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The Cabot Chronicle

March 2018 · Issue Record

← From the Cabot Chronicle

The community record for this issue of the Cabot Chronicle, extracted from the original pages. Reprinted with permission from the Cabot Chronicle.

Original issue: Download the March 2018 pages (PDF)

Automated extraction, spot-checked. Advertisements, the business directory, and puzzles are omitted; obituaries appear as individual entries.

In This Issue

By Representative

State Budget – The Governor delivered his Budget Address to a Joint Session of the Legislature in late January. The House Appropriations Committee is continuing to take testimony from Vermont agencies and departments to fully understand and review the proposals set forth by the Administration. In February, nine public hearings were held across the state to provide opportunity for Vermonters to weigh in on the Governor’s proposals. Over 200 Vermonters testified before the committee to share their thoughts and concerns. Highlights of the Governor’s proposed initiatives include investments in community outreach for those experiencing addiction and suffering from mental illness; an economic development plan to encourage people to move to Vermont and to build the economy; services to infants and families impacted by opioids; expanded dental benefits to children and benefits to Vermonters serving in the military. Reductions in the Governor’s proposed budget include eliminating cost sharing benefits to help working Vermonters pay health care premiums; eliminating the attendant care programs serving those with disabilities; reducing developmental disability services by $4 million; reducing Agency of Human Services grants by $4 million and reducing payments to primary care doctors and hospitals. For complete details visit: http://finance.vermont.gov/budget/budget -recommendations/operating-budget/ fy2019 . Education Financing – The House Ways and Means Committee continues its work diligently on a proposal to change the current method of financing Vermont’s education system. The Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday, February 21, in Montpelier for Vermonters to express thoughts and opinions on the proposal. Highlights of the goals of the legislation include:  Reduce the average homestead property tax rate by more than half;  Maintain the non-residential property tax rate at its current amount;  Simplify administration and compliance with the education tax system;  Replace the property tax adjustment

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior

Coordinator: Jeannie Johnson

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~ Mission The mission of The Cabot for the residents of the Cabot that will help readers become

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No part of this paper may be reproduced for typographical errors. Acceptance of advertising indemnify publisher from loss or expense for errors in any advertising beyond the

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OUNTRY

Well, here we are, moving along the year rather quickly, to me. Have lots done and am relatively happy with the way things are going. The puppy is almost no longer a puppy. She is a lively little thing. Her big brother loves her lots. Well, we loved the snow in February and, though there was a lot of work to be done, we made time for fun. The cats have decided that they are indoor cats for winter. They have been running around the house all stir crazy, but having fun chasing each other. The older chickens have made it so far, and I hope they make it another year. One of our older chickens, named Cinnamon, is still laying her big, green eggs. We are amazed and proud of our girl. We are heaving great sighs as we await the crocuses to lift their heads above the snows. It is a ways off, but still sooner than not. I love the spring, when life becomes all green again. All things awaken, including me. I am one of those that has a hard time with the lack of sun; doesn't stop me from making snow angels and go sliding, though. This is the month for St. Patricks' Day, so kiss me, I am not Irish but I could be. LOL. No worries, I am not a big kisser

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The Cabot Chronicle Submission

The Chronicle welcomes letters written with recommended to be no longer than 400 words. turned to the author with suggestions for re-submittal. Cabot Chronicle represent the opinions of the authors The Cabot Chronicle reserves the right to reject our readers. Letters will not be considered for phone number. We will gladly consider articles and The Cabot Chronicle is not responsible for errors Chronicle assume responsibility for claims arising tised on these pages. If you have editorial questions or would like advertising visit our website, www.CabotVermont.org or email other inquiries can also be sent to: The Cabot Chronicle,

the first day of the month and is

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Chronicle is to regularly publish local news Area. Our purpose is to share information better involved in their Community.

05647 2016 by The Cabot Chronicle 1942-0943 without express written permission from Cabot is contingent upon publisher’s approval on claims based upon contents of advertising. Publisher cost of space occupied by individual item in which per year ~ Half year subscriptions

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OMMENTARY

with other folks, just my partner, he is enough. Although there are the families that do kiss and hug one another, nothing wrong with that, I just don't do it. Ever feel like a dark cloud is hanging over your head? Gosh, we do sometimes. It just seems like everything just goes to $ %^&. Lately, every little thing is going wrong. Don't know why, but it is. The refrigerator broke at the same time I had to have all my brakes replaced and one of our pups was sick. I go a little bananas when it goes like this, but realize that this, too, shall pass. Wish it would pass a little more quickly, though, and with less expense. We have been watching a TV series about the existence of aliens - E.T. s. I believe, but then I would anyway, I believe in fairies, too. Just who I am. Pretty interesting show, though, and surprised the History channel put it out. They make some pretty convincing arguments. I guess I believe because the universe is vast and there is room for so many mysteries, why not?! Well, I will be thinking of you all and wishing you well and of good cheer. Until next time, Laura Lee Smith

for Responsible Choices

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Guidelines

an economy of words. The maximum length is Letters may be edited for clarity and length or reAll letters and commentary published in The and not necessarily the opinions of staff. letters that may contain unsuitable material for publication unless signed and accompanied by a photographs for publication. in submitted material. Nor does The Cabot in connection with products or services adver-

provided locally free of charge.

Chronicle. Publisher is not responsible and agreement by advertiser to does not assume liability the error appeared. $12.50

