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MANY HANDS

Kids who make a difference in their communities

CONTENT S

6 VOLUNTEERING HELPS KIDS THRIV E

Volunteering can benefit volunteers as much as it does the people and organizations they help. Not only does volunteering create a sense of purpose and connection, research suggests it can also improve both physical and mental health.

15 PLANTING, RAKING, WEEDING AND LEARNING

White River Valley Elementary School third graders gathered around a picnic table to sort and organize packets of vegetable, herb and flower seeds on a warm, sunny May af ternoon.

: ON THE COVER

Emmett Hoyt, 9, shovels wood chips onto cardboard surrounding newly built white cedar raised beds at White River Valley Elementary School in South Royalton. Students at the school are helping to build the new garden.

VALLEY NEWS —JAMES M. PATTERSON

Jacob Elvira, of Lebanon, center, and Rhone Baker, of Hartland, foreground, both students in the information technology program at Hartford Area Career and Technology Center, set up portable recording equipment during their drop-in tech support time at Kilton Library in West Lebanon on April 23. See story on Page 12.

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How kids can assist wildlife

By SARAH STREW For the Valley News

At the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), our education programs aim to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards who will care for the natural world. We also recognize that kids don’t have to wait until they reach adulthood to make a difference: They already do as protectors of wildlife in their backyard and even as citizen scientists involved in global conservation efforts.

Take, for example, the group of children at VINS Nature Camp who discovered a bird that had fallen from its nest. They had learned what to do if they found a baby bird and alerted their camp instructors to the situation so they could get that bird to the wildlife rehabilitation clinic. The actions of those kids saved that baby bird and gave it a second chance at life. This is proof that, with the right information, kids can take those first crucial steps to help an animal.

While wildlife rehabilitation makes a difference in the lives of individual animals, there are other actions that can have significant benefits for entire populations. Many towns have a local Amphibian Bucket Brigade, groups of individuals and families of all ages who want to make a larger impact on

their local environment. As amphibians make their way to breeding pools in the spring, their paths sometimes take them across roads where they can get run over by passing cars. To ensure that these animals survive, Bucket Brigade members identify sites where amphibians are crossing roads and then come together on warm, wet spring nights to move salamanders and frogs to the other side safely.

Monitoring amphibian road crossing sites is one way children and their families help protect and conserve vulnerable amphibian populations. Check with your local conservation commission to join in on this free family activity that really makes a difference.

A walk with a child is a literal reminder to stop and smell the daisies. Progress is often slow, and stops are frequent as their curious minds pause to examine every interesting find on the side of the road or path. Community science is a fantastic way for children to harness that innate curiosity and put their skills of observation to use for the benefit of everyone. With tools like iNaturalist, a lowcost identification app that can be downloaded to a smart device, a walk in the neighborhood or on a trail can turn into an opportunity for children and families to broaden their knowledge of the animals and plants they encounter. At the same time, their up-

loaded observations provide important data that scientists can use to better understand our world.

Age does not qualify or disqualify someone from being a community scientist; anyone can observe the world around them.

Around the world, 8-year-olds and 80-yearolds contribute data to community science efforts. Scientists can then use this crowdsourced data as the basis for their research projects. For the past several years, a child and parent duo, armed with a pencil and data sheet, have been keeping track of the wintertime birds visiting VINS’ feeders. All their weekly data recordings get submitted to Project FeederWatch, a winter survey of birds across North America. Children and adults like these citizen scientists help sustain partnerships between the public and professional researchers, with their data submissions forming the foundation for science-based conservation projects and policy decisions.

Adults frequently underestimate what children are capable of accomplishing, but when we recognize children’s desire to do good and fully support them in their endeavors, we open the door for them to have powerful impacts on the world both now and in the future.

Sarah Strew is thedirector of Nature Camp and Adult Education at VINS.

