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The Cabot Chronicle

June/July 2020 · 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 June/July 2020 pages (PDF)

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

In This Issue

CABOT ♦ DANVILLE

by Catherine Toll

Typically, at this point in the year, the Vermont Legislature has either adjourned for the year or is in its final days of deliberations. Due to the coronavirus, we are still working remotely and will be back, hopefully at the State House, in the late summer/early fall to complete work on the State budget. To keep the State budget in balance, it has been the practice of the legislature to adjust the current year budget in January, half-way through the fiscal year. This year we are finding ourselves doing a second budget adjustment just weeks before June 30 - the end of the fiscal year. The impact of the coronavirus has resulted in lost revenue in excess of $48 million and approximately $143 million in deferred tax revenue that is not expected to be received until July 15. Deliberate budgeting decisions have resulted in healthy reserves to help weather this storm and to balance the current year budget, but even our reserves will not be enough to solve all the fiscal issues we are facing for 2021 that have been created by this pandemic. Following the passage of the supplemental budget adjustment, the Legislature has started work on a quarter year fiscal year 2021 budget, which begins on July 1 and runs through June 30, 2022. This budget is likely to stay focused on keeping state government open and running while the Legislature waits for the impacts of the coronavirus on the economy to settle and a more accurate revenue forecast is available from the State’s economists. This first phase budget will be adjusted in August when the Legislature returns to complete a fiscal year 2021 budget in its entirety. Difficult decisions around programming and policy will be made to make up for the erosion of revenues due to COVID-19.

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OMMUNITY

Dear Editor: My name is Henry Pearl. I would like to announce that I am running as a democrat for the Caledonia-Washington district seat for the House of Representatives. I am a lifelong Danville resident, I graduated with my associate’s from Vermont Technical College, then achieved my bachelor’s from University of Vermont. My wife, Allison, and I own and operate an organic dairy farm. We have two sons who attend Danville School, they are the fourth generation on the farm. I have served on the Rescue squad, the Development review board and the

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior to production

Coordinator: Jeannie Johnson

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♦ PEACHHAM

The State of Vermont has received a $1.25 billion grant from the Federal Government to help with expenses related to the coronavirus. This grant has very strict guidelines for its use and at this time is not allowed to replace any lost revenue to the state. The money must be appropriated and all activities associated with its use must be complete before December 31. Any unused money must be returned to the Federal Government after the deadline and any use that does not meet the guidelines as interpreted by the US Treasury will have to be paid back. There are a tremendous amount of requests for the use of the money and there must be great scrutiny, as it is critical that all expenditures are prioritized and meet the federal rules. These are very troubling times and I am committed to helping you navigate State Government to get assistance with unemployment claims or PUA – Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or other needed services. The backlog for unemployment benefits have been brutal for many Vermonters. Additionally, if you know of anyone needing help as the situation continues, please reach out to me. All legislative work is being conducted remotely. These actions can be followed live on YouTube. For additional information on any bill or actions in the House or Senate or standing committees, please visit www.leg.state.vt.us. These are live pages and are updated regularly. Please contact me directly with your questions and concerns. As always, it is truly an honor to represent our communities at the State House. kittytoll@live.com ktoll@leg.state.vt.us

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OMMENTARY

planning commission for the town of Danville. Currently, I serve on the Danville Selectboard. I am passionate about agriculture and the influence it has had on the development of our strong communities. As a small business owner, parent, and community member I hope I can provide a solid, relatable voice for all of our residents. I am asking for your support and am looking forward to working within our district to create a viable economy and ensure a safe environment to raise the next generation of Vermonters. Sincerely, Henry Pearl

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to Constituents

After great consideration, I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election to the Vermont House of Representatives. Serving in the State Legislature and representing my constituents from the towns of Cabot, Danville and Peacham for the past 12 years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. We have experienced tumultuous economic times, as well as a divided political landscape, and I am humbled by the trust my district has placed in me to help navigate these waters. As a member of the Legislature, I am especially proud of my reputation to reach across party lines to complete work. We are fortunate to live in a state where members unite and enjoy working together to get bills to the finish line. It is not always harmonious; however, members genuinely display respect and kindness, and I am honored to be part of this group. Twelve years ago, the House Committee on Agriculture was my first assignment, and, as I have stated often to my colleagues, it is one of the most important committees convened in the State House. Vermont’s agricultural heritage defines much of who we are as a state and those rich values run deep. I have been deeply committed to initiatives to support this important sector of the State. Since 2010, I have served on the House Appropriations Committee and have had the privilege to serve as Chair for the past four years. Supporting Vermonters in need, advocating for the Northeast Kingdom, building the State’s reserves and balancing the budget have been my priorities. Four years of unanimous budget votes out of committee and near unanimous budget votes on the House Floor is a record in which I take great pride. From a young age, my mother instilled in me and all my siblings the importance of community service and a passion for politics. I am sorry she did not live to see two of her daughters serve as Chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees – she would have enjoyed this! It is especially meaningful to me that I currently hold the legislative seat my mother held many years ago, and we are the only two women to do so. Her political interests never waned; each day before leaving for the State House, I would receive her call asking the same question, “What’s going on in Montpelier today?” While this decision is personally difficult for me, changing direction often brings new opportunities. Thank you to all who have supported me and placed your trust in me to be the voice of our communities in Montpelier. I am grateful to have had the honor to serve you in the Legislature.

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C ALL EVERY T UESDAY !

With so many events canceled due to COVID-19, you may get a bit bored and lonely at times. Social distancing can be stressful and isolating. But you can stay connected without setting foot outside your home. Join us for a Group Phone Call to socialize and stay connected. It is free of charge and all you need is a telephone.

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Every Tuesday, 10:15 a.m.

To participate in the call, 2. Enter the access code 5163419 then press # (pound sign) Local helpers will be on the call to answer questions and help locate for folks who need extra support while the state continues to If you have any questions, please call Faith in Action at

bi-monthly and is provided locally free of charge.

express written permission from The Cabot Chronicle . Publisher is not responis contingent upon publisher’s approval and agreement by advertiser based upon contents of advertising. Publisher does not assume liability for by individual item in which the error appeared.

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Meet Cabot’s New

by Angela Ogle With this most unusual school year coming to a close, many of us are wondering what the next school season will bring. Of course, much remains uncertain, but we do know we will be welcoming a new principal, Rebecca Tatistcheff, at Cabot School. She comes to us with a resume abundant in experience, both in rural education and project-based learning. But our phone conversation, in follow up to the email interview below, revealed she also brings enthusiasm and a desire to be a part of the interconnectedness of Cabot School.

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Cabot Chronicle: Your doctoral dis-

sertation at Columbia University is in Rural Education. What do you see as the most significant challenges and benefits of rural education, and how do you see Cabot School facing the challenges and maximizing the benefits? Rebecca Tatistcheff: When I first began researching and writing my dissertation, I was concerned with the ways in which small communities were experiencing a decreasing population and young people were leaving in favor of a more urban life. In particular, I noted that in rural places there is an intimate relationship between the environment, the economy, and education. So, when students experience education as removed from their local environment or economy, they no longer see that connection. If we don’t have farms, we don’t have food, and the people in our immediate place don’t have livelihoods. If the climate warms and weather patterns change so it stops snowing, we can’t engage in snow sports, and our area doesn’t attract tourism that is vital to the survival of people in our community. From my perspective, project-based learning that is locally relevant and rooted in bigger questions that we are grappling with as a global community is what Cabot School is all about. This is the type of education that will make not just our community sustainable but will help young people see themselves as stewards of our community, resources to it, and change-makers within it.

