking up the sights and sounds under the smoky haze
of burned rubber. In the late summer, “deer rides” with her father to scope out the habitat
present great photo ops, mostly of the natural environment, and … deer. Her growing
portfolio of wildlife and the natural environment is headlined by bucks and does.
A passion for the outdoors defines Jenna, now and forever. What’s next for this high
school freshman? Working with children or becoming a game warden, she says. “Helping animals, being outside, making it better for people. Because that’s what I like to do.”
A girl on the land, immersed in the Vermont experience: “livin’ the 802,” as they say.

Jenna and her father,
Paul, enjoy the outdoors on snowmobiles.
Photo by Sherry Jerome

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Freedom to Fly - An Interview with Snowboarder
Jeff DeForge of Adamant
by Carla Occaso

The Bridge: Where are you from? What was it like?
DeForge: I grew up Adamant, one of the smallest towns imaginable. It’s in the town of
Calais, which is located just north of Montpelier. Having grown up in such a small place
has made traveling to new cities and mountains beyond exciting. I'm always amazed by
the different cultures and lifestyles our country has to offer.
The Bridge: What was your childhood like?
DeForge: I played organized hockey growing up, and winters always provided cold
temperatures and good snow for the most part. My siblings and I loved the snow and we
would spend hours on end playing outside regardless of the weather. During the summer
I would swim, hike, read books, bike, camp and go exploring with the homies.
The Bridge: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
DeForge: I always had an interest in being a marine biologist as a kid, and also wanted
to be a professional hockey player. I believe I was 14 or 15 years old when I started to
realize that snowboarding was the path I would choose to pursue.
The Bridge: When did you first snowboard?
DeForge: It was around third or fourth grade when I got a hard plastic snowboard from
the local mall. After a few years of backyard boarding, I was ready to leave the plastic
board at home for a real board with real edges and headed for the mountains. Because I
was good at ice skating, I had some basic idea of edge control, but boards and skates are
not all that similar and it took me many years to master even just turning.

DeForge: My parents bought my first snowboard and helped me out with some of my
first season passes, and for a while snowboarding was just a normal thing I would do a
couple times a year. But as riding started to take over, there was a rough period where
my parents weren't stoked on snowboarding because I had quit all the team sports they
had invested time and money into, and they really missed being so involved with my life.
Also I started caring a lot less about school, and even ended up graduating a year early
so that I could pursue my dreams.
At the time my parents weren't very supportive of graduating early, I guess most people
envision their kids going to college, getting a good job, and making lots of money.
After a while though, they came to understand why I chose this path and now they are
completely supportive of what I do. They stay pretty updated on all the things I've been
getting into.
The Bridge: What would you say to younger kids who look up to you? What advice do
you have?
DeForge: If there is anyone who looks up to me, I would tell them to find something
they love, work hard to be able to do the things you are passionate about, travel as much
as possible, and be open to new opportunities. Put yourself out there and don't be afraid
to try new things. Don't waste your life wishing or hoping things were different. There
is no age limit to happiness — you just have to get out there and find it.

The Bridge: What did you think of it?
DeForge: At first snowboarding was exciting, difficult, independent, and incredibly
thrilling. I had never really quite experienced something as freeing. For the first six years
of riding, most of my time was consumed with playing hockey as well as other team
sports, so I was only able to go to the mountains a few times every winter. I guess for me,
the independence of riding was the most appealing aspect. I fell in love with the freedom
of riding without coaches or teammates or anyone telling me what to do, and I really felt
like my snowboard would be able to take me anywhere in the world. For these reasons I
am still completely obsessed with snowboarding.
The Bridge: How long have you been snowboarding?
DeForge: This will be my 14th season snowboarding, I started riding on Burke Mountain just outside of Lyndon, Vermont in fourth grade during the winter of 2000, with
fellow Calais residents Matt Gale-Pyka and his father, Marek. I snowboard because it’s
personally rewarding, regardless of points or scores. I spend my life chasing snow because
it's what makes me happy. Also, I get really restless if I stay in one place for too long,
so being able to travel and find different means of seasonal employment is ideal for me.
The Bridge: Tell us about the sponsorships ... how did it start? How did it progress? Who
are your sponsors now?
DeForge: The first sponsor I had was the local shop in Waitsfield, now known as Infinite
Boardroom. The shop manager, Travis Kerr, has been my biggest supporter and he's been
helping me out with other sponsors, traveling, competing, and just having fun.
Currently my other sponsors are CandyGrind, Sugarbush Parks, and StepChild snowboards.
The Bridge: What are your favorite (snowboard) brands?
DeForge: I'm a big fan of the product, image and brand direction of both CandyGrind
and StepChild. Most snowboard companies are cool because they let riders be individual
and creative, instead of trying to force everyone to be the same. Everyone brings something different to the table, whether it's riders or companies, and that's what keeps our
industry so interesting.
The Bridge: What about your parents? Did they contribute to your interests? Did they
and do they support you? Encourage you?

Photo by Ashley Rosemeyer

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Genealogy: Passion or
Obsession?
by Fern Greenberg Blood

M

y husband, Larry, introduced me to the joys and frustrations of genealogy
research. A descendant of Mayflower-era immigrants to Massachusetts, his
25-year pastime intrigued me. Since my ancestors came to America from the
Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, I thought there wouldn’t be much I
could find compared to his archive of over 8,000 individuals. But I was wrong. Six years
ago I began sharing my husband’s hobby — it’s now a folie à deux (a shared madness)!

Visits to relatives on my father’s side led to a young cousin who’d been researching the
family’s history. Overwhelmed, cousin Ivy sensibly passed her work on to me. Insensibly,
I took it. First, via Ancestry.com, Larry helped me find birth, marriage and death information for the relatives we knew. Then, since most of these relatives settled in Massachusetts
and Connecticut, trips to city halls yielded information not available online.

Family portrait of Fern Greenberg Blood's great-grandfather Peter Greenberg
(Paltiel Postilnick, who took his wife’s surname when he came to America), his
wife, Libby, and their children. Their daughter, Nellie, is Fern's grandmother.
Photo taken circa 1907 in Spring field, Massachusetts.

Slowly, using genealogy software, we built a database to keep track of each bit of information. (This hobby is particularly well-suited for the detail-oriented among us!) At first
details flooded in. The explosive growth of online database collections makes it incredibly easy to compile a vast amount of information — birth, school, marriage, military,
residence, occupation, newspaper, death, obituaries. One stunning discovery was a 1896
U.S. Park Service interview of a relative who came through Ellis Island. The interview
was part of their Oral History Project, dedicated to preserving first-hand recollections of
immigrants entering America between 1892-1954. Nearly 1,900 oral histories are available
to the public.
After a few years the flood slowed to a trickle. Having put the cart before the horse by
starting with online research, I took a step back to read books and articles about conducting
genealogical research. It soon became clear that the best way to learn about the dead is to
interview the living. I invested in a digital audio recorder, found interview questions online,
and embarked on conversations with cousins and one surviving uncle. Twelve interviews
later, I’ve been richly rewarded by learning about common ancestors and understanding the
historical context of their lives. In addition, I’ve been blessed with deepened relationships
with relatives known and newly discovered. Many I’ve spoken with have thanked me for
the opportunity to share treasured memories.
Eventually the branches of those who immigrated to America and their descendants became clearer. Some of the bare bones — names, dates, places — were fleshed out with
stories of joy and sadness, accomplishment and tragedy. Now, rather than trying to keep
up with the birth of each new descendant, and because of legitimate privacy concerns, I’ve
chosen to look further back — into the history of ancestors in the old country. Surprisingly, many records survive. Getting access to them, now that’s a challenge! But genealogists and researchers are everywhere. Provide a researcher with enough information about
those left behind, and often amazing records come back to you. Fortunately for those
seeking Jewish genealogy information, most headstones include the name of the deceased’s
father. Also traditionally, children are named after deceased relatives, providing more clues
to prior generations.
Genealogy is more than piling up names, dates and places. I’m not a historian, but the
search for family information compels me to learn about centuries of religious, ethnic, cultural and geopolitical history, vividly contrasting the proudly glorious and obscenely tragic.
It’s become a vast interdisciplinary journey. My voyages, literal and electronic, have taken
me across time and space: from the pogroms of Russia which my ancestors fled; to World
War I France where my great-great uncle died performing acts of heroism; to Depressionera New England where my grandfather struggled to provide for his family and died before
his time; to Florida where I discovered an unknown branch of the family and a man who
has become more of a loving grandfather than a first cousin-twice-removed; to Israel where
a few descendants who survived the Holocaust resettled after the 1990’s release of Soviet
Jewry. By delving into the past, I am creating a future richer and fuller because it is enhanced with memories of heroes and strivers, sufferers and achievers ... a future peopled
with new friends and old, sharing an extraordinary journey of discovery.
Editorial assistance from Carl Greenberg and Edith Black Zfass

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Transformation Through
Living; Breathing Yoga
by Lori Flower

Y

Lori Flower. Photo by Dave Mora.
oga can remind us of our essential spirit; our universal connection beyond the
everyday chaos of human drama and relationships. It is an invitation to transformation. When you change, everything changes!

There I was, trying to stay afloat in my first year of college 20 years ago. While establishing my new adult identity, I had somehow lost track of being in my body. My brain was
working on overtime, downloading massive amounts of information. In my first yoga
class, when I was asked to sit still, breathe and pay attention to sensations, I could hardly
cope with this simple instruction — I didn’t have time for that!
I had signed up for a whole semester of yoga to earn my physical education credit. To
my surprise, I found myself seething with rage and defiance. My mind was frenetic, like
a restless animal wanting to break out and run away. I strongly considered dropping
out of the yoga course. However, something compelled me to stay in the cage-room and
confront that irascible temper within.
Somehow, during that initial 90-minute journey into myself with traditional basic postures, I began to make peace with my wild mind, connecting it to my body, heart and
spirit. All aspects of myself integrated and became friends, working together. At the end
of class, I floated out of the gym and across the soccer field. Everything I looked at was
so alive and filled with life-force! I nearly cried in beholding the beauty! Why hadn’t
I noticed this before? The trees! The blades of grass! The people walking by … I was
humbled by it all. I was no longer caught up in my own narrow, isolated world.
This is what I learned:
WITNESS (Inspired by the teachings of Osho): To witness is to access a clear picture of
what is going on, without judgment.
ACTION: Yoga requires that we act, and each action carries with it the totality of our
accumulated experience.
INTENTION: The direction and purpose of our actions comes from our intention, and
empowers us to align with our truth.
SURRENDER: Surrender is a state of willingness to sit with what is present and active
within, while letting go of the need to control outcomes.
The more I practiced yoga, the more I learned about self-discipline. I actually started
to feel good again! While ignoring my body, I had put on 20 extra pounds during that
first fall semester. As I became more self-aware that spring, I found my power to shift
unconscious patterns and began to eat healthier. The pounds shed simply and I became
more peaceful in my limber and relaxed body.
After graduating six years later, during which time I steadily practiced many forms of
yoga, an opportunity opened for me at Omega Institute to work as their staff photographer. There, I was blessed to be in the presence of great yogis and healers, such as Ram
Dass and TKV Desikachar. It was my job to “witness” them with the eyes of my camera
and document their transformational yoga in the world, so that the wisdom of these
practices could reach a wider audience.
Having discovered the power that exists in yoga practice, I have chosen to dedicate myself to yoga and share its healing gifts. Yoga is more than a career choice for me. It is a
living, breathing practice that fosters respect and connection with every radiant being.
The next level for me is evolving partner and community practices, where we move yoga
beyond the islands of our mats. I am called to serve and guide people into deeper levels
of sensitivity and reverence through interconnection. I invite you to join me in exploring
deep, personal transformation through yoga.
To learn more about Lori Flower’s yoga classes, workshops and retreats, visit: www.karmiconnection.com Flower teaches Vinyasa Flow, Acro Yoga and offers Thai yoga bodywork. Her
creative offering “New Vision Yoga—Explore new territory in creative growth through the
Art of Yoga” will begin in January at Yoga Mountain Studio in Montpelier.

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Naomi Flanders Lives for Music
by Michelle A.L. Singer

W

hen the subject of passion comes up, intensely loving what you do and devoting
large amounts of energy to it, Naomi Flanders comes immediately to mind. She’s
a teacher, director, artist, musician and singer, and when I gave up trying to boil
her passion down to one subject, she did it for me: “I love life, being alive. And I express that,
the beauty I see around me all the time, through art and especially the performance arts.”

joy. Not that it isn’t hard, or full of sorrow too. It is, but it’s also full of joy.”

For her, it was focusing on music and singing, especially singing, and she considers herself
lucky because she had so many generous teachers who appeared at just the right times, people
like Brian Webb who encouraged her and took her work seriously. Her voice studies included
methods like Feldenkrais, which focuses on the breath, the whole body, and awareness
As we sat over tea at the kitchen table in the house she grew up in on Brazier Road in East through movement.
Montpelier, looking through the big picture window at Echo Valley and Spruce Mountain She continues the traditions she was taught as a voice coach and piano teacher. “I try to give
she muses, “It’s prehistoric. People need food, water, warmth, and arts give all that. People back in the same way as my generous teachers. I tell my students to do what they feel they do
come to a show and have something to eat and drink, sit down and get comfortable, and well and is true to themselves. What else is life for?”
then there’s entertainment, color, music; it’s just like being around the fire, telling stories. It’s
Her open-hearted approach to performance arts and inherited community-minded spirit is
deep in us.”
embodied in our community in her Shakespeare summer camps for kids that she hosts with
Growing up, her parents, Anne and Ralph Flanders, raised nine children in the house we were Neil Worden, community opera performances like “The Marriage of Figaro” she directed
sitting in, and she says, “They were playful. Serious, but playful.” It was a religious and struc- and presented at the Plainfield Opera House, and her upcoming production of “A Child’s
tured household where they were read to three times a day by their parents. After breakfast, Christmas in Wales” Dec. 13, also at the Plainfield Opera House. There will be two perforafter lunch, and after dinner when the kids would clean up and do dishes before sitting down mances, one at 5 p.m. and another at 7 p.m., accompanied by Susannah Blachly on fiddle.
to a reading from the Holy Bible, followed by reading from classics — Shakespeare, Chaucer, Local actors, including Susannah and Tom Blachly, Elizabeth Wilcox, Diane Holland, Cady
Grimm’s fairy tales — and then prayer. “Shakespeare has always been present in my life,” she Burgess and Cydney Ferras will bring this classic Christmas poem to life.
says. “The impact of hearing my mother read dovetailed into everything.”
“It’s a scary business,” says Flanders of the arts. “It’s a big risk that you take, opening yourself
Her father played the piano and listened to opera on the radio before bed many nights. Flan- up. And sometimes you fail spectacularly. But you prevail; you find a way to continue to creders says she remembers the way the music made her feel awake and enlivened. At age four, ate. People sometimes say artists don’t have common sense. It isn’t about common sense. It’s
she sat in her father’s lap listening to Handel’s Messiah and told him she was going to sing bigger than anything. I have tremendous respect for the people I work with.”
like the lady in the record one day. She did, and her parents were in the audience to hear her.
For more information about Flanders or “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”, visit the Echo Valley
She says it was inevitable that she would get her bachelor’s degree from Johnson State College Community Arts Facebook page or reach Flanders at 225-6471.
in humanities with an emphasis on music. She was steeped from an early age in opera, literature, and music. Despite her early passion for music, singing and English, she says she was
a spectacular underachiever, purposely flunking algebra three times so she wouldn’t have to
Naomi Flanders in her
endure higher-level math. It wasn’t until college when her biology professor took her aside and
home in East Montpelier.
said, “Flanders, you’re smart. Now, I want you to work.” It changed her life and she started to
Photo courtesy of Michelle
A.L. Singer.
truly focus and have discipline. “Following your path is not for the faint of heart,” she says,
“But I highly recommend it! Do what you’re good at and what you want, and it brings you

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Ruth Coppersmith: Cooking with Gusto
by Joyce Kahn

F

or Ruth Coppersmith of Adamant, cooking is a passion. I have eaten at her table many times, always
marveling at the delicious combinations of foods
she prepares, always grateful for this far-better-thanrestaurant experience. As she explained, we all need
to eat, and where else can one feed oneself and also
nurture others, giving love and good food at the same
time, while feeding one’s needs for creativity?

