Teresa Maria Bair, (left) born on Feb. 17, 2012. (Courtesy photo)

Births

Ed and LuAnn Koch of Williston are pleased to announce the arrival of their granddaughter, Teresa Maria Bair, born on Feb. 17, 2012. Teresa is the daughter of Alecia and Justin Bair and the sister of Jonathan, who reside in Manchester, Conn.

Greg and Sara Campbell of Williston are pleased to announce the arrival of their son, Sullivan Flinn Duncan Campbell, on May 4. He was born at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington.

Benjamin and Leanne McElvany are proud to announce the birth of their son, David Benjamin, born on April 28 in Newton, Mass. Excited grandparents are Norm and Linda McElvany and David and Meri Ann Saddlemire of Williston.

Send your Milestones, including photos, to [email protected]

By Karen Wyman

How often do you pass by a quintessential Vermont barn or a building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places? If you live or work in Williston, chances are you do so frequently. The real question is: have you ever taken a moment to truly appreciate this rich history that surrounds us?

I admit I am guilty of taking such things for granted. Every day, I drive by a beautiful, albeit decrepit, barn without giving it a second thought. It was simply a landmark I used when giving directions, “turn right at the old red barn.” This all changed after talking to my very passionate friend, Kristen, who inspired me to explore, respect and seek to preserve our town’s treasures. She has spent hours researching the various grants and programs available to help fund the restoration of this very barn that I just thought of as my own personal mile marker.

Her enthusiasm was contagious as she explained the barn’s history to me. Apparently, it had been built in two sections; the western section was constructed in 1860 and the milk house was then added to the northeast corner around 1940. She found that it would be eligible for grant money and that its current owner, the Town of Williston, has until August to submit for the funding. She has taken it upon herself to encourage the town to start this application process. The idea of restoring this piece of our town’s history to its original grandeur excited me. What a great way to bring the community together—an old-fashioned barn raising! My mind flooded with visions of a renovated barn where our town could hold community dances, theatrical performances, art shows, craft fairs… the possibilities seemed endless.

While daydreaming of living in a Warren Kimble scene, I realized I wanted to learn more about Williston’s past. The obvious place to start my inquiry was The Williston Historical Society. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this dedicated group, they maintain the Vermont Room at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. However, they are probably better known as the annual sponsors of the July 3 ice cream social! As you can imagine, they maintain a plethora of information, including the answer to a question my girls always ask me. “What is that little building next to the library?” Now I can answer correctly instead of telling them a story about how Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs used to live there (hey, I never claimed to be a perfect parent!). I now know that it is Williston’s only remaining one-room schoolhouse. The WHS renovated it, and it now belongs to the school district. Who knew? (Probably a lot of you, but it was news to me!)

There are many other preserved artifacts related to our beloved town, and on Thursday, May 31, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, you can spend an evening learning all about them. The Voyager House of Williston Central School, together with the Williston Historical Society, will be presenting “The Williston History Roadshow.” Here’s your chance to learn some fascinating facts to impress your neighbors about the Williston of yesteryear. I know my family was astounded to learn that at one time our house might have been oceanfront property. If only we could use that description if we ever try to sell our house! Maybe that actually explains why our lawn soil is like sand?

Hopefully this summer as you drive, walk or bike around Williston, you will take some time to appreciate the historical architecture that adorns our landscape. As a community, we need to make sure these structures are well cared for and maintained, so that we may uphold the beautiful blend of rural and urban development we are known for. This is especially important now that we don’t have “original home of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” going for us!

Karen Wyman has been a Williston resident for seven years, and lives with her husband and twin 5-year-old daughters.

By Bill Skiff

Baseball uniforms in the 1940s and 50s were 100 percent wool. Itch? Man, I guess they itched. On a hot summer day, you felt like you were wearing a bagful of fleas. But the pride we felt wearing them was priceless, and more than made up for any flea-filled sensations.