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And why did you decide to become

the principal at Cabot? Rebecca Tatistcheff: I think this is probably true of any sized school that it’s important for a principal to be kind and to approach the work of teaching and learning with kindness and care first and foremost. I think curiosity and genuine interest in the lived experiences of every person in our community is an important part of caring for it. That means kindness for the young people in our care and for the adults in our community. I decided to join the Cabot team because I saw how teachers approached students and each other as true partners in the work. It’s an amazing thing to know students and each other well and to truly believe that it is our differences, the diversity of our experiences and perspectives, that make us stronger as a

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Cabot Chronicle: Your children at-

tend multi-age classes (MAG), and as many Cabot parents are curious about the shift to multi-age classrooms in grade school next year, can you tell us, as a parent, what about this model has been beneficial for your children? Rebecca Tatistcheff: There are two children in my family - one is in college now, but attended a MAG pre-school when he was young, and the other will be a fifth grader, and he currently attends a small public school where there are MAG groups (and went to the same pre-school as his brother). As a parent, I go back to the belief that our differences make us stronger. Mixed-age classrooms have afforded my children the ability to develop empathy and perspective-taking that is embedded within a group with varied needs and who are at different places of learning. I believe this is true of all classrooms, but with MAG classes, it’s embedded in the design. I remember a moment when my youngest came home and said, you know, we are all working on something. I asked what that meant. He said, we all learn differently and so we are all working on different things at different times. After a bit of probing, I learned that his morning circle that day was about this and each student talked about what they were working on, including the teachers. When he was the youngest in the class, he listened more, was sometimes quieter, it taught him to learn from others. By the time he was a returning student in the class, he was confident with the structures and routines and could work to develop leadership. That students have both experiences is important. It provides a structure for students to develop into leaders and build a level of comfort talking with and listening to people of all ages. It prevents isolation. He knows and is known by every student and adult in the community. It allows him to have multiple adults in his classroom, not just one, which means that he has more opportunities for connection. And it has created continuity for us as a family because we come to know his teachers deeply and know that they can see his learning over multiple years which means his learning is deeper.

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Cabot Chronicle: We have all had

mentors and influential people in our lives. Who has been the person you carry with you daily, the most influential or inspiring person in your life? Rebecca Tatistcheff: I know the answer to this question is supposed to be one person. I have been incredibly privileged in my life to have been surrounded with people who I find inspiring and learn from every day. I am privileged to work on a team right now of school leaders who push me to think differently all the time. In my short time meeting with folks at Cabot, I have left every conversation having learned something new. My mother, who was a long-time educator and community organizer, likely instilled that into me. She reads constantly and lives in the balance of ideas and action to make communities better. It’s hard for me to talk about her here because she is also the most humble person I know.

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Cabot Chronicle: In this time of lim-

ited social interaction, can you share with us some of your favorite books, movies, and music, or new topics and skills you are learning? Rebecca Tatistcheff: I am a huge fan of young adult literature and have found this to be a great time to build the library for my office at Cabot. I just finished the books Internment by Samira Ahmed and The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillipe (both I loved). I also recently read the latest Margaret Atwood book - she’s an author I go back to all the time. We have been watching a lot of movies and

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~ Cabot Chronicle Mission

The Cabot Chronicle is a home-delivered diverse, and evolving community that provides deserve to know about their community. The Chronicle is as much about building reporting, writing, and editing. The CCA will engaging content that encourages readers Chronicle. We will identify the content the community promotes the CCA mission while it sets the Through The Cabot Chronicle the CCA successful and promote the CCA mission to those residing, doing business, and visiting Cabot,

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June/July 2020 - Page 3

shows together as a family lately. Our go -to movies tend to be about sports - one of my favorites is The Sandlot and we go back to Secretariat and National Treasure often. I have been pushing myself around music lately and going back to listen to the radio for new artists. WFUV is a public radio station out of Fordham University that plays an eclectic mix of music. And I have been listening to podcasts more regularly - RadioLab and The Ted Radio Hour are two on my list of regulars (they are great for thinking about ideas for projects we could engage in too). I’m making and freezing pizza dough and searching for a great recipe (suggestions welcome!) and cooking with whatever comes in our farm share - always looking for things to do with radishes.

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Cabot School. Of course, there is

much uncertainty ahead, but can you tell us anything about what we might expect for our school in the year ahead? Rebecca Tatistcheff: I don’t know what physical school will look like in the Fall and I don’t think it’s useful to speculate until we know more and can make concrete decisions guided by health experts. What I can say is that there are things that won’t change. You can expect that our priorities will stay the same. We will continue to care for all our students and ensure that in a time of uncertainty we are able to provide some much-needed stability in their lives. We will continue to be committed to engaging all students in high-quality project-based learning across our school community. We will continue to be committed to connecting with families and community members to share in the work of our students’ learning.

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Statement ~

newspaper devoted to telling the stories of a the information people want, need and

trust and inspiring engagement as it is about devise a cost-effective way of producing rich, to slow down and spend time with The cares about most and that which tone and tells the story of Cabot. will nurture and grow the community to be enhance the quality of community life for VT.

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Charles Bothfeld

Charles Bothfeld, born in Sherburn, MA, on December 13, 1918, passed away on April 3, 2020, after a long and fulfilling life at the age of 101. Charles (or Charlie as he was known) was a World War II Veteran, an avid gardener and outdoorsman. Charlie was predeceased by his wife of almost 72 years, Norma Bothfeld, parents Theodore and Viola Bothfeld, brothers Theodore, Robert, and Richard Bothfeld. Charlie is survived by his sister Mary Golden of Gorham, Maine, brother Walter of Cabot and Clark Bothfeld of Northfield. Charlie enjoyed the extended family including several nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews and great grand nieces and nephews. Charlie saw extensive action in World War II driving tanks, liberating concen-

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Jane Hastings Larrabee

Jane Hastings Larrabee, 71, of West Danville, VT, died peacefully on March 28, 2020, in the comfort of her home, with family at her side. She was born September 7, 1948, in St. Johnsbury; the daughter of the late Ralph and Mabel (Lynaugh) Hastings. Jane graduated from Danville High School in the class of 1966. She continued her education at Green Mountain College in Poultney, graduating in 1968. Later she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Art at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, graduating in the class of 1970. On June 14, 1970, she married Garey Ronald Larrabee in West Danville, where they lived all of their married life. In her earlier years, she was employed as an art teacher at Danville High School. Jane also worked for several years in the news department at the Caledonian-Record and Chandlers Flower Shop. Together Jane and Garey became the third generation to own and operate the 107-year-old family business, “Hastings Store,” in West Danville. In 2019, the store was sold to their daughter and the fourth generation owner, Jenny Rafuse. Jane was a member of the West Danville Methodist Church, the West Danville Methodist Church Women’s Group and a Lay person for that church. She

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EMORIALS

tration camps and garnering the Bronze Star Medal for bravery. After discharge at the rank of Captain, Charlie embarked on a career at the farm of Medfield State Hospital in Massachusetts. In 1973, Charlie and Norma "retired" to Cabot and embarked on a new adventure of gardening, helping out on his brother’s farm, and travelling throughout the United States in their camper. Charlie was known for his impressive gardening skills and provided produce to the Vermont Food Bank, as well as to the Twin Valley Senior Center in East Montpelier. Charlie enjoyed visiting the Twin Valley Senior Center for the excellent meals as well as the competitive cribbage games with friends and brother Walter. A service will be held later in the year. In honor of Charlie's life, please consider contributing to the Twin Valley Senior

Vt. 05651. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charles Bothfeld, please visit our floral store.

was also a very active member of the West Danville community, Board of Civil Authority (BOCA) in Danville, Justice of the Peace and Notary Public. Jane and her cousin, Audrey Merrill, were New England Ambassadors at Harrods in the United Kingdom for the Christmas season. She loved spending time with her family, especially with the grandchildren. Jane enjoyed all kinds of art, architecture, flowers, making wreaths, traveling and yearly trips to the Boston Flower Show. Survivors include: her husband of 49 years, Garey, of West Danville; two children, Curtis Larrabee and his wife, Cristin of St. Johnsbury and Jenny Rafuse and her husband James of West Danville; grandchildren Caleigh Rose Larrabee, Connor Larrabee, Alyssa and Ava Rafuse; as well as special cousins Bonnie Curran and Nancy Sargent of North Carolina, Audrey Merrill of Connecticut and Nancy Neal of Maryland. In addition to her parents, Jane was predeceased by a grandson, Celestus Ashmankas Larrabee. All services will be held later with a date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the West Dan-

West Danville, VT 05873. Dian R. Holcomb of Northern Vermont Funeral Services, 60 Elm St., Hardwick, is assisting the family with arrangements.

