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SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
School district to reopen in-person kindergarten State moves to final phase of school reopening plans By Jason Starr Observer staff
The Champlain Valley School District plans to bring kindergarten students back to a four-day-aweek, in-person schedule starting Oct. 5, according to communications director Bonnie Birdsall. The district hopes to make a final decision on the move later this week, she said. The move would be a first step toward returning to normalcy for the district, which is offering only remote and partially remote learning options for students in response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, the neighboring Essex Westford School District announced that students kindergarten through fifth grade can return to school full-time starting Oct. 5. The decision came after a meeting of the Champlain Valley Regional Superintendent’s Association, of which Champlain Valley School District Superintendent Elaine Pinckney is a member. Pinckney could not be reached for comment. The superintendents association determined that three benchmarks need to be in place before students return: adequate staffing, established health practices and routines, and stable statewide COVID infection rates. The Vermont Agency of Education and the Department of Health have encouraged school districts to return to full-time, in-person learning as
soon as practical. Since school began on Sept. 8, there have been “a small number of COVID cases” in schools statewide, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said Tuesday. “None of the people who tested positive got the virus due to being in school,” Levine said. “Based on our investigations, all had been exposed prior to classes beginning. Even if they were potentially infectious for a day in school, adherence to physical distancing and masking guidance have been, and remain, critical strategies for students and staff to continue adhering to.” Fully opening schools is part of the third and final phase of the Department of Education’s safety and health recommendations that are guiding schools in their plans this fall. Education Secretary Dan French moved the state into the third phase on Monday, effective at the end of this week. The move gives schools the option to return to in-person instruction for all grade levels and opens the door for the fall sports season to begin (see related story, page 1). Except for kindergarten, the Champlain Valley School District will keep the rest of the grades in its partially remote schedule. With this schedule, schools are never more than half full on any given day, making it practical to observe physical distance guidelines. Masks are required for students, staff and teachers, and temperature and symptom checks are conducted before students can enter the building. During the three weekdays students are not in school, they are
learning online from home, “It’s hard because my husband is trying to work remotely, but our internet isn’t good, so when the kids have online learning and he’s trying to work and everybody’s on the internet, we sometimes all get booted off,” said Carrie Williams Howe, parent of a first-grader at Allen Brook School. However, the beginning of school this year has offered a welcome return to in-person learning, even if just two days a week. “The social part about not having friends to play with has been the hardest for her,” she said of her daughter. “So going back to school has helped with that. The chance to see her friends for two days of the week is a relief.” “There’s just been sort of overwhelming gratitude and thankfulness that kids are at least back in school a couple days a week,” said Williston Central School Principal Jackie Parks. Howe commends the efforts from district parents to support the schools, saying there has been an outpouring of support from the community which has made the return to school feel like a collaborative effort. She remains cautiously optimistic about the school year. “We are trying not to get too attached to anything because we know it could change either to full-time school or no school at any point,” Howe said. “So it’s also about kind of being flexible and going with the flow.” Ciara McEneany and Zoe Hulina of UVM’s Reporting and Documentary Storytelling program contributed to this report.
Town meeting room renamed to honor Beckett, McGuire
The meeting room at Williston Town Hall has been renamed the Beckett-McGuire Meeting Room in honor of two long-time town staff members who retired earlier this year. Rick McGuire spent countless hours in the meeting room during his 22 years as town manager, leading selectboard meetings and tending to a variety of town business. McGuire retired in August. Beckett was town clerk and treasurer for two decades, her tenure overlapping almost entirely with McGuire’s. She also volunteered
on the town’s development review board, cemetery commission and as a justice of the peace. Beckett was fighting cancer during her final years on the job. She retired in March and died in August. Last week, the selectboard unanimously approved a resolution renaming the meeting room in their honor. “Both individuals exemplified public service, performing their civic duty admirably with the highest degree of integrity,” the resolution says. “The contri-
butions (they) have made to the community will be felt for years to come.” The meeting room is located in the second floor of town hall on Williston Road. It hosts the meetings of several town boards and commissions and is used by a variety of civic organizations. A plaque with information about Beckett and McGuire’s service to the community will be created and hung in the room, Town Manager Erik Wells said. — Jason Starr
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Life on the wild side
Observer photo by Al Frey
Dorothy Alling Memorial Library hosted a live animal show last Wednesday presented by Michael Clough, director of the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum in Marlboro. Clough (above with a Barred Owl) introduced the audience to several animals native to the northeastern United States and focused on the challenges that Vermont wildlife face. Attendees also had the opportunity to observe skulls, fur and other artifacts from local fauna. For more photos, see ‘Wildlife’ page 3.
High school sports get green light High school sports competition has been given the go-ahead. After two weeks of practice, the State of Vermont officially announced that schools are moving to Stage 3 of opening, creating the opportunity for high school sports teams to begin games Saturday. The announcement was made by Secretary of Education Dan French at the governor’s weekly press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Champlain Valley Union High School will kick things off in a big way with five varsity competitions Saturday. “We are very excited that we’re finally able to play,” said CVU Activities Director Dan Shepardson.
“There is a buzz in the building and online. Going to be a beautiful 75-plus-degree day on Saturday with games galore.” The CVU boys soccer team will take on Rice at 10 a.m., girls volleyball will take on Mount Mansfield at 10 a.m., boys volleyball will play Lyndon at 1:30 p.m. and field hockey will welcome Rice for a game at 2:30 p.m. On top of that, the cross country teams will head to BFA-St. Albans for a 2 p.m. meet. While the athletes will hit the fields, spectators will not be allowed to attend to adhere to the state’s limits on gathering size. — Lauren Read