Current News

Recently I offered a column about civility in politics that related to two examples in Washington where it appeared that if politicians could come together socially, as well as in their work, civility might have a better chance of thriving.

The 17th Jogathon, sponsored by the Shelburne PTO, will take place Thursday, May 27 (rain date Friday, May 28). In this morning event, all students at the Shelburne Community School (SCS) participate with their classmates and teachers.

Last Friday, May 14 marked the culmination of 2010 Grad Challenge projects at CVU with senior student presentations before a panel of judges. Each senior is required to conduct a Grad Challenge course of study in order to graduate, but the subject of study is of their own choosing.

With a score of seventy four, The Shelburne Geo-bee team came in second in the Vermont Regional Geo-Bee competition. The competition took place at the Charlotte Central School, on Saturday, May 8.The three teams competing, Charlotte, Shelburne and Christ the King were fighting for a spot in the States competition.

The local food movement continues to gain momentum as people become more aware of what they are eating, where it comes from, and the circumstances under which the food was raised or cultivated.

The things my father taught me still resound in so many details of day-to-day life on the farm and in the garden. One of the gems was dealing with firewood, "The more times you move the firewood before you burn it, the more warmth you get from it."

This summer brings the second season of the Teen Shakespeare Camp, hosted at the Shelburne campus of Lake Champlain Waldorf School (LCWS). This year's camp will spotlight Shakespeare's hilarious comedy, "Twelfth Night." "Twelfth Night" is one of Shakespeare's most enduring comedies, a classic tale of shipwrecked twins, pining lovers, and scheming servants.

As the academic year comes to a close, the Shelburne School Board voted on proposals that will affect the make-up of faculty at the facility.

I am often asked how my position as the director of college counseling at the Vermont Commons School differs from my work as an independent educational consultant. In reality, there is no difference. In both instances, my complete commitment is to assist each student

If you have ever wanted your child to get to experience a preschool program before actually enrolling them as a student, here is that chance.

Summer learning cascades between new and current Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) students. This CVU summer camp is based on providing a smooth transition to high school. The adventure begins when incoming ninth graders sign up for interest area groups led by experienced CVU student counselors.

The Lake Champlain Sailing Center (LCSC) announces two new partnership camps for summer: tennis and sailing, and soccer and sailing. If you enjoy all types of sports but haven't had the chance to try soccer, sailing, or tennis, then these camps are right up your alley.

Kim is an active Shelburne resident whose involvement in Town activities reaches from Shelburne Little League to Shelburne Nursery School. See here for a few more details about her life.

Currently, 7.5 percent of children up to the age of 19 are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorders. "Often, I hear parents and grandparents questioning whether behaviors they observe among young family members are "typical" of the age or suggestive of genuine attention differences," says Blanche Podhajski, Ph.D., president and founder of the Stern Center for Language and Learning.

Eighteen-year-old percussionist and Rice Memorial High School senior Nicholas Bonaccio of Shelburne will appear on an upcoming episode of "From the Top," the NPR radio program featuring

More than 100 cartons of young adult and health books will be on the way to Botswana next month, thanks to the efforts of many in the Shelburne community. Former Shelburne Village School librarian Pam Shelton returned to visit her former hometown last week and was met with an outpouring of support for her "Books for Botswana" project.

As I write this on Sunday evening, we are still moving toward adjournment; now it is expected to be Wednesday evening. The pace seems to be on both ends of the spectrum: long periods of waiting for bills to come over from the Senate followed by a rapid-fire, full-on response when they do.

After holding an executive session for nearly an hour and a half, Shelburne's Selectboard voted 3-2 not to reappoint Development Review Board (DRB) member Dick Elkins. Elkins, who also serves as current chairman of Shelburne's Planning Commission, was interviewed by the Selectboard at its last meeting as part of the DRB candidate appointment process.

Chuck Dunham spoke to the Shelburne Development Review Board (DRB) in May regarding an application that asked the board to permit some exterior renovations to the Shelburne Methodist Church Parsonage.