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Angela Whitney

Angela D. Whitney, age 53, of Walden passed away on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington with her family by her side after a long courageous battle with cancer. A stubborn, kind, caring heart stopped beating, and Angela now joins her dad, George R. Whitney, in Heaven. Angela was born on January 13, 1967, in Saint Johnsbury to George and Ruby (Bumps) Whitney of East Hardwick. Angela has shared 24 wonderful years with her partner Lucas Molleur, also of Walden. Angela worked for many years as an LNA at many different places. Angela enjoyed cows, spending time outside and with her grandbabies. She also loved

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Roberta Dawson

Roberta T. Dawson, 95, died peacefully, following a period of declining health, Friday, May 8, 2020, at Windward Gardens in Camden, Maine Born in Cabot August 29, 1924, she was the daughter of Herbert John and Marjorie Parsons Tebbetts. She grew up on the family dairy farm. Her father was one of the original founders of the Cabot Creamery. Educated locally, Roberta later attended the Massachusetts General School of Nursing, graduating as a registered nurse. It was there she met

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Births

February 18 February 21 March 2 March 30 April 24 Charles Richard Hook Claire Marie Brandt Rio Davis Wheeler Luca Dean Cipriano Bryce Albie Ackermann spending time with her family, cooking, and visiting with friends. She is survived by: her partner, Lucas Molleur of Walden; her mother, Ruby Whitney, of East Hardwick; her three daughters, Amber Foster and husband Zachary of East Calais, Amanda Nash and husband Colby of Greensboro, and Shyler Thompson and fiance Riley Tobin of Jeffersonville; her siblings, Timothy Whitney and wife Jennifer of Hardwick and Lori Major and husband Kevin of Barre; her grandchildren, Kearsten, Payten, Noah, Allie, Nevaeh, Kinslee, Lennix, Laycie, Elijah, Lettie, and Raylan; many nieces, nephews and close friends. A celebration of life will be held in late July. More information to come. Donations in Angela’s memory may be made to Lamoille Area Cancer Network, 198 Farr Ave, Morristown, VT 05661.

her future husband, George, who was then attending seminary in Cambridge. They were married August 6, 1949. Predeceased by her husband Reverend George Dawson in 2016, her brother Arnold Tebbetts of Cabot, and survived by her two sons, sister Norma Beadie and her husband, Thomas, of Fort Wayne, IN. To share a memory or condolence with the Dawson family, visit their Book of Memoires at bchfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in her name to, The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist, 200 Main St, Thomaston, ME 04861.

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COVID-19 Grievance Procedures

Property owners will receive Change of Appraisal Notices this month. In general, valuations on structures have gone up, because the cost of building materials has increased since the last appraisal in 2006 and property values have decreased slightly since the land-buying boom following September 11, 2001. Every property owner has the right to grieve their valuation, and instructions to do so will be included with the Change of Appraisal Notice. The Town of Cabot website (https://cabotvt.us/) will be updated to include this information. Due to the health threat caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and recommendations based on public health, Listers will not be holding face-to-face grievance hearings this year. If you wish to grieve, you MUST submit a grievance in writing by the date indicated in the notice. You are entitled to state the grievance in a hearing. If you wish to be heard in a live format in addition to submitting your grievance in writing, please provide Lis-

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COVID-19 Tax-Related

Coronavirus has impacted how and when the Department collects taxes. As the crisis continues to evolve, so does the Department's response. We have been working closely with the legislature and office of Gov. Phil Scott to lessen the economic impact to Vermont's businesses and individual taxpayers. Our Corona virus page (https://tax.vermont.gov/ coronavirus) contains up-to-date information to guide Vermont taxpayers as the situation changes. We encourage taxpayers to check that page and the associated FAQs page (https:// tax.vermont.gov/coronavirus/faqs) updates before contacting us with tions.

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Toast Cabot Creamery

Vermont Business Magazine (VBM) readers chose the winners! Starting on January 1, 2020, and closing on March 1st, VBM surveyed its magazine and digital subscribers. They asked their readers – the business leaders of Vermont – who they trust to provide their services in over 100 different categories. After over 53,000 votes, the go-to list was compiled for everything from Best Hotel and Best Engineering Firm to Best Vermont Made Product. The results of the Best of Business (BOB) Awards speak to the stand-out businesses in Vermont: the ones that offer the best customer service, that are willing to go above and beyond and to pay attention to detail. VBM is proud to share the results honoring the Best of Business in Vermont for 2020.

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Implemented

ters with a phone number where you can be reached for a phone grievance or online video conferencing platform. If Listers are unable to reach you on grievance day at the number you provide, and you do not return the call by the end of grievance hearings, your grievance will be decided based upon the materials provided with your written grievance. Procedures are recommended by the Division of Property Valuation and Review (PVR) of the Vermont Department of Taxes. As this is an evolving situation, these procedures are subject to change. It is the intention of the Town of Cabot to ensure that all grievances are heard and treated reasonably and in compliance with all pertinent laws. Listers will do everything possible to ensure property owners feel they have been treated fairly and equitably. Cabot Board of Listers Jeanne Johnson, Jacqueline Lumbra and Brittany Butler

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Cabot Creamery Co-operative

www.cabotcheese.coop Cabot Creamery Co-operative makes a full line of cheeses, Greek yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and butter. Widely known as makers of “The World’s Best Cheddar,” Cabot is owned by the 1,000 dairy farm families of Agri-Mark, the Northeast’s premier dairy cooperative, with farms in New England and New York.

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Cabot Recycling

by Ben Davis The Cabot Recycling Center, located on Sawmill Road in Lower Cabot, continues to service our communities every Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. until noon. The Northeast Kingdom Solid Waste District (NEKWMD) is committed to providing seamless recycling and asks users to follow recommended guidelines throughout the summer to reduce the risk of infection to other community members and staff that are present.  If you are sick or not feeling well, please postpone your visit.  Properly sort, bag, and contain trash and recyclables. Sorting your materials before you arrive at the recycling center means your exposure time while at the center will be shorter.  Practice physical distancing. Maintain a minimum of six feet between people at all times while using the center.  Cover your nose and mouth with a mask while you are at the recycling

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Natural Community

by Gary Gulka The Conservation Committee received a Town Meeting Grant in March to improve our understanding of Cabot’s natural communities and educate property owners and residents about the great diversity of our uplands and wetlands that support wildlife. We have hired Matt Peters of Woodbury as consulting ecologist and botanist to assist us. He has recently completed similar work in Calais. As a first step, Matt has compiled and analyzed existing background information on local features such as wetlands, soils, bedrock, topography, imagery, and documented rare and uncommon plants and animals. With this information, he has presented the Committee with a map of large blocks of upland and wetland areas throughout town that are of greatest interest to explore in more detail through field study. Of particular interest are various cedar swamps, vernal pools, seepage swamps and forests, beaver meadows, emergent marshes, and rich hardwood forests.

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June/July 2020 - Page 5

center (or anywhere in the public where you will encounter others).  After you are done sorting your recyclables, use hand sanitizer to thoroughly clean your hands. Follow up with a good hand washing when you get home. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many recycling markets have taken a hit. In particular, plastics have been harder to move. The low cost of oil has also put a dent in plastic recycling. At the same time, cardboard and paper markets have seen an uptick. Please continue to keep all materials clean, dry, and free of contaminants. Trash collection continues to be provided at the recycling center. A fee is charged for this service. Tires may also be recycled for a small per tire fee. More information on recycling in the Northeast Kingdom is available on-line at www.nekwmd.org. For information on special collections please call the District at 1-800-734- 4602.

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Study Underway

Each of the blocks may be comprised of private, state or federally owned lands. The Committee’s next step is to contact landowners in priority blocks for permission to access the properties for field work and observation by Matt Peters. Committee members will be contacting landowners by phone or mail. Through this work, landowners will have the opportunity to learn about habitats, natural communities and unique and special features, and how their lands fit into the larger landscape. Information gathered in natural community study will be shared with the landowner and Conservation Committee only unless the landowner grants permission to share information with the State’s Natural Heritage Program. The virus pandemic has presented some challenges in the project, as we had hoped to do a public gathering to review the project and seek public knowledge about special areas of interest in town. We still hope to do this, as well as eventually conduct a few field trips to places of interest.

