Art by Gary Blomgren
Volume 31 Issue 2
Spring~ 2021
Free • Since 1990
In the Dumps (Another View) Michelle Cherrier is to be commended for her informative article in the winter Views on the physical and legal history of municipal dumps from the burning pit to the transfer station. It is regrettable that as a child she was exposed to the noxious fumes of the New Jersey dump, odors beyond “loathsome, detestable, and wretched.” (Perhaps the memory has inspired her devotion to the environmentally friendly methods of today.) In the old days, however, the stench you smelled as you approached the dump was a welcome harbinger of things to come. It is unfortunate that we often pay a price for progress. There were pleasures lost when the original, natural, wild, unspoiled town dump devolved over the decades to the denatured, bland transfer station of today. I am not speaking of the many household dumps or the array of informal dumps that were once scattered across the landscape. Into the gully, down to the stream bed—whatever—there went the old ice box, the rusted wheelbarrow, the medicine bottles, the bald tires. They are treasure troves for the archaeologists of domestic life. In its original incarnation the town dump was open twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, and did not have a regular attendant. No fence suggested something dangerous; no gate barred the way. Of a Saturday or Sunday morning, you would meet your neighbors, have a smoke or two, and catch up on town gossip. It contributed to the social capital healthy communities depend on. This neighborliness also encouraged the practice of setting to one side articles that might be of use to the next person: the outgrown kid’s bike, the old baseball glove, the chair that needed caning. This was charity without the shame of begging or the self-importance of a personal gift. continued on page 12
photo by Linda Rood
By Charles Fish
Adopt-a-Book Program Still Strong in Year of COVID In a normal year, this is the display of books at town meeting from which townspeople can select a book to make available through “adoption.” It is never too late to adopt a book! See article on page 17.
Dummerston School ASSET Team Focuses on Leadership Skills By Erica Garnett School Counselor
For the past two school years, I have had the pleasure of running the middle school leadership team at Dummerston School. This team consists of approximately fifteen students from sixth to eighth grades and is referred to as ASSET. Coming into this school year, I was focused on examining students’ common understanding of leadership, specifically as it related to our group, school, and community.
When asked about their hopes and ideas, many students indicated they wanted to gain leadership skills, to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and to help their school community. Students also reported wanting to take action and feel purposeful, especially in light of the pandemic and its effect on our larger community. With a very balanced amount of fully remote and hybrid (a combination of time in and out of school) students, our meetings took place exclusively over Zoom, to start. We spent a lot of time doing icebreakers continued on page 10