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School Board

On Town Meeting Day this year, Cabot residents will be asked to vote by Australian ballot on a budget proposal to operate Cabot School for the 2018-19 school year. If the proposed budget is approved, it will raise the local Homestead property tax rate in Cabot by 16% and the non-homestead tax rate by 8%. What will that level of increase do to our tax bills, and why has the Cabot School Board chosen to even bring forward a budget for consideration that would produce a tax rate increase of that size? The goal of this month’s school board update is to answer those two questions. In Cabot, there are approximately 440 households that receive a tax bill every year for their “homestead” (their house and up to two acres of surrounding land). About one fourth of those Cabot households pay their Homestead Tax based on the assessed value of that house and two acres. For those Cabot households, the 16% increase in the Homestead Tax rate means that they would pay an additional $291 for every $100,000 of homestead value Each year, about three-fourths of those 440 Cabot households get some level of tax reduction by paying their Homestead tax based on their household income. Built into the current system for funding public schools in Vermont is a provision that families with a household income below $130,000 may apply to pay a set percentage of their household income as their Homestead tax. For Cabot’s budget this year (2017-18), that percentage is 2.98%. Last year, those reductions added up to over $500,000 for Cabot taxpayers. (In order to be eligible for a Homestead Tax reduction, Cabot residents must complete two forms from the Vermont Department of Taxes prior to April 15: the Household Income Form (HI 144), and the Property Tax Adjustment Claim Form (HS-122)). If the proposed Cabot School Budget is approved on Town Meeting Day this year, Homestead tax payers with a household income of $30,000 would pay $106 more in taxes (paying based on their household income) in 2018, while those with household incomes of $50,000 would see an increase of $178. Although Cabot residents paying their Homestead Tax based on their income this year may see a reduction of 50% or more from their “list-price” tax bill, an increase of $100 or $200 a year to pay for the preK-12 education of our town’s kids is still a significant amount to shoulder for lots of households across Cabot. So, why is the Cabot School Board proposing this increase? The short answer is that we have a range of increased costs projected for next year, and we do not believe it to be wise at this point to cut away other parts of our school program to compensate. The increased costs in the proposed budget result from a mixture of unavoidable requirements and targeted improvements. The proposed budget is $330,000 higher than this year’s, and better than half of that increase is due to negotiated increases in salary and benefits for teachers and support staff ($40,000) and increases in special education services for our students that are mandated by law ($135,000).

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Update

The largest improvement in the budget is adding a full-time school counselor at the preK-6 level to adequately meet the increasing need for support of students in those grades. Like many schools across Vermont, we have seen an increase in the number of younger students affected by trauma and adverse childhood experiences. We believe the investment in funding to staff this position ($64,000) is well-warranted by the need. In addition, the budget includes funding for two improvements to our high school program. The first is for a halftime Community Learning Coordinator ($36,000), who will work to increase the opportunities available for our students to learn outside of the classroom. The second addition ($9,000) will fund an increase in the high school social studies position to support the renewal of a senior-year “capstone” project (known previously as IOTA) to give students the opportunity to research and delve into potential career interests before leaving high school. A large factor in the tax increase resulting from the proposed budget this year is the “excess-spending penalty” applied by the State of Vermont to any school district whose education spending per pupil is above a certain threshold level. Cabot’s education spending per pupil for the current school year is $17,635, and the threshold set by the State for next year is $17,816. For our school to stay below that threshold, we would have to eliminate the added staff positions in the proposed budget and cut an additional $63,000 from our existing programs/staff. As a board, we chose not to take that route. The State “excess-spending” penalty has resulted in the Homestead tax rate increasing this year by an additional 5.8%, or about one-third of the overall increase. We have brought this budget forward for consideration by Cabot voters this year because we believe that the funds in it are absolutely necessary to sustain and improve our small, successful community school. Despite the current push to consolidate schools into larger districts and close small schools, we firmly believe that Cabot School (in many ways because of our small size) can continue to creatively and successfully educate the wide range of students that walk through its doors each year. For a number of reasons, the investment needed this year to continue to support that success is larger than usual, and is certainly significant for most of us. However, we believe that cutting away staff and/or programs from the budget this year in the interest of reducing taxes would, by reducing the opportunities and effectiveness of the school, in the end, do more harm than good. In November of this year, the Vermont State Board of Education will decide on the merits of our AGS proposal to continue as an unmerged, preK-12 school district. Whatever decision they eventually make will not go into effect until July 1, 2019. While we await that decision, we want to continue to support in the best way possible the education of the students in pre-kindergarten

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Hattie Jean Dukette

Born November 26, 1928, in Cabot, Vermont, to Annie May (Naugler) and Erwin L. Lupien, Hattie Jean Dukette died February 10, 2018. Jean was part of a large family, with siblings Leon, Louis, Bernice, Mary, Lewis, Mildred, Arlene, John and Helen. Jean enjoyed telling stories of how she, Bernice and Mary struck out on their own, moving to Washington, D.C., to become telephone operators. Jean was a long-standing member of Lucy Webb Hayes Rebekah Lodge #126 I.O.O.F.

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Virginia R. Fuller

Virginia R. Fuller, 81, a longtime resident of Winooski, died on Monday, February 12, 2018, at UVM Medical Center. Virginia was born in Rutland, VT, on February 4, 1937. She was a loving Mom, Grammie and friend to many. She is survived by four children: Mert and Pam of South Burlington, Harry and Cheryl of Cabot, Linda of Florida, and Alan of Montpelier; three grandkids: Tyson and his wife Cara, Adam and his

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Marilyn Bolton Perrin

Marilyn Bolton Perrin of Charlotte passed away peacefully on February 11. She was born in 1935 in her parents' farmhouse in Cabot, Vermont, and graduated from Cabot High School. At UVM, she became "Lyn", and met future husband, David Perrin. Graduating in elementary education, Lyn taught in Morrisville and Shelburne. She married Dave on July 18, 1959, continuing to teach until the birth of their first child. Later, she started a second career, entering the business world as a sales rep for Garden Way, Twincraft and McAuliffe's. Music was essential in Lyn's life and included playing trumpet in the infamous "Bolton Band", as well as singing in the church choir and with the Champlain

through high school that will be attending Cabot School next year. We urge all Cabot residents to become well-informed about this proposed budget prior to voting on it by Australian ballot on Town Meeting Day. We have mailed out a one-page overview of the budget to all Cabot households, and will be holding a budget hearing in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Cabot School District at the Cabot School gym on Monday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. There is also further detail on the Cabot School website (cabotschool.org). If you have additional questions, please contact a School Board member using the contact information below: Chris Tormey (ctormey@cabotschool.org) Jackie Folsom (jfolsom@cabotschool.org ) Sharon O’Connor (soconnor@cabotschool.org) Lisa Olson (lolson@cabotschool.org) Rory Thibault (rthibault@cabotschool.org)