VALLEY NEWS FILE PHOTO —JENNIFER HAUCK

Atthe VermontInstituteof NaturalSciencein Quechee,MalMuratorishows offFerrisburgh,an AmericanKestrelfalcon, tothe Havera family, from left, Ashley, Arthur, 5, David and Maddie, 9, during a “private experience”at the center on Oct. 7, 2022.

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First grade students experiment with 3D printing

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Volunteering helps kids thrive

Research suggests that helping out can improve both physical and mental health

By TONYA McMURRAY For the Valley News

A recent large-scale research study found that volunteering was associated with better overall health and well-being in children and adolescents. The study, published in JAMA Network Open in May 2023, used parent report surveys for more than 50,000 children between the ages of 6 and 17.

The study showed that children and teens who had volunteered in the past year were 34% more likely to be in excellent or very good health and 66% more likely to be rated as flourishing by their parents than kids who hadn’t volunteered. The study also showed that children and adolescent volunteers were 35% less likely to have behavioral problems and kids 12 and older who volunteered were 25% less likely to struggle with anxiety than their peers who didn’t volunteer.

Just like adults, kids gain a sense of purpose from volunteering and feel good about helping others. Children and teens who volunteer also develop greater self-confidence and a sense of competence. Since success in volunteering doesn’t depend on academic performance in school, having athletic ability or feeling at ease socially almost all kids can find a way to volunteer that helps them feel successful and accomplished. Looking for ways to help your child volunteer? Here are some ageappropriate ideas for toddlers through teens in the Upper Valley.

Ages 2 to 4

■ Help your child pick flowers, tie them in a bundle and give the bouquet to a friend, family member or neighbor.

■ Encourage your child to share toys or invite another child to play with them.

■ Toddlers love to help: Let them help you put recyclables into a bin or perform a task to help a friend or family member.

■ Have your child draw pictures and deliver them to a friend or neighbor.

Ages 5 to 7

■ Make dog or cat toys for animals in shelters and them drop them off with a bag of food or cat litter.

■ Put a summer lemonade stand to good use: Let your child pick a nonprofit organization and help them learn about it. They can then set up a lemonade stand and use it to collect donations for the organiza-

tion.

■ Help your child create simple crafts or drawings and deliver them to residents in a nursing home.

■ Go on a walk around your neighborhood and pick up trash on the side of the road.

Ages 8 to 11

■ Help your child organize their friends for a beach cleanup day.

■ Help your child start a school supply drive: Have them reach out to their local school, Listen or the Upper Valley Haven to see how best to distribute what they collect.

■ Let your child collect old sheets, towels, blankets, cat or dog toys or pet food from friends and neighbors for donation to a humane

society.

■ Have your child go through your cupboard for unopened boxes or cans of nonperishable food items and donate them to an Upper Valley food pantry.

Ages 12 to 14

■ Contact a local soup kitchen or food pantry to see what kinds of volunteer opportunities are available.

■ Help your child organize a bake sale, car wash or other fundraising event to raise money for causes they are passionate about.

■ Offer to rake leaves, pick up sticks or mow the lawn for a neighbor.

■ Help your child coordinate a neighborhood garage sale and donate the proceeds to a nonprofit organization.

Ages 15 to 17

■ Have your child check out volunteer opportunities at Upper Valley humane societies.

■ Many seniors struggle with technology: Teens can offer their tech know-how to help older adults with smartphones, computers and social media. Teens can reach out to older adults they know or volunteer at a senior center or assisted living facility.

■ Have your child check with elementary and middle schools about opportunities for tutoring or mentoring younger students.

■ Collect and deliver supplies for a neighbor or friend who has just had a baby or is ill.

Family volunteer opportunities

Like everything else, kids learn attitudes about volunteering and helping from their parents. Make volunteering a family activity. Some possible family volunteer opportunities include:

■ Adopt-a-highway programs.

■ Charity runs or walks.

■ Green Up days.

■ Community gardens.

Encouraging your child to volunteer will certainly benefit your community. It might also bring you a healthier and happier kid.