“You have to eat, so I don’t feel like I’m wasting
time. A creative effort, like drawing or painting,
I have to have time set aside to do that. If I’m in
my own house, it’s very hard for me to set aside
the time and space to do that. But if I want to
be creative, I can always cook because I have to
cook anyway. And I like to feed people. Almost
anybody will appreciate a good meal. Even if
you have plenty to eat, having someone else do
this for you is an act of love, and that’s why I
like it. For me it’s such an easy and creative way
to share with other people and nurture. And
who doesn’t like it? And if I know how to cook
well, and I know how to gear toward different
tastes and dietary needs, then people are almost
always happy. That’s why I love to cook,” Coppersmith said. “Gardening is another passion, but
I don’t think I’d like gardening nearly so well except
that I dream up these things I’m going to cook. I like
to grow things that are different or exotic or challenging,
and I have it down to a science.”

plant dip from a recipe in The New York Times, always served in a special bowl
used only for that purpose, and special slices of cheese or dip.
Her father always taught her to eat what was put in front of her or at least
taste it; and while she did not appreciate this always as a child, she believes
it benefited her later, when as a young adult, she became more adventurous with food.
Coppersmith’s first real cooking experiences began after college,
when she moved with her then-boyfriend into the “puppet house,”
(making puppets and performing with them is yet another passion).
They were poor and she was not yet vegetarian, so she cooked
horse meat and pork chops and chicken marango. She would
buy used cookbooks and when searching for a certain dish to
prepare would put three or four out to look at and pick and
choose what she wanted from each. She still cooks like that
unless she is so familiar with a recipe that she doesn’t need the
books. But most of the time she checks back with a recipe to
choose different versions of the same dish. Sometimes she’ll
invent something not in any of the recipes.
Coppersmith is also quite skilled at substitutions and can
adapt any recipe to the needs of the diner. She can turn a meat
dish into a vegetarian one, and make adaptations for gluten
free, low-carbohydrate sugar-free, which she has to do for herself because of high blood sugar now, or for low-fat dairy dishes.
Primarily vegetarian, Ruth will consult standard cookbooks such
as “The Joy of Cooking,” and substitute other proteins for the meats.
Photo by Joyce Kahn

Coppersmith’s earliest memories of food have positive associations. Her memories are of
the tastes and scents of her paternal grandmother’s kitchen, and the foods so lovingly and
generously prepared there. And they are also the foods from her maternal grandfather’s,
where the family would also visit every Sunday. Having grown up in the Middle East and
become a young widower responsible for two young children, he learned to prepare the
cuisine of that region — stuffed cabbage, okra, kasha varnishkes, sesame candies, halvah,
all “kind of exotic.”
Coppersmith’s mother, a “good but not-creative cook,” did not permit her in the kitchen
when cooking, but Ruth was exposed through her family’s forays to restaurants, to many of
the ethnic cuisines for which New York City is famous. The family frequented Chinatown
for authentic as opposed to American Chinese food, ate in Armenian restaurants where she
loved zucchini stuffed with lamb and covered in a sweet tomato sauce and baklava with
kayak, a sweet clotted cream, and also dined in French and Italian restaurants. “There are
many positive food memories. That is how I got into food,” she said. “Early memories are
full of smells and tastes. As far as the five senses go, I’m really into touch and smell and taste
as well as visual and auditory; textures, how things feel — crunchy things and soft things
and custardy things, and because they’re part of my earliest memories, they’re deep inside
me, and cooking brings them back to me.”
The first thing Coppersmith was allowed to cook was butterscotch pudding. But she
received practice in food presentation, when at her mother’s cocktail parties, her role was
arranging the hors d’oeuvres on a platter: these were the crackers and mock caviar, an egg-

Away from her home, Coppersmith substitutes in the kitchen of The
Family Center and for area elementary schools. Restaurant cooking doesn’t
interest her, and she isn’t interested in opening a business, which she said would ruin it
for her. The largest group she’s cooked for is 16, but she’d like to learn to cook for 40. She
has thought about going to the New England Culinary Institute for this purpose and also
might like being a camp cook on a small expedition, where she would have a role to play, a
skill to contribute. Coppersmith has also offered private cooking lessons and has thought
about offering classes in low-carbohydrate cooking.
But for now, this excellent cook is content doing the cooking she’s currently involved in, and
I for one, exult when invited to dine at her table.

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THE BRIDGE

Jillian Reed, Flutist Extraordinaire
by Joyce Kahn

J

illian Reed, a senior at Montpelier High
School, is a young woman with a passion for playing flute. She is as charming
as she is accomplished, a breath of fresh air
entering a stale, heated winter room, a young
woman of poise and natural beauty, with
whom one feels immediately comfortable, a
woman one feels will go far in her field. She
spoke about flute in this way:

and fundraised for this flute. So with my
own money and people’s donations, I was
able to buy the flute. I love that instrument.
The Bridge: Karen Kevra told us that you’d
been invited to Nashville. How did that
happen?

“Flute has always been an important part
of my life and a central part of my identity.
It’s always been a passion. There’s so much
work that goes into it, there’s so much time
and energy that goes into playing flute that
it defines my identity in a lot of ways.”
Reed’s interest in music began early. When her
older sister was in second grade and began violin, Jillian wanted to play, too, but was told
by her sister that the violin place was taken.
Thwarted from violin and having a strong interest in making music, Reed was smitten with
the sound of the flute at a concert in kindergarten. She began to study the Suzuki method
in first grade, learning to play by ear without
reading music. Since freshman year, Reed has
been studying with Karen Kevra, a locallybased Grammy-award winning flutist.
The Bridge: What does flute mean to you?
Is it stronger than academics or sports? I’m
guessing you do other things well.
Reed: One thing I’ve struggled with in high
school is making balance in my life because
I care about academics a lot and I need time
to practice, and I also do crossfit, so it’s difficult to find the time, and one thing that’s
weighing on my mind while I’m applying to
schools is the other people who are pursuing music, like I am, and instead of going
to public high school and doing extra-curriculars, they’re going to arts academies or
doing Juilliard pre-college and are able to
practice five hours a day, and I just don’t
have time for that … It can be a lot of pressure coming in a lot of different directions.
Reed has a very full schedule. In addition to
school and Crossfit, she practices two hours
every day and participates in the Vermont
Youth Orchestra every Sunday. She is one
of their three senior soloists and will be performing the second movement of the Nielsen
Flute Concerto with the orchestra at the Flynn
Theater Jan. 25.
The Bridge: Do you want to be a concert
flutist or soloist? Is that a goal?

Photo by Stina Booth Photography
learning as much as you can about every Reed: I really like English. Literature is
subject contributes to being able to support another way of expressing a lot of emotions.
music better.
With music, I really like all the things I can
The Bridge: A major goal is to perform. Is say in performance, but when I’m playing
the academics the side order and perform- flute, I’m not necessarily expressing myself,
but the emotions of the composer.
ing the entrée?

Reed: I participated in the music festivals, All-State and All-New England, and
I didn’t realize until last spring that there’s
an All-Nationals, so I applied by sending in
a recording and getting recommendations,
and in September I got an email saying I
was accepted and would be playing at the
Grand Ole Opry. I ended up being one of
the first flute players in the band, and I got
to meet people from all over the country. I
was there for a little under a week. Another
opportunity for travel I just learned about
last week is from the Young Arts Foundation, a national foundation, I got a high
level of recognition, a scholarship, and I
get to participate in one of three regional
programs for a week in either Miami, L.A.,
or New York City. They (the concerts)
are all this winter, and they pay you to go,
and they’ll have a week full of workshops,
master classes, and it will be people who are
instrumentalists like me and some singers
and visual artists, cinematographers, dancers. I’m so excited.
The Bridge: What other opportunities have
you had?

The Bridge: As a visual artist, I know that
when painting a still life or from the model,
you bring yourself to whatever you’re doing.
In a group, no two paintings look the same.
I’m sure that’s true of music as well.

Reed: This year so far I have two opportunities to perform: I’m a soloist with the
Vermont Youth Orchestra and also with the
Vermont Philharmonic in their February
concert, where I’ll be playing the Mozart
flute concerto. I’ve also participated in programs in Quebec where I played in master
classes for the principal flutists of the Berlin
Philharmonic, Mathieu Dufour and Emmanuel Pahud.

Reed: I find that you can learn a lot about
the time period and the composer by playing their music. But the interpretation is
really fun.

These opportunities allowed her to network
and meet "amazing people.” Of the 49 flutists
attending one of the programs, Jillian was one
of three under the age of 18; the oldest was 30.

Another cool thing about playing an instrument when I’m learning a new piece is
the dialogue that happens for me with my
teacher and in orchestra with the conductor and among other flutists in the section.
Also, playing chamber music is always fun.
In that way, I’ve gotten to know a lot of
musicians really well and made a lot of
friendships through music. Some of my
The Bridge: Do you compose?
best friends are people I’ve met in the music
Reed: I respect composers so much. It’s a world.
part of my brain I haven’t exercised at all. The Bridge: Is there a downside to this
It may be something I do when I’m not in pursuit?
school thinking about advanced placement Reed: It’s not the pursuit itself, but the
calculus. It’s fascinating to me.
reaction to the idea of someone going into

The Bridge: You’ve applied to many of the
top music schools in the country. What was
the process like?

Reed: I enjoy school, but during classes,
whatever I’m holding I’m usually using as
a flute. I was just doing that on my tea
mug just now. So music is always in my
head, and I always have a song stuck in my
head. And sometimes it’s annoying, and
sometimes it’s wonderful. A way that I’ve
been able to deal with all the busyness is
thinking, “I’m going to get to study just
the things I love, playing the flute, learning more about music, and that’s the most
important thing to me.” One thing about
studying music in college is that there are so
many aspects of music besides performance:
I’ll be learning more about music history
and music theory, and so all those things
are academic classes, but they all relate to
performance. It’s very exciting.

Reed: I do hope to perform as a career,
but I’ve also found that I do better with
flute and every aspect of my life when I
have more balance in my life, so when
I work hard at school, when I’ve learned
other things besides music, it all comes
back to music. Music is a very central thing
that relates to so many other aspects of the The Bridge: What’s your favorite academic music. It’s kind of a terrifying career path,
world and what’s going on … I think that subject?
it’s a difficult field to pursue, and it’s difficult to relate while I’m excited and people
say, “Oh, music, huh?” But as far as difficulty, I think the time commitment is huge,
and it’s comforting to know that I’ll have
music in my life whether I pick up my flute
three times a week or practice three hours
every day. It could be seen as limiting because I need to spend so much time with my
flute, but I love it so much it doesn’t seem
limiting at all.

Reed: The music world is horrible for auditions and applications. For all the best
music schools, they have pre-screening for
which pieces they want to hear. I had to do
three hours of recording today. There are
resumes, essays, application fees. If they like
what they see, they’ll call you for a 15-minute audition … There’s a lot to it. It’s not
just playing.
In order to be recognized and get scholarships and apply for things, you’ve got to
learn things besides music.
The Bridge: How do you record?

Reed: I rent out the sanctuary space at the
Unitarian Church. Allison Cerutti accompanies me, and I love to use the camera from
ORCA Media. They’ve been so helpful. In
the beginning, it was all about playing the
flute and practicing. Now to be a musician and to be in the running for all these
things, I’ve had to do so much organizing,
so much planning, renting out spaces, all
the media aspects — recording and cutThe Bridge: What kind of flute do you ting, finding the best takes and uploading
them. I’m not super tech savvy, so I’ve had
play?
to have a lot of people come to my rescue.
Reed: I had a student grade flute for a long I’m learning more skills for that too.
time but found a flute I fell in love with,
but it’s very expensive, so to pay for it, I Treat yourself and listen to Jillian Reed perorganized a fundraising concert that I had forming on YouTube or better yet in one of
at the Unitarian Church and invited friends the winter concerts in which she will solo.
and family and people in the community

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D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 15

Charles Wiley: 48 Years of Service to
The Gary Home
by Nat Frothingham

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
- From a letter written in 1676 to another scientist by the celebrated British
mathematician and inventor Sir Isaac Newton. Instead of drawing attention to his own
achievements, Newton acknowledges a large debt to earlier pioneering thinkers.

O

n Nov. 1, 2014, longtime Montpelier resident Charles “Charlie”
Wiley retired after an astounding
48 years of service as a volunteer member
of the O.M. Fisher Home, Inc. board of
trustees.

Each woman had the assurance of lifetime Home and saw that the women’s rooms
care.
were locked and guarded their things.

In 1985, the federal government came in
and changed the rules and required that
The Gary Home go from a lifetime benefit
to a monthly fee. Wiley continues to regret
O.M. Fisher Home, Inc. is the nonprofit that change.
organization that oversees The Gary Home Over the years, particularly with a stock
for elderly women (now elderly men as well) market surge in the 1980s and 90s, The
at 149 Main St. in Montpelier. O.M. Fisher Gary Home began to accumulate a sizeis also the sponsoring organization for The
Gary Home’s sister retirement community,
Westview Meadows that opened in 2004.