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EMORIALS

Jean married Louis Howard Dukette Sr. in 1959 and they managed a full household in the Merrick section of West Springfield with Jean's sons Gregory and Jeffrey Pratt, Duke's children Brenda Wright, Joyce Isabelle, Larry Dukette and Janice Hall, and their son, Louis H. Dukette Jr. Jean was the proud grandmother of Erica, Alison, Jeffrey, Monique, Luke and Ethan. She reveled in their accomplishments and took great pleasure in seeing them grow. Memorial gifts can be made to: Jewish Nursing Home, 770 Converse St., Longmeadow, MA 01106; First Baptist Church, 337 Piper Road, West Springfield, MA 01089; or The Rebekah Assembly I.O.O.F., 16 Harvard St., Malden, MA 02148. fiance Jess, and Alicia Huntley; seven great-grandkids: Gavin, Emma, Alexis, Bryce, MaKenna, Jaxson, and Landon. She is also survived by one brother, George Bradley, of Winooski. She was predeceased by a son, Larry Huntley, on December 23, 2004, four sisters and a brother. Visiting hours were held February 21, 2018, at the LaVigne Funeral Home, 132 Main Street, Winooski, with burial in the spring. Condolences can be shared at LaVigneFuneralHome.com. Echoes for 50 years & three international championships. She was a lifelong member of the church and loved birds, flowers, butterflies, canoeing (in all 251 Vermont towns) and baking for her family; Lyn's homemade donuts and pies were legendary! Lyn is survived by Dave, her husband of 58 years, and their three children: Cynthia (Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA), Henry (Vashon, WA) and Susan (Boulder, CO), and six wonderful grandchildren. She was preceded by her three older siblings: Foster, Wesson and Margaret. A celebration of Lyn's life will be held at 11 am on Saturday, April 14, at the Charlotte Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to a charity of choice, or the Charlotte Congregational Church, 403 Church Hill Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445.

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School Performance

Data shows that, on average, participating in a school choice program improves student test scores; and the results are most positive within publicly funded programs. Interestingly, the benefits of school choice are not limited to only participating students, school choice also has a positive impact on competition among schools. Competition for school choice students has shown to improve the overall performance of schools; benefiting all students in the district. In other words, the evidence suggests that when schools know that students have options, they take steps to improve. School choice benefits both participating and nonparticipating students. ~ edCHOICE surveys. This ad paid for by Cabot Citizens for Responsible Choices

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By Sarah Spletzer

Rosalind Daniels grew up in Richmond, VA. Being trained as a mathematician, she joined the Peace Corps and taught math in the South Pacific. This led her into a ten-year work and travel experience with her husband, Jack (who is from North Danville, VT), and over time they were joined by their three children, Janet, Clayton and Anne-Perry. The family moved to Cabot, VT, in 1994. Roz is one of the founders of the Cabot Arts Show and Tell group that meets on a monthly basis at the Willey building in Cabot. She set up her studio in the basement of their house on Cabot Plains, working in two media - fiber arts and photography. It is always a delight to see the homes and studios of the artists that I am interviewing. They give me an idea of not just the artist and his or her creative work, but also the kind of life this person lived and the things they treasure. By entering Rosalind’s home and studio, it gets clear rather quickly that she treasures textiles textiles with bold and often colorful patterns from all over the world. I see colorful chairs and rugs and one wall of Rosalind’s fiber art studio seems to be overflowing with pieces of fabric - sorted by color or patterns. You have been out in the world for 10 years, which countries have you lived in? I did a junior year in England and I went to Western Samoa with the Peace Corps. Then Jack and I were both posted in West Africa, the Ivory Coast, for a year and a half, while Jack worked in the embassy. We also lived in India and Nepal for awhile, and in Stockholm, Sweden, for three years, oh and Islamabad, Pakistan. The fabrics you see here I collected over the course of 30 years. I don’t know many artists who work in both photography and textiles. The two media seem so different from each other. What place do they have in your creative life? I always loved working with fabric, my mother taught many of the needle arts. I have always been making quilts and other fiber pieces. They take so long, though! So many hours go into a piece, all the sewing, stitching and the embellishments! When I took a photography class I was fascinated by how quickly you can get from the idea to completing a piece. There is a lot of satisfaction in that! Your fiber art is full of geometrical shapes - lines, squares and often circles. In your photographic work, I find a few more organic, irregular shapes. What are you looking for when you go out with the camera or when you are making an art piece from textile? There are a lot of geometric shapes in my photographic work, as well! and circles. Especially circles, I cles! There is a difference in the Lines love cir-

process, though - when I make a piece from textile I always start with pattern or a piece of fabric that fascinates me. So I am restrained from the start in a certain way.

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S. Daniels

The process of taking a picture is more direct. I capture what I see through my own eyes. It is the most pure statement of what I love. On the fiber arts part of your website, I saw a category called “mud season”, in it there is a piece that is called potholes. It immediately changed my perception from looking at an abstract art piece to looking at a humorous piece of art with a story. Did you make more quilts that have a story woven into them, like that? I made an abstract quilt called “Stripes with orange elements and black and white stripes on it that is based on a few lines from Brandy Clark’s song. She sings about wanting to shoot her husband after finding out that he is cheating on her. But: ” There’s no crime of fashion worth a crime of passion. The only thing savin' your life is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes." Did you ever consider printing some of your photographs on a large format? Some of these “abstracts from nature” look almost like landscapes to me (Roz took close-up pictures of the corn plant that look rather abstract)… Of course I thought about it! But, you know, printing on a large scale like that is really pricy. And my printer only goes up to a certain format. I dream about it, though. Do you remember any first pieces of art that fascinated you or influenced your own work as an artist? There is one, actually. I remember looking at a picture in a book in the 70’s, it showed a black and white photograph of eggs. I remember especially the detail of the light on the eggs. I have been looking for that picture again, but I just can’t find it. You know, it’s funny, inspired by my photography class, I looked at some of my oldest work in photography, and I was surprised to find out that it showed that exactly the same things grab me now: construction sites, shiny things, shapes. That blew my mind! That syrup barrel (she points at a photograph with shiny barrels on them) - I took a very similar picture in the 1970s! At first I was even surprised how my quilts relate to my photographs… well, how stupid is that? It’s the same brain, of course… laughs What is your favorite place in Cabot? I like the land around me. The land we are living on. And I like to go up to Cabot Plains, I photograph there a lot. I like to take pictures of things that don’t move that are outside on a sunny day. So, I never really take pictures of moving things, or people. Landscapes don’t really interest me, either. It is always the details or shape of things. I am a mathematician, at last. Rosalind’s photographic series, “Shape Shifting,” is currently on display at Studio Place Arts in Barre (until March 17). One of her quilts has recently been featured in the book Modern Quilts: Design for the New Century, published by the Modern Quilt Guild. You can visit Rosalind’s website www.rosalindsdaniels.com.

