WKVT to host live forum on civic engagement
BRATTLEBORO - WKVT Radio will present a live broadcast of a public forum on the topics of civics and civics education from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, in the Meeting Room at the Brooks Memorial Library.
Panelists will include Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, former Chair of the Vermont State Board of Education Stephan Morse, and Brattleboro Area Middle School Social Studies teacher Anne Koplinka-Loehr.
Members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions or share information during the broadcast, which will be moderated by WKVT hosts Peter “Fish” Case and Chris Lenois.
Brattleboro Community Television will tape the forum to air at a later date on their cable channels and archive it online at brattleborotv.org. For more information, contact 802-254-2343 or visit www.wkvtradio.com.
BUHS Choruses present free concert
BRATTLEBORO - The BUHS Choruses will perform vocal selections throughout the ages on Thursday, March 30, at 7 p.m., in the BUHS Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.
They will begin their program with Hallelujah, Amen by George Frideric Handel. From the Classical Era, they will perform Laudate Dominum by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, featuring soprano soloist Sarah Gallagher. Next, they will sing Cantique de Jean Racine by Romantic composer Gabriel Faure.
The chorus will conclude their program with a 20th century work by Leonard Bernstein entitled Hashkivenu featuring tenor cantor Zev Kazati Morgan. The chorus will be accompanied by Lisa Provatas on piano and Jackson Levengood on bass.
Complementing the chorus's journey through the ages, the BUHS Madrigals will open their set with Gloria by Thomas Tallis, followed by Golden Meadows by Antonin Dvorák. The Madrigals will finish their set with contemporary composer Morten Lauridsen's O Nata Lux.
Lessons from the Long Trail
JACKSONVILLE - On Thursday, March 30, at 6 p.m., the Whitingham Free Public Library on Route 100 will host “Lessons from the Long Trail” with local author, speaker, and educator Deborah Lee Luskin.
After 18 months of planning and preparing for the 25-day, 275-mile journey on the Long Trail to mark their 60th birthdays, Luskin and her longtime friend, Jan, hoist their 35-pound backpacks and set off on an adventure in nature, friendship, and life.
For more information, call 802-368-7506, and check out Luskin's blog at www.deborahleeluskin.com/category/lessons-from-the-long-trail.
Spring Osher lectures continue
DUMMERSTON - The Brattleboro Chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will present the second in its spring series of morning and afternoon lectures on Monday, April 3.
In the morning lecture, William Edelglass, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Environmental Studies at Marlboro College, will examine the rise of racial thinking in the 19th century. The afternoon series, “Solving Conflicts,” will consider ways and means of conflict resolution. Monday's lecturer will be John Ungerleider of SIT. He will discuss styles of conflict.
The Osher Lectures are held on six successive Mondays. Morning lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon; afternoon lectures, from 1 to 3 p.m. All lectures are held at the Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 US Route 5. Parking and handicapped access are available, and light refreshments are served at the lectures. For further information, contact Julie Lavorgna at 802-365-7278, or julielavorgna@gmail.com.
Free financial-skills classes
BRATTLEBORO - Southeastern Vermont Community Action is inviting participants to register for its workshop series, “Your Money, Your Goals,” to be held in Brattleboro starting April 4.
This 7-part workshop series will help participants improve their relationship with money, develop strong financial habits, and take steps toward prosperity. Topics include: saving, spending, credit, home buying, insurance, purchasing a car, and saving for college.
The instructor will review participants' credit reports and offer recommendations to build healthy credit or resolve credit issues, as well as provide individualized financial coaching to help participants and their families become more financially secure.
The workshop series is free and open to the public. Those who complete the course may be eligible to join SEVCA's Individual Development Account matched savings program. Account participants earn $2 for every $1 they save (up to $1,000) if they save a minimum of $25 each month toward purchasing a home, obtaining education or job training, or starting or enhancing their own business.
