Balancing act Birthday fun Stepping up A Ripton artist is using her work How do you throw a kids party Addison County people are giving to highlight issues in the natural while also social distancing? One their time, energy and compassion. world. See Arts + Leisure. family found a way. See Page 2B. Read about their efforts in our Volunteers Special Section. ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT Vol. 74 No. 18 Middlebury, Vermont Thursday, April 23, 2020 50 Pages $1.50 Ironing out distance learning Caring for our kids Students navigate ACSD’s online routine Essential By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Salisbury Community School teacher Amy workers’ Clapp offered an interesting analogy when speaking of the Addison Central School District’s children new distance learning plan, which is seeing K-12 students attend classes remotely from their own get care homes during the COVID-19 By CHRISTOPHER ROSS pandemic. BRISTOL — Every day, “It’s like we’re building an before they head off to fight on airplane while we’re flying it,” she the frontlines of the COVID-19 said in a recent phone interview. pandemic, parents in the Mount And by most accounts, the Abraham Unified School ACSD’s scores of teachers and District who’ve been designated hundreds of students are earning “essential workers” drop their their wings. The district’s so-called children off at Bristol Elementary “Continuity of Education Plan” School. There staff in the district’s lifted off last week for a lengthy Expanded Learning Program flight that will hopefully culminate deploy a powerful combination in all students making the grade of wisdom, talent, heart — and in what has been an otherworldly a little 5-Town magic — to draw academic year. down over those children a great The ACSD, according to glowing force field that keeps ELLA LAROSE, 9, dances with counselors in the MAUSD Superintendent Peter Burrows, them safe from the world their Essential Persons’ Childcare program, which imposes strict social did considerable research before parents are out trying to save. distancing policies for kids whose parents, like Ella’s, are deemed launching its distance learning essential workers in the effort to thwart coronavirus. The program is called MAUSD Photo courtesy of MAUSD curriculum. It included study of Essential Persons’ Childcare. It’s what other school districts — MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School junior Anna Berg, shown free to families and it officially Ella LaRose has attended since but it’s life-saving to have this locally and nationwide — were working at home, appreciates the personalized attention that opened on March 23. day one. program,” said Ella’s mom, offering. teachers are managing to give during distance learning. But she Nine-year-old Bristol resident “Not to be overly dramatic, (See Workers, Page 12A) (See Remote learning, Page 11A) feels like she has to spend too much time on the computer. Most centers closed for virus College to go online Officials differ By JOHN FLOWERS The mandated closure of It was around a month ago on sharing local MIDDLEBURY — Young most childcare facilities has that Gov. Phil Scott issued an parents fortunate enough to have proved a major inconvenience emergency order that either for the summer kept their jobs during for working families closed or substantially curtailed COVID-19 info MIDDLEBURY — “Health and safety remain COVID-19 continue “It’s a and a hardship to the operations for many businesses By JOHN FLOWERS to grapple with a balancing centers themselves, and industries in Vermont. Middlebury and Ripton will at the front of our minds as we not see the usual influx of decide what to do this summer,” & ANDY KIRKALDY major hurdle: How to act, with resulting in temporary Among them: childcare ADDISON COUNTY — get reliable childcare layoffs in some cases. operations. The governor more than a thousand students Middlebury Provost Jeff Cason safety first.” this summer after Middlebury said in a letter to the community The Addison Independent’s service during a time “It’s a balancing determined childcare providers e-newsletters about COVID-19 and when most centers —Donna Bailey act, with safety first,” could only continue services College decided it would offer this past Friday. “As a its summer academic programs consequence, most of our major our daily updates on the number have been forced to explained Donna to children of “employees of of cases in Addison County and close their doors — except to Bailey, director of the Addison businesses and entities providing only online because of the programs will not take place in threat posed by the COVID-19 person this summer.” throughout the state have been the offspring of what the state County Parent-Child Center services or functions deemed well read. People want to know (See Centers, Page 9A) pandemic. (See College, Page 9A) describes as “essential workers.” (PCC). (See COVID, Page 14A) City eyes $18 million sewer fix By the way Up in Lincoln, townspeople are Upgrade would benefit being urged to exercise and enjoy environment, economy the beautiful