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Advantage Cabot

It’s been a busy a season for Advantage Cabot as we continue to build an independent boarding program targeting outof-state students who will attend Cabot School and be housed with local host families! The support and interest that Advantage Cabot has received has been both affirming and clarifying, and we would like to extend our gratitude to the community. Our neighbors have ‘stepped up’ to provide advice, assistance and input in helping to build the organizational infrastructure which will guide our collective success in supporting the Cabot School as well as contributing to the economic vibrancy of the Town. The support of those who are helping to build an organizational website (launch date planned for March 2018), structure and guide a host family program, develop and launch marketing and recruiting activities, and plan and guide application and admissions policies is gratefully acknowledged. It is also affirming to recognize the vibrancy of the conversation around what a high-quality, resourced, innovative and growing school can contribute to the community as a whole. the School Board, In partnership with Advantage Cabot will be developing an enrichment program of academic and extra-curricular activities including new internship and work-study opportunities - which will be available to all students attending Cabot High School, as well as strengthen the links among the

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By Amy Hornblas

Last fall, I was appointed as the Cabot representative to the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission. Since then, I’ve attended three monthly meetings and wanted to update you on the commission’s work. I will sum up the larger items requiring public input: Storm Runoff Permits: These are about to be required of all entities meeting the “impervious surface” limits, statewide. Properties with one-half to three acres of impervious surface will be required to get a permit. Those affected will include schools, municipalities, businesses, residential communities, etc. Fines may go up to $50,000, and renovations to avoid the fines may cost more, depending on the site. The DEC is currently holding a public comment period.

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Regional Energy Plan: The state is

requiring that regional plans include an Energy Plan to help the state meet its renewable energy goals. The main discussion at our last meeting was about restrictions on large-scale wind generation. Our planning commissioners worked on draft language, but at this month’s meeting, some of the wording was changed, because, by law, when a plan limits the heights of wind operations, it also must limit the height on all other construction (cell towers, buildings). This puts us in a double bind. The original proposal was to limit wind towers over 100’ tall at the hub, at any elevation. Now, the new proposal is to limit wind towers over 100’ only if they are located at an elevation above 2,500 feet. Locations lower than 2,500 will have no height restrictions. (For example, Danville Hill is 2018 Warning can be seen at www.cabotvt.us, in the February Cabot Chronicle 2,198’; very little of Central Vermont is or in the Town of Cabot Annual Report mailed to all Cabot voters in February. above 2,500 feet.) According to the

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Update

school, local businesses and families. It is worth repeating what has been widely discussed and reported: Advantage Cabot will support and enhance Cabot High School and bring significant new investment into the community at no cost to the taxpayer. We are looking forward to Town Meeting Day, March 6, 2018. Among the several important Australian ballot Articles that will be voted on is the CCIF (Cabot Community Investment Fund) Article to approve $25,000 to help 'kick start" Advantage Cabot . At no expense to the taxpayer, these funds will partially resource marketing, advertising, and the hiring of Advantage Cabot’s first Executive Director. A job description for that position is under development and will be publicly posted in March 2018. Our first recruiting trips to meet with out-of-state families interested in Cabot’s model of innovative student-centered learning are planned for this spring, and we hope to welcome visits from some of these students and families in April and May. Questions and commentary are always welcome! Please feel free to contact a member of Advantage Cabot’s Leadership Team. Thanks for your interest and support,

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Update

CVRCP’s Wind Resources Map, the towns in central Vermont with the most “prime wind potential” are Williamstown and Cabot,. More research is being done, and we need to vote on the final language at our next meeting. Forest Integrity: In 2016, the state legislature passed Act 171, which requires regions and towns (municipalities) to consider forest integrity and wildlife habitat in our planning efforts. Under the Land Use section of the Regional Plan, the commission is considering language that would include forestland in the list of protected landscapes, alongside wetlands and slopes. 77% of Vermont falls within the State’s protected forest zone, including much of Cabot. While agricultural and commercial development are recognized as hazardous to forest integrity, the largest culprit, and the first to be addressed by the plan, is “scattered residential development.” Towns will be encouraged to build P.U.D’s, where the houses are grouped tightly together, and to build up their villages, while discouraging homes that have woods between themselves and their neighbors. However, logging and “locally produced forest products” such as biomass will be encouraged within the Integrity zones. Central Vermont is rich in biomass potential according to the CVRCP Biomass Potential map. This additional protected zone, and its priorities, are now moving through a public hearing process. If you would like to share your thoughts on these issues, or learn more about what is going on, please be in touch with me, or call the CVRCP office. Sincerely, Amy Hornblas

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One Night of Queen at Barre Opera

House. 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Tickets available barreoperahouse.org Performed by Gary Mullen and the Works. A spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of the greatest rock bands and Freddie Mercury. You have got to see this event. Any fans out there who flocked to Queen will not want to miss this show!!

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Should We Support

By Johanna Thibault Schools touch multiple facets level, foster the future generations omy. It’s no wonder the debates surrounding caught in the weeds and forget all of our community. Like many small schools, Cabot ment. For FY 18, the School’s enrollment classrooms, and yet we are still facing mont. Even Burlington, a much larger increase this year because of rising $250,000 from its school budget and right, we do not stand alone in this What the Cabot School Board crease in the context of the larger Rather than cut key programs and this is a bridge year and stability way to ensure a steady enrollment make sure the school has the key School is a gem, but cutting programs will be its demise. Having a great school in a community growth of a town, and the reputation our community. When my husband ing for the perfect place to settle down reason we chose to live in this incredible schools are in Washington County, three. That’s saying a lot for a small Cabot School campus sustains tunities provide an enriching student poseful lives. Despite the challenges triculation rate, and success of its schools in our region that serve less Historically as a community, Cabot portunity to succeed. Much of that to do with the inclusive culture and Cabot School community welcomes prime role its teachers, staff, and effects of caregiver opiate addiction, generational poverty. The success courses offered, and much more to apparent in U.S. World and News 53% of our students at Cabot were of our 12 th graders passed at least as Montpelier (21% and 48%, respectively), Burlington (20% and 43%, respectively), There is always room for improvement, fect, but it is working. Despite the mont school faces, the school is providing Cabot School is the center of our fabric. It might not be a school for small school atmosphere, but it is dents are thriving in this school their children to grow up in this incredible

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Interested in Becoming

Advantage Cabot, in partnership welcoming our first two high schoolers Families interested in exploring the aged to contact Advantage Cabot. into their homes and families receive Advantage Cabot students must and the Cabot High School, and families throughout the year. Interested in learning more? Contact

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Cabot School?

