The Charlotte News | April 23, 2015

Charlotte News Volume lVII Number 18 The VoIce of The TowN Thursday, aprIl 23, 2015

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CCS Completes Administrative Shift 1 • Prepping for Green Up Day 1 • CSAs and Farmers Markets 10 • Finding Spring in Charlotte 12

The Charlotte NewsVolume lVII Number 18 The VoIce of The TowN Thursday, aprIl 23, 2015

Selectboardcontinued on page 5Sumner continued on page 6

Green Up Day volunteers drop off the ubiquitous green garbage bags at CCS

during last year’s event.

‘Peter Pan’ Soars at CCS

John HammerTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

The Selectboard meeting of April 20 was long on talk and short on completed actions. The bulk of the meeting was taken with working discussions on the draft town purchasing policy. The com-plexity of the content and the number of changes that had been made, com-bined with the fact that Selectmen Matt Krasnow and Jacob Spell were attending by phone, limited work to where only two of the seven pages were finished. The Selectboard will reconvene in a working session at 4 p.m. on April 28.

The key action taken was an amended version of a draft legislative charter gov-erning the way Charlotters would vote on the annual budget and budget-related articles. The draft was drawn up by the town attorney and included the follow-ing wording: Paragraph 3. “Adoption of Annual Budget and Budget-related Articles (referred as Budget) (a) The town shall vote on the budget amount for the town at the floor meeting of the annu-al meeting, which vote shall not become effective until the voters approve such budget by Australian ballot vote con-ducted in the manner set forth below.”

The following sub-paragraphs called for the Selectboard to set a date and warn a special meeting for the budget vote by Australian ballot no sooner than 20 days after posting the warning. There is also wording regarding procedures to be fol-lowed should the budget vote fail.

The amended draft will be returned to the town attorney for final review, after which it will be submitted to the attor-neys at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Elections Office of the Secretary of State for their review. Mike Yantachka, the town’s representa-

CCS Selects Sumner as Instructional LeaderNew hire cements new

administrative model at

school

Brett SigurdsonTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

The CCS School Board completed its transition to a new administrative model last week as it hired Stephanie Sumner as the school’s new instructional leader/principal.

A long-time educator with extensive experience in curriculum design, Sumner is currently a 6th grade math and social studies teacher at CCS, where she was originally hired as a math coordinator in 2013. As the instructional leader, she’ll be charged with ensuring that students at CCS are achieving the highest standards of education.

It’s a job she’s well prepared for. In an interview shortly after her hire, Sumner noted she “felt an immediate pull toward applying for the position.”

“I believed that it would be a good fit for me and knew immediately that it was the type of entrance into administration that I would want to engage in, as the primary focus is on working with teach-ers, students, families, curriculum and assessment,” she said in an email.

Sumner describes curriculum design as a “passion” throughout her roughly 16 years in education. In that time, she’s been at the ground level of curricu-lum expectations and standards changes, moving from the Vermont Framework of Standards to the current Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in her classrooms.

“The changing nature of education, in direct response to the changing needs of our students (particularly to prepare

them with 21st century skills), requires that we continue to evaluate our curricu-lum and assessments,” she said. “I really enjoy this work—not just the design, but the implementation and reflection involved in delivering the curriculum with students.”

Prior to teaching in Charlotte, Sumner taught 5th and 6th grade courses at schools throughout southern Vermont. These positions often saw her leading curriculum changes. At Flood Brook Union School in Londonderry, for example, she helped develop standards-based curriculum and assessment for the science and language arts courses. Similarly, at the Dorset School, she and her colleagues implemented a two-year- long interdisciplinary program that incorporated a musical production and

Selectboard Moves Forward

on Charter Change

Miles of Roads Before We Sleep198 roads to clean in Charlotte

on Green Up Day, May 2 and

3—will you pitch in?

Joe GallagherCONTRIBUTOR

Last year Charlotte townspeople gath-ered 2.78 tons of trash and 143 tires from our roadsides. Imagine that? It’s likely there is a similar amount out there now, unfortunately. As spring finally arrives, we have an opportunity to do something about this though, and it can be fun and extremely rewarding.

How can you help? Participate in Green Up Day! Convince your family members to join you, grab a friend or neighbor, gather up the kids, pick a road to cover and spend an hour or two help-

ing to keep our beautiful town cleaner and safer.

Bags are available for pickup at the Quonset hut at CCS from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 2, and 9 a.m. to noon on May 3. We’ll also be tracking what roads are covered from CCS. To sign up for a road in advance, jump on charlottevt.org and click on the link at the top right. Bags are also available now at the Town Hall, Charlotte Library, Spear’s Corner Store and the Old Brick Store.

Hosted by Green Up Vermont, Green Up Day is an essential day for our state and the serene nature around us. It is when we get to give back to the earth and thank Vermont for all it gives us—our beautiful lakes, rivers, ponds, mountains, trees and wildlife. Green Up Day is also

Green Up Day continued on page 6

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How good was CCS’s recent performance of Peter Pan? So good the School Board took

time out of its meeting last week to recognize director and CVU student Ben Recchia and

the cast of 28 students—Henry Bijur (above, center) as Peter Pan and Maryn Askew (right)

as Wendy Darling—in what one member called an “amazing” middle school performance.

For more performance pictures, see our Facebook page.

2 • April 23, 2015 • The ChArloTTe News

The Charlotte News

The CharloTTe News is a nonprofit community-based newspaper dedicated to informing townspeople of current events and issues. It serves as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and celebrates the people, places and happenings that make the Town of Charlotte unique.

Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs per-taining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encouraged from all townspeople and interested individuals. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor [email protected].

The CharloTTe News is published in Charlotte by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domestic 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation. Distribution is made every other Thursday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to more than 50 outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh and Vergennes. It relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations.

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On the cover

afTer PuTTiNg TogeTher a series of arTiCles oN arTisTs arouNd CharloTTe, CoNTriBuTiNg ediTor emma slaTer seNds readers off wiTh aN illusTraTioN of her owN TiTled “iNTo The greaT BeyoNd.”

Next issue deadlines

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CirCulAtion: 3,000 CoPies Per issue.Copyright © 2015 thE ChArlottE nEws, inC.

printEd by uppEr vAllEy prEss

Emma SlaterTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

In the past couple of years at The

Charlotte News I’ve probably drafted my “final” article two or three times, but somehow I always seem to find an excuse to stay longer. My original semester-long high school intern-ship turned into two semesters, then volunteer work, and then a generous offer from The News to continue as a contributing editor during these past eight months of my gap year.

My introduction to journalism started with a hesitant phone call to The News when I was a junior in high school. Exploring new opportunities for school credit outside of the class-room, I contacted Brett Sigurdson, although there was no existing internship program yet. Brett, Linda Williamson and Edd Merritt quickly integrated me into their biweekly routine anyway, teaching me about the myriad tasks that are required to produce a high-quality paper.

I started small. Brett walked me through reworking press releases and the process of identifying traditional article structures. Gradually I moved towards topics with a wider scope and learned how to integrate various elements of supporting research.

With The News, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph and talk to incredible Charlotters in some unique situations. I’ve written about blueberry picking, geocaching, the Masonic influence in Charlotte, ultrasound imaging in Uganda and the work of local artists. I inter-viewed TIME photojournalist Robert Nickelsburg who patiently answered my barrage of questions about his

experiences in Afghanistan, as I continually dropped my pen out of nervousness and excitement. For a story on Jim and Barbara Amblo’s farm, I photographed an entire herd of 40 miniature horses as they gal-loped toward me and circled around, curiously sniffing and nibbling my clothes.

Through these experiences, The

News has provided me with a plat-form for academic growth outside of the traditional classroom structure. I’m grateful for the freedom the editors and production team have allowed me to enjoy while pitching my own story ideas and designing projects. This has empowered me to be creative and to own my work. The photo essay of Summer 2014 was a good example of this, when I decided to document last summer in photos and handwritten quotes. The ability to take ownership of projects like this, as well as contribute to the newspaper production team, pro-vided a sense of purpose that helped me to rediscover my own enjoyment of writing.

That’s another defining charac-teristic of the team at The News—we work here because we love it. As a nonprofit organization striving to provide a public service to the town, the staff members are involved because they feel passionate about the work they do. They are generous with their special skill sets, wisdom and humor. They write, edit and dig for stories because of a commitment to the community, both in our Ferry Road office and beyond.

So in a lot of ways, leaving The

News feels even more momentous than graduating from high school. As an upperclassman I faced some personal challenges that made me wonder if I could ever feel success-ful in an academic setting again, let alone attend college. But here I am, two years later, about to move to the West Coast where I’ll hike the John Muir Trail and enroll at Lewis and Clark for the fall semester.

For all these reasons, I very much hope The News will continue to train and inspire young writers to par-

ticipate in local nonprofit news. A recent generous donation by Alice D. Outwater will hopefully set the stage for this to become a more regular possibility. With Alex Bunten at the helm as editor in chief, I couldn’t be more excited for the future students who will be able to start their own adventures with The Charlotte News.

TiPs for fuTure News iNTerNs

1. Be prepared to become emo-tionally invested in issues like capitalization, italization and punctuation.

2. All staff members have a sig-nature food. Blueberry coffee, cheese pizza and chocolate pie are already taken, so pick yours accordingly.

3. The archive of The News is a treasure trove of historical information.

4. Always bring a snack, prefer-ably one to share.

5. On The Road is pretty much required reading.

6. Always back up your interview recordings with good old-fash-ioned notes.

7. Vince Crockenberg has prom-ised the staff a chocolate pie if they produce a completely error-free issue. This may haunt your dreams.

8. Giggle fits are contagious when you’ve been proofreading for over three hours.

9. Author Craig Silverman referred to the New York Times as the “most scrutinized newspaper in the world.” The Charlotte

News should come in at a close second, at least as far as we’re concerned.

10. Don’t be afraid to talk to some-one you don’t know. Charlotte is full of exceptionally kind and fascinating people.

Signing Off

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” If you hope to one day be associated with the first category, keep reading.

The Charlotte News will host its fourth annual writing competition this month, and if you are an unpublished writer we want your submission. Writers who are self-published or who have pub-lished only locally (in the pages of The Charlotte News, for instance) are still eligible.

The rules are easy:

Send us a fictional or narrative nonfiction (personal biography or memoir) story that responds to the following prompt:

I wish someone had told me…

• 1,000 words max. • Double-spaced with your full name and the story

title at the top.

• Email it to [email protected] with “TCN Writing Contest” in the subject heading.

• Submission must be received by Sunday, May 17, at 5 p.m.

• Submissions can be simple, serious, humorous or outrageous. We want it all.

The judges will select a winning story based on its originality, how it develops and reads, and whether the piece engages the reader emotionally. Judges’ decisions are final.

To ensure objectivity in the competi-tion, writers’ names will be removed by the editor before the stories are sent to the judges.

Prizes have been generously donated by Horsfords, Spear’s Corner Store, the Old Brick Store and. The winning sub-

missions will be published in The Charlotte News in June.

Well, what are you waiting for? This story isn’t going to write itself. Good luck!

Enter the 2015 Charlotte News Writing Competition

Voices

The CharloTTe News • April 23, 2015 • 3

TownBitesby Edd Merritt

Legislative Report

by Representative Mike Yantachka

During last year’s elections, candidates across the state heard complaints about property tax increases due to education spending. Decreasing enrollment and the large number of school districts (282) throughout the state present challenges to how our public schools are governed and funded. The House Education Committee was reorganized this year with a new chair who had previously served on the Ways & Means Committee and was the recognized expert on school funding. Rep. Dave Sharpe of Bristol and his committee have made a serious attempt to create policies that would control spending and property tax increases. The resulting Education bill (H.361) reflects a lot of tri-partisan work that will reform education funding, spending and governance. The bill was passed out of committee unanimously and achieved strong support when it was voted on by the full House: 88 to 55.