Talking about Wiley’s services to The Gary
Home, and by extension his services to the
residents of Westview Meadows as well, former Gary Home administrator Andrea Taylor said of Wiley, “He’s in here once or twice
a day — and if something goes wrong, he’s
the one you’re going to call.”
Continuing on this theme, Taylor added,

Wiley and his wife, Carol, were born and
raised in Rutland. He graduated from college, was two years in military service and
came to Montpelier to work for the Burroughs Corporation selling accounting systems. He served for a time in state government. He led and organized Vermont’s
exhibit at the 1967 Montreal World’s Fair.
He also led an association of the state’s
manufacturing firms. Until recently, Wiley
was a Montpelier real estate broker.

In 2004, the O.M. Fisher Home published
a booklet entitled “From There to Here”
– a short history of The Gary Home and
Westview Meadows. According to that history these women and men pioneered the
establishment of The Gary Home.
Mary Ann Gamble
As a young woman, Mary Ann Gamble
came to Montpelier and worked for 36
years as a domestic and then a seamstress
to a local farm family. As she got older she
became convinced of a need to create a
home for the aged. “In 1915, at the age of
73, after a lifetime of saving, she had accumulated $5,000. She gave it all to found
a new local corporation, the Montpelier
Home for the Aged, which was formed at
her request on September 9, 1915.”
Sophia Davis Fisher and Oscar Merrill
Fisher
During the 1920s a number of local bequests were made that added to the resource for elderly housing and care. As
noted in “From Here to There,” “The most
notable (bequest) came in 1925 from the
will of Sophia Davis Fisher, the widow
of a successful traveling salesman named
O.M. Fisher (Oscar Merrill Fisher).” This
bequest established a separate corporation
O.M. Fisher Inc. The gift created a fund
large enough “to make possible the operation of a home.”
Lucius D. and Mary E. Taft
In 1926, a successful local grain dealer,
Lucius D. Taft and his wife, Mary E. Taft
donated their brick house at 149 Main St.
in Montpelier to become the first local
home for the aged.

A few days ago I had a meeting with Charlie
Wiley. I wanted to find out what had driven
him to serve on the O.M. Fisher board of
trustees for almost 50 years.

Dr. Clara E. Gary

“What fed this passion for sustained community service?” I asked myself.
At our meeting I was struck by how little
Wiley said about himself and by how much
he had to say about the visionary women
and men whose driving impulse was to do
something decent for women in Montpelier,
often retired school teachers, who as elders
were often alone and a needing a caring
place to live. (Please see “Gary Home Visionaries.”)
It was 1968 when Wiley was invited by his
friend and neighbor Luman Howe to join
the O.M. Fisher Board of Trustees. Howe
was president of the Montpelier National
Bank and when then treasurer of The Gary
Home retired from the O.M. Fisher board,
able sum of investment worth. The Board
Howe asked Wiley to take his place.
of Trustees wanted to use that money for a
The Gary Home in 1968 was a much dif- constructive purpose. A vision committee
ferent place than it is today. As Wiley de- was formed and in due course a plan was
scribed it there were 18 residents, all women developed to create what has become Westand 35 (mostly part-time) staff taking care view Meadows.
of them. As treasurer, it was Wiley’s job
All of these developments took place during
once a week to prepare the pay packets for
the 48 years of that Wiley served on the
the employees.
O.M. Fisher Board of Directors.
Theoretically, he could have paid the emWiley used the word “infatuation” to deployees by check. But they were living week
scribe his service to The Gary Home, Westby week. And as Wiley said, “They deview Meadows and the sponsoring O.M.
pended on having that cash delivered to
Fisher Board. On weekends he shoveled the
them on Saturday mornings so they could
sidewalks and kept them ice-free if posbuy their groceries for the next week and
sible. For 30 years, his wife, Carol, made
pay their mortgages.” They needed the
individual table decorations for each lady at
money right away. “So we paid them in
The Gary Home, or helped a resident with
cash,” Wiley said.
correspondence when she couldn’t see or
Today the residents pay a monthly fee. couldn’t write.
From 1968 until the payment arrangement
During the March 1992 flood, when floodchanged in 1985, before a woman became a
water came up to the top of the cellar stairs
resident of The Gary Home, she would turn
at The Gary Home, all of the 14 or 15
over all of her financial assets to the home.
women had to be moved up to temporary
These assets would be invested and a small
shelter at Noble Hall of what was then
percentage of her assets (3.5 percent) would
Vermont College of Norwich University.
be returned twice a year to her as spending
During the three days that followed the
money. But the gain was continuous care.
flood, Wiley slept on a couch at The Gary

Gary Home Visionaries

Charles Wiley
“When I look back in the records his voice
is always the one saying, “What more can
we do for the ladies of Gary Home? Don’t
forget this is their home.”
“Others,” said Taylor, “have certainly cared
about that. But he has always been the one
who kept the candle lit.”

Clara E. Gary grew up on a farm along
the road from Montpelier to Worcester
(currently the site of the North Branch
Nature Center.) As a young woman in her
mid-20s she grew frustrated with the unremitting work of farming and set forth with
her brother to Boston — she to become
Vermont’s first woman doctor and he to
become a successful lawyer. She graduated from the Boston University School of
Medicine in 1885. She stayed connected
with Montpelier and Vermont and spent
a number of summers here. According
to “From There to Here” — Dr. Gary
wanted to make a bequest to the O.M.
Fisher Home because she wanted to make
sure that Harriet Robinson, the nurse who
had been her secretary and companion for
many years would have a home for her own
in later years. Dr. Gary died in 1936. Her
bequest of $140,000 was enough to pay for
the construction of the brick building with
six columns at 149 Main St. in Montpelier
that has been and is The Gary Home.

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Wavell Cowan’s New Book “Escaping
an Evolutionary Dead-End” and His
Zest for Scientific Thinking

Book
Review

a review by Nat Frothingham

Photo by Michael Jermyn single best-effort approach had been ap-

plied by the Manhattan Project rather than
the pluralism actually pursued, it is highly
unlikely the atomic bomb would have been
produced in time to affect the end of the
Second World War.”
Cowan is convinced of the power of rigorous scientific thinking and he wonders
aloud about why scientific thinking has
been confined to science. Says Cowan,
“The scientist know that every time he runs
an experiment he will learn something. It’s
the learning that allows you to take the
next step.”
But the world of politics is different. “No
one wants to learn anything. They want to
justify what they did. They want to justify
what they are doing.”

I

nventor, thinker, scientist, businessman,
problem-solver, active citizen, writer
— Moretown, Vt. resident Wavell F.
Cowan comes very close to being the ideal
Renaissance man.

Cowan was born in Brooklyn, New York,
but spent a big chunk of his life in Canada and very early in his impressive career
was hired out of graduate school to go to
Glasgow, Scotland, and confront the problems of a paper mill that by his own account
“had gotten into serious financial difficulties.” Cowan spent three exciting years at
the Glasgow paper mill and registered some
notable successes. His biggest personal gain
was a belief both in the power of scientific
thinking and a growing confidence in his
problem-solving abilities.
While his road was not easy, in due course
Cowan invented process equipment and test
instruments and started a company now
called Pulmac Systems International. Pulmac equipment can be found today in pulp
and paper mills across the world.

dead-end rut. But he argues we can get out
of that rut. And the question he asks is this,
Why can’t we apply scientific thinking as
we tackle such current social problems as
education, the economy, health care and the
environment?
In a recent interview with Cowan, I found
him interested in discussing what he knew
as opposed to making scattershot comments
about things he knew very little about.
Cowan did acknowledge the stupendous
revolutionary achievements of modern science over the past 300 years — a science
that has delivered such things as laborsaving devices, electronic communications
including the Internet, steamships, cars,
planes, miracle seeds, medicines and medical interventions and spacecraft that can
take us to the moon and let us explore the
planet Mars.

tions we have at our disposal today that we
can maximize our efficiencies by working
not in large but in smaller organizations
and units.
In his work with pulp and paper mills,
Cowan spent a large part of his adult life
dealing with large businesses in the paper
industry and he observed that, in general,
larger businesses displayed greater dysfunction than smaller businesses. In large organizations, employees had often lost their
motivation and enthusiasm. Instead of producing manufactured items that were of
higher quality and lower cost, such items
were often of lower quality and higher cost.
Inevitably, a large company was divided
into large departments and instead of seeing adventurous thinking and innovation,
people were often playing it safe, playing
politics, instead of asking searching questions and challenging the status quo.

Now, Cowan has written a book drawing on his varied experience as a scientist,
inventor, businessman and active citizen.
“Escaping an Evolutionary Dead-End” is
Cowan’s meditation on the need to employ
scientific thinking not just where scientific Cowan is not suggesting that we ditch these In sum, Cowan believe that the driving
thinking has been typically employed. Yes, impressive inventions. In fact, he believes force for going large has disappeared. Init’s Cowan’s view that we’re in a current that it’s at least partly because of the inven- stead he contends, “Small organizations can
do what large organizations could only do
before.” And he observes, “Small organizations do not produce the same sorts of problems that large organizations do.”

118 Main St.

Montpelier, VT

802-223-3188

NECI on Main will be open seven days a week
December 2 — December 23, 2014
Join us for lunch, dinner and brunch on Sundays!
We look forward to the extra opportunity for our students to
show you their skills and help you and your family celebrate
together during the holidays.

A few years ago, Cowan became a member
of the Moretown Elementary School Board.
As a school board member he wanted to
know how well the school was functioning.
He went to the school principal and suggested a way to measure student achievement. She was interested. She cooperated.
And Cowan put together a comprehensive
set of measures to evaluate student achievement. Were these students male or female?
Was a student coming from a family that
qualified for free or reduced lunch? How
was a student performing in spelling or
math or reading? What about lateness?
What about days lost to sickness? As Cowan
explained it, everything had a number: test
scores, teacher report cards.
Or as Cowan writes in his book: “The final
outcome was a basic, annual report that
the principal used with the teaching staff
as a fundamental tool to direct a consistent
quality improvement effort, updated annually.”
The net effect of describing each student
carefully and using a range of measures
to evaluate each student’s learning was a
gain in student performance as compared to
other schools in the supervisory union and
across the state.

The suddenness and violence of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 jolted Americans like few
other recent events. Soon after 9/11, America was at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and
our own country seemed not only much less
safe but much more violent. Then there
were a number of our long-held beliefs —
In Cowan’s world, “small” is a cherished
in a free market economy, in the ultimate
value. And another cherished value for
worth of our democratic systems — these
Cowan is what he calls “pluralism.”
rock-solid beliefs became much less settled
Cowan goes all the way back to World War and much more open to challenge.
II to discuss what he means by pluralism.
Today Americans are looking out at their
During World War II, the United States
country with profound skepticism. Few
(indeed the Allied powers) were locked in
traditional institutions — the free press, the
a race against time to develop an atomic
church, the U.S. Congress, our once-great
bomb before the Germans developed such
universities — have escaped serious critia bomb. At the time there were four differcism, even censure.
ent proposals for how to make the required
amounts of fissionable material that was Wavell Cowan’s book comes along at a time
needed to build a successful bomb. Instead of much-needed and serious introspection.
of concentrating in one location the project Is Cowan right in asserting that small is
of making fissionable material, the U.S. now better than large? Is he right in argugovernment decided to assign the project ing that we can adopt rigorous scientific
to four different locations using four dif- thinking to address our difficult problems
ferent processes. Running four concurrent in education, the economy, health care and
projects proved to be the key to the success the environment?
of producing enough fissionable material Whether he is right or wrong on these issues
for the two bombs that were dropped on is beside the point because the point is this:
Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World Cowan is raising critical questions that we
War II.
dare not ignore.
As Cowan concludes in “Escaping an Evolutionary Dead-End”, “If a more ‘efficient’,

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D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 17

There’s No Place Like Home at
Almost Home Dog Rescue and Rehab
by Emily Kaminsky

"Giving one of these
dogs a home would
be the best
Christmas present,
for sure."

D

on Blanchette and Sindi Parker Blanchette of Montpelier live with 60 dogs —
each one rescued over the past two years and brought back to health with the
hope of finding them a home. It wasn’t until they passed a visit from Vermont’s
Department of Agriculture, which licenses shelters, that their operation is actually one of
the cleanest and biggest shelters in the state. Before they launched their nonprofit, it was
just about rescuing some dogs, says Don. They kept on rescuing and haven’t looked back
since. “Once you get started doing this, it’s kind of hard to turn your back especially when
people start to ask for your help,” he says.
Don and Sindi have a passion for dogs. Don is a certified dog trainer who studied with a
well-known dog obedience trainer from Germany and specializes in German Shepherds.
He also runs a woodworking business. Sindi is retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield and says
it’s always been about dogs for her. “It started when I was very young,” she says. “I always
felt connected to dogs. I loved talking to my dog. I always thought that they are soulful;
you can see it in their eyes,” she says. The two met when Sindi needed help training her
young German Shepherd who had just torn up her loveseat. She was referred to Don and
that started a long-lasting friendship solidified by their shared passion for dogs.

