School district eyes ban on cellphones
Measure could go into effect in September
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Champlain Valley schools could see a bell-to-bell cellphone ban for the entire district next year.
A committee spearheaded by Champlain Valley School District superintendent Adam Bunting tasked with studying the use of cellphones in the state’s largest school district, recommended the sweeping ban to the school board last week.
A cellphone ban policy, which caught on this summer in several of the state’s school districts — and across the nation — would extend a set of restrictions already in play, Bunting said earlier this year. In all elementary and middle schools, the district has a strict “away for the day” policy, which requires cellphones to be powered off and stored in backpacks.
See PHONE-FREE BAN on page 3
Shelburne unveils 10-year capital plan
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
A pricey new fire and rescue facility is on the horizon in Shelburne, part of a 10-year capital improvement plan.
The plan, which the Shelburne Selectboard looked at last week, addresses annual investments for departments, like vehicles, equipment and facilities and major capital projects, like the new fire and rescue facility. It’s intended as a guiding document for spending over the years.
It’s been reviewed by the
Shelburne Planning Commission before it appeared before the selectboard.
The board was expected to vote on the plan as part of its draft budget package, which will go out for public review in January, but withheld a decision until after the new year and requested more information from town manager Matt Lawless.
The most expensive item on the plan by far is the new fire and rescue facility.
See CAPITAL PLAN on page 7
MARKET
Above: Elsa Klein battles for the ball against her Burr and Burton opponent.
Right: Jim Maille and his son, Benjamin stand in their barn originally built in 1939 that houses
Hometown coach reflects on Cardiac Cats’ title win
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
Brad Cole grew up on Spear Street in South Burlington, right across the street from the University of Vermont’s sport complex, where he now helps coach a championship soccer team.
As the program’s associate head coach, Cole was on the sideline last week when the Catamounts won their first national championship in Cary, N.C., with an overtime goal by Maximilian Kissel that shocked the nation.
Cole said the victory was years in the making. He joined the team as associate head coach two years ago after coaching at Cornell University and the University of Portland. Before that, he played soccer at UVM and held a few early-career coaching positions with the team.
Cole is originally from South Hero, but his family moved to South Burlington when he was in sixth grade. He attended Mater Christi Elementary School, Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School and South Burlington High School, all the while playing soccer with the Far Post Soccer Club. He transitioned to a coaching career at UVM after graduating.
The Other Paper caught up with Cole after the team’s major victory last week.
Q: How did you celebrate the big win?
BC: We had a huge gathering of friends, family and alumni supporters down in Cary, so we spent the night with everyone at the hotel after. We completely took over the lobby bar and meeting space — I mean it was ours.
Q: Can you take us to the sideline of Monday’s game?
BC: I think we had around 3,000 fans travel to the game for us, and there were probably eight to 10,000 people in the stadium. The energy was amazing. Our fans were directly behind our bench, so it felt like we were celebrating with them.
Q: And there was a lot to celebrate toward the end of the game with two late goals — Marcel Papp in the 81st minute and Maximilian Kissel in overtime to win.
BC: Marcel’s goal was huge, and the game-winner was crazy. We all saw it coming after the ball was played in from behind. You almost had time to see it coming, if that makes sense? It was like a three-, four-second run, which felt like a long time from the sidelines.
Q: It was a very suspenseful goal, hence the nickname “Cardiac Cats.” What was the reaction from the bench after the ball hit the net?
BC: The team went ballistic, and I collapsed where I was standing and didn’t move at all. That moment felt like the culmination of a lot of work, you know, from myself and the other coaches and the players and all our support groups. There was just a lot of emotion and stress leaving the body all at once.
Q: What was it like to have so many fans there for that moment?
BC: It was unbelievable. Vermont is a super tight-knit community and that really showed. I played at UVM, so it was unique to have a lot of my old teammates there, and a lot of people I looked up to.
Q: You were recruited to play at UVM after playing for the Far Post Soccer Club throughout high school and you committed to the Catamounts as a junior. It seems like you came into college with a lot of momentum, but you’ve been open about your struggles as a student and the mental health issues you dealt with off the field. Can you tell us more about that experience?
