THE Since 1889 75 Cents HaHardwick ◆ Greensborord ◆ Craftsburyw ◆ Wickolcott ◆ Walden ◆ Stannard Gazette ◆ Woodbury ◆ Calais ◆ Cabot ◆ Marshfield Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Volume 121, Number 2 Hazen Preps To Go Solar, Students Lead The Way by Tommy Gardner further that education. students and the people in their com- HARDWICK — Hazen Union The federal grant is one of 10 munities learn more about solar School students won the school a awarded to Vermont schools, se- energy and smart ways to get to a $5,000 prize last year for reducing its cured by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, greener future,” Sanders said. carbon footprint. Last week, the I-Vt., in a federal spending bill. In Twenty-three Vermont school learned it is in line for a a statement, Sanders said students schools submitted proposals, $50,000 grant to go solar. are the ones “with the most at which were looked over by the Hazen is being recognized for stake” when making choices about state Department of Education. its efforts at teaching students their energy sources. The winning proposals will be sub- green energy and now looks for- ”The projects at the 10 Vermont mitted to the U.S. Department of ward to some greenbacks to schools that were selected will help See SOLAR, Page Three Staff Cuts Loom As Budget Awaits Voter Say by June Pichel Cook the board directed Orleans South- Monday night, the school admin- CRAFTSBURY — After meet- west Supervisory Union istration presented two scenarios to ing twice since the new year began, superintendent Mark Andrews and the board. Scenario one, which re- including two executive sessions, the Craftsbury School principal Chirs duced staffing by .2 FTE would have School Board voted unanimously a Young to rework the budget and re- resulted in a 4.33 percent budget $3,234,586 budget Monday night. duce costs. The earlier budget of increase. Scenario two, which the The proposed budget projects a per- $3,347,955 represented a 6.12 per- board voted to accept, reduces 1.2 equalized pupil expenditure below cent increase, pushed per-equalized FTE staffing levels and represents a the state’s excess spending threshold pupil expenditures over the state’s 2.52 percent increase over last year. and a .1490 drop in the homestead excess spending threshold, and Board chair Julie Marckres stat- educational tax rate. would have dropped the tax rate less ed, “As difficult as it may be to this After its first meeting on Jan. 12, than .01 cent. See CUTS, Page Eleven Roof Work A Big Baker’s Dozen View Workers from Barnet-based William Graves Construction lay down shingles on the roof of the new Hardwick Area Health Center building. According to Northern Counties Health Care facilities manager Alan Langmaid, the 6,500 square foot building is Super Chef’s Adventures coming along as planned, and is still scheduled to open this summer. (photo by Vanessa Fournier) by Tommy Gardner Greensboro last September, and it culture scene for the past year and a HARDWICK — There was aired Jan. 4. But the show runs on a half, Lagasse and his film crew came standing room only for a television channel most people with televisions and spent a whole week here. The show presentation last week, as do not receive. Jeudevine Memorial crew poked their lenses in farms and Haitian Quake Felt By Area roughly 100 people crammed into the librarian Lisa Sammet tracked down food production facilities, and La- Center For an Agricultural Economy a copy of the episode, and people gasse popped food into his mouth. to watch celebrity chef Emeril La- packed into the center like a bunch Stearns said of certain national gasse’s adventures in the area. of Sugar Daddy Snap Peas in a pod. media, print and television, “at best Residents With Ties To Country Super Bowl parties don’t often Center president Tom Stearns they tell half the story. This one get this big. spoke before and after the viewing, (Emeril Green), they got a lot more by Tommy Gardner when the magnitude 7.0 quake hit. involved “disaster risk reduction Hardwick. He said last Tuesday was An episode of Lagasse’s show telling the gathered crowd that al- of the players.” Although the epicenter of last Fischer is a part of the Earth Insti- through ecosystem reconstruction,” an intense experience as he watched “Emeril Green” was filmed in though the national press paid The episode, titled “Emeril’s week’s devastating earthquake in tute at Columbia University, an specifically with regard to another the news and hoped for a phone call Hardwick, Wolcott, Craftsbury and attention to the Hardwick-area agri- See CHEF, Page Three Haiti was less than 20 miles from the organization that works with Hai- type of natural disaster, hurricanes. with