of our lives: they affect our children on a person of our towns, and fuel the heart of a town’s econCabot School are heated. It’s easy to get the things that make the school an incredible part

is susceptible to sharp rises or declines in enrollnumbers are steady, particularly in K-8 a tax increase like nearly every school in Verschool district, is looking at up to a 10% tax school costs. Our neighbor Twinfield painfully cut will still have a tax increase of over 4%. That’s predicament. is doing differently is looking at this budget ineducation spending issues occurring in the state. supporting faculty, the Board is recognizing that and growth is what we need to thrive. The only to keep even our K-8 program successful is to elements it needs to be a great school. Cabot and the critical pieces that create its greatness

is essential to the economic stability and of Cabot School is bringing young families to and I moved back to Vermont and were searchand raise our family, Cabot School was a huge little town. Ask most people what the best and Cabot School will nearly always be in the top school. a vibrant atmosphere of inquiry. Its distinct opporexperience and lead its graduates to seek purof rural poverty, the SAT scores, college magraduates match or exceed those of other larger economically disadvantage student bodies. has ensured that ALL students have the opgoes beyond the dollar spent and has much more dedication of faculty, staff, and families. The all students with open arms, and recognizes the administration play every day in dealing with the family instability, trauma, and multiof the school has less to do with the quantity of do with the quality of the experience. This is also Report data from April 2017 that reported that on the free/reduced lunch program, and yet 54% one AP exam. Compare this to other towns such U32 (31% and 28%, respectively), South and Stowe (15% and 61%, respectively). as this is not implying that the school is persocial and economic challenges a small rural Vera quality education to our children. community’s social, economic, and educational everyone, and certainly not everyone thrives in a working and has worked for generations. Our stuand young families are moving to Cabot to allow community.

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an Advantage Cabot Host Family?

with Cabot High School, is looking forward to into the community in late August 2018! possibility of becoming a host family are encourHost families will welcome an out-of-state student a stipend of $9,000 for the academic year. apply and be accepted to both Advantage Cabot ongoing support is available for both students and

Karen Larsen at kklarsen@hotmail.com. community members in support of Cabot School

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a Counselor for Prek-8???

By Sonia Lea You are probably wondering why an elementary guidance counselor is added into the budget for FY 2018 at such a crucial time in budget numbers. The children of this community need to have their social and emotional learning potential met because it is in the forefront of everything they do. This is the time when they are developing their skills for problem solving, building relationships with others as well as learning how to identify and regulate their emotions; this all needs to happen alongside their academic learning. If children do not have their emotional needs met, they often cannot access learning regardless of how the teacher carefully considers the learning plan. One guidance counselor for a PreK-12 school is not nearly enough for the needs of these children. Our high school guidance counselor has her own considerable task of trying to help young people decide who they want to be, get them on the right path to success, and help them grow. Our teachers can help but only so much, they have task and need to focus on the learning part of the children's education and teachers are not trained for the guidance some of these children need. We need someone who can help guide our young children of this community. The unintended consequence of not having this staff in the current year has been that our principal David Shilling, has been sitting in the K-6 classrooms to implement the necessary support demanded by special education students. As the social and emotional needs vastly exceed what a single counselor can provide, especially with the vast roles and responsibilities spanning PreK-12, the School Board has proposed in its budget the hiring of a qualified elementary-grades counselor. Providing a counselor in this position will allow Mr. Shilling to do job he was hired to do. The school is given the job to teach all children regardless of what their home life may be and the challenges it can pose. The school needs to be there for the children and to help them at their times of need, to have a support system and someone to confide in, to feel wanted and loved, to know it will be ok, to be able work with their peers and teachers, and to not be disruptive in class taking the time away from other students. We want to make successful young adults come out of our Cabot community we need to support them. These are children and no sacrifices should ever be made on their wellbeing.

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for a Life Time of Learning!

By Doris and Niels Larsen As grandparents of a sixth grader, my wife and I have seen first-hand that improvements made over the last three to four years really do work; better curricular continuity and teacher-parent communication, emphasis on writing; multiple project based learning opportunities each year. Examples include designing a ski resort, the biology of the Atlantic Ocean, Crime forensic and writing a crime mystery. The teams research each topic, drawing on internet sources and print material. They produce well organized reports and story boards that explain what they have learned in writing and with presentations in front of their peers and families. The Limes, whose band performances are second to none in Vermont, is an outstanding example of experience based learning that includes writing original music and arranging performance tours, both in and out of state. Graduates who have learned to work in teams and independently acquire knowledge and will be well prepared for future careers that are evolving rapidly as science and technology advances. Individuals whose experience with the school goes further back in time often have less favorable views. We shared them at that time. To fully understand the transformation that has taken place, attend one of the public displays and presentations of projects at the CSPAC and/or talk to current high school students. They will impress you!

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What would a Community Learning Coordinator do?

The Community Learning Coordinator would be a half-time position, to connect high school students with Cabot area community members for internships and mentoring. This will provide students with an early introduction to a valuable skill, trade, and/or career interest. The Community Learning Coordinator staffer would have multiple roles, including: Working with students and the guidance counselor to create a plan for meeting student’s educational and career goals. Find internship and mentoring arrangements to meet these goals Overseeing the placement and supervision of students with their community partners. Don’t we already have career training at Cabot? Yes, but for a number of reasons outlined below, career training is not easily accessible to all students. The Flexible Pathways Initiative, created in 2013 by Act 77, encourages high schools “to create personalized learning environments that offer flexible pathways to graduation". Vermont has joined a number of other states that are requiring that high school seniors demonstrate proficiency in a specific skill before graduating, rather than simply passing a set number of courses in a variety of subject areas. In the spirit of the Flexible Pathways Initiative, Cabot School has provided a variety of flexible pathways: early college, dual enrollment courses, and Barre Technical Center. However, many students prefer to stay on the Cabot School campus because of strong interest in particular classes (music, art, and dance are examples), which they would miss by attending off-site learning. And many students also prefer to stay on campus because of their close social bonds with their fellow students. Further, the current offerings are only for 11 th and 12 th graders. How would having a Community Learning Coordinator expand access for students? With the guidance and support of the Community Learning Coordinator, students will be able to remain on the Cabot school campus for most or all of their classes, and incorporate job skills training into their education via after-school and weekend mentoring and internships. They will also have the opportunity to incorporate their skills into traditional classes and school projects. Learning opportunities will be open to all high school students, 9 th -12 th grade, unlike the current system which is open only to the 11 th and 12 th grade.

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What are the benefits to students?

Having marketable skills directly out of high school is an invaluable asset, especially in our community. We have a high rate of poverty in Cabot, and college is increasingly expensive. It’s important that students who feel strongly about starting work directly out of high school are able to step into good jobs, sufficient to support themselves, and eventually, their families. At the same time, there are many students who would benefit from continuing traditional college-prep classes while also participating in an internship. Having a Community Learning Coordinator would allow this flexibility. For instance, a student who enjoys math and science may want to learn the electrician’s trade while in high school, while taking classes sufficient to attend college for electrical engineering. With a combination of hands-on electrician’s training and a college degree, they would be in an excellent position to become a Master Electrician. Another example would be a musically-inclined high school student, who stays on the Cabot campus for the excellent music program, while being mentored on weekends by a recording artist in Hardwick. They would be in a great position to attend the Music Industry track at Lyndon State, and continue on to a career in a field they love. It is worth noting these examples, while anonymous, reflect actual students and community members in Cabot.