BC: After my first year and a half at school, I started having these off-field issues — depression — and I stopped playing soccer for two years.
I realized I made mistakes that I wanted to make right, so I set up a meeting with the coach. I mostly wanted to apologize for not giving a full explanation for why I stopped playing. I was in the coach’s office explaining how I’d gone down a wrong path and, much to my surprise, he asked if I wanted to come back to the team. I didn’t think that was even possible from an eligibility standpoint, but they helped me figure it out, and I got back on the team with one season left to play. They made me a captain. Then I got into coaching and the rest is history.
Q: Did playing soccer again help with those off-field issues, or did you address them before coming back to the sport?
BC: Soccer was always a huge part of my life and that didn’t change. When I decided to step away it was not because of soccer. It was because I didn’t want to be in school anymore. I had a therapist, which was helpful, and I worked to put all the pieces of my life back together. I didn’t necessarily envision being back on the team, but I knew I needed to finish school and try to overcome some of the obstacles that I wasn’t able to overcome previously. I felt that was part of becoming a better person.
Q: As a kid who grew up on Spear Street, and a player and early-career coach at UVM, what was it like to come back to the school and help guide the program?
BC: It has been a big goal of mine to be here and realize the success we’re having. This community means a lot to me, and I wanted to give back to it. It’s a place that doesn’t have as many resources as other places, but we believe in ourselves and our ability to compete.
That’s easy to say after you’ve won a national championship, but we’ve always held that belief. We’ve recruited the players by telling them the vision was to win. At the beginning of the season, our objective was to win the regular season, the conference tournament,
Cottonwood Vizslas in Shelburne has a litter of AKC registered Vizsla puppies born 12/11/24. Puppies ready to go home the first week in February. Please reach out to Karen and Jess Oppenheimer at cottonwoodvizslavt@gmail.com or contact us through our website https://www.cottonwoodvizslas.com.
and the national title. It’s special to help raise the bar here and redefine what we think is doable.
Q: You were in uncharted waters as things heated up in the post season. Was the team nervous for the championship game?
BC: We didn’t play very well in the semifinal, but at the same time, you need to keep competing, keep running, keep doing your job. It got to a point where we were learning on the job a bit, but that’s the point of raising the bar, right? We just tried to bring our own identity to the field and not let any stage get too big.
Q: How would you describe that Catamount identity?
BC: We’re pretty strange. We’re weird. Our guys are super competitors, but they love each other. They love being around one another. We take the games and training very seriously, but we have fun, too. A lot of people started to travel with us in the postseason —I think our travel party at the last game was 65 people — so they all got a good look at the team. Most people said there was a good energy and brotherhood in the group and that our guys are just comfortable in their own skin.
See COLE on page 3
The O’Brien Brothers’ proposed development in Shelburne is limited to one dwelling per 5 acres. The sewer line that would service the project is also 8 inches wide, not 8 feet as noted in our story last week.
Associate head coach Brad Cole erupts with joy after winning the national championship.
continued from page 1
This administrative-led committee is separate from a school board initiative that formed in the fall with the intent of returning to the board for future policy adoption.
The committee was made up of one special services director, the district’s director of prevention and wellness, three students, four teachers and five principals from the district’s schools, who have met four times since September. The group has also visited other schools such as Harwood Union High School in Duxbury, which has already implemented a pocket device ban.
“I started this process in a place where I was wondering, is the amount of effort in banning phones, does it make sense?” Bunting told the board. “I tried to approach this with an open mind. But I think I can speak for the entire committee that once we went to Harwood, once we saw what it looked like in action, it really changed the way that I thought personally about what we needed to do at CVSD.”
The group met with Harwood principals, teachers and students. One example noted was how participation in school assemblies has drastically declined in recent years. Students explained that this stems from a fear of being filmed on stage, which has made several students less likely to participate.
“I never even thought of that,” Bunting said.
Other students noted a resistance to a bell-to-bell policy simply because the comfort of having a cellphone made it easier to walk to classes and down the hall without making sometimes uncomfortable eye contact with other students.
“I think the entire committee was moved by that visit,” Bunting added.