The bill has as its purpose the improve-ment of education quality for all Vermont students through greater equity in student opportunity by maintaining a community-supported system, asserting Vermont’s commitment to public education and achieving economies of scale. Elements of the bill include:

Creating larger education districts of at least 1,100 students by 2019 unless a waiver is granted for special circum-stances. The larger education districts comprised of existing smaller districts will share responsibility for educating all pre-K to grade 12 students. The State Board of Education may approve alternate

configurations, including existing super-visory unions, as long as the proposal advances specific goals like equitable edu-cational opportunities, stable leadership, the flexible and efficient use of resources, increased student-to-adult ratios, budget-ary stability and less volatility for taxpay-ers, and community engagement.

Financial support for reorganizing dis-tricts, include access to grants up to $150,000 and temporary local property tax reductions ranging from $.08 in the first year to $.02 by the fourth year after consolidation.

A temporary cap on local spending increases ranging from a 1.4 percent increase to 4.1 percent, depending on whether the district chooses to base the increase on its total spending amount or its per equalized pupil spending amount. For example, a district that spends exactly the statewide average (roughly $14,100) would be allowed a two percent increase. A district that spent more would have a lower cap; a district that spent less would have a higher cap.

A moratorium is imposed on the Legislature’s passing any new unfunded mandates on schools until 2017.

For the year 2016 the statewide non-residential education property tax rate will be $1.525 and the residential rate will be $.98, the same as this year.

The bill also reflects the realization that more work needs to be done. It creates a House-Senate Joint Oversight Committee to monitor, evaluate and provide a con-tinuing review of matters concerning edu-

cation policy, education funding, and student outcomes and the intersections of each with corrections, economic devel-opment, health care and human services issues. It charges the Office of Health Care Reform to consider the possibility of transitioning health insurance plans for teachers and administrators to plans offered through Vermont Health Connect by 2018 in order to address the impend-ing excise tax on highly beneficial health insurance plans. It also requires the Secretary of Education to propose alter-native methods of delivery and payment for special education services, including best use of paraprofessionals and ways to reduce administrative burdens and increase flexibility in the provision of services.

While the bill reflects a lot of good work and compromise to get the tri-partisan support it received, it still relies heavily on the property tax. I will continue work-ing with my colleagues to come up with funding alternatives that decrease reliance on the property tax. I continue to welcome your thoughts and questions and can be reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email ([email protected]). You can find this article and past articles at my website, MikeYantachka.com.

Reforming Our Education System

Letters PoLicy: The Charlotte News wel-comes signed letters to the editor on any subject of interest to the community. To allow the publication of a diverse selection of views in each issue, please limit letters to a maximum of 300 words. The editors reserve the right to edit for clarity, English usage and length or to publish submissions in full. Send them to [email protected]

Voices

charLotte Meetings

aPriL 23–May 7Selectboard: Special Meeting—april 24, 11:30 a.M regular Meeting—april 27, 7 p.M. Working-Meeting—april 28, 4 p.M.

planning coMMiSSion: May 7, 7 p.M.

ccS School board: May 19, 7 p.M.

cVu School board: May 19, 7 p.M.

seLectboard MeMbers

Chair Lane Morrison: 425-2495 Matthew Krasnow: 922-2153Carrie Spear: 425-4444Jacob Spell: 425-6548Fritz Tegatz: 425-5564

Selectboard Regular Meetings are usually at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. If you would like to bring an issue to the attention of the Selectboard, contact the board chair or administrator Dean Bloch at 425-3071, ext. 205.

ccs schooL board

Chair Mark McDermott: 425-4860Vice Chair Erik Beal: 425-2140 Kristin Wright: 425-5105Clyde Baldwin: 425-3366Susan Nostrand: 425-4999

PLANNING COMMISSION

Administrator Jeannine McCrumb: 425-3071; [email protected] Jeffrey McDonald: 425-4429 Vice Chair: Peter JoslinMembers: Gerald Bouchard, Paul Landler, Linda Radimer, Donna Stearns, Marty Illick

Check the town website for more info.

Charlotte has major players in

the ivory wars

Charlotters John Fishman, the drum-mer of Phish, and Teaghan Yardley, a 12-year-old in the Endeavor Middle School, have testified in front of the Vermont House committee to help stop the sale of African ivory. The House is considering banning sales of rhinoceros horn and ivory—primarily from elephant tusks—as a way of helping to stop the “slaughter, illegal poaching and immi-nent extinction of African elephants,” according to an article in the April 10 Burlington Free Press.

On the other side of the fence stands another Charlotte resident, Ethan Merrill of Duane Merrill & Co., an auction and appraisal company, who says that by banning the sale of ivory in Vermont the bill would “make private art and antique collections worthless and could discour-age people from preserving priceless cultural artifacts.” “Imagine your retire-ment package that you’ve saved for . . . and come January 1 next year, it’s worth-less,” says Merrill.

Karen Frost helps Burlington

City Arts host a free film series

on architectural design

Charlotte resident Karen Frost, who owns Vermont Eco-Floors with her hus-band, Mike, has taken her interest in architectural design and parlayed it into a free documentary film series offered in conjunction with Burlington City Arts, UVM art professor Lynda McIntyre and TruexCullins architectural designer Andrew Chardain.

Having taken McIntrye’s course as an undergraduate at UVM in the early 1980s, Frost and her “prof” later ran into each other at a bakery. Chardain met with McIntyre following the University’s annual Roland Batten Memorial Lecture. Batten, an architect, had designed the King Street Center and renovated the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and was McIntyre’s husband.

The next film in the “Architecture + Design Film Series” will be October 15. It is titled Maya Lin: A Clear, Strong Vision. Previous series included the film Microtopia that investigated tiny dwellings, off the grid, such as Norwich design-builder Keith Moskow’s “Chicken Chapel”—a chicken coop with an “airy, pitched roof.” He has also designed struc-tures with quaint names like Swamp Hut, Ice Chimes and Rural Interventions.

Final Public Hearing The Town of Charlotte received $295,823 from the State of Vermont for

a grant under the Vermont Community Development Program. A public hear-ing will be held at Municipal Offices, 159 Ferry Road, Charlotte, VT on 5/11/2015 at 7:10 p.m. to obtain the views of citizens on community develop-ment, to furnish information concerning the range of community development activities that have been undertaken under this program, and to give affected citi-zens the opportunity to examine a statement of the use of these funds. The VCDP Funds received have been used to accomplish the following activities:

Information on this project may be obtained from and viewed during the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m at Municipal Offices, 159 Ferry Road, Charlotte

on 4/29/2015.

Should you require any special accommodations please contact Dean Bloch at 802-425-3071 to ensure appropriate accommodations are made. For the hearing impaired please call (TTY) #1‐800‐253‐0191.

Legislative Body for the Town of Charlotte

Letter to the Editor

Thanks from Wildwood West

residents

We would like to publicly thank Will Debuc and another kind Wildwood West woman for rescuing our labs from Route 7. You kindness was appreciated and you are our heroes. Thank you!

The Mahoneys and Hoyts

Charlotte

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We are happy to report that our first workshop at the Mt. Philo Inn was a raging success. With about 20 people in attendance and many others who wished they could have made it, we were very pleased with the turnout. There is room for more at the Inn, but all in due course. Keep your ears out for more events like this.

A mountain of appreciation goes out • to David and Jane Garbose at

the Mt. Philo Inn for hosting us and being just lovely people. The venue was perfect.

• to all the staff and board members

at The Charlotte News for helping to put this on and coming out on a Saturday. You are amazing.

• to all the participants for bringing your energy and feedback. If you have any comments on the new submission guidelines, I’d love to hear them.

• to Barrie Dunsmore for taking the time to enlighten and inform us with broad perspectives on good writing and global affairs. Many people have com-mented on how much they enjoyed hear-ing you speak.

• to Alice Outwater for her unexpected donation to support a new project at The News. This will be an exciting opportu-nity for some local youth. Stay tuned.

You can find the presentations at bit.ly/1DchZnT and bit.ly/1Fc3WUj.

Pens on the Land has Landed

Martha Perkins (left) and Elizabeth Bassett interview each other as part of a workshop exericse.

Barrie Dunsmore gives participants some food for thought on good writing and the latest happenings in world affairs at The Charlotte News Pens on the Land workshop at the Mt. Philo Inn, April 11.

Alex BuntenEDITOR-AT-LARGE

Sailing isn’t for everyone—the heaving rollers, the belting sun, the pissing wind, the small spaces, the long, hot days, the wet, cold nights, living from meal to meal, horizon to horizon—but for some it’s a dream.

On April 3, when Charlotter Bill Fraser-Harris posted a crewing opportunity on Front Porch Forum from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands to Rhode Island, many dreamed, but only 12 plucky locals applied and interviewed.

This local editor was over-the-moon to be among the four chosen for the trip. Jeff Finkelstein of Charlotte and two other adventurous souls, John Ayer and Thor Belle, will also make the journey.

The last story I filed for The News about sailing was back in 2004 after I sailed from England to Portugal for a Habitat for Humanity initiative. This one doesn’t have the same humanitarian overtones, but it does tick some bucket list boxes. Let me explain...

Toward the end of my time in Scotland in 2008, I had two wild plans for the future—go teach in Russia or sail around the world as crew. My dear mother saw my enthusiasm and bought me a book, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Oceans: Crewing Around the World, and I drooled on every page.

I got myself signed up to a few Royal Yachting Association courses. I started receiving yacht crew email blasts with titillating subjects like, “Delivery Crew required, Brussels-Turkey,” “France-Croatia,” “Transatlantic-Caribbean.” Drool. Every time.

Ultimately, I chose a more profes-sional path in Russia, which eventually

led me to this position, but like Pavlov’s dogs, the subconscious feeling couldn’t be subdued.

Having done the journey seven times, Fraser-Harris cites safety as the biggest concern and the unknown as the biggest challenge. We’ll be sailing just to the east of the illustrious Bermuda Triangle, so let’s hope the unknown is just the amount of fish we’ll catch.

I’ll be reporting as editor-at-large, so be sure to stay tuned on social media and our website. Follow our progress:

Instagram: @thecharlottenewsFacebook: facebook.com/thecharlotte-news

Up-to-date map locatIon: share.delo-rme.com/BillFraserHarris

Charlotters Set Sail from Tortola to Rhode Island

A crew of Charlotters, including our fearless editor, will sail from Tortola to Newport, RI, alongside the Bermuda Triangle.

Photo: Brett SigurdSon

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Selectboard continued from page 1

tive, will also be included in the review. Subsequent to these reviews, there will be two public hearings on the charter after which the town will vote on it by Australian ballot in the fall. Should the charter pass, it will go to the Legislature, which has to approve it before it becomes effective.

The Selectboard went on to approve a fee schedule for parties seeking to use the town beach for private events. The structure sets similar rates for residents and non-profit entities while higher fees will be charged for corporate entities. The Selectboard will approve parties with more than 100 participants on a case-by-case basis after review by the Recreation Commission.

A change order was approved for construction on the Town Link Trail, Co-housing section. The construction was completed last fall but there have been drainage problems. These can be cleared by the addition of two culverts and ditching. The contractor agreed to do the corrective action for the cost of materials, which is $1,465.

