LETTER: Administrators confronting the school board was ‘the spectacle of the year’
An open letter to the Harwood Unified Union School Board: On May 12, you were part of the spectacle of the year, one in which the administrative team of the consolidated school district was paraded before you en masse to coax you into reversing your earlier decision, one that you made in response to the request of more than 1,300 petitioners, to look into the abrupt firing of Moretown's first son, Harwood Boys Hockey Coach Jacob Grout.
Why it’s important to kids to celebrate Pride Month
Did you know that one in six Gen Z adults identify as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Rep. Stevens: Bill addressing rental housing issues still in progress
It’s hard to write an update when we have just finished the session endgame. Bills were flying around in the ether (it is Zoom after all), going back and forth between the House and Senate, and many of the bills our committee had been working on remained in flux until the very end.
LETTER: Girl Scouts plant, dedicate a tree to those lost in pandemic
This week, the local Waterbury Girl Scout Troop 30228 planted a remembrance tree at the Waterbury town offices to honor the Vermonters who lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kerrigan responds to ‘Let the administrators do their job’
I read with interest Dan Sullivan’s Op-Ed concerning the latest action taken by the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board on the Jacob Grout incident. The call for an independent investigation is appropriate.
Sullivan: Let the administrators do their job
As a district resident who has coached hundreds of children and a father of four students, I feel compelled to comment about the Harwood Unified Union School Board’s recent discussions and actions regarding the former Harwood Boys Hockey coach. The board has set a poor and expensive precedent by voting to investigate a matter of employment termination.
Time Lost: A Vermont music video
Harwood Union High School 2019 graduates Dan Greenleaf and Jesse McDougall live in Waterbury Center where they spent this past semester keeping up with their college studies remotely. Together they put together a music video postcard to their hometown from their hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic winter.
New Vermont law bans ‘forever’ toxic chemicals
Recently the House passed S.20, an act relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and other chemicals of concern in consumer products.
Happy birthday to … Waterbury Roundabout!
It was one year ago today that WaterburyRoundabout.org went live and the phone rang with a call from Seven Days reporter and Waterbury Center resident Kevin McCallum asking what this was all about.
Hackett: Celebrating at-home childcare providers
As a home-based childcare provider for 13 years, and a Vermont Early Childhood Network leader for 12 years, I am extremely fortunate to have a wonderful group of childcare providers participating in the Waterbury Area Network. I would like to take a moment to celebrate these heroes and recognize their commitment to children and families.
Friend, colleague, athlete, coach: Haslam’s influence will live on
We lost Taggert Haslam last week. I knew Taggert as an athlete, assistant coach (and later my head coach in Track & Field) and I also knew him as a colleague.
Commentary: ‘This is a Test’
Some of us may recall the Emergency Broadcast System announcing on radio and/or television a “test” set to occur as it was a visual and/or auditory disruption to the local, state, and federal programming schedule.
LETTER: Words do matter
To the community: Visitors to the town of Waterbury’s website may notice a new statement occupying a prominent spot on the home page.
It is past time to rethink and resist standardized testing
The Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition is encouraging families and students in our community to consider opting out of statewide standardized tests this spring. On Wednesday, April 21, 7-8 p.m., WAARC will host an online information session to discuss the harms of standardized testing and how to opt out if that’s your choice.
LETTER: Former school board member writes Gov. Scott about school gridlock
Our districts merged into the HUUSD under Act 46. Since the merger, other than some administrative efficiencies, no major steps have been taken to move the district forward with regards to increased equity, robust academic programming or more efficient use of our facilities.
Rep. Wood: Bill H.225 aims to prevent opiate overdose deaths
You can tell when legislators sense the end of the session is just a few weeks away because the pace of work in the virtual halls of the Legislature definitely picks up as many bills come to the floor for a vote and key “money” bills pass the House and are now being worked on in the Senate.
Census drives legislative apportionment in Vermont
It’s that time of the decade again! The U.S. Constitution requires a census every 10 years, and this up-to-date population count is used to ensure that our elected representatives in the legislature are equitably apportioned across the state.
LETTER: Bolton couple thankful for outpouring of support after tragedy
We want to thank everyone from all over: our friends and family, our neighbors and community, people from all over Vermont and surrounding areas who have driven to help search, people from all over the country and world who have reached out to us with prayer and love and kindness.
Students organize blood drive in Waterbury April 28
A big thank you again to the community for helping the Harwood Rotary Interact Club raise money and collect bottles during our recent bottle drive for the Waterbury Area Senior Center.
Teacher to lawmakers: Table this proposal
My name is Tommy Young and I am a 24-year teacher with 22 of those years being here in Vermont. I am a 1st- and 2nd-grade teacher at Waitsfield Elementary School.