Tonya McMurray is clinical director at The Family Place, a Norwich-based parent child center nonprofit organization that provides support to families with young children.

COURTESY PHOTO —THE FAMILY PLACE

Two-year-old Max helps his teacher Evelyn Walbridge empty the compost bins from The Family Place’s Early Care and Education classrooms in Norwich.

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The pleasure of being in charge of one’s self

Tips for promoting autonomy to children

By MIRIAM VORAN For the Valley News

It can be difficult to think about ordinary everyday things when such extraordinary things are happening all around us. But we all need sustaining commitments, especially in the face of global turmoil. And your commitment to your children —which includes organizing their summer —really does matter.

Children count the days until school’s out, anticipating their freedom. You, on the other hand, dread the break. Sure, you’re looking forward to family vacation. But in the weeks before and after, when the teachers are gone and you’ve got to supervise your children, you’re running a marathon. Plus, you’re probably still working your paid job. Summer break is no freedom for you.

summer slide. Teachers call it “academic regression,”the loss of unused skills. They’ll suggest summer activities that keep academic skills fresh. But you also want to encourage social and emotional growth. Now it’s your job to give those nextstep challenges.

Here are two simple ways to promote your children being in charge of themselves this summer: ■ First, when planning vacation, remember free play. You know the stories. The family who splurged on a Disney trip, only to discover that they most enjoyed hanging out at the pool. The young girl’s highlight of her visit to New York: not the museum or the subway, but chasing pigeons in Central Park. Kids love to run and build sand castles and create their own adventures.

Kids don’t always admit it, but they also often have mixed feelings about the end of school. They miss the predictable routine and guaranteed playtime with friends. They miss learning new skills. At school, kids learn to navigate the world beyond home, testing themselves and managing frustrations and disappointments. School, at its best, gives children dependable ways to grow more in-charge of themselves. And teachers, at their best, give manageable next-step challenges.

No wonder we worry about the

■ Second, remember work. Whether it’s a weekend project with young kids or a summer job for your teen, work gives children the chance to master new skills and take pride in accomplishments. Take a project like painting the deck. You might be tempted to do the job yourself, but the easiest path doesn’t teach your kid to be a worker. Instead, you work together. You coach. You teach your kid the self-talk to survive tedium: “I’m tired, but I know I can finish.”You teach how to take breaks and get back to the job. And then, when the task is finished, you and your kids celebrate a job well done. This way, kids learn the value of rolling up their sleeves and sticking with the challenges of daily life.

Beginning at age 14, teens in the Twin States can legally work. With that first official job, they take a big step toward adulthood. They exchange some of their free time for the long-term goal of money. Jobs make them navigate real-time relationships, in contrast to the online world. They learn to deal with a boss. They gain work experience and references. They imagine themselves as adult workers and explore what will suit them.

For all children, money earned through work promotes autonomy. Long before that first paycheck, your child practices money management. Opinions differ about payment for chores, but even young kids need a way to earn and save money. Then they get to make choices and live within limits. You stop being the automatic provider. Maybe they’ll buy their own souvenirs on vacation, instead of you satisfying every wish. Your child treasures the toy bought with his hard-earned cash far more than the toy you instantly provide. Children know when they’re stepping into self-sufficiency, when they ’re growing beyond dependency to become their own agents in the world.

When you encourage your child’s autonomy, you’re fighting the regressive pull. Sure, we all want to regress, to escape tensions and slide back to paradise. It’s human nature to seek the easiest path. And we need occasional regressions: Sleep, a day at the beach, a TV show, daydreaming. In moderation, regressions refresh and enrich. They can keep us in touch with our inner lives. But too much regression can injure children and cripple their self-

esteem. Imagine a summer that’s all regression: sleeping in, surfing the internet and playing video games. We know that’s wrong, a wasting of opportunities to mature. Sure, children work hard during the school year and deserve some leisure. But it hurts when you don’t balance leisure with exercising physical and mental muscles. You might not see it this way, but there’s a subtle cruelty in enabling stagnation. It’s like caging a bird, clipping its wings with overindulgence and preventing its flight. You get the familiar comfort of being the provider, the one who’s mature and dispenses treats. But you and your kid will get trapped in obsolete roles instead of risking growth and change.

