Williston Observer

School District releases results of town-wide survey

By Tim Simard
Observer staff

The Williston School District released its findings last week from an online survey taken in December, where respondents weighed in on issues including the structure of the lower and upper houses, the idea of multi-age grouping and equity in education.

The 22-page Internet questionnaire asked parents, faculty, former students and community members a variety of questions regarding the current system. Survey response was mostly positive regarding the district's lower house structure, multi-age grouping and equity in education. Results were more mixed regarding the district's upper house structure. Respondents also reacted positively to questions about all-day kindergarten.

"We did this as a chance to gain as much information as we could," said Walter Nardelli, Williston School District principal. "We gained a lot from it."

Nardelli, with the help of the administration, wrote up the survey. He also consulted with Dr. Ray Proulx from Bakersfield for design ideas.

More than 750 individuals responded to the survey, including more than 450 parents, and the results have been helpful to Nardelli and the Williston School Board in understanding the district's changing dynamic.

Nardelli said he wasn't surprised by the results and that the comprehensive study was needed to consider changes in the school system for the next academic year.

The survey results also helped Nardelli see where the district can make changes in class structure. With enrollment decreasing over the years, the district has been looking at ways to utilize extra space.

"If we start reducing sections due to declining populations, we have to have a way to do it," Nardelli said. "It can't be that we have to restructure the building every time there are changes in student populations."

Survey comments

Nardelli, in a job that took "over 60 hours," consolidated hundreds of pages of feedback into a handful of comments that best reflected suggestions. Nardelli said that in preparing the comment pages, he tried to show two sides to every issue. It should read like a "conversation" and "capture all the different sides," he said.

A group of Verve House math students from Rick McGraw's eighth grade class helped figure out the percentages from the survey and designed the charts and graphs to go along with the report.

Respondents were most satisfied with the current lower house structures and equity in education between houses, with 81 percent and 77 percent, respectively agreeing or strongly agreeing.

The structure of the upper houses solicited the most disagreement among respondents. On a question of whether fifth graders should continue to be placed in the same classrooms as eighth graders, 57 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the current system.

Many of the positive comments reflected how all grades benefit from a variety of age groups.

"Mixed groupings can encourage younger students to push themselves and be challenged by their peers," one comment stated. "The older students serve as role models and their behavior is improved when they are put into leadership positions. The world is multiage not segregated by age. They are learning skills that they will need in the workforce."

Comments that showed dissatisfaction with the upper house structure spoke to concerns about the maturity levels between fifth and eighth graders.

"My primary worry with my child's transition to 5th grade this year has been with her exposure to more mature situations (lets (sic) face it – a fifth grader is miles younger than an eighth or even a 7th grader)," one comment stated. "I have concerns about her seeing or hearing about things (dating, break-ups, 'crushing,' IM'ing, drugs, sex) that she is not yet mature enough to address or understand. Also hearing about/exposure to things that we will not let her have access to at this point. I think sometimes that middle school would work best as 6-8, elementary as K-5. Better groupings for maturity of kids."

Other comments suggested the structure should be split from the current four-year house model into fifth and sixth grade houses as well as seventh and eighth grade houses.

"We'll consider it," Darlene Worth, School Board chairwoman, said regarding changing the upper house structure. "We have to."

School Board member Deborah Baker-Moody said she supports the current four-year structure.

"It allows for the development of long-term relationships with students and teachers, as well as family and teachers," she said.

The next step

Currently, a subcommittee of the Program Council is going through the results and comments to offer recommendations at a future School Board meeting. At the most recent board meeting, Margaret Munt, a representative of the subcommittee, informed the board there were 10 recommendations in the works. They hope to narrow it down to three or four recommendations that the subcommittee would eventually present.

"We'll try to figure out what it all means," Nardelli said. "No system is perfect. Any change is going to have pluses and minuses. Where do you gain, where do you lose?"

The full results of the survey, including graphs and comments, can be found at the Williston School District Web site: www.williston.k12.vt.us/.

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Mikell logs decade of service to schools, town

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

It was a typical Andy Mikell opinion, echoing what others were probably thinking but too diplomatic to say.

In 2001, the Williston School Board was debating limits on field trips to distant places such as Washington, D.C. and New York City. Some parents had complained, but teachers thought the trips were educational.

Mikell, a veteran School Board member, got right to the heart of the matter.

"There's lots of stuff to do in our own backyard," he said. "Do we really need to spend two days on the bus?"

Mikell would later move on to the Selectboard, where his statements were often equally unvarn-
ished. But now, after nearly a decade of public service, he will step down when his term ends in March.

"It was a good run," he said. "I thought it was time to give someone else a shot at it."

Mikell, 50, began serving on the School Board in 1997. He decided in 2003 not to seek what would have been his fourth term.