Sindi describes their decision to start rescuing dogs and rehabilitating them out of their
home as a way to deal with her sadness about dogs being euthanized, particularly in
Miami-Dade, Florida — a high kill shelter from which many of their dogs are rescued.
“One day I woke up and I realized I could cry every single day or I could help or do something,” she says. “I didn’t know what form that would take. I just started to rescue dogs.
I told Don, ‘This is what I need to do.’ He said, ‘I think this is what I need to do, too.’ ”
Almost Home Dog Rescue and Rehab is known nationwide. “We’re known for taking the
dogs that everyone has turned their backs on,” says Don. “They are usually on the euthanized list. Sometimes they are being walked to the killing room and we have managed to
save them at the last minute.”
Lilly, a chow, was one such dog. She came up on one of the bi-weekly transports from
Florida to Vermont run by a colleague of Don and Sindi’s. “The dog was panting,” recalls
Sindi. “She had a big hunk of string hanging out of her mouth. She was all skin and bones.”
It turns out that Lilly had heartworms and more than 50 ticks. She was in congestive heart
failure. Don and Sindi took her straight to the veterinarian who then started a risky but
successful course of antibiotics and heartworm medicine. Medication and food retention
helped her make a comeback. “You should see her now,” says Sindi with emotion in her
voice. “She has a prance in her step. She’s happy now. She feels good. Her heartworms are
gone and she didn’t die. We were lucky to have Lilly come into our lives. These dogs teach
me something every day.”
Don and Sindi’s daily routine is grueling but rewarding. At least every other night Don
grinds 120 pounds of chicken to feed the dogs. They get up at 4 a.m., let the dogs out,
clean the pens and feed them. After Don takes off for work, Sindi takes over during the
day, sometimes with the help of volunteers, distributing medicine, walking the dogs, and
taking them to veterinary appointments. After Don returns from work, they continue to
care for the dogs until they settle down around 8:30 p.m. “We don’t go anywhere, we don’t
go out to dinner or go to movies, we just take care of dogs,” says Don.
Running the shelter comes with a significant price tag of $200,000 a year. This year alone,
Don and Sindi paid more than $60,000 in veterinary bills. And, it costs $400 to $500 a
week to feed them all. Nearly all of the funds come from their own pocket. But, with a
501c3 tax exempt status, their nonprofit can accept donations via their PayPal link online
at www.almosthomedogrescuevt.com. And, a whole community has been built around
their efforts on Facebook at “almosthomedogrescue” and “Gabby’s Challenge Almost Home.” Gabby is a German Shepherd
they rescued after she was crated up for the
first five years of life and used for heavy
breeding. Her legs are deformed but Don
and Sindi gave her a customized wheelchair
to help her get around. She has become the
“spokesdog” of their nonprofit.
What do Don and Sindi wish for the most?
“Giving one of these dogs a home would be
the best Christmas present, for sure,” says
Don. Sindi says she wishes she could take
in more dogs. As soon as they place a dog
in a home, she’s ready to bring in the next
one. It’s truly a labor of love for them both
and both described what they do as a true
calling. “I feel like the luckiest person in the
world,” says Sindi. “I really feel that these
dogs that we have today or ones that have
passed through here — that we were meant
to help them in whatever capacity. It matters that we want them to have a home, but
they will always, always have a home here.”

Photos courtesy Don Blanchette and
Sindi Parker

PAG E 18 • D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014

THE BRIDGE

Can Facebook Really Use My
TECH CHECK Content?
by Jeremy Lesniak

F

rom time to time I see people post some status on Facebook claiming copyright over
their Facebook “property.” The current one begins “Due to the fact that Facebook has
chosen to involve software that will allow the theft of my personal information, I do
declare the following:”

and the like.

These posts spread quickly, as Facebook is a lightning rod for criticism. The critiques range
from overstepping their boundaries to making sweeping, objectionable changes. Is this legal?
Can Facebook make use of your postings regardless of what you do?

That’s really the best way to think of the Internet, after all. We’ve become so accustomed
to free services that we forget the companies
behind them make money from our usage of
the sites.

In a nutshell, they sure can. When you sign up for an account on any website, you agree to the
terms of a lengthy legal document that few people read. This document is commonly referred
to as Terms of Service (TOS). The TOS outlines the expectations and prohibitions for both
you and the company behind the website. It’s a legally binding document, despite the fact
that few people read it. While there are certainly things that a company could require that
wouldn’t hold up in court, we’re not talking about one of those.
The question is whether or not a website can use your contributions — be they photos, words,
etc — for their own purposes. This might be for marketing purposes, internal testing or any
other number of reasons. Bottom line, if the TOS grants the company access to your material,
and you agree to the TOS, you have legally consented to this.
While Facebook is certainly the largest subject of this discussion, with over one billion members, they’re not the only example. Any social media site may make claim to your content,
again depending on the TOS that you agree to. From time to time these TOS will be updated,
and you’ll be forced to agree to them again. The thing to remember is that businesses need to
make money to warrant their existence. Social media sites, overall, are free. While these sites
are relatively new, they’re all experimenting with a similar business model in which you, the
users, are the ones giving the site value.
See, without users, neither Facebook, nor any other social media site, would have any value.
It’s the scale that these sites reach that makes them worth something to advertisers, researchers

The best way I’ve heard it expressed is thus:
“If you can’t see a business model, you are the
business model.”

Microsoft ran an ad campaign a few years ago
claiming that Google was “creepy” for having
keyword-based ads show up in Google’s email
service, Gmail. Microsoft didn’t do a very
good job with the ads, because while some
people find this practice to be invasive, most
of us understand that there aren’t actual people reading through our email. It’s automated.

Jeremy is the founder of Vermont Computing in Randolph and still serves as
technician and consultant to the organization. He lives in Moretown.

What if you don’t want to give these websites permission to use your content? Unfortunately,
there’s little choice. Facebook does offer some robust controls for making your content private.
While this prevents people from seeing it, this doesn’t answer the ownership question. If you
want to use these sites you’re going to have to give up ownership of your content. Each site
is different, as outlined in their Terms of Service. I suppose you could give up the Internet
entirely, but that doesn’t sound very fun. When you live in a world where the National Security Administration admittedly reviews the phone calls and online content of anyone and
everyone, the owner of your Facebook postings seems trivial.

Eye on Montpelier
by Ashley Witzenberger, executive director at Montpelier Alive

Celebrate the holidays with Montpelier Alive!
Saturday, Dec. 6
Santa Claus is coming to downtown!
City Center, 89 Main St. Free.
Join the staff and students of New England Culinary Institute to decorate cookies to eat
or leave out for Santa. Later in the afternoon, Santa comes to downtown; come meet him
and tell him what you’re wishing for Christmas.
12:30-1:30 p.m. Cookie decorating with NECI
2-2:30 p.m. Holiday program:
Caroling by the Monteverdi School, a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with
Nat Frothingham, and Santa arrives
2:30–4 p.m. Visit with Santa
Montpelier Alive is excited to announce that we are bringing
NEW YEARS EVE back to downtown!
Back by demand, downtown Montpelier will be rockin’ on December 31!
(Please note that this is not a First Night event)
Wednesday, Dec. 31
2 p.m. Central Vermont Runner’s Club’s Annual New Year's Eve Road Race:
A 5-Kilometer road running race starting at the Pavilion State Office Building
To register or for more information visit: http://www.cvrunners.org/newyearseve/index.
html
Enjoy Two Shows with the amazing Marko the Magician!
4:30 p.m. Marko's 1st show (45 Minutes)
5:45-7 p.m. Marko's 2nd show (1 1/4 hours)

Both shows will take place at Montpelier High School Auditorium. Tickets will be on
sale at the door, $5/person per show and children 5 and under are FREE!
Tickets are available now on Eventbrite and the links are on our Facebook page: https://
www.facebook.com/MontpelierAlive/events
7:30 p.m. Join us at the State House Lawn for a FIREWORKS SHOW!
Dave Keller's 2nd Annual New Year's Eve Extravaganza at Montpelier City Hall!
Last year they rang in the New Year with over 500 friends! This year they are taking
it to another level, with performances by not only the Dave Keller Band, but also the
Starline Rhythm Boys. A perfect fit for a perfect evening. Here's what else they have
in store for you:












drinks by Three Penny Taproom
food by Mad Taco
photos by Jay Ericson of Middle Gray Group
surprise musical guests
classic soul and r+b spinning between sets
free champagne toast (over 21-years-old)
countdown and disco ball drop at midnight
dance contests
door prizes
charity wall of wishes
all ages invited

Tickets are only $10 in advance, available with cash at Capitol Stationers, or with credit
card at www.lostnationtheater.org. $15 at the door. FREE for ages 17 and under.
7:30 p.m. Doors open
8-9:30 p.m. The Starline Rhythm Boys
10 p.m.-1 a.m. The Dave Keller Band
A community celebration sponsored by Dave Keller, Montpelier Alive, Three Penny Taproom, Mad Taco, Middle Gray Group, and Berlin Optical Expressions.
9 p.m.-1 a.m. Charlie O's "Speak Easy" theme party, costumes encouraged. There will
be a live jazz band!
Thanks to the support of National Life Group, Heney Realtors and the city of Montpelier, we are bringing New Year’s Eve back to Montpelier!
Montpelier Alive is proud to announce that we are partnering with the Montpelier Food
Pantry — Just Basics Inc. At all of our events we will have donation boxes for nonperishable food items. They always need items like peanut butter, canned fruit, tuna,
pasta, tomato products, grains, soup or mac and cheese. When we work together we
make a greater impact.
Visit the Montpelier Alive Facebook page to stay up-to-date on all event details: www.
facebook.com/MontpelierAlive
See you in Montpelier!

D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 19

T H E B R I D G E

THURSDAY, DEC. 4

MBAC Meeting. Meeting of the Montpelier Bicycle
Advisory Committee. First Thurs., 8 a.m. Police
Station Community Room, 534 Washington St.,
Montpelier. 262-6273.
American Red Cross Blood Donation: All blood
types needed. Blood donor card, driver’s license
or two other forms of identification are required at
check-in. Individuals who are 17+ years of age (16
with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds
and are in generally good health may be eligible
to donate blood. 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Vermont
Technical College, 124 Admin Dr., Randolph Ctr.
1800-RED CROSS. redcrossblood.org.
Green Mountain Care Board Public Meeting.
Agency of Administration update. 1–4 p.m.
GMCB Board Room, City Center Building, 89
Main St., 2F, Montpelier. gmcboard.vermont.gov.
WineChat. Take a guided tour of four distinctive
wines in a relaxed, interactive setting. 6–7 p.m.
North Branch Café, 41 State St., Montpelier. $12.
552-8105. thenorth-branch.com.
Diabetes Support Group. First Thurs., 7–8 p.m.
Conference room 3, Central Vermont Medical
Center. 371-4152.
Prayer Meeting and Worship Service. First and
third Thurs. through Dec.. 7 p.m. Jabbok Encounter Ministries. 8 Daniel Dr., Barre. 479-0302.

FRIDAY, DEC. 5

Death Café. Group discussion about death with
no agenda, objectives or themes. First Fri., 11:45
a.m.–1 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Rte. 2,
Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. Bring your
own lunch or eat at the center for $4. 223-3322.
Art and Author Night: Celebrating the Dishtowel. Weaving by the staff and students of the
Marshfield School of Weaving. Stories and songs
with Norman Kennedy. 5–7 p.m. Jaquith Public
Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free. 4263581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
The Festival of Trees and Light. Runs concurrently with the Members’ Art Show & Sale. Local
restaurants donate hors d’oeuvres for the buffet
table, a variety of beverages will be served, and
choraleers will entertain visitors. Please bring
donations for the Giving Tree when visiting the
Helen Day Art Center through Dec. 28. This
year’s recipient of the Giving Tree is the Waterbury
Food Shelf. 5 p.m. Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond
St., Stowe. Free. 253-8358. Helenday.com.
Coffeehouse. Enjoy live music and share your
own. Fellowship, potluck snacks and beverages.
First Fri., 7–9 p.m. Trinity United Methodist
Church, 137 Main St., Montpelier (park and enter
at rear). Free. 244-5191, 472-8297 or rawilburjr@
comcast.net.

com. aldrichpubliclibrary.org.
Capital City Indoor Farmers Market. Featuring
over 30 farmers, food producers and craftspeople.
Music by Sheefra. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Montpelier
City Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier. manager@
montpelierfarmersmarket.com. capitalcityfarmersmarket.com.
Holiday Stroll, Stories & Craft. Drop by the
library before or during the annual holiday stroll
through Waterbury to hear some holiday stories
and create a holiday-inspired craft. For children
in grades K–4. 10 a.m. Waterbury Public Library,
28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Free. 244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.
Northeast Storytellers. For poets and other
storytellers. Usually held the first Saturday of
the month. 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Catamount
Arts Center, cabaret space or upstairs gallery, 115
Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury. Free. 535-3399. http://
fewbetween.blogspot.com/2014/11/reading-atcatamount-arts-december-6.html
Osteoporosis Education and Support Group.
Edward Leib, MD, to present Advances in Osteoporosis Treatment & New Science about Causes
of Osteoporosis. 1–3 p.m. Community National
Bank, community room, 4811 U.S. Rte. 5, Derby.
Free. Registration required: 535-2011. [email protected]. betterbonesnek.org.

SUNDAY, DEC. 7

Snowshoe/Hike Woodstock with Green Mountain Club. Moderate. 7.6 miles. Snowshoe or hike
to Winturi Shelter via the Appalachian Trail. Bring
lunch and water. Meet at Montpelier High School,
5 High School Dr., Montpelier. Contact Michael for meeting time: 249-0520 or chernick5@
comcast.net.
Plainfield Holiday Farmers Market and Trunk
Sale. Come support your local herbalists, crafters
and farmers and get fabulous handmade crafts,
foods and other gifts for the holidays and beyond.
10 a.m.–3 p.m. Plainfield Opera House/Town
Hall, 18 High St. (Rte. 2), Plainfield. Plainfield
Holiday Farmers Market and Trunk Sale on
Facebook.
Free Skating for Dads and Kids. Good Beginnings invites dads, grandfathers, uncles, step-dads
and other male role models to bring their kids
for free skating. Refreshments and giveaways.
4–5:15 p.m. Central Vermont Civic Center, 268
Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier. Free. Reservations: text “skate” to 505-1436, email fatherhood.
[email protected] or call 595-7953. https://www.
facebook.com/events/1524069384517216/
Black Narcissus. Based on Rumer Godden’s
novel, this controversial 1947 film is set in a convent in the Himalayas. Film screening and commentary by film historian Rick Winston at 6 p.m.;
Q&A and discussion follow. Chandler’s Upper
Gallery, 71-73 Main St., Randolph. $9. 431-0204.
[email protected].

SATURDAY, DEC. 6

National Federation of the Blind, Montpelier
Chapter. First Sat. Lane Shops community room,
1 Mechanic St., Montpelier. 229-0093.
Endowment Fund Holiday Craft Fair. Friends of
Ainsworth Public Library annual raffle. 9 a.m.–4
p.m. Williamstown High School, 120 Hebert St.,
Williamstown. Free and open to the public; raffle
tickets $1 each or six for $5. 433-5887. http://bit.
ly/FofAPL.
Magic: The Gathering Tournament. An informal
tournament every first and third Sat., 10 a.m.–1
p.m. Aldrich Library, Teen Room, 6 Washington
St., Barre. Free. 476-7550. aldrichlibrary@gmail.