Lilac walking tours, lilac planting, and vegetable gardening workshops are just a few of the many fun things to do on May 16 at Shelburne Museum's Lilac and Gardening Sunday.

Devan Wilkins must be quite the defender. According to CVU head girls' lacrosse coach Julie Sloan, "Devan plays a defensive position with offensive mentality to move the ball forward. Her midfield defensive skills and ability to intercept the ball are what makes her a strong player on this CVU team."

It was Wednesday night and La Villa was full of locals. Matt and I were joined by friends Robert and Kara Grist of Charlotte for an informal dinner, and La Villa is one of my regular haunts for such an occasion. Owners Jill and Adam Spell were in Florida for a much-needed vacation, but they'll be happy to hear the place ran smoothly in their absence.

Running is an indefinite action that holds great meaning to many individuals; it can be a challenge, it can be a relief, and it can be a friend. For Shelburne resident, Michael Ashooh, running is a motion with endless interpretations.

University of Washington senior Molly Aronsson of Shelburne and her Huskies' teammates had a difficult time at the NCAA East regional golf championships in Greenville, N.C., over the past weekend. As a team, Washington finished 17th out of 24, failing to qualify for the national championships.

Like any sports-minded kid, I had my heroes, though this was way back in the '50s and '60s. Mickey Mantle was no. 1 in my heart and, quite frankly, he still is, 15 years after his death and years after I learned of all his off-the-field flaws, including a personality that could be rude and crude.

As a whole, our annual edible gardens are made up of cold hardy, moderate, and tender annuals. There are some perennial edibles in the garden such as herbs, rhubarb, horseradish, asparagus, and some others. Some are perennial (if tended to regularly), by the nature of the way they rejuvenate, such as strawberries with over ground runners and raspberries with underground runners or suckers.

Mary Houle, Shelburne News' master gardener and columnist will join the non-profit Square Foot Gardening Foundation (SFGF) at the 2010 World Hunger Symposium as an ambassador and instructor in the SFG "Teaching the Teachers" training program to be held in the Pacific Rim.

The DUI "Mock Trial" program held at CVU last Thursday featured a cast of local dignitaries and law enforcement personnel. The trial was geared to an audience of CVU juniors and seniors and told the continuing story of a mock crash that was presented at CVU the previous year.

This year, on Town Meeting Day, voters in Chittenden South found another survey next to Bill Doyles' - one developed by the CVU school board. The CVU board constructed this instrument to help us understand the sentiments of the voters on a variety of issues that will likely confront the school in the near future.

RaceVermont originally was a revenue builder developed by Shelburne Athletic Club owner Rayne Herzog during the summer months when membership numbers typically fell; it has since far exceeded that modest goal.

Middlebury-born Patty Sheehan and Berlin native/Essex Junction resident Libby Smith have been Vermont's only representatives at the highest level of women's professional golf, the LPGA. Shelburne resident Molly Aronsson plans to increase that number to three within the not-too-distant future. Aronsson, born in Detroit but raised in the Green Mountains since she was two, is in the final weeks of a stellar collegiate career at the University of Washington and she knows what she will do once she has her diploma in hand: give the professional life a try.

Double your Saturday morning pleasure this summer: find locally produced food for the body at the Farmers Market on the Village Green and locally produced "food" for the soul at Shelburne Art Center's (SAC) Courtyard Artists Market.

The Early Childhood "Mayfest" hosted by Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Shelburne will be postoponed this weekend due to the stormy weather forecast. In the hopes of more sun and less rain, this fun-filled annual spring event has been rescheduled for Sunday May 16th from10AM-2PM.

On the way to Norwich University from The Renaissance School in Shelburne, none of the students expected their projects would garner major awards at the competition. The fifth and sixth graders were excited and nervous about presenting their work at the Vermont State Science and Mathematics Fair held on Saturday, April 17; however, all six students won awards.