In another environmental action, May 1, 2015 has been declared Arbor Day. The Selectboard urged all Charlotters to plant and care for trees. The usual annual Arbor Day celebration will be held at the Charlotte Central School.

The Town Attorney was authorized to enter an appearance in a hearing on an appeal by DeStiger and Hotaling regard-ing a conditional use permit granted to Chris Lawn Care.

The next regular Selectboard meeting will be held on April 27.


It was bound to be close. Given that the proposed $7.5 million 2015-16 CCS bud-get failed by 50 votes on Town Meeting Day, one could assume the next go-around would be at least as close. When all the ballots were counted after the polls closed after a second vote on Monday, April 13, the budget passed by a mere 11 votes, 473 to 462.

That was enough to trigger one com-munity member to request a recount. Last Friday, Charlotte’s Board of Civil Authority conducted another tally of the votes, and the results were mostly the same: 472 in favor, 463 opposed.

The vote puts an end to what was at times a heated discussion surrounding the school board’s $7,570,995 2015-16 bud-get proposal, which was $25,000 lower than the budget voters rejected on March 3. The savings are due to the projected dif-ference in salaries from a move to a new administrative model.

That model was the cause for the initial rejection, according to some who railed against the school board’s decision to retain a two-administrator model in the wake of resignations from its current co-principals, Greg Marino and Audrey Boutaugh. Citing declining school enroll-ment and a need to cut school spending, some urged the board to hire one admin-istrator in the lead-up to Monday’s vote.

Referencing the increasing roles and responsibilities of school principals—as well as a student population that, at rough-ly 400, still warrants the oversight of more than one person—the board recently hired a lead principal, Barbara Anne Komons-Montroll.

The board last week hired current 6th-grade teacher Stephanie Sumner as the school’s new instructional leader, a posi-tion that will augment the work of the

lead principal. Sumner will be contracted for 210 days over the course of the school year, while Komons-Montroll will be contracted for 261 days, a full school year.

There was a slight note of tension in the CCS multipurpose room Monday evening as 11 vote counters and a small group of onlookers, including McDermott and board member Kristin Wright, awaited the results, which some counters indi-cated would be close. When the final tally was announced, both expressed measured delight.

“I’m happy with the results,” said McDermott, adding, “But we still have a lot of work to do.”

That work began the following night, when the board addressed a full agenda during its monthly meeting (see story on page 8).

A total of 935 registered voters, or 29 percent of those eligible, cast their ballots. Because Monday’s vote margin was less than five percent of total votes cast, the results became eligible for a recount if requested, noted Town Clerk Mary Mead.

The budget savings from the reduction in administrative salaries will come in close to $28,000. Boutaugh and Marino were paid a combined $228,000 last year, according to the Town Report. Komons-Montroll and Sumner are next year slated to make $110,000 and $90,000, respec-tively. They will both take over as admin-istrators July 1.

In light of a $180,000 fund balance transfer approved by voters on Town Meeting Day, the budget is a three-percent decrease over last year’s budget. At $1.0113 per $100 of assessed property value, this is 3.4 cents lower than the cur-rent tax rate for CCS. The Legislature is still considering a 98-cent base tax rate, which, if approved, would net Charlotters with a home valued at at $250,000 a sav-ings of $86 over last November’s tax bill. Those with a $400,000 home will see a savings of $137.

Twice Voted, Twice Counted, CCS Budget Passes

We at The Charlotte News strive to keep the you informed about what’s happening in the community—both good and bad. Our town has a low crime rate, but bad things still happen. They aren’t all terrible, but we feel it’s important public information. We hope you do, too.

The information present above comes from Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue.

Volunteers count CCS budget ballots shortly after the polls closed at 7 p.m. Monday.

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Sumner from page 1

field trips.

Sumner says she sees opportunities for

delivering creative curriculum approach-

es at CCS, in particular with its sci-

ence, technology, engineer-

ing and math (STEM) and

Next Generation Science

Standards (NGSS).

According to a press

release from CSSU, the

12-member search com-

mittee was impressed with

Sumner’s depth of knowl-

edge, analytical and com-

munication skills, and pas-

sion for student learning.

The school board voted to

approve the recommenda-

tion on a 4-0 vote with one

abstention.

These are the skills that Sumner thinks

will make her successful in the role.

“I think that the primary skills that

I bring to this role are communication,

organization and an ability to keep the

larger initiatives in mind while analyzing

how the smaller pieces and details need

to fit together,” she said. “By nature, I am

a problem solver and solution-oriented,

which I believe is an essential skill for

working with different grade levels and

teaching teams.”

These skills will help her realize her

short-term goals, namely, building rela-

tionships with the incoming lead princi-

pal, Barbara Anne Komons-Montroll, and

continuing to do so with teachers.

“We have many new educational ini-

tiatives, and my first priority is to sup-

port teachers with new programming and

assessments so that student learning is at

the center,” she said. “This will include

working with the entire faculty around

strengthening the climate of the school

through work around individual and

group needs as well as programs we use

to work with student behavior.”

Sumner will join Komons-Montroll,

the school’s district principal, as the

new two-person administrative

team at CCS. Komons-Montroll

will be charged with oversight

of school operations, budget

development, and board and

community relations. Komons-

Montroll and Sumner are next

year expected to make $110,000

and $90,000 in salaries, respec-

tively. They will both take over

as administrators on July 1.

As a teacher at CCS, Sumner

is aware of the discussion that

has surrounded the two-admin-

istrator model at the school. She

sees her role as essential to fostering a

fruitful learning environment.

“Now more than ever, with the imple-

mentation of CCSS and NGSS, it is

important to have an administrator avail-

able to directly lead in the areas of cur-

riculum, instruction and assessment,” she

said. “Teachers need regular support,

access and collaboration with an admin-

istrator focused primarily on instruction.”

A graduate of UVM and the Vermont

Science Initiative, Sumner has earned

degrees in elementary education and sci-

ence education. She has coached Girls

on the Run and basketball and been a den

leader for Scouts.

Sumner lives in Williston with her hus-

band, Sandi, and two children, Sadie, 12,

and Jackson, 8.

Stephanie Sumner

Transition Town Charlotte Collects E-waste on Green Up Day

Ruah Swennerfelt

CONTRIBUTOR

Do you have old stereos, VCRs, boom-

boxes, etc. that are just cluttering your

house? Do you want to be sure they don’t

end up in the landfill? Then we have a

solution for you!

Transition Town Charlotte will once

again coordinate electronic waste collec-

tion at the Quonset hut at CCS in con-

junction with Charlotte’s Green Up Day,

Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3.

In addition to the importance of clean-

ing up the waste we find on our roadsides,

the electronic collection eliminates thou-

sands of pounds from ending up in our

Vermont landfill. As you probably know,

only one landfill currently services the

State of Vermont. It’s located in Coventry

and will be full by 2020! Anything we can

do to reduce waste or recycle may extend

that termination date.

Even though it’s not legal in Vermont

to throw away what is recyclable, many

people still are filling our landfill with

electronics. Good Point Recycling, which

ultimately takes the electronics collected

by Transition Town, helps make sure that

they are recycled.

We can collect the following electronic

devices—computers and their compo-

nents, DVDs, VCRs, stereo’s, phones,

record players, radios, TVs, laptops, video

machines, microwaves and small kitchen

electronics. We cannot accept appliances

such as air conditioners, stoves, refrigera-

tors, washers and dryers.

Thanks for making this collection such

a success in prior years. Please share this

information with your neighbors. Let’s

keep Vermont clean and beautiful.

a day to reflect on global warming, what

it is doing to the earth and what we can

do to help.

According to the Green Up Vermont

website, “Vermont was the first state to

designate a day to clean up the entire

state. Started in 1970 by Gov. Deane

C. Davis, Green Up Day 1971 was also

officially recorded in the Congressional

Record, thanks to U.S. Senator George

Aiken … 45 years later, Green Up Day

continues to thrive! In 1979 the Green

Up endeavor became a private under-

taking through the establishment of a

private, non-profit corporation called

Vermont Green Up, Inc. In 1997, it began

‘doing business as’ Green Up Vermont.

Its efforts now reach out to promote the

Green Up ethic and spirit year round

through its slogan, ‘Live the Green Up

Way Every Day!’”

Contact me with questions or concerns

at [email protected] or by phone

at 734-2854.

I hope to see you out there!

Green Up from page 1

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The fruits of the town’s labors for Green Up Day 2014 — 2.78 tons of trash.

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Carrie FennCONTRIBUTOR

I love the title of this column. Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but what are all parents if not humble? If we are honest with ourselves, most of us have spent years exhausted, confused, perplexed. How will she turn out? Am I screwing my kid up? How did I get here? Few of us want to be just like our own parents, and even if we did, the psychological makeup of every human being is so maddeningly different and complex there is no way we can even begin to imagine how our own children are interpreting our par-enting skills.

And now that I have everyone thoroughly depressed and ready to throw in the towel...my take on parenting.

I have been a parent for 28 years—more than half my life. I am still not particularly good at it (I learn a lot more from my kids than they learn from me), and yet, pri-marily because I have great kids, people assume I “know what I am doing.” After assuring a friend that it was okay our 16- year-old boys were going to see Fifty of Shades of Gray last Saturday night, she

texted back, “you are so wise.” Hmmm. Wise is something I never feel—espe-

cially when I am not freaking out about my son going to see a movie that I really don’t want him to see (which, by the way, he thought was horrify-ing and atrocious, so at least that one worked out)—but I always feel as though

every day as a parent is a new adventure. When friends talk to me about problems with their kids or their own issues in their parenting roles, I can usually muster up some appeasing advice. “It all works out.” “Just make sure he knows you love him.” “She’ll come around.” And I believe this stuff, because gen-erally I believe it does work out, and kids do feel safer when they are loved, and in time they usually do come around.

The only time I really feel confident is when I

offer the advice given to me when I was a young parent. I didn’t really get it at the time, nor did I use the knowledge to the extent I should have, but it’s what I offer all couples I know who are embarking on parenting for the first time. This sage tid-bit was bestowed upon me by Dick Hong, a long-time Charlotte resident (and avid

tennis player). He was happily married to his lovely

wife, Marion, until she passed a couple

of years ago, and they raised a slew of awesome adults. “We always acted as a team,” he told me. (Footnote—Dick is a great doubles player.) ”We backed each other up, and we always made sure the primary relationship took precedence over the relationships with the kids.” Dick raised his kids in a different time than we live in now, but his advice is more impor-tant than ever, not only for the health of our kids but for the health of ourselves. Even single parents can take this advice, because the bottom line is a healthy adult (both emotionally and physically) is a bet-ter parent. As you care for your partner, as your partner cares for you, or as you simply care for yourself, you provide a stronger person for your child to learn from, because, after all, you aren’t raising a child. You’re raising an adult.

The Humbled Parent

‘The only time I really feel con-fident is when I offer the advice

given to me when I was a

young parent.’

What It Means to Be a Humble Parent

Carrie Fenn

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Fresh off the passage of its budget the night before, the CCS School Board got back to business at its regularly sched-uled monthly meeting April 14, covering a wide agenda during its nearly two-hour meeting.

By far the most in-depth discussion surrounded the planned debut of per-sonalized learning plans, or PLPs. The initiative is part of a broader state effort called the Flexible Pathways Initiative, which was signed into law in 2013. The initiative calls for schools to develop a framework for implementing PLPs as a means for helping individual students to identify their academic, college and career goals and to meld them with a school’s academic assets. The PLP system is expected to begin for 7th and 9th grad-ers by November.

At the school board meeting, Co-Principal Audrey Boutaugh and mid-dle-level counselor Kathy Batty presented on CCS’s implementation of the PLPs.