In truth, the predictable summer vacation is anything but routine. It’s always a moving target to set expectations that match your child’s growing capacities. You can humbly expect to be a step or two behind. What matters is to catch yourself and then ask your child to step it up. It won’t always go smoothly. But don’t be deterred by the power struggles and protests. They’re inevitable as your children test themselves against real world demands and learn to tolerate tensions. That’s maturity and it’s the skill set they’ll need for their future.

Miriam Voran consults with parents and practices psychoanalytic psychotherapy with children and adults in West Lebanon and Montpelier. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She lives in West Lebanon and can be reached at Miriam.j.voran@ dartmouth.edu.

Miriam Voran

‘Give back to those who live in a different environment’

Students make meal kits for developing countries. Story, Page 10.

VALLEY NEWS —JAMES M. PATTERSON Mascoma freshman Victoria Petty, 15, right, works alongside Lebanon Rotary Club member Mila Dela Pena, of Lebanon, to seal bags filled with rice, dried vegetables, soy flour

Meal kits for developing countries

Mascoma, Lebanon and Windsor high schoolers came together to feed the hungry

By PATRICK O’GR ADY Valley News Correspondent

CANAAN —Mascoma, Lebanon and WindsorInteract RotaryClubs high school students came together in lateApril to dotheir smallbut important part of feeding the world’s hungry, one meal at a time.

For close to two hours, the roughly 40 students prepared and packaged meals at MascomaValley Regional High Schoolthat organizationRise Against Hunger willship to developing countries.

The studentsmanned different stationsandas musicplayed.Some filled small bags with freeze-dried ingredientswhile othersweighed, sealed, labeled andfinally boxed the bags.

One bag was the equivalent of six meals,and abox of36bags isenough to feed a child for one year.

“We are excited to bring Rise Against Hunger backthis year and add Windsor to the mix,”said Lindsey Coolidge,a Spanishteacher at Mascomaand Interactco-adviser with JessicaVivian, referringto the same projectin 2022with Lebanon Interact. “Itis really agreat opportunity, I think, forour students here to givebacktothose wholiveinadifferent environment.”

Mascoma hasclose to40 students inits Interactclub,Windsor has16 and Lebanonhas seven.Christian McDonaldis inherfirstyear asthe Lebanon Interact adviser.

Adeline Josephson, a Mascoma junior and president of the school’s InteractClub,said joiningwasanobvious choice for her.

“I like to help make a difference, and Ithink oneof thebest waysto do that is internationally,outside our community,”saidJosephson, who joinedInteractas afreshmanandat theRise AgainEventwas usinga heatsealertoclose thebags.“I like givingbackto mycommunityand working with other schools. I think it is important to be able to do that. This is very eye-opening to learn what it is likein otherplaces, andit ishelping us want to do more things like this.”

Membership in Interactat Mascoma has grown steadily over the last several years, withstudents signing up at the beginning of the school year

as they choose clubsthey want to join, Josephson said. Mascoma Interact has donecommunity trash cleanup projects andworks the concession stand at high school sports contestsand serveas ushersat plays.

Interact RotaryClubs, opento youthsages 12to18, coordinateservice projects withtheir local Rotary Club or developtheir own projects.

Windsor Interact wasstarted four years agoby KimGogan, theclub’s adviser and thecoordinator in Windsor for Work-Based Learning & Flexible Pathways at the high school.