One summer, the town of Cambridge decided to buy its team new uniforms. They were made of cotton. Goodbye, fleas! The uniforms were white with red trimming. Each player received a matching red cap and long red stockings. To top it off, on the back of each shirt was printed the name of the business that sponsored it. Mine said: “Nobel and Pearl,” and I was proud to wear it. The girls loved them, which added their appeal to our team.

One Sunday afternoon, we were scheduled to play Underhill. It was the first time we planned to wear our new uniforms. When we arrived, their team was dressed in a mismatched set of dungarees, shirts and assorted caps. They looked like a rag-tag bunch of old hackers. We, on the other hand, looked like a million dollars.  During the course of the afternoon, they provided us with the biggest thrashing we received all season!

Moral of the story: It’s not the uniforms that make the team, it’s the team that makes the uniforms.

The Jericho High School baseball diamond was down in a little ravine in the middle of a cow pasture. It had the usual particulars of fields in those years: dips and dives, stones, and, sometimes, long grass, which slowed the ball.

Sliding into a base on that field was always hazardous. My friend Ken played for Jericho High and shared a hairy slide he experienced on their field. During a game, he hit a line drive into center field and, while trying to stretch it into a double, slid into second base. He landed poorly and dislocated his shoulder. As he recovered, the only comfortable position for Ken was to hold his arm straight up. However, the shoulder didn’t have enough strength to hold it there. To keep his arm up, he bent his elbow over his head, grabbed a hunk of his hair and hung on. The only problem was that the day before the game, his barber had given him a crew cut. His hair was only a half-inch long!

The infield on our homefield was covered with many small stones. During a game, as I bent down to field a ground ball, it hit a stone, bounced up and smacked me in the mouth. While the runner rounded first and headed for second, I stood there spitting out blood…and teeth. The ball had broken my three front teeth in half.

After the game, Dad hit me ground balls until I could field them without flinching and turning my heard away as they approached my glove. I made many trips to a dentist in Burlington, and kept my mouth closed at school. How can you ask a girl for a date while missing all your front teeth? I finally returned to normal.

Years later, I would take my partial plate out and chase our daughters and their friends around the house while showing the large gap where my teeth had been. They would giggle, scream and try to hide. At a later age, they asked me if they could have the gold in my bridge when I died. I said yes.

One Christmas, after I had received a permanent bridge, I had the gold in the old partial melted down and made into two nuggets. I bought gold chains for both nuggets and gave them to my girls with a note: “I decided not to make you wait until I died for the gold in my teeth. Merry Christmas. P.S. Make sure when you wear them out to dinner, you don’t get to close to a hamburger.”

Bill Skiff grew up on a farm between Cambridge and Jeffersonville. After a career in education, he now lives in Williston, where he is a justice of the peace and Fourth of July frog-jumping official. In “Places I’ve Played,” he shares his experiences of growing up in Vermont. Comments are welcome at [email protected]

WATER AND SEWER BILLS SENT

The Town of Williston water and sewer bills have been mailed and are due by June 20. Payments— checks or cash—may be dropped off at the Town Clerk’s office. Checks may also be mailed or left in the drop box with your payment slip in back of the clerk’s office at 7900 Williston Road, Williston VT 05495. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

NOMINATE A TEACHER

Do you know a Vermont teacher who has inspired you and who deserves statewide recognition? For 10 years, the Vermont Humanities Council has honored such teachers with the Victor R. Swenson Humanities Educator Award, which recognizes a Vermont educator in grades 6 through 12 who exemplifies excellence in the teaching of the humanities. VHC seeks nominations for the 2012 award. Nominating letters are due June 15. The recipient receives a $1,000 check and public recognition at VHC’s fall conference.

Nominations may be made online at www.vermonthumanities.org or mailed to Vermont Humanities Council, Victor R. Swenson Humanities Educator Award, 11 Loomis Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 or e-mailed to [email protected] To learn more, visit vermonthumanities.org.

