WSESD Board Meeting Minutes September 26, 2023

by Not Signed In | Education

SUMMARY:

● Two new student representatives joined the board, Alora Lawyer and Jayden Gonzalez.
● Administrators presented information about the WSESU Continuous Improvement Plan, and a discussion of this plan will continue at the next board meeting.
● PCB testing has been completed for all WSESU schools. Results have come back clean for Vernon, Green Street and Academy Schools. PCB remediation at Oak Grove is complete and due to be re-tested. Results are still pending for other district schools.
● Seven community members have applied for appointment to the vacant Brattleboro seat on the board. Their names will be shared to the public before the next meeting.
● There was a discussion of whether to implement stipends for staff members participating on Leadership Councils. Mark Speno will bring a recommendation about this to the next meeting.

The Clements Brothers and Geneviève Racette at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk music with The Clements Brothers and Geneviève Racette at Next Stage on Friday, November 3 at 7:30 pm.

Québécois folk-pop singer/songwriter Geneviève Racette captivates listeners with her gentle, yet compelling, emotional resonance. Through her vulnerable lyricism and ethereal vocals, Geneviève has emerged as a rising star in both French and English-speaking Canadian music scenes. She is currently on her fifth US tour, collaborating with artists such as The Bros. Landreth, Abbie Thomas, and Halley Neal.

Since the release of her first EP in 2014, Genevieve has steadily gained recognition across Canada and the US, winning a Canadian Folk Music Award and earning glowing reviews from major outlets including Rolling Stone, Exclaim!, CBC, Women of Americana, Americana Music Association, and Sirius XM. Her latest CD “Satellite” is a collection of honest stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love which evoke moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness, and ultimately falling in love again.

WSESD Board – Candidates for Vacant Brattleboro Seat

by Not Signed In | Education

The Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Board has received letters of interest from seven candidates for the vacant seat on the Board. Any individual appointed to the open seat on the WSESD Board must be a resident of Brattleboro and will complete the remaining term of the open seat, which is through March 2024, when they will be eligible to run for election to the WSESD Board.

The seven candidates from Brattleboro are:

BCTV Schedules Week of October 2, 2023

by BCTVProg | Media

Monday, October 2, 2023

4:45 am At BMAC – Artist Talk: Daniel Callahan

6:00 am Vermontitude – 20 Years of Empty Bowls 9/26/23

6:15 am Windham County Genealogy Interest Group – What is a Reasonably Exhaustive Genealogy Research?

7:55 am Groundworks Collaborative – Empty Bowls 2023

Osher Lectures for Fall 2023, at Next Stage in Putney, VT

by Ruby McAdoo | Education

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is excited to launch 3 Osher events in the greater Brattleboro area for Fall 2023! These will all take place on Sundays at Next Stage in Putney, VT, though the times differ for each event. Find out more details for each event AND register in advance at learn.uvm.edu/olli/brattleboro

The Return of Office Hours: Selectboard Member to Resume Public Meetings

by Franz | Town News

Brattleboro selectboard member Franz Reichsman will resume drop-in meetings with members of the public twice a week beginning Wednesday, October 4 and continuing each Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Office Hours will take place at The Works Cafe at 118 Main Street from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 8:00 to 10 a.m. on Fridays. No appointment is needed. Topics will include any issues related to town government in Brattleboro or otherwise of general interest.

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Cyrus Chestnut Trio

by vtjazz | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center will present Cyrus Chestnut in a trio concert on October 14th at 7:30 PM. Called “the best pianist of his generation” by Time Magazine, Chestnut will appear with bassist Herman Burney and drummer Kelton Norris. 

Chestnut’s repertoire includes selections from the Great American Songbook, spirituals, jazz standards, and original music as well as surprising transformations from other genres. Along with his interpretations of jazz-related gems, his recordings include compositions by Elvis Presley, Erik Satie and even Beethoven. Chestnut carefully arranges each piece, developing it with reharmonizations, introductions and interludes. His approach is characterized by two constants: a deep connection to gospel music and a resounding sense of swing. 

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – October 3, 2023

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will delay Town work on Community Safety Review items until the state completes work on Phil Scott’s public safety initiative during their next regular meeting.

They’ll hear about their new website, buy winter sand, plan to realign Melrose Street, consult with the school board, announce committee vacancies, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda as long as the Chair doesn’t decide to cut you off as you begin talking.

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

Crews are finishing the placement of materials and fine grading the wetland detention pond this week. Flaggers are being utilized to stop traffic briefly to allow trucks and equipment to enter and exit wetland and other work areas safely. Installation of granite curbing is planned to begin Wednesday. Once that is done, the ditch lines will be fine graded. Alternating one-way traffic controlled by flaggers, along with a police detail, may be utilized for this work.

Brattleboro Curbside Trash, Recycling and Compost Update

by Not Signed In | Town News

This spring, Casella Waste Services took over trash, recycling and compost removal for the Town of Brattleboro.  During this change, residents have not experienced any interruption in service.  