Just three orfour students signed up the first few years, Gogan said, but this year the clubhas grown to 16. Studentshave volunteeredwith Windsor Rotary Clubmembers on a few projects, includinghelping to serve a communitydinner at Trinity Church, assistingwith paintingthe elementary school busarea, working with former police chief Jennifer Frank fora “Stuff theCruiser”food driveand shoppingandwrapping presents fortwo childrenchosen from the Mount Ascutney Hospital Giving Tree tags. While there are pro-

jects in collaboration with Windsor Rotary, the students take on their own community service ideas, Gogan said. One of thosewas a fundraiser sellingtickets forthe KennedyPond “ice out.”

“Weencouragethem tocomeup with their own projects and learn how togivebackand bealeader,”Gogan said.

Hudson Ranney, aWindsor High School senior, saidhe joined Interact when Gogan recruited him as a freshman when she started the club.

“Iagree withthe (Rotary)motto: ‘Service above self,’” Ranney said, taking a break from packaging meals. “Ithas reallybeenrewarding, andI am glad I have done it.”

Ranney said withcuts coming in federalfunding, Interactisplanning to raisemoney tocontinue themeals program thatprovides lunchto kids over the summer.

Of the $4,500 raised to buy the food for the Rise Against Hunger event, halfcame fromLebanon Rotaryand the restraised bythe Interactclubs, Gogansaid, addingthatsome ofthe money will go toother Rise Against Hunger projects such as access to

clean water.

“The moneyall goestoward addressingfood insecurity,”Gogan said.

TheRise AgainstHungerevent hadan assemblyline-likeprocess thatbeganatone endofthegym, where PaxtenRoberts andAidan Hemmerling, bothMascoma juniors, wereopening50 poundbagsofrice, 25 poundbags ofsoy andboxes of mixed vegetables andemptying the contentsinto largebins. Otherstudentscarried fullbinstoone offive tables where five or six students filled small plastic bags then weighed them individually.After onestudent slipped abag under afunnel, three otherspoured aspoonful ofmixed vegetables, a vitamin packet and a cup eachof rice and soydown the chute. The bags were passed along and weighed (maximum of 3.9 grams) then placedin another setof small bins and brought to a third table lined witha dozenheatsealers mannedby students and Rotarians.

Oncesealed, studentsbehindthe sealersplacedsmall labelsoneach

VALLEY NEWS —JAMES M. PATTERSON

Lebanon High senior Maria Martinez, 18, left, and Mascoma sophomore Karley Hollis, 16, right, show their foodsafe gloveswhen promptedby eventorganizers fromRise AgainstHunger duringa meal-packingevent at Mascoma ValleyRegional High School inWest Canaan onApril 25. TheMascoma Interact club hostedits sister clubs from Lebanon and Windsor to work together in preparing the meals, which will provide a full year’s worth of food relief to schoolchildren in Kenya.

Students help fight hunger

bag,tossed themintoa binand handed them off to the last table. There,studentsplaced 36bagsin each box, taped itshut and placed it on a pallet. A boxof bags is enough to feed a child for an entire year.

Eachtimethe tallyreachedanother 1,000meals, BillManiscalco, of RiseAgainst Hunger,made anannouncement and hadsomeone bang a gongas theymoved towardtheir goal of more than 10,000 meals.

Maniscalco, who works at Rise Against Hunger’s regionaloffice in Canton, Mass.,said theywill collect mealsfromaround NewEnglanduntilthey have285,120, theexact amount neededto fill a40-foot shipping container. The container will sail fromNew Yorkin eitherJune orJuly. A container destinedfor Sierra Leoneleft onApril 29,Maniscalco said.

More than 57 million meals sent to 37 countries were packaged in 2023 at 3,000 events with 331,200 volunteers, according toRise AgainstHunger. RAH, a nonprofit organization that started 26years ago,has 20U.S. and five international offices.

Norah Burns, a Lebanon senior, came to Interact threeyears ago after participating in RYLA(Rotary Youth

Leadership Awards), where she attended a retreaton leadership and teamwork skills.She alsohas goneto Italy with Rotary International.

