STAFF QUESTION
EDITOR’S NOTE
What do you love most about Vermont?
STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS COPUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Cathy Resmer
cathy@kidsvt.com COPUBLISHER
Colby Roberts
colby@kidsvt.com MANAGING EDITOR
The mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the woods — I love being able to spend time OUTSIDE in all seasons surrounded by nature. It helps put things in perspective.
Alison Novak
alison@kidsvt.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Mary Ann Lickteig
maryann@kidsvt.com
CATHY RESMER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
STAFF WRITER/CALENDAR WRITER
Brett Ann Stanciu brett@kidsvt.com ART DIRECTOR
Brooke Bousquet brooke@kidsvt.com
MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR
Corey Grenier
corey@kidsvt.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Kaitlin Montgomery kaitlin@kidsvt.com
Alison and daughter Mira find a little joy on a snowy day at Shelburne Farms
PROOFREADERS
Katherine Isaacs, Kara Torres PRODUCTION MANAGER
John James CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Don Eggert DESIGNERS
Kirsten Cheney, Todd Scott, Rev. Diane Sullivan CIRCULATION MANAGER
Matt Weiner BUSINESS MANAGER
Cheryl Brownell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Chelsea Edgar, Janet Essman Franz, Astrid Hedbor Lague, Heather Fitzgerald, Ken Picard, Sean Prentiss, Erinn Simon PHOTOGRAPHERS
Andy Brumbaugh, Sam Simon ILLUSTRATORS
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Sparking Joy
I
n recent weeks, my family — along with countless other Netflix subscribers — has binge-watched the new reality series, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” A spin-off of the best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, the show chronicles the petite and adorable Kondo as she goes into people’s homes and helps them figure out how to pare down clothing, books and other belongings, keeping only those items that “spark joy.” She also teaches viewers how to fold everything — from socks to hoodies — into cute little packets that stand at attention in your drawers. It’s the kind of show that, after watching one episode, makes you want to yank everything out of your dresser and start getting rid of things — or at least that’s the reaction it prompted in my household. I’d argue that, for parents, the approach that Kondo advocates is particularly compelling. After all, parenting is messy. Kids get sick. They spill tall glasses of milk. They leave their Legos and Beanie Boos all over the living room floor. There’s a lot that happens outside of our control. But a drawer of crisply folded T-shirts? That’s something we can manage. Sometimes — in the thick of a cold and snowy winter — it’s difficult to figure out what sparks joy. We’re too busy tracking down our kid’s missing mitten or digging out the long underwear from the bottom of the hamper. So, in this month’s issue, we’ve written about some of the things that spark joy this time of year. For a Vermont musher and the first and second graders he visits at Waterbury’s Thatcher Brook Primary School, it’s sled dogs (page 24). For one Weathersfield family, it’s the backyard hockey rink they’ve made as a family project for the past eight winters (page 11). For Burlington teen Alexandra Contreras-Montesano, it’s poetry (page 13). And for you, our readers, it may be any one of the fun activities we write about this month — from animal tracking (page 10) to cold-weather science experiments (page 12) to baking éclairs for Valentine’s Day (page 18). On a more serious note, turn to page 20 to read “Peer Reviewed,” in which Ken Picard writes about a unique youth restorative justice panel run by the Williston Community Justice Center. Teen volunteers on the panel help to decide how their peers will make reparations for offenses such as sexting, retail theft and distracted driving. “Our process is not about blame or shame,” says the director of the justice center, Cristalee McSweeney. “It’s about accepting responsibility and obligation.” Lastly, we hope you’ll join us on Saturday, February 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hilton Burlington for our 22nd annual Camp and School Fair. Summer? Now that sparks some serious joy!
Among the many, many things I love about Vermont — beautiful scenery, civil politics, no billboards, DMV offices that get you out in 15 minutes or less — is its very HUMAN SCALE. It feels as though there are only two degrees of separation between everyone in the state, which makes people treat strangers more kindly. KEN PICARD, STAFF WRITER
I love Vermont because it’s SMALL. No matter where you go, you usually cross paths with someone you know — and even if you don’t, people are generally friendly. BRETT ANN STANCIU, STAFF/ CALENDAR WRITER
There is a shared appreciation of GOOD
FOOD. Whether it be at a farmers market,
general store or local restaurant, you can fill your gullet with a wide variety of yummies.
BROOKE BOUSQUET, ART DIRECTOR
I love Vermont because, let’s be honest, it’s the BEST STATE in the union. We’re little, we’re tough and extremely good-natured. DIANE SULLIVAN, DESIGNER
I love Vermont so fiercely for SO MANY REASONS, it’s impossible to choose just one. KIRSTEN CHENEY, DESIGNER
CONTRIBUTOR’S NOTE (“Use Your Words,” page 55) learned to ski when he was 2, write when he was 30, and be a father when he was 44. He and his family enjoy skiing across Solstice Lake in northern Vermont.
SEAN PRENTISS
ALISON NOVAK, MANAGING EDITOR KIDSVT.COM FEBRUARY 2019
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