Local groups host discussion on school discipline in Vermont
BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro at 17 Flat St., local groups are hosting a panel discussion on the unequal use of exclusionary discipline in Vermont schools, its effects, and alternatives.
In January 2014, Vermont Legal Aid released a report called “Kicked Out! Unfair and Unequal School Discipline in Vermont's Public Schools.”
The report states, “During 2011-2012, 5 to 10 percent of Vermont's public school students were suspended, losing at least 8,000 days of school. In addition, Vermont's students with disabilities and students of color were two to three times more likely to be excluded from school through suspension and expulsion. These disparities persisted for restraint, seclusion, and referral to law enforcement.”
The event will feature comments by Jay Diaz, staff attorney at Vermont American Civil Liberties Union and author of the “Kicked Out!” report.
Diaz will be joined by panelists Hon. Katherine Hayes (Superior Court judge, Windham County), Mary Ross (assistant principal of Academy School) and Mike Szostak (coordinator of the Restorative Justice Program, Brattleboro Union High School). The panel will be moderated by Mel Motel, director of the Just Schools Project.
The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Vermont Legal Aid, the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Office of Diversity, Equity and Social Justice, and Just Schools Project.
Professor Lyrical raps at Landmark College
PUTNEY - The spring 2016 Academic Speaker Series starts with Professor Lyrical on Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., in the Greenhoe Theater of the Fine Arts Building at Landmark College.
Professor Lyrical is an award-winning rapper and full-time teaching professor of mathematics. He will present “Rapping with the Professor: The Process of Self-Betterment and Redefining Your own Identity.” Speaker Series events are free, accessible, and open to the public.
In “Rapping with the Professor,” Lyrical will rap and discuss how he has taken two different paths and blended them into one unique career for himself. He will explain how he uses the positive aspects of hip hop culture to empower himself and his students to advocate for socioeconomic change, while providing tangible examples of how others can do the same.
Dr. Michelle Bower, Landmark College's Mathematics and Computer Science Department chair, stated that she looked forward to the event because it could change perceptions of math and those who study math. “This field is often stereotyped as linear and rigid, but it can be very creative,” said Bower. “Connecting mathematics to rap will challenge stereotypes and open up new possibilities for thinking and learning.”
Later this season, the Speaker Series will host diversity activist Curtiss Reed Jr. on Feb. 29, corporate satirists The Yes Men on March 28, and Landmark College Natural Sciences faculty member Dr. Brian Young on April 11. More information can be found at www.landmark.edu.
BF Woman's Club to meet
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Woman's Club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 9. at the United Church of Bellows Falls on School Street, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Members are reminded to bring nonperishable food and personal care items to be donated to Our Place Drop-in Center.
It also is suggested that members wear red in honor of American Heart Month. Members of the Southern Windsor County GFWC Club of Springfield have been invited to attend the meeting.
The program for the meeting will be presented by Susan Hammond. She will speak on her War Legacies project, a humanitarian program to help the Vietnamese people who continue to feel and struggle with the effects of the war.
State, federal lead certification courses offered
BELLOWS FALLS - Lead Safe Homes, in collaboration with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Vermont Department of Health is offering both state and federal lead paint safety courses for landlords, contractors, childcare providers, and others interested in using lead-safe renovation techniques.
The Vermont Essential Maintenance Practices (EMP) courses will be offered free of charge from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Howard Dean Center in Springfield. Vermont law requires that all landlords, property managers, contractors, and daycare facility owners follow EMPs to maintain painted surfaces in properties built before 1978.
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Refresher course will be offered on Tuesday, February 16, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Brattleboro VFW. This certification is required for all contractors or landlords disturbing more than six square feet of paint in properties built before 1978. The cost for federal re-certification is $125/person.
During both courses, participants will learn about the requirements of state and federal regulations governing lead, the health effects of lead in children and adults, lead-safe work practices, and how to protect themselves from liability. The federal certification requires a refresher every five years. The state certification never expires.
Registration is strongly suggested at all locations, as there is limited space, and is required for the federal RRP classes. Contact Michelle Pong at 802-463-9927 ext. 208 or email Michelle@parksplacevt.org. Lead Safe & Healthy Homes is a nonprofit program of Parks Place Community Center.
Chili and chamber music to be served up at BF Opera House
BELLOWS FALLS - A chili and chamber music concert featuring the the Bellows Falls Union High School Band will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m., at the Bellows Falls Opera House Lower Theater.
This fundraising event for the 2016 Performing Arts field trip to New York City will feature a delicious dinner of chili, corn bread, rice, various drinks, and a dessert.
General admission is $15 for advanced purchase tickets, $20 at the door. Tickets at the door will be limited. Contact Katy Emond for advance purchase orders at katy.emond@wnesu.com. Doors open at 5:30. This event is sponsored by Smokin' Bowls and Sonnax.
BF Rotary Club hosts annual Spaghetti Dinner
BELLOWS FALLS - On Saturday Feb. 13, the Bellows Falls Rotary Club presents its annual Spaghetti Dinner. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Bellows Falls Moose Club, 59 Westminster St.
As always, the food is freshly prepared and served by the Bellows Falls Rotary Club members. On the menu is homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade meatballs, freshly-made salad with a balsamic maple dressing, bread, dessert, and beverage. There is vegetarian sauce also available.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children, and kids under 5 are free. Takeout is also available. Tickets will be sold at the door and by local Rotarians. All proceeds support Rotary-sponsored community projects.
Valentine's Day cupcake swap in Townshend
TOWNSHEND - The Townshend Community Hope & Action group will host a free community cupcake swap on Sunday, Feb. 14, Valentines Day.
The Community Hope & Action group of Townshend is partnering with the Calvary Chapel to put on an afternoon of cookie and cupcake decorating at Townshend Village Pizza. This cupcake swap was well attended by local singles, couples and families last year.
Anyone is welcome to bring homemade cookies or cupcakes to decorate and trade with neighbors. Coffee and tea will be provided. The pizza shop is located at the junction of Routes 30 and 35, across from Leland & Gray, and the swap will be held from 4 to 6 p.m.
Grace Cottage's Online Auction begins
TOWNSHEND - Organizers of the Grace Cottage auction asked, “How does a week in Antigua sound? A basket of goodies from a local food maker? A gorgeous locally-crafted necklace? A romantic night at a local inn? Red Sox tickets? How about a walk in the woods with one of Grace Cottage's doctors, or your name in Archer Mayor's next book?”
From now until Feb. 28, all are welcome to participate in Grace Cottage's annual Cabin Fever Auction. More than 80 items have been donated by businesses and individuals, including some things that can't be gotten anywhere else. Valued from $12 to $5,000, there is something for every taste and budget, and plenty of good deals to be had.
Participants can bid low and get notified when someone outbids them or “Buy Now” to own a prize instantly. Either way this annual event raises funds for the Grace Cottage Patient Care Fund. Check it out at www.32auctions.com/gracecottage.