“The PLP is a learning tool and a record of each child’s learning journey from 7th grade on to high school,” said Boutaugh, by way of definition. “This learning is planned and designed for each unique stu-dent and takes into account their strengths, their interests, their needs, their learning profiles.”

Each PLP is tracked though an online program called Naviance. It consists of areas for each student to record and track his or her learning goals and objectives. Students will work closely with their teachers, as well as a cadre of partner teachers, who will act as guides not only through meeting state and federal educa-

tion standards, but also through exploring their own interests and educational goals. Each plan will be similar to those at CVU, so students and faculty can continue to track progress seamlessly to high school.

To begin the process, this year’s 6th-grade students at CCS will take self-assessment tests next month in prepara-tion for their 7th-grade year. In the fall of the next school year, they will begin to identify their interests and goals and the tasks they need to reach them. Before moving on to 8th grade, they’ll assess their goals and revise them if necessary.

“It’s an evolutionary process,” said Boutaugh, who added that more grades will begin the PLP process gradually.

Some board members wondered if the plans would serve as a distraction or cre-ate more work for teachers. Boutaugh noted that the PLP process will help teach-ers work closer with students to realize their educational goals.

“It’s an opportunity to work with kids on a deeper level than we have in the past,” she said.

Others wondered how these personal plans would augment objective education initiatives like the Common Core State Standards, which all students are expected to meet. Batty noted that PLPs are meant to help students meet these standards by investing them in their education.

“We’re trying to put meaning to learn-ing through this plan,” said Batty. “It does help kids figure out ‘What are my interests? Where am I going in life? What are the things I need to feel positive and happy in my life?’”

School Board Chair Mark McDermott noted he’d like to see a report on the results of the first year of PLPs. For more on this new initiative, see News From CVU on the following page.

In other news, the board:• discussed looping at CCS, which

sees students remaining with teachers for more than one year. Board member Susan Nostrand added the item as a discussion matter in order to discuss its history and effects on students, particularly in 3rd and 4th grades. A few audience members spoke out about issues they had with their children in the model, namely that it keeps students from mixing with their peers and that they found it hard to switch teachers when students don’t mix with the teacher’s style.

• received an update on the move to repair the school’s roof, lighting and elevator. The bidding process will begin soon, and the board hopes to have con-tracts ready for approval in May so that projects can commence this summer.

• approved the final day of school this year. Because of snow days, students will now attend school until Monday, June 15. Eighth grade graduation will still take place on June 11.

The next regular school board meeting is schedule for May 19.

CCS Board Discusses Personalized Learning Plans

A graphic shows the process of personal-ized learning plans, which enable students to begin planning for their high school, college and career goals. A new state standard, the PLPs will be implemented at CCS next fall.

Vt Day School Open House

May 3Vermont Day School, a new elemen-

tary school in Shelburne, is hosting an informational meeting on May 3 at 3 p.m. for prospective families to visit the school.

Scheduled to open in the fall, Vermont Day offers academic instruction in core academic areas, and uses a project-based approach to learning in order to inspire students to become creative thinkers, problem-solvers, collaborative learners and effective communicators.

According to Sage Bagnato, the school’s founder and head of school, Vermont Day School will focus on STEM education “so that students learn to make connections between these dis-ciplines, and to integrate and apply their knowledge seamlessly.” Other features of the curriculum will include digital lit-eracy, global studies and environmental stewardship.

Currently, Vermont Day School is admitting K-5 students for the 2015-2016 school year. The future plan is to add an additional grade each year so that students can stay at Vermont Day School through 8th grade. As Bagnato states, “it’s important for children to have a continuous learning experience, from both an academic and social per-spective.”

Vermont Day School is located at 6701 Shelburne Road. For more infor-mation, visit the school’s website: vtdayschool.org, or email Sage Bagnato at [email protected].

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News From CVU

Have you known a high school student,

who, at the end of four years, with gradu-

ation around the corner, suddenly appears

to “wake up” to a looming reality of life

after high school? Are you concerned

when you see teenagers going through

the motions to satisfy graduation require-

ments, out of touch

with who they are,

how they are moti-

vated, and in what

ways they see them-

selves fitting into

the world?

Transcending

gender, socioeco-

nomic level and aca-

demic performance,

these concerns are

not new at CVU.

Grad Challenge

is an example of a

program that aims to help students learn

deeply about themselves through a project

that requires them to take control of a

learning experience—directing the what,

why, where and when. Another example

is Advisory, a program that works to

ensure that each student is “well known”

by at least one adult in the building.

Recent state legislation, however, has

provided us with an opportunity to expand

our work on such student-centered learn-

ing. In June 2013, Act 77, which includes

Education Quality Standards, was signed

into law. This legislation requires that all

Vermont schools implement Personalized

Learning Plans

(PLPs) beginning

with grades 7 and

9 in 2015. CVU

believes that, if

implemented well,

PLPs can be effec-

tive tools that can

help students know

themselves, take

responsibility for

their learning, and

begin to develop

a vision for their

futures after high

school. PLPs present the opportunity to

shift the learning culture not only at CVU,

but, indeed, throughout the entire CSSU

in time.

What do PLPs look like? This is actu-

ally the work in which our district is pres-

ently engaged. A large group of CSSU

professionals and administrators from

every CSSU school (and 21 other school

districts throughout the state) are attend-

ing in-depth learning workshops facilitat-

ed by the Great Schools Partnership and

supported by a grant from the Agency of

Education. This year-long experience is

aimed specifically at the implementation

of PLPs and proficiency(standards)-based

learning, both state mandates.

It is likely, though, that PLPs will con-

sist of the following steps: building a self

profile (who am I?); identifying personal

goals; making a plan; implementing the

plan; assessing goals; reflecting on goals;

and, finally, revising goals, as students

engage in new experiences and mature.

Goals can be short- or long-term; they can

be personal choice or required. The PLP

itself might take the form of a paper or

virtual portfolio. No matter what, the PLP

should be viewed as a living document

that is reviewed and updated regularly

with caring adults who can support stu-

dent goals. The purpose of the PLP is not

to find a major or identify a career after

high school. It is to help students inter-

nalize the process by which one knows

oneself and can envision specific steps

to achieve personal goals—a lifelong and

transferable skill.

We are excited by the prospects offered

by the PLP, but, as the old saying goes,

“the devil is in the details.” The Agency

of Education agrees, noting that the PLP

“is only as good as the process that sup-

ports the development and use of the

document.”

We look forward to keeping you

informed about the development of the

PLP through stories from students and

parents. In the meantime, we hope you

agree that PLPs are a positive step away

from the one-size-fits-all model of sec-

ondary education to a model that meets

the needs of all learners.

Prepared by CVU School Board Communications Committee

School Board repreSentativeS

lorna JimerSon, [email protected]

marilyn richardSon, mkrichard-

[email protected]

‘No matter what, the

PLP should be viewed

as a living document that

is reviewed and updated

regularly with caring

adults who can support

student goals.’

Working to Meet the Needs of All Learners at CVU

Craft Fair at CVU, May 2A For Kids–Make ‘n Take Craft Fair will be held May 2 from 10 a.m. until

2 p.m. at CVU. Designed for children from pre-school through 4th grade and

sponsored by the CVU Sophomore Class Council, this new event will coincide

with the Access CVU Spring Craft Fair at the school and will provide a fun

happening for youngsters from all around.

Activities will be set up in separate stations and include: decorate your own

cookies, put together Perler bead items, create your own placemats, make bot-

tlecap magnets, paint a pet rock, craft a suncatcher, and four stations devoted

to Mother’s Day gift making for those kids wanting to give gifts. All stations

will be supervised by CVU sophomores. Michelle Fongemie, CVU English

educator and Sophomore Class Council supervisor, says, “The students are

super excited to work with the younger kids to help them create as many inter-

esting works as possible while they are here. There is no limit to the creativity

of the young!”

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Food &Field

Vera Simon-Nobes CONTRIBUTOR

While our beautiful Charlotte soils are soaking up the snow melt, geese are fly-ing north, and new fox pups are exploring forests and fields, our community’s farm-ers are preparing for a bountiful and deli-cious growing season. This summer you should have no trouble sourcing locally grown beef for the best burger you’ve ever had, sun-ripened tomatoes for that perfect tomato-basil salad or spring spinach that will remind you that good things come to those who wait. Currently, Vermont leads the United States in number of farmers

markets, CSAs and dollars spent on local foods per capita. The following notes will provide a few strategies for sourcing farm-fresh food so we can proudly defend this number one rank into the future.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms offer a subscription model of shopping, where customers pay up front for a share of the farm’s produce. CSA farms may distribute the boxes of farm-fresh food at the farm or at another location. Pick-up is often weekly, but some farms offer bi-weekly options. The contents of a “share” vary depending on what’s growing at the farm. Many contain eggs, vegetables and meats, and sometimes

the farm offers other farms’ products as well, so cheese, bread, jams and grains may be included.

When you sign up to become a CSA member with a farm, you are committing to

fresh, healthy products. Your ability to pay for the share up front offers the farm financial security and helps them pay for labor, equipment, seeds and other costs incurred early in the season. Your purchase also helps farms to disperse the financial risks of crop failures.

Most CSAs are about more than just purchasing food. You become a share-holder in a farm, and you get to celebrate the harvest with other CSA members each week. Some farms offer member newsletters, events and specials such as pick-your-own flowers or herbs.

Now is the time to sign up for a CSA share. Several farms offering CSA shares that may be convenient to Charlotte resi-dents are:

Stony Loam Farm—Charlotte—stony-loamfarm.com

Full Moon Farm—Hinesburg—full-moonfarminc.com

Trillium Hill Farm—Hinesburg—tril-liumhillfarm.net

Needham Family Farm—Hinesburg—needhamfamilyfarm.com

Last Resort Farm—Monkton—lastre-sortfarm.com

Bella Farm—Monkton—bellapesto.com

Golden Well Farm & Apiaries—New Haven—goldenwellapiaries.com

Essex Farm—Essex, NY—essex-farmcsa.com

Many more CSA farms are listed on the NOFA-VT webpage: nofavt.org/find-organic-food/csa-listing.

Farmers marketsFarmers markets have a tremen-

dous variety of foods (and sometimes crafts) available, and customers can purchase from many vendors all in a day. Like CSAs, farmers markets are an important puzzle piece when it comes to building viable small farms, because the customer’s whole dollar goes to the farm, instead of being split between farmer and distributor. With music, smiling neighbors and

Farm to Table Right Here

in Charlotte

Brittany and Drew Slabaugh of Shakeyground Farm in Charlotte sell at the

Shelburne Farmers Market each summer.

The CSA pick-up stand at Stony

Loam Farm on Hinesburg Road in

Charlotte.

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Sta

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[email protected]


the freshest food around, it’s hard to think of a reason not to frequent a local farmers market this summer.

Did you know that in 2014, 38 Vermont farmers markets accepted EBT/SNAP (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program)? Vermont receives over $11 million per month in food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Through the Vermont Farmers’ Market EBT and Debit Cards Project, recipients of the SNAP can support the state’s agricultural community and obtain the highest quality of foods. Farmers benefit as well when federal dollars are spent right here in Vermont.

Families partici-pating in WIC or living at or below 185% of the pover-ty level can receive $30 worth of cou-pons to be spent at participating farm-ers markets through the Farm to Family Program. More info on coupon distri-bution is available in the June WIC Newsletter or by calling 800-464-4343.