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Surviving the Next

by Gwendolyn Hallsmith In the U.S., over 36 million people have lost their jobs and income, some are putting their lives on plastic, hoping to pay it of. when? They aren't paying rent and mortgages. The laid off and fired employees have lost their health insurance, if they had it to begin with. Business owners are not paying the rents, mortgages and other debts they have. Student loans are not being paid back. The current global shutdown, business closures, supply chain breakdowns, crumbling collateral, and vast new sovereign debt all form the winds of a perfect economic storm. Here in Vermont, they estimate the college system alone will need a bailout of $25 million, almost equal to their annual appropriation. Multiply that by all the colleges and universities in the world and you get one small piece of the big picture. States and cities that rely on income, sales, and meals taxes are already going broke, so we can add their annual budgets to the money needed for bailouts. Governor Scott recently suggested that all the school districts in the state cut spending and revote their budgets to make up for some of the losses to state revenues. What can we do in Cabot when the economy goes haywire? One possibility is to find new ways to exchange goods and services when money is scarce or unreliable. Time Banks, for example, allow people to trade using time instead of money. Here in Central Vermont, the Onion River Exchange (www.orexchange.org) is a time bank that has been operating for over ten years. The way it works, you join and offer things you are willing to spend time on. You also request things you need from someone else. If you need your car fixed, and you are willing to offer your time

happen easily. They don’t have to be bartered – where the person fixing your car

vices. The network allows it all to happen with different people. Time banks are not considered barter (which is taxable) because in a time bank, an hour is an hour no matter what you are doing. So a lawyer’s hour is not worth more than a babysitter’s hour. Lawyers do occasionally need babysitters, after all. The time bank is not meant to replace other types of economic activity, but it can supplement it in ways that don’t affect your official income level

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Economy

because the IRS sees time bank exchanges as voluntary time. The practice of business barter in Vermont is not new, businesses routinely swap with each other without using money. Services like the VBSR Marketplace (vbsr.org/vbsr-marketplace) make that easier to do between industry sectors. Right now it’s pretty easy for two contractors to trade with each other – if you dig that sewer line for me, I’ll pour your concrete, but if a contractor wants to trade with someone who supplies agricultural amendments, for example, the VBSR Marketplace can help facilitate that trade. During the pandemic, mutual aid networks have blossomed like dandelions all over the state. People have been pooling resources, volunteering time, and helping their neighbors through the crisis. What if these networks could be the foundation for basic income and provisioning for Vermonters without needing money? Digital currency platforms like those developed by the Mutual Aid Network (www.mutualaidnetwork.org) could help us accomplish that. Digital and cryptocurrencies which are not linked to dollars can also work to build local economic resilience. There are some new cryptocurrencies on the horizon that can change the economic game we all are playing. One of them, called SEEDS (www.joinseeds.com), is designed to incentivize local food economies, empower people, and heal the planet. If you grow your own food for your own use, for example, you can earn SEEDS for doing that, and then use SEEDS for other purchases. Right now you need to be invited to join SEEDS, it will be officially launched next year. That is the one of the beauties of a local currency - we can value the things our community thinks are important instead of what the financial markets prefer. The arts can be supported through an arts currency, ecological practices can be supported with currencies based on carbon reductions, damage remediation, water conservation, and waste cleanup. Different kinds of money for different kinds of transactions makes a lot more sense on a finite planet than the one-size-fits-all system we have now. The money we use to trade with each other is one of the most important parts of what we call the “economic system.” If we diversify the ways in which we make exchanges, we make our local economy more resilient against the shocks and crashes which the pandemic will almost certainly cause.

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Cabot Emergency Ambulance Service

Everyone handles every situation a little differently. Some people are inspired by pressure, some people fear pressure, and some just feel uncertainty under pressure. The Cabot Emergency Ambulance Service sponsored a locally held EMT class that began in the fall of 2019. The course concluded just a couple weeks before Vermont saw the Stay Home Stay Safe Order put into place. Despite the challenges, the class has successfully produced four new EMTs who are currently certified and able to run calls, two more to test soon, and brought former emergency personnel back out to help support our area. As members of Cabot community, we recognize that these unprecedented times are challenging in so many ways for us all. This virus does not know boundaries of age, gender, town, state, social class, religious belief, or professional attributes. Isolation from friends, family and even work colleagues can have an impact on us all in different ways. The long cooler weather impacts many people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and this year the condition has been compounded with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the longer snowy season (184 days as of Mother’s Day, according to local meteorologist Dave Busch). Isolation does not have to be in your home, however; we are being encouraged

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A DVICE FROM THE

by Roland (Slim) Payne, Jr.

As we all navigate the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on our lives, getting outside seems more important than ever before. Boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing are among the activities we can participate in while maintaining social distancing. As well, not many of Vermont’s natural resources are as enjoyable during the summer months as our rivers, ponds, and lakes. Unfortunately, aquatic invasives almost always enter our waterways through human activities, so please take the necessary precautions to prevent transporting aquatic invasives. It is important to become familiar with the aquatic invasives present in Vermont’s water bodies to prevent accidently transporting aquatic invasives. Also, proper cleaning of boats, canoes, kayaks, fishing equipment, waders and wading boots are an especially important step before a day spent enjoying our rivers, pond and lakes. Aquatic invasive species take many forms, including crustaceans, fish, and plants. Invasive crustaceans include Asian Clams, New Zealand Mud Snails, Spiny Waterflea, Quagga Mussels and Zebra Mussels. The Spiny Waterflea is a planktonic crustacean less than 15mm long which prey on native zooplankton: an important food source for native fish species. Without some research it would be difficult to conclude the Spiny waterflea is a crustacean from a photo of it. Invasive fish species include Alewifes

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Pandemic

to get outside, get exercise, sun and fresh air, while following the state guidelines and recommendations for social distancing and use of cloth facial coverings. We are sure that after a long chilly winter, everyone in northern New England can use a little vitamin D to help put a smile on their face. In addition to getting outside and getting exercise, we can still connect with family and friends by phone, email, or facebook. The option of holding a video chat or meeting in these challenging times is something that we can all benefit from. Participate in events such as social distancing parades that are taking place locally and in nearby communities. Be part of the reason that puts a smile on the face of the recipient and the participants. Seeing joy in someone’s facial expression is great even from afar. As restrictions lessen and we are given the chance to interact more with those that we love and care about, we should remember to follow the state and local guidelines to protect one another and especially our vulnerable populations. Respect one another’s beliefs and positions on how and when we each feel comfortable getting out into the community and joining activities. It is important that we all come together and support one another during this challenging period. In times like these we must remember we are all in this situation together, and in the words of Aesop, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

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T REE W ARDEN

which are a small fish and a member of the Herring family, typically 5” to 8” in length. Alewifes are prolific and feed aggressively on plankton, outcompeting native fish species for an important food source. Invasive aquatic plants include Brittle Naiad, Common Reed, Curly Leaf pondweed, Eurasian Watermilfoil, Variable-leaved Watermilfoil, Starry Stonewort, and Water Chestnut. The aquatic invasive plants are the most likely to be transported without notice by a pleasure boat, canoe, or kayak. With some of the aquatic invasive plants, it only takes a small piece of a plant to be moved to a different body of water and a new infestation has begun. it may take many months or years before this infestation is noticed. By this time eradication of the aquatic invasive plants is likely not possible, with costly efforts to control the further spread a more realistic option. For further reading on aquatic invasives and the problems caused by them, please visit www.vtinvasives.org. As you can see, there are many types of aquatic invasives that threaten Vermont’s water bodies. Lake Champlain, being Vermont’s largest lake, also has the most types of aquatic invasives present. Invasive aquatic plants are present in many of Vermont’s ponds, as well. As you recreate on our waterways this summer, please take time to thoroughly clean your boat, motor, and other equipment to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to one of our local ponds or lakes. Stay safe and enjoy summer, it goes by fast.

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Cabot 6th Grade Class

Our 6th grade class is doing a statistical analysis on the Cabot School Community. We are working in groups of two or three people to interview all students in grade K-12. Our class thought of ten statistical questions, a statistical question is a question that you have to answer with data. Then we went to interview our grade levels and recorded their answers in data tables that we had made. After we did that, we took the data that we collected from the students and made graphs to show the data. We used histograms, bar graphs, pie charts, dot plots and box and whisker graphs to show our data. Each of these graphs are used to show different types of data, for example a histogram is a way to represent data grouped by ranges and a pie chart is divided into sectors, where each sector shows the relative size of each value in relation to 100%. Some of our graphs showed everything we needed to know just as graphs. Some of our data needed more analysis. We analysed our siblings and wingspan data and found the range, mean, median, mode, and Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD). The mean, median and mode and MAD are all ways to determine the average of a set of data. The range shows how big a set of data is. We analyzed our shoe size data and found the interquartile range (IQR). This tells us how our data was spread out. If a quarter section is small there were more data points in that quarter than others.

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By Sam Churchill

The average K/1/2 student is between the ages of 5 and 8 years old, has one sibling and a wingspan between 46 and 77 inches. The most common first letter

of their name is E and their favorite type of dog is a German Shepherd. Their favorite sport and outdoor activity is soccer. Their favorite type of food is Chinese food, as you can see in the graph. Students in K/1/2 names begin with 18 different letters. The two graphs with

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School Statistical

outliers are favorite food and sport. 70 percent of students prefer Chinese food and they all chose diverse sports as you can see in the graph. To sum up my findings the K/1/2 had similar data. Two things that surprised me was that one student had a shoe size that was 6.5 in 2nd grade and there were 8 students with a 48 inch wingspan. Some things that were difficult about this project were being neat on the graphs and getting it done on time. My favorite thing was interviewing the students.