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In summary…

The hiring of a Community Learning Coordinator would be a great asset to the students, and forge greater connections between Cabot school and the community at large. It’s an opportunity for more students to access real world learning, and establish adult contacts in Cabot as they themselves transition to adulthood. Funding the Community Learning Coordinator is a reasonable, valuable addition to the school budget.

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What Advantage Cabot is?

By Susan Alexander Cabot School is small, and although the attendance is steady, the costs per pupil are higher because of our size. Cutting critical programs or faculty positions from the school, as well as necessary maintenance costs to keep the facilities safe and clean for our students, is not and should not be an option. The only thing that can truly make the per pupil cost go down is to increase the number of students attending the school. It is important to note that the issues we face in Cabot are not special to our school they are happening all across the state. Even our neighbor, Twinfield, is seeing a cost increase despite having reduced their expenses by a quarter million dollars compared to last year. After the “no” vote on June 20, 2017, a small group of residents got together to think about how they could assist Cabot School’s effort to be sustainable in the longterm. Through this think tank the concept of “Advantage Cabot” was born. Advantage Cabot has developed an independent boarding program targeting outof-state high school students who will attend Cabot School and be housed with local host families. The primary goal of this program is to support and enhance Cabot School and bring significant investment into the community at no cost to the taxpayer. Advantage Cabot’s proposal promises to meet three critical goals. The first, and most advantageous, is the increase of enrollment in Cabot high school. As mentioned, the best and easiest way to reduce the costs of our small school is to add students. Second, Advantage Cabot would add revenue to the school without additional strain on Vermont taxpayers by encouraging the infusion of funds from outside of the state. Finally, Advantage Cabot would support the Cabot community through stipends to host families and the visits of students’ families to the area. What Advantage Cabot is not is a private school, nor is it an attempt to privatize Cabot School. Advantage Cabot is a not-for-profit entity with the sole purpose of recruiting high school students from outside of Vermont to bring our per pupil costs down to reduce the burden on taxpayers. The goal would be to have a maximum projected enrollment by year ten (FY ‘29) with a maximum of eight students per highschool class to enhance graduation high school class numbers by an average of 30%. The intended result would be an infusion of students and funding that would provide an estimated $350,000 of revenue to the FY ‘23 budget, with other financial support for enrichment programs that would be open to all high school students attending Cabot School. The School Board’s support of this program is not reflected in any of the current budget numbers, as Advantage Cabot is not requesting anything from the School Board but its support. An agreement is underway between the School Board and Advantage Cabot to spell out the pathways for this future relationship as Advantage Cabot recruits future graduates to the school.

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FAQs about Cabot Mentoring

Susan Socks, Cabot Mentoring Program Coordinator How do you decide who needs a mentor? We don’t, because our philosophy is that EVERYONE needs mentors. I have a work mentor who is helping me be a better program coordinator, and I love learning this way! Cabot Mentoring focuses on matching youth age 7-17 with adult mentors: the only requirement for youth is that they are between 7-17 years, and want to have a mentor.

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Do mentors get background checks?

Yes. Mentors are screened using the same background checks as Cabot public school staff. They also go through a secondary set of background checks, which utilize national databases. Potential mentors are interviewed, and we check personal references. At Cabot Mentoring, we take the quality of our mentors and the safety of Cabot children very seriously. How do you match mentors and mentees? Will I get matched with someone I don’t like? We interview mentors, youth, their teachers, and their families to get a clear picture of their personalities and interests. Once we’ve found a mentor and youth that seem to be a good match, an introductory meeting is held. If the mentor, youth, and family are satisfied, the mentoring relationship begins. If there is any doubt from any of the parties, more time is given, and occasionally, a different match found. The match HAS to be approved by everyone: child, family, and mentor. Mentoring, above all, should be fun, and we do our best to create great friendships.

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What do mentors and mentees do?

That’s really up to the pair to decide. Some like to go hiking or kayaking, some talk about what they’re reading, do puzzles, garden, play around in a creek, or sew. Maybe they’ll kick around a soccer ball, or bake a cake, or paint with watercolors. Some go to concerts, or sports events, or museums. They visit farms, and creemee stands. Is Cabot Mentoring just for kids at Cabot School? Can kids who do home or private schooling get mentors too? Cabot Mentoring is open to ALL youth in Cabot, ages 7-17. This sounds kind of fun. How can I learn more, and sign up to be a mentor?

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By Jane Youngbaer

On March 24 at Burlington High School, Cabot will once again participate in the Vermont Destination Imagination State Tournament. This is the 16th consecutive year for Cabot and the 39th year for Vermont. Three Cabot teams will each present their unique Challenge solution in the form of an eight-minute skit. The competition also includes a brief Instant Challenge, never seen before and top secret until the D.I. season is over at the end of May. The State Tournament is free and open to the public. “Unlikely Attraction” is the scientific challenge chosen by fifth and sixth graders Garan Ward, Ethan Searles, Annastee Lang, and Kaelynn Lang. The Team Manager is Angela Ward. Their creative performance will include an amusement park-type attraction that uses technical methods and takes place in an unlikely location. They are thinking outside the box with characters that are foods in a churning stomach! Three is the number for the engineering challenge “Drop Zone,” with three third graders, Oliver Searles, River Maxfield, and River Thibault. They are building a small, light structure out of wood, cork, rubber bands, fishing line, and glue. The structure is built to withstand as much impact as possible from weights that are dropped on it. Their skit must incorporate the idea of a sudden impact! Jane Youngbaer is the Team Manager. Rising Stars, with kids in Kindergarten through second grade, is a non-

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Imagination

competitive level. They are doing the Challenge “Friends Everywhere,” in which they learn about different cultures and present a skit about similarities and differences between two cultures of their choice. The kids are Chandler Bothfeld, Lexi Bothfeld, Lynn-Marie Ducas, Owen Maxfield, Bella Miller, Molly Paire, Mary Rogerson, and Freya Van Deusen, with Team Managers Jane Youngbaer and Rose Bothfeld. Like many non-profit organizations, Destination Imagination struggles to have enough money. In Cabot, especially, where the school no longer funds this program, we totally depend on fundraising and donations to keep it going. Many thanks to the Searles family for donating snacks to all the teams every week! We also greatly appreciate volunteer efforts and personal donations. You can help, too! You can volunteer to be a Team Manager or an Appraiser at the State Tournament. Please attend fundraisers coming soon.. Also, donations of any amount will help us finish this year in the black and give us a good start to continue D.I. next year. Just write a check to Cabot School with the memo D.I. activity account, and deliver or send to the school at 25 Common Road. In addition, you can help Vermont Destination Imagination (which helps Cabot) by purchasing an ad or “shout out” in the Tournament Souvenir Program. For details about this and other questions, please contact janeyoungbaer@gmail.com. Thanks to all who support Destination Imagination!