Shelburne Farmers Market will open May 30. Saturdays 9 a.m.-1p.m. at the Shelburne town center. sbpavt.org/farm-ers_market.php

Hinesburg Lions Farmers Market will open June 5. Thursdays 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the United Church. hinesburglionsfarm-ersmarket.org

Vergennes Farmers Market will open

June 11, Thursdays 3–6 p.m. at the Town Green.

Looking to travel farther afield? Visit the NOFA-VT farmers market directory to search for a market by day or location.

Independent RetaIleRs, supeRmaRkets

and Co-ops

Situated between Burlington and Middlebury, Charlotters have a large selection of grocery stores to choose from and wonderful products abound within them. Just within our borders, we have Fat Cow Farm beef at Carrie Spear’s store

in East Charlotte, Maplebrook Farm mozza-rella at Little Garden Market and Shelburne Orchards apples in the Old Brick Store’s famous sandwiches in the village. Middlebury Natural Food Co-op, City Market and Healthy Living all carry an assortment of

Vermont-raised food, and it’s becoming more common to see Vermont-grown foods on the shelves at larger chain super-markets as well. Wherever you’re grocery shopping, keep in mind that your request for a specific local product can go a long way. If you’d like to see more locally grown products on store shelves, take a moment to speak with the manager and let your voice be heard!

pICk-YouR-own, FaRm stands and

GRow-YouR-own

Picking blueberries with thunder-heads rolling overhead is the epitome of summer, and we are fortunate to have Adam’s Berry Farm join Pelkey’s and the Charlotte Berry Farm in the PYO land-scape last year.

Farm stands are also always worth the stop. Fat Cow Farm beef will be available in its Bingham Brook Road store, which debuted this winter. The Fresh View Farm on Route 7 near the Ferrisburgh line looks forward to another season of selling some of the best eggs in town.

Of course, these are all options for purchasing food, and anyone whose eyes wander to the backyards around town know that many residents have voracious green thumbs! Growing vegetable gar-dens or raising livestock can be rewarding

projects, and trading home-grown food with neighbors and friends is a delicious form of summertime commerce.

While we hope summer is a bountiful and healthy time for all, it is important to remember that there are Vermonters and community members right here in Charlotte who cannot access enough food to lead healthy lives. Children are espe-cially vulnerable to food insecurity during the summertime, when they aren’t receiv-ing free or reduced meals from school. In fact, one in five Vermont children experiences hunger or food hardship, and 13% of all Vermont households are food

insecure. You can learn more about food insecurity through Hunger Free VT at hungerfreevt.org.

To build a more food-secure Vermont, consider making a contribution to the Vermont Farm Share Program, which offers subsidized CSA shares to limited-income families within their communities.

Contributing columnist Vera Simon-Nobes co-chairs the Farm to Plate Agritourism Task Force.

Mike WalkerContributor

Yourfarmstand is five years old this year! Back in its first week in July 2010, seven customers picked up their bags of local produce from the porch of the Brick Store; now over 30 producers sell in Charlotte’s online farmers’ market with hundreds of people buying local produce each year.

Yourfarmstand started as a simple idea to help neighbors exchange surplus harvest vegetables. It rapidly developed into a sophisticated website where pro-ducers list items for sale in real time, and customers can make purchases from different farmers in a single transaction with the whole order being picked up in one bag at a chosen location—the Old Brick Store, Spear’s Corner store, Yoga Roots and the Flying Pig Bookstore.

In a rapidly evolving local food scene, Yourfarmstand has stuck to its original principle of making it simple to buy from local farmers directly. “People value the huge range of produce avail-able on Yourfarmstand, combined with the flexibility of being able to choose as much or as little as you like,” founder Suzy Hodgson said. “And many cus-

tomers check what’s for sale a couple of times or more during the week. Many of our customers are already local food supporters and use Yourfarmstand to supplement their CSA shares, but the site also introduces local products to a lot of people who might not yet be part of the local food movement.”

In addition to seasonal vegetables and fruit, Yourfarmstand offers a great variety of meats from local farms—beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and traditional and specialty sausages such as chorizo and merguez. There are also eggs, prepared foods such as pesto and bean burgers, cheese and even locally produced staples such as oils, vinegar, beans and flour so you can eat locally year round.

Other communities in Vermont and beyond have adopted the system and use Yourfarmstand to host their own online markets. The system is highly decentralized so each market is run by a local coordinator and offers produce local to that area only, staying true to the principle of building and strengthen-ing hyper-local relationships between producers and consumers.

To see what’s for sale, visit yourfarmstand.com.

YourFarmStand Celebrates Five Years

‘Eating Vermont-grown food is about knowing your local farm-ers and introducing new foods to your family, but it’s also about job creation and ensuring that

the working landscape that sets our state apart from all the rest

remains viable for future generations’

A happy blueberry customer with a full basket at Adam’s Berry Farm in Charlotte.

Photo credit: AdAm’s Berry FArm

Out-Doors by Elizabeth Bassett

Elizabeth BassettCONTRIBUTOR

When brown stretches to the horizon, where to find spring? Visit a greenhouse or, better yet, several! Charlotte has two retail greenhouses so I went for a visit.

BritSue’s Greenhouses are tucked between Spear’s Store and Tenney’s Store at Baptist Corners. I called Britney Tenney.

“I’m in the MS Walk this morning and then afterwards I’m going to an event for Camp Ta Kum Ta,” Britney said of her Saturday. “My dad can show you around.”

Walking into any warm, humid space on a chilly gray day is a balm. Two plastic greenhouses at BritSue’s are exploding with young plants. “We opened the greenhouses on March 1,” says Britney’s father, Rick Tenney. “We start most of our plants from seed but also buy some plugs to transplant. Otherwise we’d have to start heating the greenhouses in January, and we simply can’t afford to do that.”

Rick Tenney milked cows for many years, but he also worked at Gecewicz greenhouses on Spear Street. “That’s where I learned the importance of good soil,” Rick says. The third and most recent of their greenhouses is for mixing soil. “We use an old bathtub and a home cement mixer,” Rick says. “They aren’t much to look at but they are perfect for the job.”

Half-inch tomato seedlings cover one bench next to a similar expanse of red

and green peppers. Nearby a flat of basil seedlings is fringed with brown. “UPS dropped these off at our door at 8 p.m. one night when it was well below freez-ing,” Rick says. “We found them in the morning. Britney has put in a claim. She is so organized—my daughter keeps me in line!”

A 2013 graduate of Champlain College, Britney is Charlotte’s plan-ning and zoning assistant. “I’m still running the green-houses with my dad. Over the past few weeks we’ve been working to get the soil mixed, seeds planted, and the plugs arranged. We will be officially opening on Mother’s Day weekend, but people are welcome to drop in any time to see what we have going on.”

At Horsford Gardens & Nursery, nes-tled between Route 7 and Greenbush Road, things were buzzing on opening day, Monday, April 13. Co-owner Eileen Schilling was sorting boxes of bulbs and tubers, tractors zipped back and forth, and knots of workers clustered on the mats and in the fields. “They’re potting up in the greenhouse,” Eileen said. “Even Leo is there!”

Leo is the legendary Leo Roberts, a fixture at Horsford’s for more years than he cares to admit. “I retired last year,” Leo said, “but I’m feeling great so I just couldn’t stay away. I won’t stay the

whole season, probably just until June.” Leo and Gianetta Bertin were indeed

potting, row after row, pot after pot, methodically pulling tiny plugs out of one-inch cells, scraping off the very bot-tom of each plug, then slipping them into three- and four-inch, soil-filled pots.

“Leo and I have been doing this work together for years,” Gianetta said. “This is my fun job. My other job is working as a registered nurse at the Charlotte Community Health Center. Leo and I talk; we solve the problems of the world while we work!”

More importantly, as they move down the rows, they turn the long benches into bands of green. White plastic tags poke above the foliage in each small pot. Gianetta and Leo duck their heads between baskets hanging overhead, still showing more plastic than greenery.

“We pinch back the plants as soon as they flower, but if you want a taste of spring there are a few petunias in the cor-ner.” Gianetta pointed toward a rectangle of purple and white.

“Today it will be spring,” Leo pro-nounced. “I am sure of it.”

Where to Find Spring in Charlotte—Indoors!

GMC asks hikers to avoid

muddy hiking trails

The Green Mountain Club, maintainer and protector of Vermont’s Long Trail, asks hikers to think of alternate activi-ties from April 15 until Memorial Day weekend. Warmer temperatures and a substantial winter snowpack have made Vermont’s hiking trails wet, muddy and especially prone to erosion. Hikers walk-ing on saturated soils or on the sides of trails can cause irreversible erosion and damage surrounding vegetation in the Green Mountains.

Officially closed state lands include: Coolidge State Forest, Camel’s Hump State Park, Mansfield State Forest, Long Trail State Forest, Jay State Forest and all other state forest lands. Trails in the Green Mountain National Forest are not officially closed, but the USDA Forest

Service asks hikers to avoid muddy high-er elevation trails like the Long Trail until Memorial Day weekend.

“It’s been a long winter and everyone is itching to take a hike. If a trail is so muddy that you need to walk on the soil beside it, turn back and seek an alternative area to hike or an alternate outdoor activ-ity like canoeing or biking,” recommends GMC Director of Trail Programs Dave Hardy. Dry trails at lower elevations, dirt roads and recreation paths provide excel-lent opportunities for spring activities.

The GMC thanks hikers for their coop-eration in helping to preserve one of Vermont’s finest recreational resources—its hiking trails.

For information on mud season hiking opportunities, please contact the Green Mountain Club at [email protected] or on the web at greenmountainclub.org.

(Above) Rick Tenney at BritSue's Greenhouse in East Charlotte. (Left) Petunias

at Horsfords.

Take a Break for Mud Season

Leo Roberts in the greenhouse at Horsford Gardens & Nursery.

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Larry HamiltonCONTRIBUTOR

Lately there has been considerable discussion about the need to improve the quality of water in our beloved Lake Champlain. Such quality is key to a pure water supply and healthy water recreation. With the entire western side of our town as shoreline to this wonder-ful body of water, Charlotte has a key role and responsibility as guardian of water qual-ity for our “inland sea.” Relatively new state-mandated shoreland use regulations are now in effect, and shore-abut-ting landowners need to be aware of them.

These may be con-sulted online at Vermont Shoreland Protection Act.

In addition, our town has had its own desig-nated shoreline and shoreland zones cov-ered by regulations as to tree cutting and vegeta-tion removal. This regulatory policy also helps the situation. Check with the Town Planner Jeannine McCrumb.

But there is an arena often overlooked that can help Vermont achieve less pol-luted water, suitable for drinking and recreation—our forests, nature’s best and cheapest purifier. Headwater forests in our uplands, for example the foothills of the Green Mountains where Lewis Creek and the La Platte begin, are best land cover for preventing erosion. They also filter out air pollution deposits such as lead, mercury and arsenicals. The same is true of Thorp and Holmes brooks on a smaller scale. But it is in the lower stretches of our streams where forests really shine. As Rose Paul, the science and stewardship director of the Vermont Nature Conservancy, states: “Floodplain forests play a critical role in producing clean water because they are the last stop for lake pollutants like phosphorous. The buck can stop here—forest vegeta-tion absorbs pollutants and sediment, and reduces flood damage by soaking up floodwaters. Nature’s resiliency is vividly

on display in the floodplain forest eco-system with its natural ability to create checks and balances to our excesses.”