“I love community service and helping others,”said Burns,whowill attend theUniversity ofKentucky in the fall, majoring inmarketing and finance. “I had heardof Rise Against Hunger but did notknow how to join the effort until now. Seeing the impact weare makinghere today,I am just so glad that I can be involved.”

Patrick O’Gradycan bereached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

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‘These guys really came through’

Lee Hammond, of Lebanon, right, describes a problem he is having with his email to Rhone Baker, 17, of Lebanon, a student in the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center’s information technology program, at Kilton Library in West Lebanon on April 23. On Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the library, students from the program provide assistance with computers, software and digital literacy.

Hartford tech students assist older adults with technology questions

By PATRICK O’GR ADY Valley News Correspondent

HARTFORD —As Lindy Bean wasabout to close herlaptop at theBugbee SeniorCenter, she proclaimed her help session with students Zachary Kenney and Noah Peabody a resounding success.

“These guys really came through,”a smiling Bean,83, saidabouttheassistance shereceivedto resolve a fewthings on her laptopthat were con-

fusing her.

Peabody and Kenney, juniorsat the Hartford AreaCareerandTechnical Center,havebeenat theBugbeeCentereach weekforabouttwohours since earlyFebruary, to help olderadults troubleshootproblemstheyare havingwiththeirdevices, including computers and phones.

WithBean seatednexttohim, Peabody,16,of Windsor, showedher how to increasethe volume on her phone, install afree music platform, add

songs byLeonard Cohento herplaylist andplace an icon on her homepage for her private Dartmouth Health portal.

“He was very helpful,”Bean, of Hanover, said. TeenTech Helpwas startedby JeremyOuellette, an information technologyinstructor at the tech center. Lastfall, he received aninquiry from theBugbee Centeraskingifstudents wouldbein-

VALLEY NEWS —JAMES M. PATTERSON

Tech students assist older adults with technology questions

terested in drop-in tech help to assist clients, answer questionsand solve problems they were having with their devices.Ouellettesaid helikedthe idea because it would further his goal of having studentslearn beyond the classroom and can help prepare them for the field of IT support, if that is their interest.

“I like to get my students out in coops andinternship experienceso theycan applywhat theylearn inthe classroom,”Ouellette said. “This is a perfect opportunity topractice customer service and other skills. It is as good as any practice you will get in termsof howto communicatewith clients and ask the right questions.”

For thedrop-in help,the students provide technicalsupport andmost of thetime theproblems areeasily resolved, Kenneyand Peabodysaid. Often, theperson seekingassistance has inadvertently hitthe wrong key andsuddenlythey cannotfindsomething, Kenney added. Usually it takes aboutfiveor10 minutestofixmost problems, the students said.

“My clients are usually pretty happy when theyleave,”Kenney said. “(Once)I helpedsomeoneresolve an issue with their WhatsApp (a messagingservice) becausethey thought their contacts were deleted. Icreated anicon onthe screenso they would have easyaccess to the contacts.”

Besides weeklysessions atthe Bugbee Center,the TeenTech Help program was also held weekly at the Kilton Library inWest Lebanon into early May.

Recently, whenthe twostudents were finishingup a sessionin late April,an out-of-townvisitorapproached JacobGerard Elvira,16, of Lebanon.DanKaidel andhiswife, Diane, hadcome up fromVirginia to visit their daughterat Dartmouth College.Kaidel firstwentto thelibrary ’s front desk to inquire about getting several documents scanned and converted to a digital format. He was referred tothe students, and Elvirabrought himoverto thelibrary ’s printer. Whenthe printer did not allow them tobe scanned onto a flash drive, Elvira successfully showed Kaidel how to send them to his email account as a PDF.

“I couldn’t behappier,”Kaidel said.

Those typesof encounterscan be nothing but helpfulfor the students,

computer for editing.