MONDAY, DEC. 8

American Red Cross Blood Donation: All blood
types needed. Blood donor card, driver’s license
or two other forms of identification are required at
check-in. Individuals who are 17+ years of age (16
with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds
and are in generally good health may be eligible
to donate blood. 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. VFW Post
792, 792 Pioneer St., Montpelier. 1800-RED
CROSS. redcrossblood.org.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont: Health Care
After Retirement. Vermonters retiring soon or
just becoming eligible for Medicare can find out

more about Medicare and Medicare products,
including information on Vermont Medigap
BlueSM—affordable Medicare supplemental
coverage offered through BCBSVT’s affiliate, The
Vermont Health Plan. 6:30–7:30 p.m. BCBSVT,
445 Industrial Lane, Berlin. For more info. and
to RSVP: 371-3299, [email protected] or
bcbsvt.com/vmb.
The Dangerous Myth of the Right vs. Left: An
Interactive, Solution-Focused Presentation.
Objectives of exposing the myth that divides the
good people of our nation and leads to distracting
conflict; identifying common ground; recognizing the dangers of division; and identifying
concrete actions toward a united front. 6:30
p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, East Montpelier Room, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free.
[email protected].
Douglas Goetsch, Kerrin McCadden & Baron
Wormser: An Evening with Three Award-Winning Poets. All three are NEA Poetry Fellowship
recipients, longtime teachers and friends. The poets
will also be honoring National Brownie Day by
bringing brownies for all to enjoy. 7 p.m. KelloggHubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free.
223-3338. [email protected]. kellogghubbard.org.

TUESDAY, DEC. 9

Medicare and You Workshop. New to Medicare?
Have questions? We have answers. Second and
fourth Tues., 3–4:30 p.m. 59 N. Main St., Ste.
200, Barre. Free, donations gratefully accepted.
479-0531. [email protected]. cvcoa.org.
Grandparents Raising Their Children’s
Children. Second Tues., 6–8 p.m. Child care
provided. Wesley Methodist Church, Main St.,
Waterbury. 476-1480.
Film Screening. Co-sponsored by the Vermont
Italian Club. 6:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,
135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. Call library for
film title: 223-3338. [email protected].
kellogghubbard.org.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10

Bereavement/Grief Support Group. Open to
anyone who has experienced the death of a loved
one. 10–11:30 a.m. Conference Center. 600
Granger Road, Berlin. Free. 223-1878.
Green Mountain Care Board Public Meeting.
Advisory committee meeting. 10 a.m.–noon.
Capitol Plaza Hotel, 100 State St., Montpelier.
gmcboard.vermont.gov.
Holiday E-Origami. Make holiday-themed
origami with LED lights. For kids in grades 4–7.
1 p.m. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St.,
Waterbury. Free. 244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.
Influential Films of the 1960s. With Rick Winston, film scholar. Clips from 2001, The Graduate,
and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Discussion of
the French New Wave, the British "Kitchen Sink"
school and directors such as Fellini and Bergman.
An Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 1:30 p.m.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier. 223-2518. [email protected].
Celiac and Food Allergy Support Group. With
Lisa Masé of Harmonized Cookery. Second Wed.,
4:30–6 p.m. Conference room 3, Central Vermont
Medical Center. [email protected].
Quilting Group. Working meeting of the Dog
River Quilters. Second Wed., 5:30 p.m. Community room, Brown Public Library, Northfield. Jean,
585-5078 or [email protected].

Performing
Arts
THEATER, STORYTELLING
& COMEDY
Dec. 3, 4: It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio
Play by Joe Landry. City Hall Arts Center is
transformed into a 1940’s broadcast studio as
five versatile actors and one busy sound effects
wizard brings Frank Capra’s classic to life in
front of a live studio audience (that’s you!). 7
p.m. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City
Hall Arts Center, 39 Main St., Montpelier. $10
advance; $15 at door. Children under 11 free
per accompanying paying adult. 229-0492.
lostnationtheater.org.
Dec 7: Mass Appeal Comedy Showcase. Zach
Nelson, Brent G, Melissa Moran and Josh
Star. Hosted by Bitsy Biron and Sean Hunter
Williams. Adults only please. 7 p.m. Sweet
Melissa’s, 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. $5. [email protected].
Dec. 12: Laugh Local VT Open Mic Comedy
Night. Montpelier's monthly comedy open
mic. Signups 7:30 p.m.; show starts 8 p.m.
The American Legion Post #3, 21 Main St.,
Montpelier. Free; donations welcome. Bob:
793-3884.
Dec. 19–21: Night Fires. Theatre Group Ltd’s
celebrational pageant-like play at the time of
the winter solstice. As always, the theme is a
journey through the dark to new life and hope.
Music and poetry from the Americas, especially
North America, plus some exquisite songs from
all around the globe. Original prose by Deborah Lubar and Marianne Lust. Dec. 19, 8 p.m.;
Dec. 20, 4 and 8 p.m.; Dec. 21, 2 p.m. The
popular pre-show singing begins approximately
20 minutes before the show itself. Town Hall
Theater, 68 S. Pleasant St., Middlebury. Adults
$24; seniors and students $20. townhalltheater.
org.

AUDITIONS
Dec. 7: Open auditions for M or F? Auditions
for the stage adaptation of Chris Tebbetts and
Lisa Papademetriou's popular book M or F? No
pre-registration is required. Just come either
day with a 2-minute scene ready to perform
for director Cher Laston and the writing team.
Auditioners will be heard in the order in which
they arrive. A plot summary of M or F? is available on Wikipedia. Show date is Jan. 4 and is
part of Vermont Pride Theater at Chandler.
Nov. 23, 4–7 p.m.; Dec. 7, 2–5 p.m. Chandler
Music Hall, 71-73 Main St., Randolph.

PAG E 2 0 • D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014

Bereaved Parents Support Group. Second
Wed., 6–8 p.m. CVHHH, 600 Granger Rd.,
Berlin. Jeneane Lunn 793-2376.
Montpelier City Council Meeting. Second and
fourth Wed., 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers,
Montpelier City Hall. 39 Main St., Montpelier.
montpelier-vt.org.
Song Circle: Community Sing-A-Long with
Rich and Laura Atkinson. A singing background
is not necessary and song books will be provided.
A variety of instruments are used to accompany
the singers. Musicians are welcome to bring their
instrument. 6:45 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122
School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.
Film Screening: 1964: PBS American Experience. PBS documentary covering that entire year
in American history. 7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 223-3338.
[email protected]. kellogghubbard.org.

THURSDAY, DEC. 11

Green Mountain Care Board Public Meeting.
Mark Painter (PRS Consulting, Colorado) will
present on the development of standardized edits
and payment rules. Agency of Administration update. 1–4 p.m. GMCB Board Room, City Center
Building, 89 Main St., 2F, Montpelier. gmcboard.
vermont.gov.
The Healthy and Comfortable Zero Energy
Home. An exploration of the significant nonmonetary benefits of ZEH, including health, safety, durability and comfort. This event is part of a
series of workshops for residents and businesses on
how we can each move toward Net Zero, hosted
by the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee in
partnership with Efficiency Vermont. 6:30 p.m.
Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier.
Free. 229-3559. [email protected].
http://eanvt.org/net-zero-montpelier/

Visual Arts
EXHIBITS

Through Dec. 8: Maryann and Andy Davis. Pen
and ink, pastel, oil and watercolor paintings.
Gallery hours: Tues.–Fri., noon–6 p.m.; Sat.,
9 a.m.–1 p.m. Royalton Memorial Library, 23
Alexander Pl., S. Royalton.
Through Dec. 18: The Paletteers of Vermont
Fall Art Show. Milne Room, Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington St., Barre. Free. 476-7550.
Through Dec. 19: 1864: Some Suffer So Much.
Stories of Norwich alumni who served as military surgeons during the Civil War and traces
the history of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Sullivan Museum and History Center, Norwich
University, 158 Harmon Dr., Northfield. 4852183. Norwich.edu/museum.
Through Dec. 19: Art Schaller, Billboard
Buildings: Collage and Mixed Media. Sullivan
Museum & History Center, Norwich University,
158 Harmon Dr., Northfield. Free and open
to the public. RSVP encouraged: 485-2183.
[email protected]. norwich.edu/museum.
Through Dec. 27: Celebrate! Annual local arts
celebration featuring artwork and crafts by more
than 75 member artists of Studio Place Arts
(SPA). Gallery hours: Tues.–Fri., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.;
Sat., noon–4 p.m. Studio Place Arts, all 3 floors,
201 N. Main St., Barre. studioplacearts.com.
Through Dec. 31: Oils & Watercolors of Susan
Bull Riley. Paintings of the botanicals, birds
and landscapes of Vermont. Gallery hours vary
but are generally Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–3 p.m;
Sat. hours start in Oct. The Festival Gallery, #2
Village Square, Waitsfield. 496-6682. vermontartfest.com.
Through Dec. 31: Susan Bull Riley. Vermont
landscapes, botanical and bird compositions.
Gallery hours: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The Governor’s
Gallery, Pavilion Building, 109 State St., 5F,

THE BRIDGE

FRIDAY, DEC. 12

Waterbury. Free. Space is limited. Register: 2447036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.

24th annual Cheap Art Christmas Sale. Dec.
12 and 13. 4 p.m. Christ Church, 64 State St.,
Montpelier. 225-6628. [email protected].

Memory Café. For individuals with Alzheimer's
disease and related memory disorders. A care
provider must accompany each participant. The
December café will feature a holiday theme. Refreshments and holiday merriment. 10 a.m.–noon.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier. 223-2518. Free; open to the public.
[email protected].

Barre Holiday Farmers Market. Inspired gifts of
local crafts and food. Live music. 3–7 p.m. Old
Labor Hall, 49 Granite St., Barre. 3–7 p.m. Free.
225-6574. [email protected]. barrefarmersmarketvt.com.

Friday Night Group. For youth age 13–22 who
are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or
questioning. Pizza, soft drinks and conversation.
Cofacilitated by two trained, adult volunteers
from Outright VT. Second and fourth Fri.,
6:30–8 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St.,
Montpelier. Free. 223-7035. Micah@OutrightVT.
org.

Floating Bridge Food & Farms Cooperative
Holiday Market. Dec. 13 and 14. Enjoy some
festive, local holiday shopping and Slice of Life
demonstrations. Everything from growing winter
greens to festive holiday drinks. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Green Mountain Girls Farm, 923 Loop Rd.,
Northfield. No fee to enter market. 276-0787.
[email protected]. floatingbridgefoodandfarms.com

SATURDAY, DEC. 13

Moretown Artisans Sale. Dec. 13 and 14.
Support your community and your neighbors
by shopping from local artists. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Moretown Elementary School, 940 VT Rte.
100B, Moretown. 496-6466. megsevents@gmavt.
net. moretownartisan.com.

YAC (Young Adventurers Club) Outing. Easy.
YAC is a Green Mountain Club group helping
parents and kids get outdoors together. Contact
Lexi, 229-9810, or Mike, 223-8493, for trip location, details, meeting time and place.
Snowshoe with Green Mountain Club. Northfield. Moderate. 4 miles round trip. Hike Paine
Mountain to its wooded summit. Dress for the
weather, including microspikes. Call Steve for
meeting time and place: 479-2304.
Planting Hope’s 21st Solidarity Craft Fair. 40+
vendors. Silent auction, homemade lunch and desserts, face painting, gift wrapping. All proceeds
benefit Planting Hope’s programming in Nicaragua and Vermont. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Two locations:
Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier;
Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 7780344. plantinghope.org.
Rustic Willow Holiday Decorations. With Susie
Gray from Growing Health by Design. Create
and embellish rustic willow holiday decorations. A
selection of embellishments will be provided but
feel free to bring your own special ribbons, bells
and baubles to add. For teens–adults. 10 a.m.–
noon. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St.,
Montpelier. 828-0749.
Through Dec. 31: W. David Powell,
Everything Must Go 3.0: Artworks
from the New Millennium. Large
and vibrant paintings, prints, mixed
media and woven pieces. Gallery
hours: 8–4:30 p.m. Art in the Vermont Supreme Court, 111 State St.,
Montpelier. 828-0749.

24th annual Cheap Art Christmas Sale. Dec.
12 and 13. 4 p.m. Christ Church, 64 State St.,
Montpelier. 225-6628. [email protected].

SUNDAY, DEC. 14

Floating Bridge Food & Farms Cooperative
Holiday Market. Enjoy some festive, local holiday
shopping and Slice of Life demonstrations.
Everything from growing winter greens to festive
holiday drinks. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Green Mountain
Girls Farm, 923 Loop Rd., Northfield. No fee
to enter market. 276-0787. [email protected]. floatingbridgefoodandfarms.
com
Moretown Artisans Sale. Dec. 13 and 14.
Support your community and your neighbors
by shopping from local artists. 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Moretown Elementary School, 940 VT Rte.
100B, Moretown. 496-6466. megsevents@gmavt.
net. moretownartisan.com.

Charlie the Goat, seen here,
now on display at River Arts
Center in Morrisville as part
of Sarah LeVeille's exhibit
Whimsy.

MONDAY, DEC. 15

SASH Blood Pressure Checks. 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Twin Valley Senior Center, Rte. 2, Blueberry
Commons, E. Montpelier. Free. 223-3322.
Bereavement/Grief Support Group. Open to
anyone who has experienced the death of a loved
one. 6-8pm. Conference Center. 600 Granger
Road, Berlin. Free. 223-1878.
Plainfield Book Club. Third Mon., 7–8:30 p.m.
Cutler Memorial Library, 151 High St. (Rte. 2),
Plainfield. Free. 454-8504. cutlerlibrary.org. Our
book club page on-line: cutlerlibrary.org/resources/bookclub.

TUESDAY, DEC. 16

Hike Montpelier with Green Mountain Club.
Moderate. Ski or walk, depending on conditions,
in the Montpelier-Barre area. Bring snack and
water. Call Reidun and Andrew for meeting time
and place: 223-3550.

Dec. 5–Jan. 23: Shamus McCaffrey Langlois,
Totems and Lovers, Clowns and Villains.
Sculpture, painting and drawing exploring the
transitional spaces between experience, desire
and transformation. Reception: Dec. 5, 4–8
p.m. Gallery SIX, 6 Barre St., Montpelier. 5528620. [email protected]. http://gallerysix.
weebly.com/

Through Apr. 10: Green Mountain Graveyards:
Photo Exhibit. Fascinating look into the past
with these photographs. Vermont History Museum, 109 State St., Montpelier. Exhibit included
in museum fee. 828-2180. amanda.gustin@state.
vt.us. vermonthistory.org/calendar.

Through Dec. 31: Donna Ellery. Long
time Vermont artist works in glass,
metals and the fine arts. Animal
and people portraits, still life and
everyday objects are painted in a style
that allows some fluid high-spirited
whimsy, while remaining true to the
object or person. The Shoe Horn, 8
Langdon St., Montpelier. donnaelleryart.com/

SPECIAL EVENTS
Dec. 5: Montpelier Art Walk. Multiple downtown venues open their doors for gallery receptions, shows, music, and more! 4–8 p.m. Downtown Montpelier. Free. 223-9604. artwalk@
montpelieralive.org. https://www.facebook.com/
MontpelierArtWalk

Through Dec. 31: Neysa Russo, Felt
Tapestry Exhhibit. Exhibit extended
through December. Lots of new work
added. Art demo and meet and greet
with the artist: Dec. 14, 11 a.m.–2
p.m. Bagitos, 28 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 229-9212. bagitos.com.