Moreover the forest-shrub riparian zones are also guardians. These often unkempt and wild areas adjacent to our streams are important sediment and nutrient-laden agricultural runoff filters that keep such water impairment out of the lake. Trees on banks impart bank sta-bility with their roots, provide shade to

keep the water cooler and provide food for fish. And according to Paul, they are an ideal environment for eagles and osprey, nesting wood ducks and orioles, and they provide cover for mink and otter that use aquatic habitat. The importance of preserving buffer zones of 50 feet or more from each bank is hard to overemphasize. Cattle may need access to water, but a fenced pas-sage to the stream can pro-tect this important riparian buffer to fields that are grazed or cropped.

Road salt for de-icing is another pol-lutant that winds up in the lake. Recent monitoring of salt pollution reveals the La Platte as having the highest levels of 13 rivers entering the lake from Vermont and New York. I would take a guess that this may be due to Shelburne’s policy of bare roads for winter driving. Incidentally, this policy is probably why there are so very few roadside sugar maple shade trees, for sugar maple is par-ticularly sensitive to salt.

Your friendly tree warden is pleased to note there is increasing recognition of the importance of floodplain forest and wooded riparian zones plus a protected shoreline. Kudos to the Lewis Creek Association, to the Town of Charlotte for its long-time shoreland zoning districts, and to the Planning Commission that understands the key role of stream buffer areas.

Larry Hamilton is Charlotte's volunteer

tree warden.

Charlotte as Forest Guardian of Our Lake

Charlotte arbor Day DeClaration

Whereas trees in the Town of Charlotte contribute significantly to the beauty of our landscape;

And recognizing moreover that trees provide many valuable environ-mental services such as shade in summer, carbon fixation, oxygen pro-duction, soil erosion reduction, more favorable groundwater recharge, and habitat for many forms of other plant and animal life;

And also noting that our aging shade tree population is succumbing to increasing pest damage, and storm damage causing loss or disfigure-ment;

And whereas new tree planting is not compensating for these losses;Therefore, the Charlotte Town Selectboard, recognizing that it is a

good and worthy thing for residents to plant trees for the benefit of pres-ent and future generations, hereby:

Declares May 1, 2015 to be designated as Charlotte Arbor Day and encourages tree planting; and

It notes with pleasure that there will be an Arbor Day celebration at Charlotte Central School on May 1, and an assessment of our roadside tree planting with a view to replacing any failed trees; and

The Selectboard encourages Charlotte residents to plant and care for trees at this time.

Approved: SelectboArd MeMberS april 20, 2015

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SportS

Machavern cruises to second

place at Homestead-Miami

The Trans Am Championship rac-ing series for the first time posted its Trans Am 2 class cars in their own race. Dillon Machavern of Charlotte, driving a Heritage Ford Mustang with #24 painted clearly on the door, powered his way through the pack so that by the seventh circuit of the track he was in third place, moving into second on the 28th lap. He focused on finishing in that position, which he managed to do in the 75-minute race. Dillon said that his crew worked hard on the car’s chassis all weekend in order to make it competitive, and he looks forward to taking the result of their hard work and his driving skills and building up to a top finish at Road Atlanta in sev-eral weeks.

Joseph sisters lead CVU women’s

tennis to a strong season start

Junior Kathy Joseph and her younger sister Stephanie have led the Redhawk tennis team to four victories in early season play. Kathy, a two-time state champion, plays number one singles, her sister number two. In the matches, their wins have all consisted of the mini-mum two sets. Meara Heininger and Hadley Menk, a couple of doubles play-ers from Charlotte, have also aided the

CVU cause, most recently in the 7-0 team victory over Essex.

Starting off the season with two victories, the CVU men’s tennis players slipped recently, losing 7-0 to South Burlington and 5-2 to Essex. Charlotte senior and co-captain Nathan Comai has been the number two and number three singles player, along with team-mate Ethan Leonard who also played on Charlotte’s lakeside courts before head-ing to CVU. Sophomore Ben Hyams played singles in the first two matches of the season, defeating his Rice opponent after losing his opener to a Burlington High School player.

Baseball, softball feel nature's

wrath

Most affected by wet fields, rain and dark of night, the CVU baseball and softball teams have managed few games so far in 2015. For the hard-ballers, that “few” meant less than one com-plete game as darkness overcame them at the end of nine innings with the score tied at one between the Redhawks and South Burlington. Pitching by both teams

was a feature of the game to that point. The Rebel starter and reliever gave up only a single hit while CVU’s Rayne Supple, Will Potter and Sam Mikell combined mound duty, allowing only two hits. Giving his take on CVU’s strength this year,

coach Tim Albertson was quoted in the Free Press saying, “It’s nice to have the quality type of pitching we have.”

The Redhawk softball team traveled to South Burlington April 16 to face the Rebels with the home team managed a single-run win by scor-ing five in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 7-6 victory. The loss gave the Hawks a 0-2 record for the season, having

lost their opener to Mount Mansfield.

CVU Track is back

There must be something challeng-ing about running over Church Hill or along the Charlotte lake roads, leaping fences or tossing heavy objects into Lake Champlain, because in looking at the results of CVU track teams, one sees many Charlotte names among both long- and short-distance runners, hurdlers, high jumpers and weight throwers—particu-larly for the women’s team. In a recent three-school meet against Milton and Peoples Academy, the top spots went to Sadie Otley in the 100-meter dash and the 300-meter hurdles; Malina Carroll in the 200-meter sprint; Maeve Higgins in the 800-meter run; Sophia Gorman in the 3,000-meter race; and Michaela Flore put the shot 28 feet, 6 inches, then threw the discus 79 feet and 10 inches to win both events. Naomi Burhans, Morgan Schnell and Annabella Pugliese finished among the top three in several categories.

The men threw Stowe into the Milton, Peoples Academy mix, but it did not seem to hinder CVU as it won the meet handily by 126 points over second-place Milton. Top-three finishers from Charlotte included Zaq Urbaitel in the

110-meter hurdles, Adam Hamilton in the high jump, Silas Cleveland putting the shot and Alex Guyette heaving the javelin.

Women’s lacrosse is off to a fast

start, men’s LAX struggles

Despite the fact that they lost 10 of last season’s players to graduation and that they have a new coach, Becca Weiss, the Redhawk women’s lacrosse team has won its two opening season games. Freshman Lydia Maitland led the team to a win over Rutland, scoring twice—the second late in the game—to make it 14-13 in favor of CVU. Moving to the artificial turf of South Burlington’s field, the Redhawk women then gained a 14-3 win over Colchester behind three hat tricks from Megan Gannon, Annie Keen and Emma Owens. Bailee Pudvar in goal covered her net well, stopping a dozen or more shots in each game.

When was the last time that CVU’s men’s lacrosse team lost four games in a row? Probably never since they began playing as a varsity sport in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, last year’s Division I state champions have some revamping to do if they are going to repeat. Their defense is strong and plentiful, but they lack the steady scoring from their attack and midfield. Charlotte’s Elliot Mitchell scored a hat trick and midfielders Walter Braun and Kyle Jaunich almost brought the Redhawks their first win in Hanover, New Hampshire. However, CVU suf-fered its second overtime setback 12-11 after having lost its opener in overtime to Essex, 10-9. South Burlington and Cape Elizabeth, Maine, stayed at CVU’s end of the pitch to capture 10-5 and 9-6 wins over the Redhawks.

Edd Merritt

Sports Roundup

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Rec News

by Kristin

Hartley

Currently

Spring is officially here! Lacrosse has begun, the town tennis courts are now open and ready for play, and the rest of our outdoor spring programming will begin the first week of May. We have added quite a few adult programs so I hope you will try some of them out and get to know your neighbors. On another note, the Recreation Commission unfortunately is losing Jessie Bradley, a long-time volunteer (25 years!), from the commission. Jessie has made an incred-ible difference in our community and we would like to say a big thank you for all she has done.

OutdOOr spring prOgramming

Check out the official lacrosse practice schedule below.

Afterschool Tennis takes place at the town courts and is run by Kylie deGroot, an experienced player and teacher of ten-nis. This is a great way to introduce your child to the sport of tennis.

Afterschool Golf is now full. Kindergarten Soccer will take place

five Fridays after school beginning May 1. This is a chance to get out and play a little soccer with your friends and enjoy a

snack on the playground. Track and Field is shared with our

neighboring towns, Hinesburg and Williston. After another successful sea-son the track and field program will continue its affiliation with the Parisi Speed School. Participants will learn the basics of running, jumping, throw-ing and relays. This program is for ages 7–14 and begins June 17 at the CVU track.

summer Camps

We offer a lot of great camps here in Charlotte. Here is a list of what we have so far; there may be additions as the spring continues.

Green Thumbs directed by Tai Dinnan and Stacey Carter. This camp takes place at CCS and is for five-year-olds to ris-ing 5th graders. June 22–26 and August 3–7. Days filled with gardening tasks, art projects, free play, taste-testing, outdoor exploration, sprinkler play and garden-to-plate cooking.

Tim Serrell Tennis Clinic is a free tennis clinic run by Amy deGroot. This is a Charlotte tradition made possible by a generous trust set aside by Tim Serrell. This program takes place June 22–26.

Three soccer camps will be held in Charlotte this summer!

Our first camp is the British Challenger Soccer Camp to be held July 13–-17, followed by the Tetrabrazil Soccer Camp July 20–-24, and last but not least the Voltage Soccer Camp to be held August 17–-21.

Charlotte residents can enjoy Summer Horseback Riding Camp at the Livery Stables in Hinesburg. We have two weeks set aside; July 27–31 and August

10–14. It should be lots of fun!Camp Hoopla! is a camp to be held

at Charlotte Central School the week of June 29–July 3. Play with the pros in music and circus arts. Develop talents in music, theatrical clowning, juggling and improvisation with Mr. Smith and Woodhead.

Summer Sailing Camp will be hap-pening the week of July 6–10. This camp takes place at the Community Sailing Center located in Burlington. Sign up with your friends for a morning on the lake learning how to sail.

adult prOgramming

Community Cooking Class: Come cook with your neighbors! Stacy Fraser, EatingWell’s Test Kitchen Manager and long-time Charlotte resident, is offering a community cooking class hosted at the Charlotte Senior Center. Class members will prepare an easy, healthy, Italian-inspired meal together. May 9, 5–8 p.m.

SOLO Wilderness First Aid Course: The WFA is the perfect course for the outdoor enthusiast or trip leader who want a basic level of first aid train-ing for a short trip with family, friends and outdoor groups. Class held June 6 and 7, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. CPR offered 5–7 p.m.

Mat Pilates is a great way to start your week. Class is held Monday morn-ings 6–7 a.m. in the MPR room at CCS. Come flow through a series of dynamic movements that restore bal-ance to core muscles of the lower back and abdominals. There are four class

sessions but you can join class at any time. Registration required.

Adult Early Morning Boot Camp is the place to be at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at CCS. It is so much fun! We have such a great community, come out and join us and make a commitment to fitness. There are eight class sessions but you can join at any point. Registration required.

Come try Pickle Ball if you haven’t already. On May 1 we will begin our out-door season as the Charlotte beach nets are up. Monday and Wednesday 6–7:30 p.m. are the times allotted to our pickle ball drop-ins at CCS through the end of this month. There are paddles provided if you do not have one and instruction if you are just starting out.

This spring Charlotte will be host-ing a Puppy Workshop and a Basic Dog Obedience Workshop to be held Saturday, May 23. These classes are two hours in length and run by Lori Bielawa of Waggles.

The Recreation Department now has a Facebook page for program updates and action photos. I hope you will check it out at Charlotte VT Recreation Dept.

Registration forms for all programs and more information can be found on our town website (charlottevt.org) or here at the Charlotte Town Offices. As always there are full and partial scholarships available for all recreation programs. If you have any questions about any of our programs contact Kristin Hartley at [email protected] or 802-425-6129 Ext. 204.