Other research vetted by the committee indicates a rise in bullying, mental health issues and attention struggles can be linked to the rise in cellphone use in schools.
A simple five-question survey to CVU faculty and staff garnered roughly 117 responses that showed nearly 90 percent of respondents agreeing that a bell-to-bell ban would improve student learning. A similar
continued from page 2
Q: With 20 goals scored after the 76th minute this season and 16 after the 83rd, maybe you should be referred to as the “Cardio Cats.” What can you say about the conditioning your guys go through to have that type of stamina so late in the game, when other teams are running out of juice?
BC: That’s a good question. We train hard, especially at the beginning of the season, and it tapers off a bit as the season progresses and the games ramp up. We have GPS trackers and other technology to monitor our training load, but I would say we’re pretty old school. The physical load we put on the players in the preseason is high, so it’s a very fit team.
We have a lot of depth, too. If you look at some of these late goals, a lot of times it’s a guy coming off the bench who’s fresh. Our starters will wear down a team and then we bring on more talented players who have every right to start, and they push the game forward.
percentage said that the policy would make the job of a teacher more manageable, while 95 percent thought that a phone free environment would improve mental health for students. Most respondents — 89 percent — thought the district should move toward a phone-free school day as soon as September.
“The bigger piece is that even if students are putting their phone away in their classes, they’re taking them out between classes, they’re taking their phone out at lunch,”
interim CVU principal Katherine Riley said.
“Since we went to Harwood, I now notice it more.”
While the elementary schools have adopted their overarching policy, at CVU the rules were slightly trickier, and often inconsistent from classroom to classroom.
While policies limiting the use of personal devices during instructional time are a step in the right direction, it can also place undue
burden on teachers to enforce that policy.
“I think a bell to bell, phone free policy takes away that choice on the teacher part,” Riley said. “There are just no phones. I think it frees teachers to go back to doing their job. We heard that from Harwood teachers.”
The board’s policy subcommittee will now take the first look at drafting an official policy, which would then need to be
adopted by the board. Prior to implementing the policy, the district plans to hold several community forums in the coming months.
“Because this technology is so powerful, we’re going to have to be linked arm to arm and students are going to have to know we really need it and it’s the faculty at the end of the day that’s going to carry that gravitas with students,” Bunting said.
We talk a lot as a team about never giving up, never lying down, never dying. I like to give the guys a quote before every game and one of my favorites is, ‘Bring them into deep water and let them drown.’ There’s another one about being a Sherpa. The gist is we want to be the team that can climb a mountain and breathe while other teams are suffocating. We talk about doing anything it takes to win. If you’re feeling tired or pain in your legs, well so is the other guy. That motivates us.
Q: What does this victory say about UVM’s program and soccer in Vermont?
BC: The big thing is that we are Vermont’s team, and we want everyone in Vermont to be proud of this victory. This isn’t just our team. I’d like to see the sport of soccer grow in Vermont and I think that’s happening. I also hope there’s a kid out there growing up in Vermont who loves soccer and sees this championship run as inspiration to be part of the team one day.
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Rowan plays to a packed house at town hall in Shelburne on Dec. 17.
COLE
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Mahler Festival offers Beethoven’s Ninth
The Green Mountain Mahler Festival presents a New Year’s concert of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with orchestra and chorus under the direction of conductor Daniel Bruce and concertmaster Mary Jane Austin, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 3 p.m., at the Elley-Long Music Center in Colchester.
The annual performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will feature vocal soloists Annelise Shelmandine, Nessa Rabin, Adam Hall and Erik Kroncke.
Proceeds benefit the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit vtmahler.org
Shelburne Age Well hosts two luncheons
St. Catherine of Siena and Age Well are teaming up to offer luncheons onTuesday, Jan. 14, and Tuesday, Jan. 21, for anyone 60 or older in the St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St., in Shelburne.
The check-in time is 11:30 and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
The menu for Jan. 14 is a pork chop with pineapple sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, green and black beans, wheat bread and pears. The deadline to register is Jan. 8
The menu for Jan. 21 is macaroni and cheese, green beans, stewed tomatoes, wheat roll and an apple. The deadline to register is Jan. 15.
