Culture story sections
You’ve seen him filming around town – at Gallery Walk, Town meetings, graduations, Perseverance Park….As BCTV’s Production Manager NOLAN EDGAR multi-tasks between filming, editing, teaching, wrangling equipment, and helping local producers create unique shows that enrich our community and beyond. And he’s created a cache of skateboarding videos. Tune in for some great stories, both personal and professional.
Summary
● The Board engaged in a presentation about the district’s professional development and equity work.
● Suzy’s Little Peanuts Day School was approved as a universal PreK partner.
● The hiring of Elizabeth Rosenberg, WRCC Culinary Instructor & BUHS Family and Consumer Science Teacher was approved.
● Action is being taken towards community engagement as related to the newly adopted Board Goals.
Brattleboro, VT — September 15, 2025 — Brattleboro Area Middle School (BAMS) proudly announces that Anne Koplinka-Loehr, a 7th & 8th grade social studies teacher, has been awarded a 2025 Rowland Fellowship. This prestigious fellowship, granted by The Rowland Foundation, supports visionary Vermont educators in implementing transformative initiatives to enhance school culture and climate. Koplinka-Loehr is the first Rowland Fellow from both BAMS and the Windham Southeast School District, and she has worked closely with Principal Keith Lyman to develop this initiative.
With this fellowship, Koplinka-Loehr has stepped into a Teacher on Special Assignment role for the 2025-2026 academic year. She will be facilitating a group of staff and students to integrate restorative practices throughout the middle school.
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board will meet at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 in the Windham Regional Career Center, Cusick Conference Room, 80 Atwood St, Brattleboro VT, and remotely via Zoom.
Next Stage Arts in Putney welcomes acclaimed comedian and storyteller Adam Strauss for a special two-night run, Friday and Saturday, October 17 and 18. Each night features a different solo performance, blending stand-up, true storytelling, and fearless honesty that has won Strauss praise from critics and audiences across the country.
Friday, October 17 – The Mushroom Cure
Showtime: 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:45)
Tickets: $22 advance / $25 at the door / $35 advance for both nights
Strauss’s breakthrough show, The Mushroom Cure, is the true story of how he attempted to treat his severe obsessive-compulsive disorder with psychedelics. It’s as outrageous as it is uplifting. The New York Times called it “mining a great deal of laughter from disabling pain.” The Chicago Tribune hailed it as “arrestingly honest and howlingly funny.” Michael Pollan praised it as “brilliant, hilarious, and moving.” Time Out New York named it a Critics’ Pick, calling it “a true-life tour de force.”
PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk, roots, and Americana music with The Clements Brothers and The Early Risers at Next Stage on Friday, October 10, at 7:30 pm.
The Clements Brothers—George (guitar) and Charles (upright bass)—are identical twins from the heart of New England. They have been writing and performing music together for as long as they can remember, first emerging on the Americana scene in 2012 as part of the internationally touring grassroots band The Lonely Heartstring Band, releasing two albums on Rounder Records. More recently, George has played the role of Paul Simon in the national hit The Simon and Garfunkel Story, while Charles has performed in the bass section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Drawing on roots, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and classical influences, The Clements Brothers craft a unique singer-songwriter sound, blending harmonies only possible with their identical voices—at once enthralling and intimate, groovy and serene.
IV. Administrative Report
– Presentation: Professional Development and Social Justice League
Assess how the District supports teachers and staff so that they are empowered to support students.
Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. FY26 Fiscal Year 1st quarter Financial Statement review
3. FY27 Preliminary Budget Development Planning Discussion
4. Recommendation to Board to Approve Warrants and Payrolls
Summary
● Amendments to the WSESD Board meeting minutes from 8/26/25 were presented and approved.
● The Board voted to include a ‘parking lot’ on the minutes to capture topics for further discussion that arise during meetings.
● Following a discussion considering the Board’s alignment with the VSBA, a vote passed to remain members at this time.