HISTORY ROADSHOW AT OLD BRICK CHURCH

Williston Central School’s Voyager House and the Williston Historical Society will host “The Williston History Roadshow” at the Old Brick Church on May 31 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The event will follow a format similar to the PBS program “Antiques Roadshow,” in which attendees are asked to bring a maximum of three antiques from their home for appraisal, with a suggested donation of $5 per object appraised.

Appraisers include Kyle Scanlon of Vermont Estate Services and Ethan Merrill of Merrill’s Auction Gallery on James Brown Drive. Merrill, the brother of Voyager House social studies teacher Aron Merrill, is also a judge on the upcoming History channel program “Picked Off.”

The event at the Old Brick Church will also feature a display of the Historical Society’s collection of local artifacts, with information about each item provided by WCS students.

Proceeds from the event will help support future collaborations between WCS and the Historical Society.

By Duncan Wardwell

The Champlain Valley Union High School Summer Camp continues to provide a learning community for all incoming high school students. The camp encourages new CVU citizens to create social and learning networks. The Camp (which began in 2002) promotes students meeting new people, making friends, exploring possibilities and challenging themselves. Extra incentives exist this year as CVU staff, Connecting Youth (CY) members and camp counselors implement activities to inspire leaders.

A healthy transition to high school relies on a good partnership with Access CVU and CY. Access CVU invites all incoming ninth graders to enroll in one or two sessions. All campers choose three interest area activities from a menu of twelve different academic, artistic, athletic and technical offerings. Current and former CVU students serve as counselors to create activities for campers. Families are able to enroll at any time and may request scholarship support.

“We remove obstacles to join our learning community. We organize transportation and tuition options when needed,” said Eddie Krasnow, Access CVU director. CY annually supports scholarship initiatives and a counselor to mentor camp activities.

Campers participate in an environment that mentors new ninth graders with experienced students and staff. Christine Lloyd-Newberry, CY program director, said that, “every CY counselor contributes skills that endorse our culture of healthy decision-making.”

The CY counselors are able to utilize experiences from CY Improv and CY Lead to help students develop good problem-solving skills. Camp counselors establish effective relationships between new CVU students and current leaders. Allison Giroux and Shannon Ryan are experienced counselors, graduating with accolades in entrepreneurial and stewardship service.

“We help campers bond together and raise awareness about CVU,” Allison said. Shannon added that, “CVU presents a ton of opportunities, so take them! Join some clubs, teams, make connections and help yourself direct your own education.”

The social interactions between counselors, campers and staff integrate a strong learning community. André LaChance, a CVU English teacher for 23 years, challenges campers to know their teachers.

“We often see relationships that begin at the camp continue through at least the freshman year. I often help advisors and teachers plan for success,” he said. “I mentor counselors as they become educational leaders, and the counselors mentor campers as they mature as learners.”

Lloyd-Newbury elaborated that, “the relationships grow out of a first impression. The peer-to-peer education propagates between staff, parents and students.”

Incoming ninth graders are able to taste success before the first day of school officially begins.

“There are many ways to contribute to our learning community,” said Krasnow. “We expect students to challenge themselves and prepare ways to interact with the current CVU culture.”

It is important to provide good social interactions. Allison and Shannon both agree that encouraging students to contribute is important.

Shannon suggested that, “by becoming involved in a CVU group you can learn from students with recent experience.” Allison helps students participate when she says “listen to your counselors, advisors, teachers, parents and then identify a way to give back to CVU.”

These partnerships help nurture an environment where all students are encouraged to make a positive first impression.

New students discover success in various ways at CVU during the summer. A camper may choose to participate in interest areas like outdoor recreation, graphic design and engineering solutions. Another camper may be involved with theater, hip-hop fitness and poetry slams. All campers will be able to develop a new social network and establish learning accountability and healthy decisions. Check out the CVU Summer Camp website at www.cvuhs.org, or call Access CVU at 482-7194. Session A begins July 9 and Session B on July 23. Spaces are always available for incoming ninth graders in both sessions and all interest areas!

Duncan Wardwell is the Access CVU co-director, Summer Camp director and CY executive board member and lead staff adviser.