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By Kole Curschmann

In grades K/1/2 the most common wingspan was between 42-46 inches and

the most common shoe size is 34(EU). As you can see in the graphs you can see in the graph 10 out of 23 kids in K-1-2 have a shoe size of 34(EU). The siblings graph shows that 10 of the K-1-2 have one sibling in their family. There are 8 students that have different favorite dogs as you can see in the favorite kinds of dogs graph. A lot of the

K/1/2 students’ names start with different letters. Out of 23 students, their start names start with 13 different letters. One thing that was hard about this

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By Ian Bailey

In third and fourth grade 53% of the students said that they like Chinese food most. 11 out of 23 students from ¾ prefer basketball. As you can see this graph shows that most students like basketball and 9 students like soccer.

One of the outliers is in the siblings data, as you can see on the siblings graph it skips from 6 siblings to 13 siblings,that is what you call an outlier. Another outlier is in the letters graph, the second highest number is 3 and these are the letters that have three answers J,L and M and then jumps up to 6 A s the only that has 6 answers. It is not a very big outlier but it is still an outlier. One thing that is unique about the ¾ data is that a lot of the students liked a lot of different kinds of dogs. I really like the sports one because there are a lot of big jumps between the numbers in the

graph. One thing that surprised me and was difficult for me was that I was asked to switch groups. I was with K-1-2 but then I went to the ¾ group because one of our classmates left our school. One of my favorite things about this project is all the different things these classes liked.

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June/July 2020 - Page 7

door activity was Soccer. Their favorite sport to play is Basketball, and their favorite food to eat was Chinese. According to the wingspan Histogram the most common 3/4 class wingspan is 51” to 54”. We also saw in our data that 9 students had different interests in favorite outdoor activities. The beginning letter of the students' names started with eleven different letters. Two of our datasets had outliers, the first outlier for number of

siblings because one student had 13 siblings and second outlier was a size 41 shoe on the Box and Whisker Graph that is below. One thing that surprised me was one student had 13 siblings in their class. This surprised me because 13 siblings is a rare number. One thing that stood out to me is not many people shared a favorite outdoor activity, they mostly had different choices. One thing that was difficult for David and I was putting our data in the google sheets, because twelve students were doing their work at the same time. It was also difficult when David left Cabot and wasn’t able to finish this project. My favorite part was seeing what students preferred.

(see ‘Cabot School Statistical Analysis’, page 9)

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the Heart

by Amy Hornblas

I am trying to get a message through In a world where all speech is: Sanitized Digitized and CriticizedPulverized between opposing reactions based upon your point of view. Compassion is what humans are all about. We are all born helpless. It is human compassion that rescues us, protects us and keeps us warm. Other than this one fact, none of us knows the Whole Truth. How else would it be possible that people Are both 100% certain they are correct? This is the Eternal Human Condition! Perhaps we need to envision a world Where there is room for divergent views of all various kinds. We need to become adults, We need to have courage. We need to share. For people to eat, they need access to clean land and water. Yet, right now, the number of hungry and starving children is growing exponentially! Far more than the 300,000 children who were already starving to death each and every year before this crisis began. Why are hungry children not one of our We did not think that “One World” Meant one slave market Where we, along with our data and debt, Would be traded for profit by globalists. While we’ve been distracted with screens and junk food, The poorer nations have been living the reality. They already know that One World means One bread line and One refugee camp for all. Now it is going to be our turn To learn what it really means. What if, Instead, One World meant One Awake World! Standing Together, For each other? To meet the needs of all? There is enough for everyone~ If we look inside, we will see. There is no scarcity in our hearts, Unless we unplug them from each other. From the bottom up I believe we can, and would if we were allowed. Maturity is the ability To act from the Highest Good Even while afraid. Are humans, after all these years and all of this history together, Finally ready to mature?

I am praying we are.

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By the Cabot 6th Grade Class

We did not have a group assigned to the 5th and 6th grade because we used our own class to learn how to make each type of graph. As a result, we don’t have an article all about the ⅚ but we do have a collection of graphs by the 6th graders showing their classmates data.

Graph by: Cheyenne Cabot 5th and 6th grade have a diverse range of outdoor activity interests.

Graph by: Kole The most common number (mode) of siblings is 3, an outlier is 13.

Graph by: Lauren The most common wingspan was between 57 and 60 inches. Captions for all fifth and sixth grade graphs Written by John Delguadio-Searles

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By Jade Brickey

My group was focused on the seventh and eight grade class. We used a histogram to show our wingspan data. The

most common wingspan is 61-63 inches. A bar graph was used to represent the students favorite sport, ten out of eighteen students voted for basketball. As you can see in the pie chart, the 7th and 8th grade students' favorite food is Chinese, 50% of cabots 7th and 8th grade students like Chinese. As you can see in the favorite outdoor activity graph. There are 10 different categories and 7 outdoor activities have only one student. Another diverse question was 19 students’ first names begin with 11 different letters.

I was surprised about how many different outdoor activities students like and that most students only have one sibling. I struggled with copying all the data onto the graphs perfectly, one mistake can mess up the whole graph. My favorite part of this project was getting to meet all the 7th and 8th grade students and teachers. I am a new student at Cabot, it was nice meeting new people.

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By Ben Monaco

My group asked seventh and eighth graders what their favorite sports to play

are and what their favorite types of food are between Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and Brazillian. 50% of them said Chinese was their favorite out of the four choices. As you can see recorded on the bar graph the favorite sports of the seventh and eighth graders is basketball. The question with the most diverse responses was how wide is your wingspan. As you can see the range of data is 15, the smallest wingspan is 57 inches and the largest is 72 inches. One thing I

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June/July 2020 - Page 9

thought was unique about the seventh and eighth graders was how many of them preferred basketball over any of the other choices. Some things that surprised me were how many people said their favorite outdoor activity was skiing, favorite sport was basketball and favorite food was Mexican. Some difficulties I had were when my partner went to Hawaii and I did not have the data I needed to record the information on our graphs. My favorite part about this project is definitely writing this article.

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By Ethan Garrison

We interviewed the ninth and tenth graders at Cabot. As you can see in the graph, the majority of students have ei-

ther a size 44 or 37.5 EU. That means that the ninth and tenth grade have a wide spread of shoe sizes. Also the majority of the ninth and tenth grader wingspans are 70 inches wide. That means that the ninth and tenth grade on average have large wingspans. For the ninth and tenth graders the question with the most diverse answers is “how many siblings do you have?”. One person had zero siblings and another had

11, this makes the range of our data 11. As you can see in the graph there was an outlier in the siblings data. The outlier for the siblings was that someone had 11 siblings, the next highest number of siblings is 6. (see ‘Cabot School Statistical Analysis’, page 10)

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Cabot

(continued from page 9) While doing this project it surprised me when it took us a day to make two tables. It was difficult when me and my partner didn’t work together that well. My favorite part about this project was going and interviewing the ninth and tenth grade.

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By Lauren Pecor

We found that the eleventh and twelfth grade students have a lot in com-

mon. Most of the students like soccer more than basketball. As you can see in the graph 8 out of 12 students picked soccer as their favorite sport. The 11th and 12th graders favorite outdoor activity is downhill skiing, 26 % students picked it as their favorite. Basketball is also a favorite, 20% of students say basketball is their favorite. The majority of 11th and 12th graders also have one sibling There were a wide range of favorite dogs. As you can see in the graph there

were 9 types of dogs picked. 4 out of 15 students like Pit Bulls. 3 people like Bernese Mountain Dogs and 2 people like Golden Retrievers. One thing that surprised me was probably the 11th and 12th graders shoe sizes. They range from 37 (Eu) to 47 (Eu). Something that stood out to me was that there was so much to do at once that we had to get done. Some patterns that I see are that the majority of the 11th and 12th graders liked a lot of the same thing because they’ve been together for so long. One thing that was difficult about this project was trying to find the time to interview them all. My favorite part about this project was getting to hear everyone's different opinions and their choices.

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By John Delgaudio-Searles

We found that the most common responses from the eleventh and twelfth

graders to our questions were what is your favorite sport and what is your favorite food. As you can see in the favorite sports graph, the most common response for favorite sports out of the options of soccer, baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and lacrosse was soccer, 8 out of 12 people picked soccer. The most common response for favorite food out of Mexican, Chinese, Italian and Brazilian, was

Mexican, 41% of students picked it as their favorite. The favorite outdoor activities graph and the favorite type of dog graph were the most diverse. The favorite outdoor activities graph is the most diverse because there are a lot of people who like different things. As you can see in the graph, 6 out of 12 people each picked a different favorite activity. The favorite types of dogs graph also shows the uniqueness because out of 15 people there were 9 favorite types of dogs. What stood out to me was that there were lots of different preferences, for example a lot of people like soccer and not a lot of people like lacrosse or hockey. The hardest thing about the project was processing the data and my favorite part was asking questions to the 11th and 12th graders.