Through Jan. 4: Sarah LeVeille, Whimsy. Acrylic
paintings bring the farmyard to life. Reception: December 18, 5–7 p.m. Gallery hours:
Mon.–Thur., 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Fri., noon–2 p.m.
River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville.
888-1261. RiverArtsVT.org.

Central Vermont’s Compassionate Friends’
Annual World Wide Candle Lighting Vigil for
Children Who Have Passed. This is a gathering
for those who have lost children, whether that
child was an infant or an adult, and to have the
opportunity to share the names and perhaps a
photograph of their child or children. Families
are encouraged to bring a photo which can also
be displayed during the vigil. Light snacks will be
offered at the end of the service for folks to visit
with one another. Gather at 6:45 p.m.; vigil and
performances 7–8 p.m. Christ Church, 64 State
St., 2F (no elevator), Montpelier, 2nd floor (no
elevator). Free; donations accepted. 249-2637.
[email protected].

Dec. 5–Jan. 30: Tibetan Buddhist Thankgas.
Various artists. Opening: Dec. 5, 4–8 p.m.
during Montpelier Art Walk. Tulsi Tea Room,
34 Elm St., Montpelier. 223-1431. tulsitearoom.
com.

Through Dec. 31: Joyce Kahn, Out
and About. Plein air paintings from
Vermont and Mohegan Island,
Maine. Opening: Nov. 10, 5–6 p.m.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier.

Dec. 9–Jan. 3: Wilderness Photographs. Photographs of Vermont and
New Hampshire wilderness are displayed. South Royalton artist Joan Hoffmann
will speak about "The Art of Wilderness":
Dec. 12, 7 p.m. Exhibit viewing hours: Tues.–
Fri., noon–6 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Royalton
Memorial Library, 23 Alexander Pl., S. Royalton.
Free.

Shape Note/Sacred Harp Sing. No experience
needed. All welcome. Second Sun through Dec.,
3–5 p.m. Plainfield Community Center (above
the co-op). 595 9951 or nscottieharrison@gmail.
com.

Through Jan. 4: Lauren Stagnitti, In a Moment.
Infrared photography. Reception: Dec. 18, 5–7
p.m.; artist talk 6 p.m. Gallery hours: Mon.–
Thur., 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Gallery
at River Arts, Folley Hall at the River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Free. 888-1261.
riverartsvt.org.
Through Jan. 17: Celebrating the Dishtowel.
See main calendar for Art and Author Night
event on Dec. 5. Jaquith Public Library, 122
School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

Dec. 6, 7: Holiday Paint-In. Artists are encouraged to paint in one of over a dozen stores
participating in Country Christmas Weekend in
the Mad River Valley. Benefits the Valley Arts
Foundation. Artists paint at designated locations
along Rte. 100 in the Mad River Valley: Dec,
6, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Artist reception and show:
Dec. 6, 3 p.m. Work will be exhibited at the
pop-up gallery after 3 p.m on Saturday and
all day Sunday. Artist registration and more
info.:vermontartfest.com
Dec. 10: Toast to Creativity with Kristin
Richland. Local artist Kristin Richland makes
artwork featuring fantasy creatures and clothing.
She will be exhibiting her Sweet Enemy Art in
the tasting room. 6–8 p.m. Fresh Tracks Farm
Vineyard & Winery, 4373 VT Rte. 12, Berlin.
223-1151. freshtracksfarm.com.

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T H E B R I D G E

Medicare Presentation by UnitedHealthCare. A
representative from UnitedHealthCare will present
information to help you become educated about
your Medicare coverage options. Learn about the
basics of Medicare, how to make sense of available
plan options, how delaying retirement affects
Medicare, and local and online resources where
more information is available. 1–2 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518. [email protected].
Library Book Delivery Service. First and third
Tues., 1 p.m. See sign-up sheet near office for more
info. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre
St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
Home Share Now Info Session. Find out what
home sharing is all about and have your questions
answered. Third Tues., 5:30–6 p.m. Home Share
Now. 105 N. Main St., Ste. 103, Barre. 479-8544.
Natural Marshfield. A series about the local environment. Learn about wetlands, wildlife corridors,
the return of the “big cats,” bees, bats, pollinators
and more with Vermont naturalists. 7 p.m. Jaquith
Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free.
426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17

Code for Girls. Girls can get a leg-up on STEM
learning, by making their own interactive stories
and animation using code through programs such
as Scratch, Hopscotch and Arduino. For girls in
grades 4–6. 3–4 p.m. Waterbury Public Library,
28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Free. Register: 2447036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.
U-32 School Board Meeting. Open to the public
and community members are always welcome to
attend. 6 p.m. U-32, Rm. 131, 930 Gallison Hill
Rd., Montpelier. 229-0321.
Montpelier School Board Meeting. 7 p.m. Montpelier High School library, 5 High School Dr.,
Montpelier. 225-8000.
All in the Family Film Series. A wide variety
of films about a wide variety of families. 7 p.m.

Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free. For the titles of the movies contact the
library: 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.
com. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

FRIDAY, DEC. 19

United Healthcare Presentation on Medicare
Options. 1–2:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
[email protected].

THURSDAY, DEC. 18

The Good Beginnings' Nest Winter Warming
Party. Help warm up our parent resource center
for the winter season and check out our new
interior. Free chili lunch and gingerbread people
decorating. Noon–2 p.m. Good Beginnings, 174
River St., Montpelier. Free. 595-7953. programs@
goodbeginningscentralvt.org. https://www.facebook.com/events/361713274006435/

SATURDAY, DEC. 20

Green Mountain Care Board Public Meeting.
Agency of Administration update. 1–4 p.m.
GMCB Board Room, City Center Building, 89
Main St., 2F, Montpelier. gmcboard.vermont.gov.

Magic: The Gathering Tournament. An informal
tournament every first and third Sat., 10 a.m.–1
p.m. Aldrich Library, Teen Room, 6 Washington
St., Barre. Free. 476-7550. aldrichlibrary@gmail.
com. aldrichpubliclibrary.org.

Brain Injury Support Group. Open to all survivors, caregivers and adult family members. Third
Thurs., 1:30–2:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130
Main St., Montpelier. 244-6850.
Diabetes Discussion Group. Focus on selfmanagement. Open to anyone with diabetes
and their families. Third Thurs., 1:30 p.m. The
Health Center, Plainfield. Free. Don 322-6600 or
[email protected].
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support. Monthly
group for people affected by a suicide death. Third
Thurs., 6–7:30 p.m. Central Vermont Medical
Center, conference rm. 1, Fisher Rd., Berlin. 2230924. [email protected].
Grandparents Raising Their Children’s Children. Third Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Child care provided.
Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main St.,
Montpelier. 476-1480.
Songwriters’ Meeting. Meeting of the Northern
VT/NH chapter of the Nashville Songwriters
Association International. Bring copies of your
work. Third Thurs., 6:45 p.m. Catamount Arts, St.
Johnsbury. John, 633-2204.

Additional Recyclables Collection Center. Accepting scores of hard-to-recycle items. Third Sat.,
9 a.m.–1 p.m. 540 N. Main St. (old Times-Argus
building), Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106.
For list of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org/arccadditional-recyclables-collection-center.html.

Capital City Indoor Farmers Market. Featuring
over 30 farmers, food producers and craftspeople.
Music by Jairo Sequeira. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Montpelier City Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier.manager@
montpelierfarmersmarket.com. capitalcityfarmersmarket.com.
Holiday with the Animals. Fun, family-friendly
holiday party with food and festivities. Activities
and animal-related crafts for all ages. With special
guests Santa and Mrs. Claus. Please bring donations to help spread good cheer to shelter animals
and be entered to win door prizes. See website
for wish list. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Central Vermont
Humane Society, 1589 VT Rte. 14 S., E. Montpelier. For full wish list: cvhumane.com. 476-3811.
[email protected].

Local crafts, gifts and food can be
found at the Barre Holiday Farmers
Market. Dec. 12 at the Old Labor
Hall.

PAG E 2 2 • D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014

THE BRIDGE

Music

Dec. 12: Monteverdi Music School Fall Semester Student Recital. 6 p.m. Unitarian Church,
130 Main St., Montpelier. Free; open to the
public.
Dec. 12: Vermont Symphony Orchestra Holiday
Pops. 7:30 p.m. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main
St., Barre. Adults $30; seniors $24; students $9.
864-5741 ext. 16. vso.org. barreoperahouse.org.

VENUES
Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 2299212. bagitos.com.
Dec. 4: Colin McCaffrey and Friends, 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 5: Ron Sweet (60s and 70s folk songs) 6–8
p. 6-8pm
Dec. 6: Irish Session with Sarah Blair, Hilari
Farrington, Benedict Koehler, Katrina VanTyne
and others, 2–5 p.m.
Dec. 7: Eric Friedman & Gretchen Doilon (folk
ballads) 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Dec. 10: Cooie DeFrancesco (blues and folk)
6–8 p.m.
Dec. 11: Andy Pitt (blues) 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 12: Holiday Sing-Along with Lindsay
Wade and her band, 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 13: Irish Session with Sarah Blair, Hilari
Farrington, Benedict Koehler, Katrina VanTyne
and others, 2–5 p.m.; Buzzkill Abby (downhome folk/rock) 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 16: Old Time Music Session, 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 17: Papa Greybeard Blues, 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 18: Piano recital for students of Nancy
Reid Taube, 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 20: Irish Session with Sarah Blair, Hilari
Farrington, Benedict Koehler, Katrina VanTyne
and others, 2–5 p.m.; The Verbing Nouns and
Small Axe (acoustic) 6–8 p.m.
Dec. 21: Eric Friedman & Gretchen Doilon
(folk ballads) 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Capitol Grounds. 27 State St., Montpelier. 6–8
p.m. Free. 223-7800. capitolgroundsmusic@
gmail.com
Dec. 4: John LaRouche, Levent Unal & Sam
Davis (jazz)
Dec. 5: Miranda Moody Miller (singer/songwriter)
Dec. 11: D. Davis (instrumental)
Dec. 12: Cooie DeFrancesco & Keith Williams
(blues)
Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St.,
Montpelier. Free. Call for show times if not listed:
223-6820.
Dec. 5: Starline Rhythm Boys (rockabilly)
Dec. 6: Pariah Beat (Americana)
Dec. 12: Phil Yates & the Affiliates (indie)
Dec. 13: Hellkat Hop with The Red Pennys &
DJ Jeffe (rockabilly)
Dec. 17: Green Mountain Playboys (Cajun)
Dec. 18: Metal Thursday with Fall from the
Gallows & DJ Crucible (metal)
Dec. 20: Anachronist, Pistol Fist (rock)
Dec. 26: Made In Iron (metal)
Dec. 27: Mad Mountain Scramblers (bluegrass)
North Branch Café. 41 State St., Montpelier.
7:30–9:30 p.m. Free. 552-8105. [email protected]. thenorth-branch.com.
Dec. 13: Borealis Duo (Celtic)
Dec. 18: James Secor (traditional and original
songs on the kora or guitar)
Dec. 20: Michelle Rodriguez (original jazz/indie
folk)
Sweet Melissa’s. 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. Free
unless otherwise noted. 225-6012. facebook.com/
sweetmelissasvt.
Dec. 5: New Nile Orchestra (Afro-beat dance)
9:30 p.m. $5

Dec. 12: Session Americana. Folk rock band. "If
they're playing anywhere within 100 miles of your
home, you drive there and are grandly rewarded,"
says NPR. 8 p.m. Haybarn Theatre at Goddard
College, 123 Pitkin Rd., Plainfield. $15 advance;
$20 at door. 322-1685. meg.hammond@goddard.
edu. goddard.edu.
Dec. 13: Anything Goes: Mark Greenberg and
Ben Koenig in Concert. 7 p.m.; optional potluck
at 5:30 p.m. Adamant Methodist Church, 1180
Haggett Rd., Adamant. $10 advance at the Adamant Co-op; $15 at door. 223-5760.

Dec. 14: The vocal ensemble Counterpoint performs Christmas songs at Bethany
Church in Montpelier.
The Whammy Bar. 31 County Rd., Calais. 7
p.m. Free. 229-4329. whammybar1.com. Call for
performance times if not listed.
Dec. 5: Paul Cataldo (singer/songwriter)
Dec. 6: Michelle Rodriguez (bluesy solo ukulele)
Dec. 10: Open mic, 6 p.m.
Dec. 11: Dave Keller (blues/soul)
Dec. 12: Marc Delgado
Dec. 13: Abby Jenne and Hot Diggity (blues/
rock)
Dec. 17: Open mic, 6 p.m.

ARTISTS & SPECIAL
EVENTS

Dec. 5: DuPont Brothers Album Release Party.
Official album release party for their brand new
EP Heavy as Lead. Good music, good friends,
good wine. 7–9 p.m. Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard
& Winery, 4373 VT Rte. 12, Berlin. Free. 2231151. freshtracksfarm.com.
Dec. 5: The Party Crashers. Funk, soul, R&B.
Vocals, sax, flute and guitar are grounded by a
solid bass line and strong, rhythmic percussion,
creating an irresistible groove. 7:30 p.m. Chandler’s Upper Gallery, 71-73 Main St., Randolph.
$19 or two for $35. Ticket price includes free
snacks and one free drink. 728-6464.
Dec. 5: Seraphic Fire Christmas. Kingdom
County Productions presents the two-time
Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble, Seraphic
Fire. The holiday concert will feature a range of
seasonal compositions and arrangements, from
“Pater Noster,” “Ave Maria,” and “Adeste Fideles”
plainchants and Charles Wood carols to 16th
century compositions by Michael Praetorious
and Melchoir Vulpius and dazzling and original
renditions of familiar holiday songs, “O Little
Town of Bethlehem,” Carol of the Bells,” “The
First Noel,” “Silent Night,” and others. 7 p.m.
North Congregational Church, 1325 Main St., St.
Johnsbury. Adults $18–39; students $15. 888-7575559. kingdomcounty.org.
Dec. 5, 7: Vermont Philharmonic presents
Messiah by George Frederic Handel. With
Lisa Jablow, conductor. Adults $15; seniors $12;
students $5. Tickets: 476-8188 or vermontphilharmonic.org.
Dec. 5: 7:30 p.m. St. Augustine Church, 16
Barre St., Montpelier
Dec. 7: 2 p.m. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main
St., Barre.