The Recreation Commission says good-bye to Jessie Bradley. After 25 years, she has decided to retire from the commission.

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Business Directory

by Mary Recchia, Activities Coordinator

Charlotte Senior Center The Café Menu

Monday, april 27Chicken tortilla soupCaesar saladCranberry orange breadDessert surprise

Wednesday, april 29Smoked sausage and sauerkrautBaked potatoesHomemade dessert

Monday, May 4Chicken soupHomemade breadCarrot saladBert’s dessert

Wednesday, May 6Meatballs in marinara sauceRice and broccoli AlfredoBirthday cake and ice cream

Senior luncheons are held every Wednesday at noon; reser-vations are necessary in advance and can be made by calling the Senior Center at 802-425-6345. Reservations are not required for the Monday Munch; a $4 dona-tion is requested.

Enjoy a collection of lectures, per-formances and special events showcas-ing the diverse interests of our commu-nity on Wednesday afternoons begin-ning at 1 p.m.

April 29: The Secrets of Survivors presented by a CERT Team and the Medical Reserve Corp. in association with CVAA, VNA, Vermont 211 and FEMA.

Even though everyone has differ-ent needs and abilities, we can all take steps to prepare for all kinds of emer-gencies. This presentation will help you evaluate your own personal needs and make a plan so you can be better prepared for an emergency, whether a train wreck or a weather disaster. Complimentary handouts, check lists and Go Bags for all participants.

May 6: Housing Options as We Age with Roberta Coffin, M.D., Annmarie Plant, R.N., B.A., C.C.M., President, Armistead Senior Care, and Brenda Schill, Executive Director, Eastview. Aging can bring challenges but also an opportunity for exciting changes. Join us for a panel discussion highlight-ing a personal perspective from Roberta Coffin, M.D., former Commissioner of Health, administrator at FAHC and world traveler. Our discussion will include sev-eral housing choices: downsizing, right-sizing, home sharing or staying where you are. How do you choose what’s right for you?

———Getting Ready for an Active

Summer—Fitness for every body with Ginger Lambert begins Friday mornings from 9:15-10 a.m. Dates: April 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22.

We all have different body types and fitness experience but know that being strong and fit helps us to live our lives to their full potential. Using timed intervals and a series of stations this class will incorporate body weight, light weights and other cardio/strength building tools to boost strength, cardiovascular fitness, agility and flexibility. Some active games will be included to make this a fun and interesting workout. Joint and liga-ment issues will be taken into account. Every exercise can be modified for any ability or level of fitness. If you have

been looking for a class that challenges you but doesn’t leave you in the dust, then this is for you. Registration required. Limit 10. Fee: $60.

———The first Spring Road

Hike in the Champlain Valley with Marty Morrissey will depart on Tuesday, April 28, and head to Ripton. Please meet at the Senior Center 10 minutes prior to our 9 a.m. departure with water, good hiking or walk-ing shoes and a snack or lunch. This hike starts at

the Skylight Pond trail-head and heads north on

USFS Road 59 to the Natural Turnpike for a couple of miles and return. The road is closed to traffic and relatively flat. A lovely walk where last year we saw deer. Our second hike will be on Tuesday, May 5, to Bristol Waterworks. Registration required. No fee.

———Join Elizabeth Llewellyn for a

Drawing With Pen and Ink class Thursday mornings from 10-11:30 a.m. Dates: April 30, May 7, 14, 21. Ink is a wonderfully flexible drawing medium that has been popular for centuries. In this beginner class we will discuss the different materials available and how to use them. We will practice the two types of marks that can be applied to paper: dots and lines. Using different textur-

ing techniques— contour lines, paral-lel lines, cross hatching, stippling and scrumbling—students will draw a variety of subjects in ink. All skill levels wel-come. Please bring a sketchbook, pencil and ink pen to the first class. Registration required. Limit 10. Fee: $65.

And, of course, new sessions of our old favorites, Pilates, Tai Chi and Yoga begin in April. Not sure which one is right for you? Come try a class to be sure.

Participants get fit at the Friday morning step aerobics class with Pam Lord at the Senior Center.


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Neil Gaiman’s quote, “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one,” plasters library-loving Facebook pages and Twitter feeds around the globe. While we can’t promise the speed of a Google search, we do endeavor to tailor our search efforts to suit your needs. From daily title requests to more infrequent queries about creameries in Charlotte, even our small library handles a remarkable variety of questions—and with enthusiasm! We revel in the satisfac-tion of tracking down the next book in a series for an avid reader or locating the long-lost ancestor for a summer visitor. Not only do these quests satisfy our hunt-ing instincts, they also answer a prime mission of libraries everywhere: provid-ing access to information to everyone.

As stated in the American Library Association Code of Ethics, “we [librar-ies] have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future gen-erations.” Here in Charlotte, this means our doors are open and our services available to all.

Upcoming at the library

For more information about these and other programs, visit our website, charlottepublicli-brary.org.

Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday

Night Knitters.

Wednesday, April 29, at 7 p.m.

Identity Theft. Amy Schram from the Better Business Bureau covers the com-mon scams currently circulating the com-munity, the red flags to watch out for, and the tactics consumers can use to protect themselves and their identities. A Money Smart Week program.

Saturday, May 2, & Sunday, May

3, Charlotte Seed Library at Green

Up Day. Pick up your seeds as you drop off your trash at the CCS Green Up Day site! We have a terrific selection of seeds for starting or direct planting, thanks to a generous gift from Seed Savers Exchange and Charlotte’s own fabulous gardeners.

Monday, May 4, 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Monday Maker Club: Altoid Tin

Flashlights. We tackle “tinnovation” as we turn Altoid tins into handy flashlights using some maker skills and imagination.

Friday, May 8, at 10:30 a.m. Scrabble

Friday for Adults. Start from scratch or reacquaint yourself with this favor-ite word game with tournament player Susanna Kahn.

Monday, May 11, at 10 a.m. Mystery

Book Group. Our continental mystery tour continues as we read a Maigret mys-tery by Georges Simenon. Copies will be available at the circulation desk to check out for reading before our meeting. Coffee and refreshments provided.

Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. Know

Your Chances Book Discussion. Join Jane Kearns, Director of the Hartness Library at Vermont Tech and Community College of Vermont, and Lauren Olewnik, Instruction and Reference Librarian, Castleton College, for a book discussion of Know Your Chances:

Understanding Health Statistics. Authors Steven Woloshin and Lisa Schwarts wrote

this accessible book to “help you … become a better consumer of health mes-sages, and foster better communication between you and your doctor.” The book is a quick read and is freely available online on the PubMed Health bookshelf at: http://goo.gl/mFxl28.

Please note: In advance of our library inventory next month, we’d like to remind you of our borrowing guidelines. No fines or fees charged. Circulation period: Two weeks for all library materials except interlibrary loans (ILL); ILL due dates are scheduled by interlibrary loan librar-ian. Overdues & Restrictions: Two weeks after due date—first notice issued via email or phone. Four weeks after due date—second notice issued. Six weeks after due date—restriction notice and bill mailed to patron.

Library Contact Information

Director

Margaret Woodruff

Hours

Mon, Wed: 10 a.m.-–7 p.m.

Tues, Thurs, Fri: 10 a.m.-–5 p.m.

Sat: 9 a.m.-–2 p.m.

Phone 802-425-3864

Email [email protected]

Website charlottepubliclibrary.org

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April 23Thursday

THEATER: Middlebury Community Players are bringing the raucous musical comedy Spamalot to the Town Hall Theater April 23–May 3. Shows are 8 p.m. on Thursdays–Saturdays, April 23–25 and April 29–May 3, with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on April 26 and May 3. The May 3 Sunday matinee will have American Sign Language interpreta-tion. Thursday performances $15, all other shows $23 adults/$18 students with ID. Town Hall Theater Box Office, Monday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m., 802-382-9222, or online at townhalltheater.org.

MUSIC: Saint Michael’s College presents the Akoma World Music Ensemble, Beginning Drum/Dance Ensemble, and the Global Issues in Music classes joining together at 7:20 p.m. in the Roy event room, Dion Student Center (3rd floor). Featuring guest artists Soriba Simbo Camara of Guinea, Eli Wolasi of Ghana and Johnny Scovel of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Info: Josselyne Price, [email protected].

April 24Friday

TALK: Saint Michael’s College presents “A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope!” with Saint Michael’s Physics Professor John O’Meara. 6 p.m. in Cheray Science Hall Room 101. Weather permit-ting, NASA Solar System ambassa-dor Tom Estill will lead a night sky observing with telescopes and will bring a number of hands-on activi-ties. Info: 802-654-2985.

FILM: Saint Michael’s College presents a French film, the drama J’enrage de son absence (Maddened By His Absence), 7 p.m. in Cheray Science Hall Room 111. Sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literature and the Alliance Francaise. Info: Laurence Clerfeuille, [email protected].

April 25saTurday

EVENT: Bird monitoring walks. Last Saturdays, April 25, May 30, June 27, 8:00 a.m. in April and 7:30 a.m. in May, June. Experienced bird-ers, walks in the woods and bird-

friendly coffee. Bring your own bin-oculars and dress for the weather. Free. Please pre-register. Birds of Vermont Museum, 900 Sherman Hollow Road, Huntington, 802-434-2167, [email protected], birdsofvermont.org.

EVENT: Wildflowers of the Champlain Valley, outdoor guide Elizabeth Lee leads a morning hike, geared for children, and an afternoon hike, for adults, on a CATS Trail. Donation: $15 per adult; $10 per child. Session I: 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Session II: 1–3:30 p.m. Info: [email protected].

MUSIC: MET Live in HD’s Tragic Double Bill to play at Town Hall Theater. The double bill broadcast of Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci will be presented live in HD at Town Hall Theater on Saturday, April 25, at 12:30 p.m. Free pre-show talk in the Byers Studio, 11:45 a.m. $24/ $10 students. Info: 382-9222, townhall-theater.org.

April 30Thursday

SALE: The Charlotte Grange Spring rummage sale: Thursday, April 30, beginning 9 a.m. and Saturday, May 2, 8 a.m.–noon. Donation drop-off dates: Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 27 and 28, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Info: Dorothy Hill, 802-425-4140.

FILM: Main Street Landing, The Burlington Film Society (BFS) and the Vermont International Film Foundation (VTIFF) present the French feature film Girlhood, 7 p.m., Main Street Landing Film House, 60 Lake Street in Burlington. Discussion following screening. Free for VTIFF Members, $8 adults, $5 for students. Tickets at door or at brownpapertick-ets.com/event/1360930.

MAy 2saTurday

EVENT: Mayfest 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Lake Champlain Waldorf School 359 Turtle Lane, Shelburne. Outdoor celebration designed for chil-dren ages six and under includes live music, crafts and other festivities. Free and open to the public. Info: Pam Graham 802-985-2827 ext. 12, [email protected], lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org/events/mayfest.

EVENT: The Green Mountain Bicycle Club is offering Introductory Group Rides every other Saturday throughout May and early June. Experienced riders will explain the rules of the road and teach novice cyclists how to ride safely in a group. The rides will start at 10 a.m. at the Wheeler lot at Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington, and will trav-el between 12 and 20 miles. Rides on May 2, 16, 30 and June 13. Info: Viola Chu, [email protected].

EVENT: At 9:00 a.m., the mem-bers of Branch Out Burlington! need helpers to plant 130 trees in the Burlington Community Tree Nursery. Tree planters will be ser-enaded by Robert Resnik. Lots of door prizes and refreshments offered to the hardworking volunteers. Info: Margaret Skinner, 802-656-5440, [email protected], branchoutburl-ington.org.