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By Atreyu Buckley

I interviewed 15 school staff, asking them the 10 questions that the 6th grade class asked the student body. Using this data, I created graphs and other visuals to communicate my results in a variety of ways. I was working on creating a map of the school buildings, and placing people according to their main work site. I also compared the “wingspan” of the adults to similar-sized birds. Here are some of my graphs

How many siblings do you have?

What type of food do you prefer?

What is your wingspan?

Where do you work at Cabot?

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Update

by Susan Socks

So much has changed in the past few months, as our community works to limit virus spread and protect our most vulnerable neighbors. As an organization that promotes screen-free 1:1 quality time with mentors and mentees, going virtual has been a real challenge. But our mentors and mentees know that social distancing does not mean emotional distancing, and they have adapted in creative ways: Joanne shares pictures of her growing chicks with Mary, Danielle and Susie compete in online scrabble, Lynn sings to Gwen by video, Chris and Owen chat on the phone, Monica and Alaina cook together by making the same recipe in their own kitchens while on a video call. While our established pairs are meeting virtually, Cabot Mentoring has suspended matching new individuals. It is difficult to get to know a new person strictly over phone or video, so we are waiting until restrictions are lifted to introduce new mentees and mentors. However, we are still taking applications for youth and adults. Preparing to be in the program actually does take some time and some paperwork…we can get that background work done now, so you’re ready to meet your new awesome friend once restrictions are lifted. To all our wonderful mentors and mentees, thank you for being so creative and supporting each other through the pandemic. And to those considering joining, please do! Visit our website, www.cabotmentoring.org, email us at cabotmentoring@gmail.com, or call program coordinator Susan Socks at 5632073.

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Cabot School Principal

At Cabot School, we recognize the unique learning styles and academic strengths of each student. Every day, we ‘meet our students where they are,’ creating the academic experiences that will take their growth to the next level. The new normal of remote learning didn’t change our commitment to student learning and growth. In fact, it’s now more important than ever. At the Town Meeting this year, Cabot’s principal identified what helps students learn. She talked about personalization, connecting content to the ‘real world’, and food as the solidifying factors of our learning community where every student is fueled to learn. Meals that defined Cabot’s dining-in experience are now featured on our takeout menu. Brock Miller still makes muffins, coleslaw, and even croutons from scratch. Fresh chicken is freshly baked for Caesar salad. Sandwiches are handmade daily. Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The day at Cabot School starts pretty much like it always has...only earlier. By 5:00 a.m., Jennifer Curshmann, assistant to Chef Brock, arrives on campus. She unlocks the kitchen door and sets up for preparation of breakfast and lunches for 110 Cabot families. Jennifer needs to be home by mid-morning to support her two children, a fifth grader and a sixth grader, in beginning their schoolwork for the day. When Brock arrives, he and Jennifer kick into high gear in order to get everything prepared and packed before 10:00 a.m., when bus drivers Rick Dutil, Mark Christensen, and Cabot’s Food Force arrive to load the buses and hit the road. By 8:00 a.m., Linda Savoca, Cabot’s executive assistant, is at her desk. She has already sanitized the hand railings, doorknobs, the copier and flat surfaces. By 9:00 a.m., she makes the first call to check on attendance. “I love the calls home because it lets me connect with families to make sure they are doing well.” Since the closure, Linda’s calls are more important than ever in making sure every family is safe, healthy, and has the resources they need to support their child(ren) in participating in on-line learning. Stephenie Manning’s job description has changed, evolving from administrative assistant to warrior of the web. By 8:05 a.m., she is connected (virtually or by phone) with families, faculty, or students who are experiencing challenges or have questions about technology. Stephenie has produced and starred in a series of technology “how to” videos that are widely circulated to families. She and our librarian, Nene Riley, coordinated the delivery of computers to all students who needed them, K-12. Every computer left school sanitized and in good working order. By early afternoon, Stephenie transitions to working from home to support the learning of her grandchildren, a preschooler and fourth

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School Remote

grader. She stays connected to school just in case a need arises. Cabot School’s paraeducators are the backbone of the Food Force and Office Assistant Team. Every day, Sheila Booth, Tamara Feldman, Julia Guerriero, Cheryl LeTourneau, Jessica North and Leonia Pike pack breakfasts and lunches, load them into school buses, and deliver to each household. From porches and yards, they seek a wave or a shout out telling them families are OK. Back at school, they provide coverage in the office and assist in preparing paper packets for students whose internet is unstable or nonexistent. These will be delivered the next day with meals. By 9:00 a.m., our high school students are in their daily advisory video conference. Designed to provide quality facetime with their advisor and peers, they check in and share challenges and successes. By 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays, preschoolers have Zoomed-in to listen to Ms. Lynn read a story. First thing Wednesday morning, kindergartners have started their virtual morning meeting; by 10:00 a.m., fifth and sixth graders will be Zooming to Art following their virtual math class. Every teacher hosts at least one video conference each week to discuss content, clarify directions and next steps for learning. Daily lessons and activities are provided in core content areas, with links to online resources and teacher-made videos for direct teaching. As the morning progresses, students are running through their daily schedule. Teachers are available via email, Slack or by phone to help and answer questions. Elementary and middle schools will spend an hour or so a day completing an exploratory or opportunity time project. These are designed to keep students curious, creative, moving, developing and practicing foundational skills in math, geography, literacy, science, art and design. Seventh and eighth graders can even design a “genius project”: an investigation of a topic of personal interest. Students are building mountain bike trails, writing short stories, producing a how-to fishing video, developing a baking class, creating miniature art galleries, conducting science inquiries, and more. Throughout the day, our paraeducators check in with students to review their assignments and help them stay organized. By 3:00 p.m., Amy Richardson, Gabby Colletti and Susan Pitkin have checked in with their students. Linda crosses the parking lot to head home, leaving her laptop open well into the evening in the event there are late day requests from any of our families. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But some things really have changed. It is mid-evening when Charlene Grootenboer, our high school paraeducator, checks in with one of her students. Since the COVID closure, this student has responsibilities to her family during school hours, and begins her learning well after 3:00 p.m. She’s not the only student learning after 3:00. Charlene and the high school faculty are online and on the phone. Graduation is postponed. The eighthgrade trip to Washington, DC, is postponed. Our exchange student from Russia headed home in March to complete his year with us online. Students in Driver’s Education are not driving. Students taking The Mirror had begun to work on an original musical, to be produced in June. Their live production is now a musical film/animation project. This is not the dynamic collaboration with band/chorus culminating in a live theatre event they expected. None of our spring Exhibitions of Learning, Kindergarten through High School, will be shared in person. In the opening seconds of her weekly video, our elementary school counselor, Samantha Scribner, captured our new normal: “We are all experiencing a really big transition right now. We have had to learn new technology and adjust to new routines quickly. People are experiencing many emotions because of that: stress, trying to keep up with schoolwork, disappointment at cancelled plans. I’ve also heard from students who are enjoying this transition. They are

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Cabot Scholar’s Bowl

Cabot Scholar's Bowl team after their win

by Susan Socks

The Cabot High School Scholar’s Bowl team had a great season. They are the Vermont NEA Small Schools champions, and the top Vermont team at the Vermont NAQT Small Schools tournament. For their placement at VT-NAQT, they earned a cash prize to cover their Small Schools Nationals entry fee. The team planned to compete at Small Schools Nationals in Chicago in March, but, unfortunately, the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. In a very busy season, the Scholar’s Bowl team competed in seven

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June/July 2020 - Page 11

having more time for movement in their schedule and their schedule is more flexi-

It’s true. Many Cabot School students are loving learning remotely and many would prefer to do school at school. Every student, however, is bringing their best and trying their hardest at Cabot Remote. They are still thinking, learning and sharing their ideas. Here’s to the heroes of remote learning 2020: The Cabot teachers, who created a school -- overnight -that is consistent with our values and best practices in education. Cabot’s Food and Office Force Cabot’s staff of paraeducators Who make sure there are no cracks for students to trip over or fall through The moms and dads, aunts and uncles, grandparents and guardians, Cabot School faculty and staff who found themselves working from home and homeschooling.