But it wasn't long before he resumed public service, this time on the Selectboard. In 2004, Mike Kanfer resigned before the end of his term. Mikell was appointed by the board to replace Kanfer. He was elected to a three-year term the following year.

Throughout his years on the two boards, Mikell was rarely shy about taking positions that he considered to be in the public's best interest – even if it meant bucking vocal opposition.

For example, when hunters proposed permitting firearm use on some town-owned lands last year, Mikell instead called for rules that tightened restrictions to protect public safety.

In 2002 Mikell spearheaded a petition drive to put a local sales tax on the ballot, despite the fact that an identical measure had been overwhelmingly rejected two years earlier. Businesses objected, but on second try voters resoundingly approved the tax, which allowed the town to sharply reduce property taxes.

Selectboard member Jeff Fehrs said Mikell's decisive manner helped advance debates even when the rest of the board wasn't quite ready to make a decision.

"I think Andy is very clear on things in his own mind," he said. "At times, he was ready to move quicker than the overall board."

But Fehrs said he never took Mikell's no-nonsense manner and blunt opinions personally, even when they were on opposite sides of an issue. Fehrs said he always understood that Mikell's views were heartfelt and not intended to manipulate or offend.

"There was never a time when he angered or frustrated me," Fehrs said.

Mikell said public service came with some frustrations. At times he said work commitments limited the time he could spend studying the voluminous material that board members must absorb before meetings.

He also complained that some people the Selectboard hears from consider only their own interests and don't recognize the greater good.

"People sometimes don't understand that though we do listen to their perspective, as the Selectboard we have to represent all citizens in town," he said.

Mikell has been married to his wife, Ashley, for 26 years. The couple has two sons – Whitney, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School, and Taylor, a student at Williams College in Massachusetts.

Mikell has been a real estate lawyer with Vermont Attorneys Title Corp. since 1994. Before that, he was in private practice for 11 years.

He followed in his late father's footsteps, both in terms of profession and public service. William Mikell served in the Vermont House and on the Williston Planning Commission. He was a longtime lawyer who for a time worked with his son in private practice.

Mikell's seat is one of two openings on the Selectboard this year. Judy Sassorossi has indicated she plans to seek re-election to a three-year term, said Town Clerk Deb Beckett. No candidate has emerged to take Mikell's place.

The town has struggled to attract residents willing to run for elected and appointed positions in recent years. Mikell said serving on the Selectboard is a great way to learn more about Williston and help determine the town's direction.

"There's no better way to know what's going on with your town government," he said. "Don't complain unless you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work."

The town will host a job fair that will provide information on current openings on boards and committees on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. The deadline to file for elected positions in Williston is Jan. 28.

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Gulf region still recovering from hurricane

By Colin Ryan
Observer correspondent

A group of local volunteers traveled to Mississippi last month to help repair some of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, whether to buildings or to people. They spent the seven-day trip – the third one that has been coordinated by members of Williston Federated Church – in areas of Mississippi hit hard by the hurricane in August 2005.

The team arrived in New Orleans on Dec. 2 before making the two-hour drive to Vancleave, a town of about 5,000 in the southeast corner of Mississippi. The volunteers stayed at Vancleave United Methodist Church, which has been, and plans to continue, feeding, housing and providing linens for up to 60 volunteers a week "for as long as volunteers come."

That's what church leadership in Vancleave told Williston resident Tony Lamb, who helped organize the 24-person trip that included volunteers from churches in South Hero, Barre and Burlington.

"People talk about us going down there as a big deal, but these people have really been slogging it out," Lamb said. "What happened (in nearby Pascagoula) was the storm surge pushed the water up, until it blocked the nearby river. When officials made the decision to release the water in order to save the dam, the water level in the town raised to an unbelievable 30 feet."

The 24 volunteers divided into teams of five to seven, and each morning they would drive into nearby damaged areas like Pascagoula to do work ranging from laying linoleum to installing valves to hanging garage doors.

The Vermonters worked with the United Methodist Committee On Relief, or UMCOR, which provides volunteer teams with a local worker who makes sure the volunteers get help from the right agencies. The committee also provides a priority list for people in need. Since the UMCOR budget allows for only a certain amount of money spent on each house undergoing work, the team raised additional money for specific needs. By doing so, the volunteers discovered that the smallest acts of goodness and charity revived the worn-out residents, and even brought them a little Christmas spirit.

"We were helping out a 90-year-old disabled man, and we decided we would get some Christmas lights for his house," remembered Lamb. "He broke down crying because it was the first time his house had had Christmas lights since the hurricane. And when it got dark, all his neighbors came out to ask him to leave them on."

Ellie Beckett, 17, the daughter of Town Clerk Deb Beckett and the youngest person on the team, had a similar experience.