EVENT: The University of Vermont Medical Center hosts the new AARP Smart Driver Class at 9 a.m. in the McClure Lobby Conference Room. The 4.5-hour refresher course is open to all drivers 50 years and older. Fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. Info: Baird Morgan, Instructor, 802-483-6335. Reservations are required; checks must be received prior to the day of the class.

EVENT: Free Comic Book Day, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Deborah Rawson Memorial Library, 8 River Road, Jericho. 10:30 a.m.—Ben Cohen, expert cartoon instructor, presents how to read comics and the his-tory of women in cartooning. 11:30 a.m.-Samantha Day from MMU shares her Manga artwork. 12 noon.James Kochalka, Cartoon Laureate, hosts a drawing workshop. Free comic books distributed and popcorn served!

MAy 3sunday

CYCLING: Covered Bridges of Chittenden County—three dis-tance options of rolling hills through Shelburne and Charlotte with the longer ride through Ferrisburgh. All rides stop at the Old Brick Store in Charlotte for a tasty treat. 9:45 a.m. at Wheeler lot, Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington (NOTE: This ride will begin at South Burlington High School if a Saturday baseball tour-nament at Veterans Memorial Park

is rained out.) Info: Dorothy Pumo, 802-8 2 9 - 8 7 2 9 ,

[email protected]. EVENT: The 26th Annual COTS

Walk kicks off at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3. The fundraiser is a 3.5-mile trek around downtown Burlington starting from Battery Park, following the route a person who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless might travel to receive shelter and services. Info/reg-ister: cotsonline.org, 802-864-7402. Check-in begins at 1 p.m.; the walk begins at 2 p.m. Walk-ins are wel-come. The walk itself takes about an hour.

MAy 5Tuesday

EVENT: SCHIP (Shelburne Charlotte Hinesburg Interfaith Projects) Community Supper. Join us at the Hinesburgh Public House on Tuesday, May 5, for our second Community Supper. The Public House will be serving a locally sourced, four-course meal for an inclusive price of $20. Half of the proceeds raised from the supper will be donated to SCHIP. Last year this event raised over $1,000. Info/register: 802-482-5500.

MAy 6Wednesday

FILM: Award-winning feature docu-mentary After Winter, Spring, direct-ed by Judith Lit, at the Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas in Burlington, 7 p.m. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and a reception featuring local foods spon-sored by City Market. A portion of the proceeds from this event ben-efit the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT). Tickets $15 general admission or $12 for NOFA-VT and City Market mem-bers, online via nofavt.org and at the door.

On the hOrizOn

SALE: Guess who has some great Prom Dresses for only $20. SCHIP’s Treasure Resale Shop in the distinc-tive yellow house on Route 7 in Shelburne. Why spend a fortune on a dress you’ll wear one night? Come in and see our great selection. Not only will you save some money, you’ll help the community and be on your way to having a great night!

PLANT SALE: Burlington Dismas House is gearing up for its annual Perennial Plant Sale and needs volunteer individuals and groups of up to 10 to pick up loads of plants and topsoil and “pot up” about 1500 plants.

Three-hour shifts on varied Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays through May 18. Sale days are May 20–23. Contact Sierra Flynn at 802-658-0381 or email [email protected].

JOB: Vermont Food Systems Summer Study Tour Seeks Media Fellow: The Vermont Higher Education Food Systems Consortium (VermontFoodEducation.org) seeks a documentarian, storyteller, and food and farm enthusiast to cover the inau-gural Vermont Food Systems Summer Study Tour, May 31–June 20. The media fellow will travel, dine, learn and live with the students and instruc-tors throughout their three-week jour-ney. Contact: Paul Costello, Vermont Council on Rural Development; [email protected], 802-223-6091. VermontFoodEducation.org.

Compiled by ruah sWennerFelT—send your evenTs To [email protected]


CONCERT: On May 16, Charlotter and acclaimed singer-songwriter Francesca Blanchard will perform for the benefit of The Joe Shook Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for differ-ently-abled campers to attend Partners In Adventure’s summer day-camp program. The show will be hosted by comedian and Charlotte resident MaryAnne Gatos and will include per-formances by Williston fiddler Duncan Yandell, guitarist Dylan Hudson and R&B artist Jamell Rogers. Williston Central School at 7 p.m. Free refresh-ments provided. Adults: $25, children under 12: $10. Tickets at partnersinad-venture.org or at the door.

Community EvEnts

to Meghan Ann Small and Asha Mills Zimmerman (above), who are engaged to be married. Meghan is the daughter of Nancy Small of Summit, New Jersey, and Jeffrey Small of South Burlington. Her fiancé’s parents live in Keene, New Hampshire, and Saratoga Springs, New York. The couple is completing medi-cal residencies at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island—Meghan in pediatrics, Asha in surgery. Both are graduates of the University of Vermont Medical School. Meghan grew up in Charlotte. They are planning a July 2015 wedding and will live in Cranston, Rhode Island.

to Hannah Tomkinson Fairbank of Charlotte and Michael Bernard Mascia, Ph.D. of Sweden, Maine who were mar-ried in Santa Fe, New Mexico on April 10. Hannah is the daughter of Louise and Jonathan Fairbank of Charlotte. The groom’s parents live in Fayetteville, New York and Sweden, Maine. Hannah and Mike live in Washington, D.C. where she is an international environmental policy advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development and he directs social science programs at Conservation International.

to Oscar Williams, an 11-year-old Charlotter who made his debut as a Broadway actor in fellow Vermonter Alison Bechdel’s play, Fun Home, which opened last Sunday at the Circle in the Square in New York City. Oscar, the son of Tom and Zoe Williams, after audition-ing for several New York plays, won the role of one of the lead character’s brothers. Featured on the front page of the April 20 Art section of the New York Times, Fun Home receives a very posi-

tive review. The reviewer singles out a song sung by Oscar and his brother and sister characters as a “showstopping, cas-ket-riding commercial for Bruce’s [their father’s] funeral home that the Bechdel children whip up while hanging out in the mortuary.”

to Kaylah Sharpe of Charlotte who earned placement on the Stonehill College Dean’s List for the fall 2014 semester. Kaylah is a senior studying education and visual and performing arts. She graduated from Rice Memorial High School.

to attorney Tim Sampson of Charlotte and now also of Downs Rachlin Martin LLC, Burlington, who was recently hired to work in the firm’s real estate law prac-tice group. Sampson was formerly with the Virginia law firm, Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, P.C., where he was a partner and served of counsel.

to the following Charlotte artists whose works are on display in the area: James Vogler’s abstract oil paintings at the South End Arts and Business Association (SEABA) Center on Pine Street through April 24 and at the Innovation Center in Burlington through May 31; Jane Ann Kantor’s work as part of the University of Vermont’s Medical Center Group Show through April 30; and Barbara Smail Award winner Sumaru Tekin’s multimedia installation through June 20 at the Burlington City Arts (BCA) Center.

to Gabe Bushey, of Church Hill Landscapes in Charlotte, who won the New England Nursery Association’s Young Professional of the Year Award, recognizing his achievements as someone under 40 years of age.

is extended to family and friends of Arline Lewis of Charlotte who passed away April 15 at the age of 85. She lived most of her life in Charlotte with her husband, Hugh Lewis, Sr., and her fam-ily. Surviving members include her son Hugh Jr, his wife, Leslie, and their fam-ily. Arline was actively involved in the Charlotte Grange and many community activities. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations in Arline’s memory be

sent to Vermont Audubon, 255 Sherman Hollow Road, Huntington, VT 05462 or online at vtaudobon.org.

is extended to family and friends of James Hight Hayford, Jr. of Burlington who passed away April 7 at the age of 78. His surviving family includes his stepdaughter Stephanie Pizzagalli and her husband, Peter, along with their children Hunter and Colton of Charlotte. The fam-ily asks that those wishing to make con-tributions in Jim’s honor consider doing so to Doctors Without Borders, 333 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001-5004 or online at doctors withoutborders.com.

is extended to family and friends of Anne Marie McGarghan of Burlington who passed away April 14 at the age of 78. Her surviving family includes her son Kevin and his wife, Sarah, of Charlotte along with grandchildren Rory, Leynah, Callie and Finn.

is extended to family and friends of Barbara Hyndman Anderson of Shelburne who passed away April 12 at the age of 88. She and her husband and family lived in Charlotte for many years where she was an active member of the Charlotte Congregational Church since the 1960s, serving on the Grounds Committee, the Restoration Committee,

the Parsonage Committee and the Ladies Aid group. She and her husband, Fred, grew and sold Christmas trees locally for over 35 years. The family asks that those wishing to make contributions in her name consider doing so to the Howard Center, 208 Flynn Avenue Suite 3J, Burlington, VT 05401 or to the Respite House, 99 Allen Brook Lane, Williston, VT 05495.

is extended to family and friends of Katherine R. Carpenter of Burlington who passed away April 8 at the age of 99. She was married for 57 years to Merritt E. Carpenter of Montpelier and Charlotte, and she will be buried in the Grand View Cemetery in Charlotte. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, con-tributions in her memory be made to the VNA of Chittenden County, 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446, to Converse Home, 272 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401, or to TLC Nursing Associates, 1550 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT 05403.

is extended to family and friends of Elbert D. Nostrand of Middlebury, who passed away April 15 at the age of 86. His surviving family includes his son Ben Nostrand and Ben’s wife, Susan, of Charlotte.

Charlotte Shelburne Rotary Club welcomed members, family and friends to a Sugar on Snow Party Sunday afternoon at Palmer's Sugarhouse on Shelburne Falls Road.


Congratulations

The Charlotte News classifieds: Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue (payment must be sent before issue date). Please limit your ad to 35 words or fewer and send it to The Charlotte News Classifieds, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 or email us [email protected].

Regular Church Services

SATURDAYSSt. Jude Catholic Church, Mass, Hinesburg, 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAYSCommunity Alliance Church, Hinesburg, Gathering Place, 9 a.m.,

Sunday School, 9 a.m., Worship, 10:15 a.m. Information: 482-2132.

Charlotte Congregational Church, Worship, 10 a.m., Sunday School,

10 a.m. Information: 425-3176.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mass, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Information:

425-2637.

St. Jude Catholic Church, Mass, Hinesburg, 9:30 a.m. Information:

482-2290.

North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church, Hollow Road, Worship,

10 a.m., Sunday School, 9:45 a.m. Information: 425-2770.

Cross Roads Chapel, Ferrisburgh Ctr. Rt. 7, Sunday Worship 10 a.m.

Information: 425-3625.

Assembly of God Christian Center, Routes 7 and 22A, Ferrisburgh,

Sunday worship, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Sunday School, 9 a.m.

Information: 877-3903.

All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291 Bostwick Farm Road, Shelburne.

Sunday Service 9 a.m., Evensong Service 5 p.m. 985-3819

Trinity Episcopal Church, 5171 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne, 8:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist, 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. “Space for Grace” (educational

hour), 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist (with child care and Sunday School).

985-2269.

Sympathy

Around Town

Scripts & Quips

SUBMITTED BY IRENE HORBAR (BY MAIL)

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INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR PAINTING: If you're looking for quality painting with regular or low-VOC paints and very reasonable rates, call John McCaffrey at 802-999-0963 or 802-338-1331. (-18)

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Classifieds

Charlotte News Volume lVII Number 18 The VoIce of The TowN Thursday, aprIl 23, 2015

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The Charlotte News | April 23, 2015