Going forward your pickup schedule will not change, however the title will change. If you were previously following the “A week” schedule it has been renamed to “B week” and if you were previously following the “B week” schedule, it has been renamed to “A week”.  (In other words if you were an “A” you’re now a “B” and if you were a “B” you’re now an “A”)

What I Heard About The EMS Process in Brattleboro

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

What they said:

We’ll have an open and transparent public process. We want to have a great public process. We need to hear from the public. I’m not hearing enough from the public.  We’ll give the public a chance to weigh in. This will be an open and transparent public process. Your comments are really important.

Then they said:

The website comments are self-selecting and biased. You’ve already spoken for three minutes! You need to wrap it up. So emotional. Those news articles don’t apply to us. No looking back. Look to the future, now!  We know the majority of the public says they want Rescue but we’re voting against it. We have information the public doesn’t have. 

“It’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over; It’s Not Over ‘Til We Get It Right.”

by RobertOeser | Op/Ed

Remember the quote attributed to Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Now, consider the Starship’s lyrics, “It’s not over ’til it’s over; It’s not over ’til we get it right.”

Please review the following articles in September 27, 2023 edition of the Commons:

A squandered opportunity by William E. Kraham
Use of ARPA funds can only be seen as evidence of its bad faith by F. David Levenbach
Brattleboro town department heads ‘blindsided’ by Barbara Mellish

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Cyrus Chestnut Trio

by vtjazz | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center will present Cyrus Chestnut in a trio concert on October 14th at 7:30 PM. Called “the best pianist of his generation” by Time Magazine, Chestnut will appear with bassist Herman Burney and drummer Kelton Norris. 

Chestnut’s repertoire includes selections from the Great American Songbook, spirituals, jazz standards, and original music as well as surprising transformations from other genres. Along with his interpretations of jazz-related gems, his recordings include compositions by Elvis Presley, Erik Satie and even Beethoven. Chestnut carefully arranges each piece, developing it with reharmonizations, introductions and interludes. His approach is characterized by two constants: a deep connection to gospel music and a resounding sense of swing. 

As a youth Cyrus Chestnut was immersed in, and continues to follow, the spiritual beliefs of the Baptist church. His training as a musician followed a path from church musician to the Peabody Conservatory Preparatory Program and the Berklee College of Music. He quickly became knowns as a consummate sideman, touring the world and making recordings with jazz several jazz legends. He is now recognized as a leader in his own right. Chestnut currently holds the position of Master Instructor of Jazz Piano and Improvisation at Howard University. He continues to tour and record as a soloist, with his own groups, and as a high-level sideman at noted jazz festivals and venues. 

Next Stage Arts Presents Double Bill Featuring Walter Parks & The Unlawful Assembly and Big Lazy

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts presents a double bill featuring the reimagined historic spirituals and hymns of Walter Parks & The Unlawful Assembly, and the “guitar noir”/”crime jazz” of Big Lazy, on Friday, October 27 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney.

The Unlawful Assembly reimagines and tributes historic spirituals and hymns which universally inspire, empower and unite. Leader/guitarist/singer Walter Parks, longtime sideman to Woodstock legend Richie Havens, is joined by featured artists drummer/producer Steven Williams, and Ada Dyer, who’s currently touring worldwide with Bruce Springsteen, on vocals.

In one live-concert experience The Unlawful Assembly entertains and informs while successfully melding roots music of divergent origins. The soundtrack to American black history – old-school spirituals, gospel, blues, and prison work chants intertwine with swamp hollers, shaped-note hymns and Appalachian reels of white homesteader origin.

Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trustworthy?

by SK-B | Op/Ed

Below is a brief Forbes piece discrediting Robert Kennedy, Jr. The key sentence is the following:

“This week he posted to his Instagram account a photo of Gates with the wild words ‘The digitalized economy? We get rid of cash and coins. We give you a chip. We put all your money in your chip. If you refuse a vaccine, we turn off the chip and you starve!’”

I knew Kennedy is untrustworthy when I fact-checked his video, “The Real Anthony Fauci” and discovered that at the very beginning of the video: Kennedy, setting the stage for what the video will prove, makes a serious, factually untrue statement, which he has never subsequently corrected. If you are going to expose the mainstream media and medical establishment for propagating false narratives; then you yourself, Kennedy, better be impeccably truthful.

The Magic of Pyrgi, Greece

by RDavis | Travel

On the island of Chios, Greece- Travel, on any level and in any place, can often be a life-altering experience. Merely breaking your daily routine and seeing unfamiliar people and vegetation can freshen the mind better than most forms of therapy.

Once you allow yourself to cast aside as much baggage as you can, you move into new places where you have the potential to become a new person, either for a moment or forever. All of this is a preface to a description of what happened to me and my wife Roberta when we visited the town of Pyrgi on the Greek island of Chios.

There are rare moments during travel when something magical and mystical happens. I think a person would be lucky to have two or three of these moments during a lifetime of travel. When Roberta and I entered the town of Pyrgi we were immediately immersed into a world where children of all ages play unattended in the streets, running with more joy than will ever be experienced by any American child in a lifetime.