good news. It came that night. country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, tians on basic management of “The lesson is that emergency But illustrating how much the tele- the emotional reverberations are felt natural resources — Haiti has been systems need to be built regardless communications infrastructure has in the Northeast Vermont. notoriously deforested over the of the type of emergency,” he said. been damaged, Fischer said a text Alex Fischer, a Montpelier na- years. He was working with United Fischer’s father, Monty, is the message sent from Alex to his par- Schools Receive Grants For tive with a family cabin in Nations teams. executive director at the Center For ents directly after the first quake Greensboro, was in Port-au-Prince Ironically, one of Fischer’s tasks an Agricultural Economy in See QUAKE, Page Five Good, Healthy Local Eats by Tommy Gardner cials whetted students’ appetites for community,” Tormey said. “The ide- Cabot School and Twinfield locally-grown vegetables and fruits al candidate is someone who is Keeping School Staff Will Require Union received funds to help bring and grains. interested in cooking and local foods.” local foods into their cafeterias, and Much of the money will be used Vermont FEED is a partnership to educate students about nutrition by each school to hire a coordinator of three Vermont non-profit organi- and the source of their lunches. who will be tasked with working with zations: Food Works at Two Rivers, New Curriculum Delivery Designs The money comes in the form of both cafeteria staff and the Farm to the Northeast Organic Farming Farm to School implementation School Program offered by Vermont Association and Shelburne Farms. by Tommy Gardner a result of teachers sacrificing rais- employees who might have otherwise employees and one part-timer. grants from the Department of Agri- FEED (Food Education Every Day). The group works with more than 100 CABOT — The School Board es for their colleagues and partly a been laid off or had their hours re- The instructors at the high culture; Cabot received $15,000 and According to Cabot fourth grade Vermont towns, taking a communi- gave principal Regina Quinn a home- result of an increased town-wide duced are safe for now. school level will benefit the most from Twinfield received $10,530. The teacher Mary Ann Tormey, the coor- ty-based approach to reconnect work assignment last week: try to property value assessment) that was The manipulation of already Quinn’s restoration of funds to per- grants are the second step in a pro- dinator will be a part-time position. children and their families to the shift $50,000 from non-personnel pumped back into the budget last tight figures involved moving enough sonnel. Originally, 1.6 FTEs were to cess that was begun at the beginning “The coordinator’s job is to con- bounty of local farms. portions of next year’s budget and week. The School Board’s proposed numbers to reduce the number of be cut from the grades seven-12, but of this school year, when school offi- nect the classroom, cafeteria and See GRANTS, Page Eleven reallocate it so fewer faculty and staff $3.3 million operating budget re- “full-time equivalences (FTEs)” that Quinn restored 1.1 FTE, leaving a net feel the proposed cuts. mains unchanged, but now allocates were to be cut from 5.6 to 3.4. An FTE loss of one half-time instructor. Al- Quinn completed her assign- $100,000 more for faculty and staff is essentially the measure of a man most half of the elementary level ment. Her $50,000 was combined than had previously been allocated or woman; in this case, Cabot must education FTEs were restored (from Plea Made To Keep The Arts; with at least another $50,000 (partly a month ago. The move means some cut the equivalent of three full-time See STAFF, Page Twelve Staff Turns Back Raises Transcontinental Cattle Drive A MARSHFIELD — Impas- proposed budget. About 25 mem- “I think it would be a huge mis- sioned pleas were made by parents bers of the public attended. take to cut the arts,” she said. “Please and students to keep arts and mu- Laurie Hughes, a parent, spoke look elsewhere.” First For Scottish Highland Breeder sic when the Twinfield School in favor of keeping the music and Student Ethan Warshow re- Board held a hearing Jan. 12 on the renaissance programs. ferred to the renaissance program as by June Pichel Cook Highlanders, one of the world’s Shatney and Steward market prepared to haul five prize animals “amazing beyond words.” GREENSBORO — Ray Shatney oldest purebred cattle, evolved in their beef under the auspices of to the National Western Stock Show Another student, Julian Sober- was 14 in 1967 when his father ancient times in Northern Scotland.