Dec. 6: Vermont Fiddle Orchestra Winter Concert. The VFO, under the directorship of David
Kaynor, will perform a variety of tunes, including
Welsh, Swedish, Irish and American tunes. The
Woodbury Strings Fiddle Club, a youth group,
will also perform. Silent auction and refreshments.
7 p.m. Vermont College of Fine Arts, College
Hall Chapel, 36 College St., Montpelier. Adults
$15; seniors and students $12; children 12 and
under free. 229-4191. [email protected].
vtfiddleorchestra.org.
Dec. 6: Norwich University Concert Band
Performs Homefront. A concert to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I. 2–4
p.m. Norwich University, Plumley Armory, 158
Harmon Dr., Northfield. Free; open to the public.
Dec. 6, 7: Dig a Little Deeper! Montpelier Community Gospel Choir. 778-0881. vtgospel.com.
facebook.com/vtgospel
Dec. 6: 7 p.m. Universalist Church, 19 Church
St., Barre. $10–25 suggested donation.
Dec 7: 4 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St.,
Montpelier. By donation. Reception and silent
auction follow.
Dec. 6, 7: North Country Chorus presents
Handel's Messiah. Orchestra, chorus and soloists
under the direction of Alan Rowe. Tickets: adults
advance $10; adults at door $12; students $5.
603-989-5523. [email protected].
northcountrychorus.org.
Dec. 6: 7:30–9:30 p.m., Wells Congregational
Church, 76 Main St., Wells River.
Dec. 7: 2:30 p.m., North Congregational
Church, 1325 Main St., St. Johnsbury.
Dec. 7: 40th Army Band Concert Band:
Vermont Holiday Treasures. Presented by The
Vermont National Guard and the Office of the
Adjutant General. Featuring holiday favorites:
Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” “Chanukah is
Here,” “Christmastime Again In Woodchuckberry,” and a special telling of the poem “’Twas the
Night Before Christmas.” With guest musician
and narrator Rusty DeWees. 2 p.m. The Spruce
Camp Base Lodge at Stowe Mountain Resort,
7416 Mountain Rd., Stowe. Free. 338-3480. 40th
Army Band on Facebook and Twitter.
Dec. 7: Norwich University Campus Choraleers
and Northfield Community Chorus. In a firstever partnership, the two groups will perform first
separately and then a couple of numbers together
in a program called, “Celebrate Community.”
The choral concert will be accompanied by Alison
Cerutti on piano and Carl Hackert on organ. 4:30
p.m. Norwich University, White Chapel, 158
Harmon Dr., Northfield. Free; open to the public.

Dec. 13: David Mallett in Concert. Mallett's
songs have been recorded by more than 150 artists
including John Denver, Emmylou Harris, Alison
Krauss, Marty Stuart, Tommy Makem and Liam
Clancy. His “Garden Song” has become a folk
classic. All proceeds to benefit the Greensboro
Arts Alliance. 7:30 p.m. Greensboro United
Church, 165 E. Craftsbury Rd., Greensboro. $15.
249-8262. [email protected]. greensboroartsalliance.com.
Dec. 14: Holiday Concert with the Barre-Tones.
Central Vermont women's a cappella chorus
presents holiday music sung in the barbershop
style. Sing-along and door prizes. 2–3:15 p.m.
Montpelier High School. 5 High School Dr.,
Montpelier. $10. Tickets available in advance or at
door. 498-8545. barretonesvt.com.
Dec. 14: Counterpoint Christmas Concert.
Counterpoint vocal ensemble. Concert features
traditional European and British carols and classic Christmas works by William Levi Dawson,
Alice Parker and others. Special guests include
the Bethany Church Choir and Ensemble. 3
p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier.
Adults $20; students $15; limited means $5. 5401784. [email protected]. counterpointchorus.org.
Dec. 14: Rudolph Singers Holiday Concert. Annual holiday concert directed by Lindsey Warren.
A collection of American holiday music, both
sacred and secular. 4 p.m. Chandler Music Hall,
71-73 Main St., Randolph. randolphsingers@
gmail.com.
Dec. 17, 18: Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Brass Quintet with Counterpoint. 7:30 p.m.
Adults $24; students/seniors $20; ages 18 and
under free. 864-5741 ext.16. vso.org.
Dec. 17: Warren United Church, Warren
Dec. 18: The North Church, 1325 Main St., St.
Johnsbury. Tickets also available at catamountarts.org.
Dec. 20, 21: The Onion River Chorus and
Friends. With guest director, Richard Riley.
Featuring Christmas music from France by Charpentier and Saint Saens as well as some French
folk songs. Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 21, 4 p.m.
Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier.
Adults $12; students $10; family $25.

Submit your calendar
listing by using our
online submission form at
montpelierbridge.com/
calendar-submissions

The Center for Leadership Skills
BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Lindel James coaching & consulting
Taking You from Frustration to Enthusiasm
802 778 0626
[email protected]
lindeljames.com

D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 2 3

T H E B R I D G E

Weekly Events

Montpelier. $4 suggested donation. 223-3322.
twinvalleyseniors.org.

FEAST Together & To-Go. All proceeds benefit
the FEAST Senior Meal Program. Tues. and Fri.
Dance/play with the band, 10:30 a.m.; communal/take-out meals, noon–1 p.m. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
Seniors 60+ free with $7 suggested donation;
under 60 $9; to-go meals $9 for all. Please make
Beaders’ Group. All levels of beading experience reservations at least one day in advance: 2626288.
welcome. Free instruction available. Come with
a project for creativity and community. Sat., 11
a.m.–2 p.m. The Bead Hive, Plainfield. 454-1615.

ART & CRAFT

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Noontime Knitters. All abilities welcome. Basics
taught. Crocheting, needlepoint and tatting also Turning Point Center. Safe, supportive place
welcome. Tues., noon–1 p.m. Waterbury Public
for individuals and their families in or seeking
Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. 244-7036.
recovery. Daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 489 North Main
St., Barre. 479-7373.
Women Knitting for Peace Group. Knit/crochet
Sun.: Alchoholics Anonymous, 8:30 a.m.
items to be donated to those in need world-wide.
Tues.: Making Recovery Easier workshops,
Bring yarn and needles. Thurs., 10–11 a.m. and
6–7:30 p.m.
6–7:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center,
58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518. For basic info. Wed.: Wit’s End Parent Support Group, 6 p.m.
and patterns: knitting4peace.org.
Thurs.: Narcotics Anonymous, 6:30 p.m.

dent licensed reading therapy dog, who loves to
hear kids practice reading aloud. Wed., 3:30–4:30
p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Christian Science Reading Room. Have you
Montpelier. Sign up ahead: 223-4665 or at the
ever asked yourself, “How can I grow spiritually?”
children’s desk. kellogghubbard.org.
You're invited to visit the Reading Room and see
what we have for your spiritual growth. You can
Read with Arlo. Meet reading therapy dog Arlo
borrow, purchase or simply enjoy material in a
and his owner Brenda. Sign up for a 20-minute
block. Thurs., 4–5 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, quiet study room. When we are closed, we have
135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-4665. kellogghub- free literature out on the Portico, over the bench,
for you to read or take with you. Tues., 11 a.m.–5
bard.org.
p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.–7:15 p.m.; Thurs.–Sat., 11
Robins Nest Nature Playgroup. Offers parents,
a.m.–1 p.m. 145 State St., Montpelier. 223-2477.
caregivers and children ages birth–5 an opportunity to play outside and discover the sights, sounds Christian Counseling. Tues. and Thurs. Daniel
Dr., Barre. Reasonable cost. By appt. only: 479and sensations of the forests and fields at the
NBNC. Every Fri. through Dec. 12. 9:30–11:30 0302.
a.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. For those
Montpelier. Free; donations welcome. 229-6206. interested in learning about the Catholic faith, or
northbranchnaturecenter.org.
current Catholics who want to learn more. Wed.,

SPIRITUALITY

Preschool Story Time. Every Fri., 10 a.m. Water- 7 p.m. St. Monica Church, 79 Summer St., Barre.
bury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Register: 479-3253.
Free. 244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.
Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engaging text
study and discussion on Jewish spirituality. Sun.,
Drop-in Kinder Arts Program. Innovative exploratory arts program with artist/instructor Kelly 4:45–6:15 p.m. Yearning for Learning Center,
Holt. Age 3–5. Fri., 10:30 a.m.–noon. River Arts Montpelier. 223-0583. info@yearning4learning.
Early Bird Bone Builders Class. With Cort
org.
Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. 888-1261.
Richardson, Osteoporosis exercise and prevention RiverArtsVT.org.
program. Wear comfortable clothing and sturdy
shoes. Light weights provided or bring your own. Teen Fridays. Find out about the latest teen
Open Shop Nights. Volunteer-run community
books, use the gym, make art, play games and if
bike shop: bike donations and repairs. Tues., 6–8 All ages. Every Mon. and Wed., 6:30–7:30 a.m.
you need to, do your homework. Fri., 3–5 p.m.
Twin
Valley
Senior
Center,
Rte.
2,
Blueberry
p.m.; other nights. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre
Roller Derby Open Recruitment and RecreSt., Montpelier. 552-3521. freeridemontpelier.org. Commons, E. Montpelier. Free. Cort: 223-3174 Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshational Practice. Central Vermont’s Wrecking
field. 426-3581.
or 238-0789.
Doll Society invites quad skaters age 18 and up.
Mad River Valley Youth Group. Sun., 7–9 p.m. No experience necessary. Equipment provided:
Bone Building Exercises. All seniors welcome.
Meets at various area churches. Call 497-4516 for first come, first served. Sat., 5–6:30 p.m. MontEvery Mon., Wed. and Fri. 10:45–11:45 a.m.
pelier Recreation Center, Barre St. First skate free.
location and information.
Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E.
Lunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and
centralvermontrollerderby.com.
Montpelier. Free. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.
practice your language skills with neighbors.
org.
Noon–1 p.m. Mon., Hebrew; Tues., Italian;
Wed., Spanish; Thurs., French. Kellogg-Hubbard Tai Chi for Seniors. Led by trained volunteers.
Every Mon. and Fri., 1–2 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Barre-Tones Women’s Chorus. Open rehearsal.
Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E. Montpelier. Free.
Yoga and Meditation. With Katy Leadbetter.
Find your voice with 50 other women. Mon., 7
English Conversation Practice Group. For
223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org.
Meditation: Mon., 1 p.m. (unlimited). Introducp.m.
Alumni
Hall,
Barre.
223-2039.
Barretonesstudents learning English for the first time. Tues.,
tion to yoga: Tues., 4 p.m. (four-class limit).
VT.com.
Living Strong Group. Volunteer-led group.
4–5 p.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic EducaConsultation: Fri., 11 a.m. (one per person). 56
Sing
while
exercising.
Open
to
all
seniors.
Every
tion, Montpelier Learning Center, 100 State St.
Dance or Play with the Swinging over 60 Band. East State St., Montpelier. Free. 272-8923.
Mon., 2:30–3:30 p.m. and every Fri., 2–3 p.m.
223-3403.
Danceable tunes from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Recruiting musicians. Tues., 10:30 a.m.–noon.
Christian Meditation Group. People of all faiths
Ongoing Reading Group. Improve your reading
Montpelier. Free. Register: 223-2518. msac@
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., welcome. Mon., noon–1 p.m. Christ Church,
and share some good books. Books chosen by
montpelier-vt.org.
Montpelier. 223-6043.
Montpelier. 223-2518.
group. Thurs., 9–10 a.m. Central Vermont Adult
Sex Addicts Anonymous. Mon., 6:30 p.m. Betha- Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus Rehearsal. Sutra of Golden Light Reading. The benefits
Basic Education, Montpelier Learning Center,
ny Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 552-3483. New chorus members welcome. Wed., 4–5 p.m.
100 State St. 223-3403.
from reciting, listening to or even hearing the
Montpelier. Call 229-9000 for location and more name of the sutra are immeasurable, from elimiOvereaters Anonymous. Twelve-step program
nating conflict, terrorism, torture and famine to
information.
for physically, emotionally and spiritually overachieving full enlightenment. Every Tues. through
coming overeating. Two meeting days and locaPiano Workshop. Informal time to play, refresh Dec. 9, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Milarepa Center, 1344 US
tions. Tues., 5:30–6:30 p.m. at Episcopal Church your skills and get feedback if desired with other
Rte. 5 S., Barnet. Free. Vegan/vegetarian dinner
of the Good Shepherd, 39 Washington St., Barre. supportive musicians. Singers and listeners wel249-0414. Fri., noon–1 p.m. at Bethany Church, come. Thurs., 4–6 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activ- 5:30 p.m. for $8. RSVP at least one day in advance: 633-4136 or [email protected].
Computer and Online Help. One-on-one com115 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3079.
ity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Free; open to
puter help. Tues. and Fri., 10 a.m.–1 p.m. WaterZen Meditation. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont.
the public. 223-2518. [email protected].
bury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. HIV Testing. Vermont CARES offers fast oral
Wed., 6:30–7:30 p.m. 174 River St., Montpelier.
testing. Thurs., 2–5 p.m. 58 East State St., Ste. 3 Ukelele Group. All levels welcome. Thurs., 6–8
Free. Registration required: 244-7036.
Free. Call for orientation: 229-0164.
(entrance at back), Montpelier. Free. 371-6222.
p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre
Personal Financial Management Workshops.
vtcares.org.
Meditation Sitting Group. Facilitated by Sherry
St. 223-2518.
Learn about credit/debit cards, credit building and
Rhynard. A weekly meditation group offers ways
Growing
Older
Group.
Informal
drop-in
group
Gamelan Rehearsals. Sun., 7–9 p.m. Pratt
repair, budgeting and identity theft, insurance,
to find out more about meditation and gives supto share experiences, thoughts and fears about
Center, Goddard College. Free. 426-3498. steven. port to an existing or a new practice. Every Thurs.,
investing, retirement. Tues., 6–8 p.m. Central
aging.
Every
Fri.,
10:30–11:30
a.m.
Montpelier
[email protected]. [email protected].
Vermont Medical Center, Conference Room 3.
5:30–6:30 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center,
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
Registration: 371-4191.
130 Fisher Rd., Berlin. Free. 272-2736. sherry@
223-2518.
easeofflow.com.