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Victories

at the Vermont NEA State Championship.

events prior to shutdown; since then, they have competed in two more virtual tournaments. The definition of “small schools” is 500 or fewer students in grades 9-12. At around 35, Cabot High School is the smallest of small schools. One highlight of the season was a win over St J Academy…Cabot is small, but mighty! The team is Luca Socks (captain), Koschei Searles, Emmett Steinert, Nika Marshania, Charlotte Foster-Fell, Elias Clammer, faculty sponsor Thomas Dunbar, and manager Susan Socks.

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Invasive Species

by Chris Duff In this unusual time of Covid-19, it is easy to see how quickly and easily a pathogen can spread around the globe. Every year around this time, I cast a leery eye around, wondering what new unwelcome pest will show up this summer in the landscape. Recently, a few new and invasive species (aside from Covid-19) have arrived in Vermont, like the emerald ash borer (EAB), which, incidentally, has been found near Cabot. Then there is the snake worm, the spotted wing drosophila fly, the Swedish midge, giant hogweed, just to name a few new and unwanted guests, and they have been found in Cabot. Many of our trees are threatened or have already succumbed to invasive diseases and pests, aggressive invasive plants have overrun acres of land and riverbanks, and lakes and ponds have been clogged by new mollusks and weeds. So, why the big worry about these plants, insects, diseases and even animals? Invasive species are any species that have been introduced by anthropogenic (transported by humans) means, and they can have a profound impact on the native flora and fauna. In the native locations of these plants, animals and diseases, natural controls have evolved over many generations and thousands of years to manage their populations and their consequent impact on the environment. When they are introduced into a new habitat without any of these evolutionary checks to their populations, they can overrun the native species that have taken many generations to evolve with the local habitat. At some point in history, most plants, animals, insects, and diseases gradually migrated around the globe. This took many thousands of years and allowed each species to slowly adapt to its envi-

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Cabot Ice Rink - New Organizer Needed

by Susan Socks with racks for loaner skates, and another shed for snowblower and resurfacing The Cabot Rink is, of course, done for equipment. Sometimes out-of-towners the season. Winter 2019-2020 was chal- visiting the Cabot Creamery would make lenging for maintaining a natural out- their way to the rink, and ooo & ahh over door rink. Warm temperatures pre- our village rink…some of them were vented us from freezing the slab until even brave enough to skate! mid-January, our latest start in ten I’d like to thank the Town of Cabot years. It takes two-to-three days of tem- and Cabot Recreation Committee for peratures well below freezing, and no supporting the rink, all our skaters for snow, to freeze several inches of water using the rink, and most especially our into good skating ice. We have looked volunteer crew who build and maintain into a refrigerated system to allow a the rink. I’ve been lead volunteer for nine much longer season (October-April), but years, and I’m looking for someone to unfortunately, the cost is very high, take over the task. If you love the rink about 100K, so, until one of us wins the and would like to help keep it going, lottery, we’ll have to make the most of please contact me at cabot-

We had a genuinely nice setup for 2019-2020: benches, table, storage shed

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Aging and Physiology

During March break, five University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) students, including Emma Lord, biology major from Cabot, participated in an exciting educational opportunity through the MDI Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) in Bar Harbor. Initially scheduled as an inperson program, the MDIBL program facilitators quickly adapted to provide the program online using multiple teaching platforms for interactive classes. "We were disappointed that we could not gather together at MDI Biological

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or email lindseyperry40@gmail.com

new environments and wreak havoc without natural predators. the Asian longhorn beetle, The EAB, and this new threat to honeybees, the murder hornet, all arrived in this country by riding along in shipping containers, as have many other invasives. Invasive species can have a significant impact on economies, as well. When the chestnut blight, introduced from Asia, arrived in this country in the early part of the 20 th century, the chestnut tree disappeared from our landscape. At that time, it was a keystone of the economy, providing feed for stock animals and wildlife, and it was a desired lumber for building and furniture. Imagine the maple tree disappearing from Vermont? There are several potential threats to the maple, including the Asian longhorn beetle and the faster growing Norway maple. Think of the damage to the economy, let alone the landscape, if this beautiful tree was gone. At present, the butternut and the beech trees are seriously threatened, like the chestnut, from invasive introduced diseases. The impact of invasive species is easy to see in Cabot, just hike down behind the Recreation field and observe the thicket of Japanese honeysuckle that has overtaken the Winooski riverbanks. This is an introduced landscape plant that has escaped its desired locations and crowds out the native plants. Invasives are difficult to control when they become established, but there are methods that can be employed. Be conscious of plants you introduce to your gardens, use native species where possible, and eradicate plants or pests that can potentially spread unchecked. To find more information on invasives that impact the Vermont landscape and potential ways to control them, go to www.vtinva sives.org. You will find a complete gallery of the plants, diseases, and insects that threaten our native habitat. Community awareness of an issue or problem is the first step to remedy it.

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Chemicals on

Laboratory, but were determined to provide the students with a comparable learning experience through an online program," stated Dr. Juyoung Shim, a member of the UMA Biology Department and this year's MDIBL course director. According to the MDIBL, the weeklong course provides the fundamental concepts of toxicology and aging biology via lectures, discussions, reading current news articles and scientific publications, and critical thinking exercises. Students will receive from MDIBL a program Certificate of Completion in the mail.

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Cabot Emergency Management Director

On March 13, 2020, Vermont’s Governor Phil Scott declared a State of Emergency. He has since issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe" Order that took effect on March 25, 2020. The initial “Stay Home, Stay Safe" Order was set to expire on April 15, 2020, and just days before the deadline, the Governor extended this order and the expiration date for all corresponding orders, as well, to May 15. As we near the expiration date of May 15, one can only wonder if the order will be extended again. As Emergency Management Director for the town of Cabot, I have been truly thankful to see the change and growth of many things within the town. Personally, I was fortunate enough during this pandemic to fully staff an Emergency Operations Center with more than five people, as well as obtain a list of over 40 volunteers willing to help out in any way they could. Having these resources will allow community members to support one another beyond the COVID-19 pandemic for all types of emergencies that could occur in our town. I have seen the number of volunteers and certified personnel grow on the Cabot Emergency Ambulance. Over the course of the past month there have been two retired EMS persons and four new persons certified, with a few more to test in the near future. This will have a positive outcome for all those in the 9-1-1 response area much beyond COVID-19. Community organizations such as the CCA and Faith in Action have coordinated efforts to hold weekly calls with members of our senior community. These calls are allowing all of us to iden-

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Cabot Notices

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3:00 p.m. Tires are accepted for a fee. All other items can be recycled at that time, including freezers, refrigerators, etc. Please note that the Recycle Center is always open on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to noon and a lot of items can be recycled during this time. Any questions, please call Betty Ritter, Cabot

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MOVED TO 2021

The Willey Building 100 th year anniversary celebration originally planned for October will be postponed until October 2021. We are sorry to do this, but any fund raising we were going to do is not available this year. If anyone cares to donate for this celebration, they may contact Betty Ritter, Cabot Town Clerk. We will make it extra special next year.

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Us Stronger

tify needs within our community; implement plans for now and the future; and communicate strategies on connecting volunteers, services and one another. Strategies like this being in place can provide better community for all those in need. We have witnessed the formation of the Cabot Women’s auxiliary, who have been diligent in providing cloth facial coverings for many in the Cabot community. These ladies, in addition to many other individuals in town, have made it very easy for anyone who wants to have masks available to them. These simple facial coverings provide great protection for us all. I have encouraged the small businesses to more openly communicate the services they can and do offer for members of the community, such as ordering supplies, curbside pick-ups, delivery services when needed, and willingness to adjust hours to accommodate the community members. As I reflect back on the two months I have been in this position, I have asked myself what lessons can be learned from such an event as COVID-19? Here in Cabot, we truly are ALL in this together, and we WILL come together to support one another in times of crisis and challenge. In this community, it does not matter what your name is, how long you have lived in town, or what your roles and responsibilities are to the town. TOGETHER WE ARE CABOT STRONG!

Respectfully, Jennifer Miner Emergency Management Director Town of Cabot

willowreignsnana13@gmail.com

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Winners Announced

The 2020 Joe's Pond Ice Out winners are Angela Buttura from Essex Junction, who is a summer resident on Barre Avenue, and Nancy Durand from Hardwick. They each will receive a check for $2,294.00. 10,652 tickets were sold for this year's contest. On-line ticket sales made up a higher percentage of ticket sales likely due to pandemic. Ice Out tickets for 2021 will go on sale soon! The clock stopped at 6:07 a.m., April 15, 2010. There were a few others who were close, but nobody was closer than Angela and Nancy, who both had 6:05.