The course will be held at Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., from 5:30-7 p.m., on Tuesdays, April 4 through May 23 (excludes April 18). Pre-registration is required. call 802-722-4575, ext. 151, or email sdillon@sevca.org.
Poetry reading at Putney Public Library
PUTNEY - April is National Poetry Month and the Putney Public Library is celebrating with a reading by local poets April Ossmann and Rebecca Kaiser Gibson on Wednesday, April 5, at 7 p.m., at Putney Public Library, 55 Main St. This program is free and open to the public.
Ossmann is the author of Event Boundaries and Anxious Music, recipient of a 2013 Vermont Arts Council Creation Grant, and former executive director of Alice James Books. She is an independent editor of poetry, essays, reviews (www.aprilossmann.com), and a faculty editor for the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing Program at Sierra Nevada College.
Kaiser Gibson is the author of Opinel, and two chapbooks, Admit the Peacock and Inside the Exhibition. She is the recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, The Heinrich Böll Cottage in Ireland, and the 2008 Fellowship in Poetry from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach poetry in Hyderabad, India. She lives in Marlborough, N.H., and teaches poetry at Tufts University.
Spring into the garden with Charlie Nardozzi
WALPOLE, N.H. - Learn about all the tasks that are necessary to maintain a beautiful garden with Charlie Nardozzi, who will be the speaker at Parks Place's seventh annual Garden Event on Sunday, April 9, at Alyson's Orchard in Walpole, N.H. This year's theme is “Spring into the Garden: What to Do Now With Your Flowers and Landscape Plants.”
The event starts with a light lunch at noon and an opportunity to talk with Nardozzi and preview and bid on silent auction items. Nardozzi's formal presentation is from 1:15 to 3 p.m. Admission is by donation.
Nardozzi has recently released a book, New England Month by Month Gardening. He makes daily gardening tasks fun and is an expert in design tips, pruning, pest prevention, lawn care, tree and shrub maintenance, and more. Participants may bring pressing garden problems for a chance to get expert advice and stick around after the event to get their copies of Nardozzi's book signed.
Parks Place provides access to a variety of health and human service programs for the Greater Falls Community, which provides individuals and families the opportunity to make lasting, positive changes in their lives. For updates, visit www.parksplacevt.org, check their Facebook page, or call 802-463-9927.
AAUW offers scholarships for female students
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Branch of the American Association of University Women is again offering scholarships of up to $1,000 each to qualified female candidates who are residents of Windham County.
Both graduating high school senior girls and women continuing their higher education are eligible to apply. Applications will be judged on academic performance, extracurricular activities, community involvement, and financial need.
Seniors from area high schools, preparatory schools, or home schools who are legal residents of Windham County may apply. Applicants must be enrolling in and accepted for full-time study in a two-year associate degree or four-year undergraduate program.
Women 25 years or older who are legal residents of Windham County and have been accepted to or are continuing in an accredited two- or four-year undergraduate degree program as part- or full- time students in the fall are encouraged to apply.
Guidance counselors in area high schools have posters and application forms. Interested women may obtain them from area college financial aid offices or by contacting the AAUW scholarship committee at 802-490-2310. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, April 21, and received by Monday, April 24.
Now in its 91st year, the Brattleboro branch is part of a national organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.
Brooks Memorial Library joins Foundation Center's Global Network
BRATTLEBORO - Nonprofit organizations and other grant seekers in the Brattleboro area now have access to a valuable collection of resources at the Brooks Memorial Library, which has become a Funding Information Network partner with Foundation Center.
As a Network partner, the Library will provide individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of vital information and training with tools they can use to become successful grant seekers. The Library will offer free online and print access to Foundation Center's detailed information on grant makers and applying for grants.
For more information about Foundation Center resources and Brooks Memorial Library, visit foundationcenter.org and brookslibraryvt.org, or contact the Reference Desk at 802- 254-5290, ext. 109, or asklibrarian@brookslibraryvt.org.