● The Board reviewed and voted to accept three Board goals,
1. Enhance oversight of the prevention of Hazing, Harassment, and Bullying
2. Understand and implement District Quality Standards and Educational Quality Standards
3. Improve two-way communication and engagement with district Stakeholders
● The Board adopted the Admin/Board Calendar and determined to include alignment of the newly adopted Board Goals to this tool.
Hello Families of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union,
I’m reaching out from the Office of the Superintendent to relay information about a “Shelter in Place” protocol that took place at Brattleboro Union High School, Brattleboro Area Middle School and Windham Regional Career Center (the “BU6 Campus”) this afternoon, which has been resolved with no issues. Officers from the Brattleboro PD arrived promptly to assess the situation.
Putney, VT — Friday, October 3 at 7:30 PM (doors at 6:45 PM)
Next Stage Arts will once again fill with laughter as Gordon Clark and the Vermont Comedy All Stars return for a high-energy stand-up showcase featuring some of the region’s sharpest comedic talents. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.
This edition’s lineup promises an unforgettable night of quick wit, bold storytelling, and delightfully offbeat perspectives:
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board will meet at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 in the Windham Regional Career Center, Cusick Conference Room, 80 Atwood St, Brattleboro VT, and remotely via Zoom.
Twenty artists from the Connecticut River Chapter of Vermont Watercolor Society will exhibit their work at All Souls Church in the West Village Meeting House from September 7 through November 30. The public is invited to an opening reception on Sunday, September 14, from 3 – 5 p.m. Beverages and light refreshments will be served. The reception is free and open to all.
With more than 240 members, the Vermont Watercolor Society is dedicated to promoting the awareness and appreciation of watercolor to its membership at all levels of ability and to the larger community by providing opportunities and venues for participation, education, fellowship, and exhibitions.
The Windham County Heat Fund is presenting a concert on Sunday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Heart Rose Club (formerly Shriners’ Hall), 11 Green Street in Brattleboro. It might seem that the title for our event is an exaggeration, but it is not.
Earlier this year Trump fired all of the people who administer the funds for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The funds, about four billion dollars, were thought to be available but there will be no one to administer them. I have contacted state and federal officials and no one knows what the status of the LIHEAP program is.
With “Two skillets and a dream” MARCEL MAXWELL created 802 SOUL KITCHEN, a catering business offering big-flavor comfort food. He’s been on a summer Pop-Up Tour – from Gallery Walk to the Guilford Fair. For Marcel, giving back to the community is at the heart of it all. Keep an eye out for Marcel and eat well!
I. Call to Order
DS called the meeting of the WSESD Board to order at 6:00 pm
– If appropriate, agenda items are subject to Potential Action.
NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September
09, 2025 – in person at the WRCC Cusick Conference Room, and remotely via Zoom.
The Boards of the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) and the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) have each independently moved to send the following communication to Vermont’s School District Redistricting Task Force, which was submitted to the Task Force by email on August 15, 2025:
The WSESD and WSESU moved “to remain within a supervisory union, within a larger governance region to the extent practical, under the terms of H.454 as approved on June 16, 2025 by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Vermont.” The WSESD and WSESU will submit a “statement of intent to the new Redistricting Task Force when it is established and will reach out to contiguous school districts and supervisory unions to explore combining into a larger supervisory union if possible.”
The Trump administration has destroyed the federal fuel assistance program. The heat fund is trying to make up some of the shortfall with a $100,000 Go Fund Me Goal.
The Thomas THOMPSON Trust is matching every dollar of the first $20,000 donated.
Summary
● The Board voted to rotate the location of the meetings around the district.
● Board representation on the Leadership Councils was determined for this upcoming year.
● The Board determined to have the Policy Committee review and discuss the procedure regarding death that was drafted by BUHS.
● A motion was passed to establish a redistricting taskforce. Six Board members stepped up to serve on this taskforce.
● Three new hires were approved, one full time and two part time teachers.
● The consent agenda was approved.