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Consulting

by Susan Socks Socks Family Farm is the homestead and tiny farm of Susie, Michael, Luca, and Jonah Socks, located on Urban Farm Way in Cabot. Our home is the old Urban farmhouse, built by dairy farmers Bernard and Arecca Urban after their original house blew down in the 1938 hurricane. Their daughter Velma, a friend and neighbor of ours, recalled how during the storm, her father tied a rope from house to barn, and carried her to safety while holding tight to the rope. Prior to moving to Cabot, we lived in Burlington VT and Amherst MA, but originally both Susie and Michael are from Dexter, a town in southern Michigan. In Burlington, we rented a community garden plot, and discovered we loved growing food. We dreamed of a piece of land where we could do more, and moved to Cabot in 2007. The farmhouse needed more work than anticipated, and growing food is tough. But challenges are learning opportunities…and boy have we learned! We’ve done carpentry, drywall, plumbing, electrical, insulation, flooring, siding, installed windows and doors, built bookshelves and cabinets and furniture. We’ve planted an orchard, a berry patch, raised chicken, ducks, geese, sheep, pigs, and honeybees. We’ve built greenhouses, sheds, chicken coops, and fences. More importantly, we’ve found a place in the Cabot community. Although we’re new arrivals compared to families who have been here generations, we’ve felt very welcome here. Our children were young homeschoolers in 2007, and they were fortunate to grow up with a wonder-

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Garden Goddess

ful group of Cabot-area homeschooling families. When they reached high school age, they chose to attend Cabot School, and that has been an amazing experience as well. Luca is graduating this month, and Jonah will graduate next year. Our family has led the Cabot Rink project for 9 years, Michael serves on the Trails Committee, Susie is the program coordinator for Cabot Mentoring, and both Luca and Jonah are part of Cabot Community Theater. We love buying firewood and maple syrup from neighbors, hitting the July 4 th rummage sale, spending time at the library, going to concerts, grabbing pizza at the store, and being part of a community that understands the value of honest, hard work. In addition to supplying much of our family’s food, Socks Family Farm also sells chicken, lamb, eggs, and sheepskins. We offer PYO by appointment: blueberries, currants, gooseberries, elderberries, aronia, and cooking herbs. We also have a new consulting business, Garden Goddess Consulting, to help with everything from planning gardens and livestock areas, to selecting seeds and breeds, to harvesting and storing your home-grown bounty. In becoming homesteaders, we’ve attended workshops and conferences, read books, and made a whole lot of mistakes along the way. We’re happy to share our experiences, and maybe help people make fewer mistakes than we did! For more information on Socks Family Farm and Garden Goddess Consulting, please visit our websitewww.socksfamily farm.weebly.com, our facebook page www.facebook.com/SocksFamilyFarm,or

growing, stay safe, and be well!

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Gratitude for Support

To every taxpayer in the six towns we serve - East Montpelier. Plainfield, Marshfield, Cabot, Woodbury and Calais area - “THANK YOU” for supporting the Twin Valley Senior Center. Your approval through town meetings is an immense help to the senior center. Meals on Wheels expenses can fall short of funds available. The participants in the program receive three to seven meals weekly delivered to their home. Meals will not be stopped regardless of one’s ability to donate toward the meals. Each of you are a big part of this operation and help us do what we do by your donations and support. You are helping your

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The Jaquith Public Library con-

tinues to offer curbside service. Outside pick-up of library materials, books, DVD’s, magazines, and audio-books are available to all patrons on Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. Email or call the

or email: jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com. Home deliveries are available to senior citizens within a ten mile radius of the library. We are now ready to accept your returns. We don’t charge overdue fees, but we do charge for missing materials.

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Our Summer Reading Challenge

begins on June 15: Children sign up to join by calling or emailing the library and do a curbside pick-up of their reading logs, stickers and bookmarks. When they have completed the challenge, they win a beautiful T-shirt with the summer theme “Imagine Your Story” decal on the front and a prize. We are proud to say 84 children signed up for the challenge last year and 68 won a t-shirt…..…an 81% completion rate!

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We are in the midst of planning

summer programs where social distancing can be practiced. We will post the dates and times for the events on our website and Facebook so stay tuned. If you want to be added to the email list for an e-copy of our Summer Overdue News, send a message to: jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

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C ABOT P UBLIC L IBRARY N EWS

elderly friends and neighbors remain in their own homes and communities where they have lived for many years. The fundraising and your support is a large part of the annual budget for the center, and therefore, your support and donations keep us in operation. That is what makes the center what it is today. We cannot do it alone and certainly cannot do it without YOU!

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Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels are prepared, packaged and delivered by an awesome group of dedicated, caring staff and volunteers. They are sure that you receive food that helps you stay strong and healthy in your own home. We have plenty of meals prepared and processed. If you are age 60 + and skimping by or need well balanced meals, then please

Twinvalleyseniors@myfairpoint.net. If you are under age 60, please contact us and we will work with you. Neighbors, family or friends you know that may have food insufficiency at this time should contact us at the center. We are here to help anyone needing good nutritional food. A very short in-take form has to be filled out, done over the telephone, and the meals will be on their way to your door.

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Online access to eBooks and

audiobooks is still available through Green Mountain Overdrive/Listen-up Vermont and Libby and they can be accessed through the library's web site. Both of these services allow users to either stream or download audiobooks and eBooks and are free to library patrons. There are also digital resources available from the library, such as VT Online Library, Universal Class and Consumer by Kathleen Hoyne,

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Curbside Library Services

We are excited to announce that beginning on Monday, May 4, the Cabot Public Library began offering “curbside” library service. Books, DVD’s, magazines, and audiobooks can be requested in advance, and pick-up times are Monday through Thursday. There are several ways to request items - through our online catalog on our website (www.cabotlibrary.com) , over

(cabotlibrary@yahoo.com). If you would like a library card, please call or email. Instructions for using the online catalog: 1. Go to our website: www.cabotlib rary.com 2. Click on THE CPL CATALOG 3. Reserve item by clicking “Request Hold” to the right of selected item 4. We will gather the materials 5. We will call or email you and set up a pick-up time Monday through Thursday. 6. Materials will be bagged, labeled with your name and put on a cart in the back foyer at your pick-up time. Don’t know what you want to read? We’ll help you pick out something! We also have many options for online resources: RB (Recorded Books) Digital – Over 9,400 downloadable audiobooks, 725 downloadable e-books, Pimsleur language EAudio, and Great Courses (ex. Practicing Mindfulness, Financial Literacy, The American Civil War). There are no holds or waiting lists for core titles; they are always available. Additional titles are added quarterly. Contact the library for sign up info.

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“Compliments of Wells

Green Mountain Library Consortium/ Overdrive/Listen Up! Vermont – 17,000 audio/e-books downloadable and free. Everything and anything. Contact the library for sign up info. Universal Class – Access over 500 online courses free. This might be the perfect time to take that class you've always wanted to. Contact the library for sign in details. Vermont Online Library - Covering everything from newspaper articles to DIY car repair, the Vermont Online Library (VOL) can help with any topic. Available for free to all Vermonters, VOL has options for all ages from elementary school through adult. You can even use it to read current articles from the NY Times, Washington Post, the Economist, and more. Use the link on our website. Free ebooks – https:// www.gutenberg.org Wifi- The wifi will stay on, as always, and patrons can access it from outside the building. Stay tuned for info and some fun surprises for our Summer Reading Program, Imagine Your Story! We will have lots of new summer reads for all ages, including all the new Red Clover picture books, middle school books (formerly DCF), Green Mountain Book Award books (for teens). Adults – look forward to lots of new books from your favorite authors to accompany you in your favorite lawn chair this summer. Many thanks to our Library Trustees –Linda Gabrielson, Jeannie McCallum, Angela Ogle, Kurt Steinert, Beth Wade and student representative, Mekiah Smith for all their help throughout these changing times. Kathleen Hoyne Library Director

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Dealers of General Merchandise”

Reports. If you need help setting up an account, remembering your library card number, or working through the use of any of these systems, please call or email the library and librarian, Susan Green, will be happy to help you. You can find links to all of these from our website: www.jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

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Thank you to everyone who at-

tended the Marshfield Town Meeting and voted for the Jaquith Public Library budget. It means so much to us to know you support what we are doing at the library. We want to thank everyone who has donated time and money to the library. Photo supplied by Deb Maxwell. It appears to be the top of a promotional

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We hope you all stay healthy! Let

us all take care of one another during these challenging times. calendar. The year of publication is undiscernible from what remains. It was given to Deb by a friend of her daughter, believed to have been found among a relative’s belongings. The friend knew her daughter was raised in Cabot and thought Deb would like to see it.

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← From the Cabot Chronicle