scenery during the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s By ANDY KIRKALDY been a marked increase in the VERGENNES — Vergennes number of people travelling the sewer ratepayers might in roads of Lincoln on foot and on November be asked to support bikes. A group of residents has a multi-million-dollar bond to organized “Lincoln 58” — a fund an upgrade of the city’s challenge dedicated to walking, wastewater collection system and running, or biking all 58 miles sewer treatment plant that could of roads within the community. not only benefit the environment Be a Lincoln 58er and share but possibly provide an economic stories, wildlife sightings, or development boost. other life sightings, on your The Vergennes system has daily adventures on the roads of for decades been plagued Lincoln. Check lincolnvermont. by overflows of hundreds of org for a road map in the current thousands of gallons into Otter Aquatic work of art Lincoln Town Plan on page 64. Creek, almost always after heavy A LOCAL FISHERMAN holds a female wild brook trout in a Green Mountain National Forest stream this past Sunday. Though not rains. Although the vast majority large, this beauty’s dark green body features pronounced blue haloes around red pearl spots on its sides. Need food? Bristol’s Have a of the stuff going into the creek is Photo by McKenna Poppenga Heart Food Shelf distribution is (See Vergennes, Page 14A) (See By the way, Page 9A) State colleges dodge closure; changes coming Index By JOHN S. McCRIGHT heart was announced. Middlebury Democrat said she got be damaging on many levels and Addison County’s nine state Obituaries ........................6A-7A MONTPELIER — Public furor Like most other members of calls from all over the state, and would not be acceptable. I accept representatives and two state Classifieds .............................6B over a plan announced last Friday the Addison County Legislative she received more complaints than their judgment,” Spaulding said senators taken before Spaulding’s Service Directory ............4B-5B by Jeb Spaulding, chancellor of the delegation, Hardy received she had over the slow response in a Wednesday statement. “We retreat found all in agreement that Entertainment ..... Arts + Leisure Vermont State College System, to a torrent of calls and emails of the Department of Labor to fill will be taking additional time to the timeline for closing the colleges Police Logs ............................3B close three state colleges by the criticizing Spaulding’s proposal unemployment claims. work with elected, campus, and was too quick and the state needed Opinion .................4A-5A & 8A fall prompted him to withdraw the to close Northern Vermont “Our board of trustees heard community leaders to redesign the to fund those schools for at least Activities .........................1B-2B proposal on Wednesday. University, which combined the loud and clear from thousands Vermont State Colleges System to another 12-18 months. “It was pretty drastic proposal former state colleges in Lyndon of students, employees, be sustainable. That means we do Rep. Mari Cordes, D-Lincoln, for given that it would close half the and Johnson, as well as the communities, and the state’s not plan to close campuses this instance, spoke for many when she system,” State Sen. Ruth Hardy Vermont Technical College’s elected leadership and determined fall.” said that the COVID-19 pandemic said before Spaulding’s change of home campus in Randolph. The that my recommendations would The Independent’s poll of (See State colleges, Page 10A) PAGE 2A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 23, 2020 Mt. Abe keeps it ‘manageable’ School district focuses on math, reading, student support By CHRISTOPHER ROSS students and families. BRISTOL — After focusing for “They’re doing it in different a couple of weeks on “maintenance ways but in general teams are of skills,” the Mount Abraham keeping communication ‘logs,’” Unified School District transitioned DiNapoli said. “If they see that a to a new phase of remote learning student didn’t participate in a class just before this week’s spring break. meeting yesterday, the teacher The new phase is the “continuation might reach out first. If they of learning,” and district officials don’t get contact, then the school are pleased with how it’s going so counselor will try.” far. Educators aren’t just relying on “We are intentionally not trying Google tools or Zoom, however. to replicate a typical student day,” “We’re trying to be mindful that MAUSD Superintendent Patrick everything isn’t computer based,” Reen said last week. “We’re really DiNapoli said. “We’re using looking for families to focus on the actual telephone in ways we something that’s manageable, both haven’t done in a long time.” from the parent perspective and Or a teacher might volunteer to from the student perspective.” ride along on the meals-delivery Where curriculum is concerned, PATRICK REEN bus, so they can make eye contact MAUSD educators are focusing with students and say, Hey, I’m on literacy and math as their top going to reach out later.