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and Ambulance

The Town of Cabot’s Fire Station was constructed in 1962 with two bays; a lean-to section was added in 1970. Two additional bays were added in 1992, making it a total of four bays. The Cabot Ambulance Service is housed in one of the four bays. The Town Plan recently adopted in 2017 states that “the Fire

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Department is actively searching for

a new site to allow for expansion of the facility to meet current needs.” The search is over! The Town of Cabot has recently purchased a property (2466 Main Street) that was offered by HUD (Housing and Urban Development), which is located in the lower end of the village. After an emergency session held by the Selectboard on February 8, 2018, it was decided to offer a bid of $95,000. That bid was accepted and we are moving forward to eventually construct on this site a building for the Fire Department and Ambulance Service and to accommodate future growth. It’s an ideal location that will be able to serve the needs of the town and will provide space to train a volunteer force of fire and ambulance personnel. The purchase of the property will possibly come

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Building

from three streams of revenue. One will be a reserve fund of the fire department, another from a reserve fund of the ambulance service, and the balance from a CCIF grant/loan. The purchase price is well below the assessed value of the newly purchased property. This is a win-win for Cabot! The search is over and now we, as a community, can begin the planning and fundraising process required to build a home for these two essential services. The Fire Department and the Town will be actively seeking grants to pay for this facility. We envision a Fire/Ambulance Working Group made up of individuals from these services, the Selectboard, individuals in the town with building expertise and any others who want to be part of the process. We are sure the end product will be a facility that our whole town will be proud of, and one that will support essential services in the saving of homes and lives in our community and those around us. Cabot Selectboard

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By Adam Overbay

This March 6th will mark an incredibly important decision for the people of Cabot. For years now, we have debated among ourselves and tried to find ways to reconcile our desire to give our kids the best education we possibly can against our shrinking tax resources. If the school budget currently on the ballot passes, it means that we will have increased the tax burden on our residents by nearly 50% since 2013. Obviously, something has to change. Now, a group of residents has come up with a plan known as Advantage Cabot, and it’s very ambitious. It relies on convincing out-of-state families to send their children to Cabot, treating our public school as if it were a private boarding school. The current estimated tuition for one of these students will be $44,000 a year, an expense that is 18% higher than the average yearly income of a family in Cabot. It is quite literally cheaper to send a student to Princeton University ($43,450) than it would be to send a child to Cabot School. Advantage Cabot is bold and innovative, but a growing number of residents are concerned that it may not be realistic. Generally speaking, families who send their kids to boarding school fall into one of three broad categories. The first are “legacy students” - in this case a parent went to a prestigious school and now the child will attend, as well. The second category is a parochial school - a school with a religious curriculum. The third is a school for children with special needs - a place for kids who need a specific special education program. Unfortunately, Cabot School does not conform to the first two of these, and we do not have the resources to provide a good educational environment for the third category. Even with a $44,000 tuition, the portion that would go to the school (after boarding costs and Advantage Cabot’s cut) would only cover students without any sort of special needs. Beyond the problem of finding families that would send students to Cabot, there’s all sorts of questions that still go unanswered. If a child is injured or ill while they are attending school, how will care be provided and who will pay the costs? If there are behavioral issues, who assumes responsibility for disciplinary action - the school, Advantage Cabot, or the host family? Just what sorts of afterschool programs is Advantage Cabot providing, and will our local students have access to them, as well? If so, how will that be paid for? How much influence will a private organization have over our public school, and will it have more of an ability to affect decisions than the voting residents of Cabot? And larger issues are still looming. Notably, the school facilities themselves are in a state of disrepair. The buildings that house our Elementary School are in dire need of black mold remediation, plumbing and heating system fixes, and structural repairs. Right now, our K-8 students need bottled water deliveries because of unacceptable levels of lead in the drinking fountains in their buildings.

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Structure

We have a miniature version of the Detroit crisis right in our town. The buildings our Elementary Students are in were designed to last 20 years, and they were built over 40 years ago - if they were any sort of residential building subject to inspection, they would be condemned. Honestly, would you pay $44,000 a year to send your child to school where they can’t drink the water? Beyond just the school, there are dangerous implications for the town if this tax increase passes. Many of those affected by this increase are on a fixed income. Multiple families have indicated that, if this occurs, they will be forced to move out of our community. We may well see FOR SALE signs sprouting along with the tulips this May. And ironically, people moving will probably not get full market value for their homes, because selling a home for a fair price when the tax rate is so high is nearly impossible. The tax increase and Advantage Cabot are well intentioned, but they are a dangerous gamble for our town. Innovation is wonderful, but in order to take full advantage of it, we need to be able to afford the risk of failure - and that’s not a position we are in. Fortunately for us, there are three well-established paths to a school system that both serves the needs of our students and does not burden our community with open-ended taxes. They are Unionization, State Choice, and Designated Choice. Unionization would allow us to merge high schools with neighbors like Walden and Barnett - sharing costs and pooling our resources to give a larger curriculum and better extracurriculars for our teens. Walden, Barnet and Waterford have already started this process and are looking at savings of over $1.3 million dollars. If we were to join with them, that figure would be even higher. Statewide Choice would allow parents and students to choose a high school in the state that best fits that student’s educational needs. Many families with students in our school already support and desire this system. As it is now, the school opens up a limited number of “Choice” slots to allow Cabot students to attend other schools - and they are coveted. Finally, we have an option of Designated Choice, where the voters of Cabot

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Dog License Fees Due April 2

what of a hybrid of the above two systems - it ensures that our students are guaranteed placement in a nearby school, while significantly lowering the tax burden on our residents. In each path, our high school students would be afforded the chance to attend a high school that would give them more This is a reminder to license your dog by April 2, 2018. Be sure rabies vaccinations are up to date. The price is $13.00 for dogs that are not spayed or neutered and $9.00 for dogs that are spayed or neutered. Our office is open from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. We will have a table in the school gym so you can license you dog(s) at Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, from 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. education opportunities than we can provide. This would also allow us to focus on providing our Pre-K through 8 school students with an enhanced educational experience - by moving them into the main building, which is easier and more cost-effective to maintain, and voting more resources to giving them the tools for success. And it would allow our residents to breathe a little easier knowing their kids are getting a quality education without having to make compromises in the household budget. But we must act soon - Montpelier is beginning to look at schools for forced closures. If we increase our tax rate, and squander our opportunity to take advantage of these three well-trodden paths to success, then the target will surely be on Cabot School. If that happens, we lose the high school and the elementary school, both. Let’s not gamble with our future - let’s take a sure shot.