LEFT: Jacob Elvira, of Lebanon, center, and Rhone Baker, of Hartland, foreground, both students in the information technology program at Hartford Area Career and Technology Center, set up portable recording equipment during their drop-in tech support time at Kilton Library in West Lebanon on April 23. In addition to providing help with digital devices, they are testing the library’s recording equipment and writing a user manual patrons who check it out.

VALLEY NEWS PHOTOS —JAMES M. PATTERSON

Noah Peabody, of Windsor, a junior in theHartford Area Career and Technology Center’s information technology program, helps Doug Coughlin, of Piermont, left, set up his new laptop at the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction onApril 23. Coughlin isplanning to participate ina film slamand needed help preparingthe new

‘These guys really came through’: Students assist adults

T ECHNOLOGY FROM S13

said Ouellette, who watched Elvira help Kaidel. “Itis reallyempoweringforthese 16-and17year-olds to really see that they know stuff and can help people,”Ouellette said.“I’m veryproud of them.”

Rhone Baker, 17, of Hartford, assisted Lee Hammond, 85,of Lebanon, at Kiltonwho expressed “fr ustration”trying tofigure things out on his laptop.

“They have helped me becauseI am basically a Luddite,”Hammond said with a chuckle, referring to the 19th century English workers opposed to the mechanization incotton and woolenmills. “This thing (laptop) has pushed me over the edge.”

When Baker and Elvira arrived on this day, they first went to work on another project for the library: Setting up and testing a recording system. KiltonlibrarianCeleste Pfeiffersaidthelibrary usedagrant tobuyequipmentfor arecordingstudio,buttheprojecthad beenshelvedforafew

years.

“They are setting up and learning how to work it so they can write an instruction manual,”Ouellette saidas thestudentspiecedthe equipmenttogether. “The primarything isthedrop-in forwhatevertech helpis needed,butthey alsohelp thelibrary outwith projectsand thisis oneof them.It (recording system) is anotherservice they can provide for patrons.”

The studio will allow patrons to record their own audio, such as a podcast, and then upload it, Elvira said. A keyboard, sound board, microphone, speakers and other equipment were spread out on the table ready to be assembled.

“Wewant tomake sureitworks andwill writea manualon howtoset itall upsopeople willknow how to use it,”Elvira said.

The students assisted the library with another issue concerning a 3D printer that Pfeiffer said she wantedtohave amanualwrittento trainstaff.But the students, Pfeiffer said, discovered the machine was “irreparably broken”and wouldnotbeworth

repairing.

“They did research and spoke to experts,”Pfeiffer said. “I toldthemtheysaved mesomuch time.”

After his time with Bean at the Bugbee Center, Peabody saidhe hasbenefited fromthe drop-in tech help experience.

“Ihave definitelylearned alotand thebiggest thinghas beencommunication skills,”he said.“I used tohave socialanxiety, andthis hashelped me.”

Ouellette saidhe wants to bringthe program backnext yearand hopestostart itearlier inthe school year.

“This is amazing practicefor their ability to work with a diverse audience,”he said. “It is great professional experience forsomeone who may wantto stepintoan ITsupportrole becauseyou can cite this experience (with a potential employer).”

Patrick O’Gradycan bereached atpogclmt@ gmail.com.

VALLEY NEWS —JAMES M. PATTERSON

Lee Hammond, of Lebanon, right, describes a challenge he is having with his email as Rhone Baker, of Hartland, helps him through the problem during the Kilton Library’s tech tutoring time in West Lebanon on April 23. Baker volunteers at the library through his information technology class at Hartford Area Career and Technical Center.

Planting, raking, weeding and learning

By PATRICK O’GR ADY Valley News Correspondent

SOUTH ROYALTON—White River Valley Elementary School third graders gathered arounda picnic tablesorting andorganizingpackets ofvegetable, herband flowerseeds on a warm, sunny May afternoon.

“Who needsspinach? Ihave cucumbers?Lettuce overhere,”the studentssaidas theypassedthe packets backand forth,separating them into stacks.