BICYCLING

SPORTS & GAMES

BOOKS & WORDS

MUSIC & DANCE

YOGA & MEDITATION

BUSINESS & FINANCE,
COMPUTERS

EDUCATION

KIDS & TEENS

RECYCLING

Additional Recycling. The Additional Recyclables
Collection Center accepts scores of hard-toLunch & Learn. Topics are Painting the Mind
with Monica DiGiovanni (Dec. 9) and How to be Baby & Toddler Story Time. Every Mon., 10a.m. recycle items. Tues. and Thurs., 12:30 p.m.–5:30
p.m. ARCC, 540 North Main St., Barre. $1 per
Happy: practice, practice…with Jill Davies (Dec. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Free. 244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary. carload. 229-9383 x106. For list of accepted items,
16). Every Tues., noon–1 p.m. North Branch
com.
go to cvswmd.org/arcc-additional-recyclablesCafé, 41 State St., Montpelier. Free. Limited
seating. Reservations: 552-8105. Detailed info.
Orchard Valley Playgroup. An early childhood collection-center.html.
on each topic: thenorth-branch.com/upcomingeducator will lead the group, featuring seasonal
events/
songs, lap games, a puppet story, free play and
conversation. For ages 4 and under and their parent/caregiver. Every Mon. through May, 1–2:30
Women’s Group. Women age 40 and older exp.m. Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 VT
plore important issues and challenges in their lives
Rt. 14 N, E. Montpelier. Space limited to 10
in a warm and supportive environment. FaciliCommunity Meals in Montpelier. All welcome. families; pre-registration required. morgan.i@
tated by Amy Emler-Shaffer and Julia W. Gresser.
Free.
ovws.org.
Wed. evenings. 41 Elm St., Montpelier. 262-6110.
Mon.: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., 11
The Basement Teen Center. Cable TV, PlayStaa.m.–1 p.m.
tion 3, pool table, free eats and fun events for
Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St., 11:30
teenagers. Mon.–Thurs., 3–6 p.m.; Fri., 3–11 p.m.
a.m.–1 p.m.
Basement Teen Center, 39 Main St., Montpelier.
Wed.: Christ Church, 64 State St., 11 a.m.–
229-9151.
12:30 p.m.
Story Time and Playgroup. Story time with SylThurs.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St., 11:30
via Smith and playgroup with Melissa Seifert. For
a.m.–1 p.m.
ages birth–6 and their grown-ups. We follow the
Fri.: St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre St., 11
Twinfield Union School calendar and do not hold
a.m.–12:30 p.m.
programs when Twinfield is closed. Every Wed.
Sun.: Last Sunday only, Bethany Church, 115
through June 3. 10–11:30 a.m. Jaquith Public LiMain St. (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue),
brary, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581.
4:30–5:30 p.m.
jaquithpubliclibrary.org.
Lunches for Seniors. Mon., Wed., Fri., Noon.
Read to Coco. Share a story with Coco, the resiTwin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E.

SOLIDARITY/IDENTITY

FOOD & DRINK

Shambhala Buddhist Meditation. Group
meditation practice. Sun., 10 a.m.–noon; Tues.,
7–8 p.m.; Wed., 6–7 p.m. Shambhala Meditation
Center, 64 Main St., 3F, Montpelier. Free. 2235137. montpeliershambala.org.
Sunday Sangha: Community Ashtanga Yoga.
Every Sun., 5:40–7 p.m. Grateful Yoga, 15 State
St., 3F, Montpelier. By donation.

Submit Your Event!
Send listings to
[email protected]

PAG E 24 • D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014

THE BRIDGE

Class listings and classifieds are 50 words for
$25; discounts available.
To place an ad,
call Michael, 223-5112, ext. 11.

SERVICES:

HOUSING WANTED:

COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

THE CENTRAL VERMONT COMMUNITY
LAND TRUST is seeking to rent one-bedroom
apartments now through September 2015 to
house our established long-term tenants during
a renovation project. If you have apartments
in Montpelier and are interested in guaranteed
rent and lease enforcement, please contact Liz
Genge, Director of Property Management at
477-1333 or LGenge @cvclt.org.

Glenn Beatty L.I.C.S.W.
Couples, individuals, adolescents and children.
30 years' experience. Most insurances accepted.
Available for Saturday appointments in Montpelier office. 802-488-0235.
Offices in Montpelier and Burlington.

SERVICES:
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BUSINESS WITH YOUR OWN BUSINESS
COACH.
Learn proven sales and marketing systems
ideal for consultants, educators, healers and life
coaches. FREE report reveals how to get your
FREE grant. To get your FREE report, call
or text your name and email address to (510)
246-3731.

HELP WANTED:
LIBRARY DIRECTOR: The Brown Public
Library, located in Northfield, Vermont, seeks
an energetic and collaborative Library Director
for a salaried position (30 hours/week) with
benefits. The director manages the day-to-day
operations of the library and works with the
library Trustees to develop goals, policies and
budgets. A Master's degree in Library Science
from an ALA-accredited program and at least
four years of public library experience is preferred. Salary range is $30,000-$42,000, plus
benefits. See http://www.brownpubliclibrary.org
for information about the library and to apply.

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PAINTING

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for you!
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D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 2 5

T H E B R I D G E

At U-32
Student Numbers Falling,
Costs Rising
by Carla Occaso

EAST MONTPELIER — The budget is expanding at U-32 High School next year
while the student body continues shrinking. School officials held the first 2015-16 school
budget session Nov. 19. The first draft budget shows a 1.99 percent increase over the
current year. “Unfortunately we are facing a reduction of an estimated 19 tuition-paying
students (coming from beyond our five towns) and associated revenue, forcing us to have
to consider additional cost reductions,” states a notice issued by Kari Bradley, school
board clerk, on Front Porch Forum.
Cost reductions will come primarily from “position reductions” in non-instructional personnel, said Bill Kimball, superintendent of the Washington Central Supervisory Union
to The Bridge on Dec. 2. The dollar amount to be reduced would be $147,000, which
should amount to three to four positions, depending on salaries, Kimball said, adding,
“we are looking to do it using attrition and retirement.” Kimball had also reported that
the “equalized student count continues in a downward trend,” Nov. 19 meeting minutes
state. U-32’s student handbook for 2014-2015 lists roughly 160 paid staff members and
748 “equalized” students on the website http://www.u32.org/grades9-12/images/pdf/
Stud_Par_Handbook_14-15.pdf. Actual enrollment for grades 7-12 is 791 students, according to a school staff member. Drafts of all school budgets are posted at wcsuonline.
org.

Joint Fiscal Office Probes
Purpose of Paraeducators
by Carla Occaso

W

hat is a paraeducator? Why are lawmakers studying their function for this year’s
budgeting process?

Paraeducators, also known as teacher’s aides, perform a higher percentage of direct instruction than any other full-time public school employee job category, according to an
Agency of Education document titled Teacher and Staff Survey Report 2014. “Compensated teacher aides (staff category 107) occupied the highest percentage of Function 1000
{direct instruction} positions at 33 percent,” according to the report. Elementary and secondary teachers each provided 23 percent of direct instruction to public school students.
The average statewide teacher’s salary is $58,462.84 annually compared to $18,715.03
per year for teacher’s aides. How public schools use the 4,100 paraeducators distributed
throughout the state has piqued the interest of the Legislative Joint Fiscal office this year.
“We’re doing an examination around the use of paraeducators, which we all know, staffing is a major cost component in education spending, and there’s great variations ...
around the state, and we’re trying to better understand how the use of this particular
position is being utilized from area to area of the state. And so, if you are talking with
anyone, perhaps in your school district, about this, I just want to remind you that this is
part of an examination in an area to help us understand how the staff utilized and how
decisions are made… so we can support the decisions that we are going to have before
us,” said Sen. Jane Kitchel, chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Revenue
and Budget Presentations, during the 2014 Legislative Briefing Session in the House
Chamber of the Vermont State House on Nov. 19.

Support Our Community;
Contribute to The Bridge
John Hollar, Mayor of Montpelier

Nat Frothingham and Jake Brown could scarcely have imagined
the changes that were about to begin in the world of communication when they created The Bridge 21 years ago. Soon after their first
publication came an explosion of media outlets on cable and the Internet, and not long thereafter began the slow decline of many print
newspapers.
Throughout this extraordinary transformation in the way we assimilate news — indeed, in the way we think about news — the Bridge has
remained remarkably consistent. Other newspapers have struggled
with their identities as they have tried to adapt to this extraordinary
new world of information. Meanwhile, The Bridge has remained true
to its mission of providing relevant, interesting and timely stories
about our community.
Few readers of The Bridge have not been touched directly by some
story that it has covered, because The Bridge’s reach in our community
is broad and deep. The arts, education, food, politics — is there any
aspect of our public lives that has not shown up in the pages of The
Bridge?
Some news outlets have become stridently political as a way to remain relevant, in the process exacerbating the cultural and political
gaps that characterize many communities. Not so, The Bridge. It
has respected our community’s diverse values and viewpoints, even
while occasionally giving a gentle nudge in one direction or another.
Always true to its namesake, it has served to bridge our differences
and highlight those aspects of our community that we share and love.
For 21 years The Bridge has provided this service to the community
at no cost to its readers. That is a remarkable achievement. But of
course The Bridge is very costly enterprise that cannot be supported
solely by advertising.
Many of us will give thanks this week for living in a community that
shares the values of respect, kindness, service and vitality, among
many others. As you give thanks for the things in your life you value,
consider how The Bridge binds us together as a community.
Please consider making a generous contribution to The Bridge — an
investment, really, in one of the foundations of our community.

The report on the function of paraeducators is due to the Legislature in January, according to Jill Remick, Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs, Vermont
Agency of Education.

Contributions to The
Bridge can be mailed to
this address:
The Bridge,
P.O. Box 1143
Montpelier, VT 05601.
Please feel free to drop
off a check at our office.
We are located on the
lower level of Schulmaier Hall on the campus
of the Vermont College
of Fine Arts.
Thank you in advance
for considering this
request for needed
financial help.

PAG E 26 • D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014

Letters
Mayor Hollar: Gimme Shelter!
Dear Mayor Hollar:
Today is not too bad a day to be outdoors
waiting for the bus. The past week, though,
with rain, snow, wind ... who would not appreciate having some shelter from all of it?
Please discuss the temporary two-year shelter
for those poor people shivering on the cold
benches or on the cold steps waiting for the
Greyhound bus. Our Capital City of Vermont can do better than that!
To repeat what a middle-aged man who,
with his wife, was waiting for the blessed
arrival of the bus said to me, “I always travel
by bus because I can’t afford other transportation. I have never been in a city or town
where the bus stops and people have to sit
in the weather waiting.” Thank you, Mr.
Mayor!
Emma Ottolenghi

Jonathan Gruber
Dear Editor:
Let’s see if I have it correct: Jonathan Gruber tells us (many times) the elected knew
we are too stupid to understand we were
being shafted by the professional politicians
(Democrats and Republicans) when they
FORCED taxpayers to make the health insurance industry wealthy by shifting (by law
and mandate) our money to the insurance
shareholder’s portfolios.
If voters are too stupid to understand the
convoluted talking points of government,
doesn’t this say our congressmen really
thought it great for the campaign contributions to support the double speak or they
too were they too stupid to understand their
own garbage? Since Vermonters are “represented” by only Democrats either they are
stupid or laughing all the way to the bank
with campaign contributions thinking the
creator of their debacle scheme was smart
enough to keep secret the elected’s contempt

for us — that pay their HUGE salaries,
benefits and million-dollar retirement funds.
This is probably why Peter Welch has been
on TV bragging about his passed bill that
will pay my (and your) doctors to NOT treat
us! So out of touch and Washingtonized he
actually thinks we also will believe this great
idea! The Vermont press sure bought it.
Laura Brueckner

Turkey, No! Tofurky? Yes!

THE BRIDGE

A Brief Campaign Update
from Nat Frothingham
Since October 1, 2014 — The Bridge has received many financial contributions. Our campaign total is now $8,020.00 and money received for subscriptions to The Bridge now totals $4,350.00.
Let me also thank those of you who supported The Bridge as "First Friends"
with early contributions in advance of the formal announcement of this year's
annual campaign. In our upcoming Dec. 28 issue, I will provide a more thorough report about contributions to our current campaign and money received
for subscriptions to The Bridge.
On behalf of all of at The Bridge, please accept our sincere thanks for your
support to date.
The Campaign money since Oct 1 is $8020.00
The Subscription money since Oct 1 is $4350.00

Dear Editor:
Next week, President Obama will pardon
two turkeys to promote the turkey industry. Every one of us can exercise that same
pardon power by choosing a nonviolent
Thanksgiving observance. It's a most fitting
way to give thanks for our own life, health
and happiness.
The 240 million turkeys killed in the U.S.
this year have nothing to give thanks for.
They are raised in crowded sheds filled
with toxic fumes. Their beaks and toes are
severed. At the slaughterhouse, workers cut
their throats and dump them into boiling
water, sometimes while still alive.
Consumers, too, pay a heavy price. Turkey
flesh is laced with cholesterol and saturated
fats that elevate the risk of chronic killer
diseases. Labels warn of food poisoning potential.
This Thanksgiving, I won't be calling the
government's Poultry Hotline ,wondering
how that turkey lived and died, or dozing
through the football game. Our Thanksgiving dinner may include a "Tofurky"
(soy-based roast), mashed potatoes, stuffed
squash, chestnut soup, candied yams, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and carrot cake.
An Internet search on vegan Thanksgiving
and a visit to my local supermarket will provide me more recipes and delicious turkey
alternatives than I can possibly use.
Moses Belinie

What Do You Think?
Read something that you would like to respond to? We welcome your
letters and opinion pieces. Letters must be fewer than 300 words.
Opinion pieces should not exceed 600 words.
The Bridge reserves the right to edit and cut pieces.
Send your piece to:
[email protected].

Photo by Daniel A. Neary, Jr.
“Four Poplars” was submitted by
Daniel A. Neary, Jr. of East Montpelier for our cover contest. Neary
regularly shows his black and white
photographs at galleries and public
spaces in Vermont and New Hampshire. He can be reached at 223-2207.

ADVERTISE
IN THE NEXT
ISSUE OF
THE BRIDGE:

Holidays,
Winter Solstice
Dec. 18, 2014–
Jan. 7, 2015
ALL AD MATERIALS
AND AD SPACE
RESERVATIONS DUE
FRIDAY, DEC. 12, 2014
For information about advertising deadlines, rates and the
design of your ad call
223-5112, ext. 11, or email our
ad sales representatives at
[email protected]
or
[email protected]

T H E B R I D G E

D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014 • PAG E 27

PAG E 2 8 • D E C E M B E R 4 - D E C E M B E R 17, 2 014

THE BRIDGE

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ep y Hunter, P gy
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h.
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e

Consultations

Individuals, couples, children

Workshops & Classes

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802-456-1078 heliastar.com

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223-4258

Happy
Holidays
from
The Bridge!

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