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TAX HELP

The Tax season is going strong at Twin Valley Senior Center. There are a few time slots left, so if you are low in-

service is for all low income residents at no charge to you. Twin Valley does appreciate donations for the center if you wish to donate. What should you plan to bring to your tax appointment?  Social Security cards (or mail from Social Security) with the full names of both spouses and any dependents you’ll claim - names and SSN’s must exactly match the government’s records or the return will be returned for correction. dates of birth Also, we’ll need the for any dependents you may be able to claim.  Photo ID for both spouses – If available, bring a Vermont driver’s license or other state-issued photo ID - identity theft is a big concern and Vermont requires this information on the return!  All your ‘tax information’ reporting income - wages (and tips), retirement and Social Security benefits, unemployment, dividends and interest, proceeds from sales (and the cost of assets sold), earnings from selfemployment, gambling winnings, etc. etc.

payments you made to the IRS and/or to Vermont  Records of expenses, including mileage, you might claim as deductions from your self-employment income or as itemized deductions  Your 2017-18 property tax bill if you own your home (to claim the Property Tax Adjustment)  Landlord’s Certificate (signed original) for Vermont Renter Rebate  Your 2016 tax returns for reference and comparison

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C ENTER

 For Property Tax Adjustment or Renter Rebate, the name, SSN and income of anyone else who shares your home (required to be reported as part of the ‘Household Income’ used to calculate the Adjustment or Rebate)  If you are expecting (or maybe just hoping for) a refund, and you want it to be directly deposited into your checking account, a blank check that has the bank routing and account numbers to be entered in your tax return filing The volunteers are trained to prepare most ordinary returns. However, if you have income from rental property, or you have a business with employees, inventory, depreciable assets or expenses in excess of $10,000, those schedules are ‘out of scope’ for this program. The volunteers can handle capital gains or losses from the sale of securities or your primary residence if you have the cost or ‘basis’ information.

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ST. PATRICK’S DAY DINNER

Mark your calendar for Friday, March 16, for our annual St. Patrick’s Day delicious fundraiser dinner. Once again, Wood, The Abbey Group and Ray “courtesy of the Capitol Food Court of the State House“ will host the Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner with all the fixings. The fundraiser will take place at the center from 4:00 -7:00 p.m., price is $10.00 for adults, children 12 and under $5.00. The fundraiser is to support our Meals on Wheels program. Remember, every dollar you spend at the Twin Valley Senior Center helps citizens in your neighborhood by attending the center or having Meals on Wheels. They receive good nutrition either way - the homebound have someone making a short visit and checking on their well- being. Those attending the center help combat isolation and loneliness. We hope you will help us support all of them by attending this special function out of the kindness of The Abbey Group.

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HELP NEEDED FRIDAYS

TVSC is looking for a Friday volunteer for our Dining Room from 9:00-2:00 p.m. The position consists of setting breakfast snack, greeting seniors, helping seniors with coffee and snack, preparing tables for lunch, serving the ones needing lunch, clearing dishes for dessert, help serve dessert, clear tables, wipe down tables. Visit with seniors until bus departs. Hourly wage and free lunch!

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F ROM T HE C ABOT

Please consider voting YES at Town Meeting to support the proposed outdoor play structure outside the Willey Building. Congratulations to Anne Miller, winner of our Win with Words! monthly drawing, where participants take a New York Times crossword puzzle home (available at the library), fill it out as best as you can, bring it back and enter it into a monthly drawing for a prize. This past month’s prize was the book : Mark Twain’s Notebooks: Journals, Letters, Observations, Wit, Wisdom and Doodles, by Carlo De Vito. Many thanks to Bill Walters for donating the book and puzzles.

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Square Dance – Saturday, March

10 – 7:30 p.m. This dance series consists of monthly dances on the second Saturday of the month, September through May. All are invited. Music will be provided by David Carpenter and friends. The dances are taught and easily learned by young and old. The contra and square dances are traditional Vermont and New England social dances that have been danced for many generations in the town halls, barns, and kitchens around Vermont. The music is provided by piano and an assortment of fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and the occasional surprise instrument. Musicians are always invited to sit in and join with the fun of playing traditional dance tunes. There is a small suggested donation to help cover the cost of the caller. For more info, please call David Carpenter at 802or email samlyman@sover.net.

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Tuesday, March, 13 – 6:30 p.m. din-

ner (please RSVP), 7:00 p.m. movie In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history, and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk. This film is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow,

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Wednesday, March 21 – 10:30 –

11:30 a.m. Cabot Community Book Group generally meets the third Wednesday of the month. This month’s selection will be The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, by Kate Moore. Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their aweinspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to lifechanging regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives. All are welcome to join in! Copies of books will be available in the library.

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Wednesday, March 21 – 7:00 p.m.

Learn the history and current uses of water (hydrogen on demand) for fuel and health. Discussion of the film (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=t98UBY3GhhI&t=24s), and the work of Tesla, Stan Meyers and modern innovators. Demonstration of H2 and HHO. RSVP, please. Marc will provide a reading list for those interested.

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March 27 – 7:00 p.m.

Come learn about the primary benefits of essential oils. Find out ways to effectively and safely use essential oils to support a more natural lifestyle as an alternative way to manage health issues. Elysia Gingue is a wellness advocate of doTERRA essential oils and offers classes in the St. Johnsbury area.

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Thank you!

Thanks so much to Anne Miller and Jen Boucher for their help with the climate change movie series, and to Austin Deasy for his leadership with Pokémon Club. Thanks also to Billie O’Connor for all her hard work on our new website and to Vicki Palmer for her help weeding the children’s collection. Thanks again to all the folks who come in regularly to help out - Lorelai Bastress, Mekiah Smith, Cameron Hoffman and Beth Wade.

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← From the Cabot Chronicle