"At my site I did a lot of finishing work, like installing appliances and plumbing," Beckett explained. "And we also put up Christmas lights. The two men who lived there, a man named Philip and his 82-year-old father Isaac, were really pleased, because they hadn't had decorations in years. It really struck me how, more than two years after the hurricane, there is so much still to be done, and that there are so many people down there willing to help."

Lamb agreed.

"We saw many small acts of kindness that were more significant than rebuilding a house," he said. "Our mission was about more than conversion – it was about the affirmation of people. Our mission was simply to be there for the people. The emphasis was not on how much work you get done – it was on listening to the stories. We helped a wheelchair-bound couple who, in order to stay above the water, had to seek shelter in the back of a pickup truck. Another woman saw bodies from a nearby graveyard float past them, and then had to wait while the bodies were rescued before she was. The enormity of it strikes you in a way that's hard to describe. There's such a need, and the fellowship between the people of Vancleave and the team was so rewarding."

The volunteers described themselves as encouraged by the small, distinct progress made during their trip.

"When you drive on the interstate, you can see the rebuilding progress in New Orleans," said Lamb. "A year after Katrina, maybe 15 percent was being worked on. When we went in May, it was maybe 30 percent. Now it looks more like 50 percent being worked on. A lot of people have been helped, and we helped a lot back to their feet, but there is still a lot to do."

The church plans to send another team, comprised of five volunteers from each of 12 churches, for three weeks in the fall. The goal is to raise $50,000 prior to the trip to build a new house.

The coordinators welcome community and church members to contribute and participate in the trip. If interested, contact Tony Lamb at [email protected]
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By Tim Simard
Observer staff

One of Williston's favorite sons, a farmer, a carpenter, a community leader and a family man, died last week after a long battle with cancer. Lee Ward Johnson passed away at his second home in Port Richey, Fla. on Jan. 18. He was 52 years old. His wife, Joan Bessette Johnson, was at his side.

Johnson was a longtime fixture in the community, said his wife. He gave back to his town in many ways. He served on the Planning Commission, was a Justice of the Peace and served as Cemetery Commissioner for a time. His years of service to Williston earned him a Vermont Public Service award from the State of Vermont in October 2000.

"He loved Williston," said Bessette Johnson. "He loved working in the town and being around his family."

Johnson's brother-in-law and close family friend, Denny Lewis, said Johnson "cherished" his friends and family and took care of this neighbors and members of the farming community.

"He liked to check in on his neighbors and see how they were doing," said Lewis. "He'll certainly be missed by them and the farmers in the area."

Johnson was born in Colchester on Feb. 18, 1955. He was the oldest son of the late Mona Johnson and J. Ward Johnson, former owners of the Johnson Farm in Williston village. He graduated from Champlain Valley Union High School in 1973.

Bessette Johnson said that her husband loved being outside, whether it was working on the farm growing up or walking the warm beaches of Florida. He also enjoyed the hard work he put in as a citizen of Williston, something he learned from his civic-minded father.

"He had the same qualities as his dad," said friend and Planning Commission Chairman David Yandell, who went to high school with Johnson. "He was a great, great guy. A very fun-loving person. He lived it to the max."

Family friend Herb Goodrich, a good friend of Johnson's father, remembered the man for his wonderful carpentry skills.

"In fact, he built my garage," said Goodrich. "He was a good carpenter, you can't take that away from a man."

Bessette Johnson also attested to her husband's carpentry skills. In 2000, he built their dream house, which Bessette Johnson told the Observer she designed.

"He was a true craftsman," said Lewis. "He was very well known for that. He was very, very creative."

By all accounts, Johnson had a wonderful sense of humor, with a penchant for pulling the occasional practical joke. His wife recalled a time when a young Johnson pulled a fast one on a couple of town workers outside the family's farm. It was a summer day and the workers were driving through town, painting a new set of yellow lines. After the crew laid orange cones on the road, Johnson ran out and nailed one of the cones to the pavement.

"When the crew came back to pick up the cones, one of them almost fell off the truck trying to pick up the one that was nailed to the road," said Bessette Johnson with a laugh. "He was always such a practical joker."

Along with his wife, Johnson is survived by his children, John Johnson and his significant other Karen Germaine of Richmond, and Dan Johnson and his significant other Tanya Seeley of Starksboro and their daughter, Makayla Johnson. He is also survived by several brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, stepchildren and step-grandchildren, most of whom live in the Champlain Valley.

Visiting hours will be held Thursday, Jan. 24 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Gifford Funeral Home, 22 Depot St. in Richmond. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25 in the Williston Federated Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, Okla.73123-1718, or to Camp TaKum-Ta, P.O. Box 576, Waterbury, Vt. 05676.

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