Theirexcitement grewasthey thought about whateach one wanted toplant andgrow.Watermelon wasa popular choice,as werecucumbers and carrots.

Myah Locke, 9,had a different preference.

“I reallyhope we cangrow leeks,” said Myah. “I reallylike leeks and grow them at home.”

Nearby, a second team of students were kneeling over alarge sheet of white grid paper,carefully mapping each ofthe 10raised bedsbehind them with a blackmarker and ruler. Each square on the grid was equal to one foot of the 4-by-4-foot and 8-by-4foot beds,which werea fewfeet tall. Finally, a third groupof students in the physical educationclass were busy shoveling dirtinto five-gallon buckets, As each one was filled, a student would lug it toone of the beds and dump in the contents.

The worksession bythe third gradersis partoftheFarm toSchool project atthe elementaryschool, which is focused on teaching them about growing and eating locally produced food.

“We bring kids outside to this gardentodo morefoodeducationso they willunderstand wherefood comesfrom,how togrowitfrom seed, to caring, weeding, watering and harvesting,”said Francy Slater, the Farm to School coordinator at the school.

This isSlater’s secondyear ascoordinator. Last year, she laid the groundworkfor theprogram,including securing funding from grants and other sources,and this year,“we are putting things in motion.”

On a Sunday in late April, parents, childrenandstaff spentafewhours buildingthe10 raisedbedsfrom white cedar,a woodthat ismore rotresistant than other types.

“Weexpect theywill last10 to12 years,”Slater said.

Oncethe bedswerecomplete, theywere filledfrompilesof soiland compost over thenext few weeks. Wood chips from a third pile were spread around the beds.

“We have the kidsout here most days, digging, rakingand shoveling,” Slater said.

Natalee Cross, 9,was happy the group built new garden beds because the previousones were aboutto collapse,she said,pointingtoa pileof old wood under a nearby tree.

Natalee andthe otherstudents had their favorites when it came to planting, whichwas donein early May, aweek afterthe studentschose the seeds.

“I want to plant flowers, maybe cucumbers,”Nataleesaid, adding

that the group also wants to plant the “three sisters,”atermthat refersto corn, beans and squash grown by Native Americans.

Zach Parker, 9, was planning on corn,watermelon, carrotsandcucumbers. For Emmett Hoyt, who lives on a farm, the choice was watermelon and cucumbers.

Slater said they will be planning a series of“garden drop-ins”over the summer so the bed can be weeded and theplants watered andcared for while the crops grow.

“Parents, kids, anyone in the community whowants to,can comeand help out,”Slater said.

Having children grow vegetables from seedand experiencethe entire process to harvest, can enhance the likelihoodthey willwantto eatfoods that are often not a child’s favorite, Slater said.

“Exposingthem tofoodsin adifferentsetting canhelp thembecome more comfortable withthem,”Slater said. “Here, we aregiving kids a

chance to learnfirsthand where food comes from and you have to water and weed. It tastes that much sweeter because you grew it.”

Theother piecetothe Farmto School program ismaking connections witharea foodproducers and havingmorelocal foodoncafeteria menusby workingwith foodhubs, farmersand localproducers,Slater said.

“Our strategy is to maximize the amountwebudget forlocalfood,” she said.

As the outdoorclass ended with themapping completeand theselection ofseeds finalizedfor planting, Slater noted thediversity of vegetablesandflowers chosenwithdifferent colors, textures and flavors.

Zack Parker islooking forward to the harvest in the fall.

“I like this because when we are done, we canmake a dish toeat,”he said.

Patrick O’Gradycan bereached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

White River Valley Elementary students learn about local food through growing a garden

VALLEY NEWS —JAMES M. PATTERSON

Farm to School Coordinator Francey Slater, right, assigns groups of White River Valley Elementary third graders to different stepsin theprocess ofsurrounding theschool’s newraised gardenbeds withwood chipsin South Royalton on April 30. Students are helping to build and plant the new garden.