Contact Molly BonGiorno, nutrition coordinator at 802-6625283 or mbongiorno@agewellvt. org
Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester. Restaurant tickets will be available for distribution for a suggested $5 donation.
Have
a Flamy New Year’s Eve
Looking for a way to celebrate New Year’s with the whole family?
In a celebration of joy and new beginnings, First Congregational Church of Burlington, 38 S. Winooski Ave., hosts Flamy Grant, an award-winning and Billboard
Shelburne News
Serving the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com
Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 985-3091 x12
Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 864-6670 x21
News Editor Tommy Gardner
Staff Writers
Aaron Calvin Liberty Darr Patrick Bilow
Production Manager Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com
Editor/Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com
Billing inquiries Leslie Lafountain leslie@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101
Advertising submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. advertising@shelburnenews.com classifieds@shelburnenews.com
Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
Calendar submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 985-3091
chart-topping, shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina.
It promises to be a Flamy New Year’s Eve.
The evening opens at 7 p.m. with local drag performers, hosted by community favorites, Beaux Peepers and Prudie Peepers. Following Flamy’s performance, chairs will be pushed away to make space for a dance floor. At 10 p.m., the ball will drop, leaving plenty of
time to get kids to bed and beat the fireworks traffic home. This event is family-friendly and drug- and alcohol-free.
Learn more at bit.ly/FlamyNYE.
Contra Dance features Tea for Three
Ben Sachs-Hamilton will call to the sounds of Tea for Three — Abi Sandy, Hadley Stockwell and Crystal Zhu — at a contra dance in
Shelburne’s town hall, 5374 Shelburne Road, on Friday, Dec. 27, 6:45-10 p.m.
All are welcome, all dances are taught, and no partner or experience is necessary. Bring a pair of clean, soft-soled shoes to dance in and a water bottle to keep you hydrated.
Masks welcome but optional. Please stay home if you have symptoms.
The cost is $12 for adults. Find out more at queencitycontras.com.
COURTESY PHOTO
Flamy Grant helps ring in the new year at the First Congregational Church on New Year’s Eve.
Time to move ahead with O’Brien project
Guest Perspective
Chunka Mui and Andrew Everett
The O’Brien Brothers’ sewer petition is back on the Shelburne Selectboard agenda following an independent legal review that confirmed the selectboard’s authority and approach. Over the last several months, we negotiated with the O’Brien team to incorporate community input and additional insights into an improved pre-development agreement that the full selectboard will consider in January. We’d like to explain why we support it, and to encourage your support as well.
We recognize that more housing has tradeoffs, and not all residents support this large project. Still, many do, including the Shelburne Housing Committee, Shelburne Forward Together Housing Task Force, state leaders and legislators, local employers and many community members who voiced their support publicly and privately.
The key driver is the urgent need for more housing. Chittenden County’s home vacancy rate is 0.5 percent. Home prices have risen more than 50 percent in five years, blocking renters and much needed new residents from buying, and stranding many homeowners who need to upsize or downsize. Homelessness is up. The housing crisis also fuels inflation and labor shortages, including in critical sectors like health care and social services.
income. This is 12 percent more than current zoning requirements and 2 percent more than being considered in the current zoning revision. Another 15 percent of the market-priced homes offered will be under 1,700 square feet, and 25 percent more will be between 1,700 and 2,500 square feet, further advancing our affordability and missing middle housing goals.
Conservation and forest protection. Forest blocks north of Thomas Road will be protected. The entire 90-acre portion south of Thomas Road will be perpetually conserved. This would be the largest addition to Shelburne’s conserved land in a generation.
O’Brien must still go through all zoning, development review, Act 250 and other permitting processes. This is just the first step with actual homebuilding still years away. Let’s let them get started.
Environmental building. The project will meet strict energy standards (Vermont residential, Energy Star, and Energy Zero Energy Ready Home) and rely on fossil-free infrastructure with solar power and batteries. Blower door tests will verify air leakage standards. Public electric vehicle charging stations and possible use of geothermal energy also reflect the community’s climate priorities.
and about $250 million will be added to the grand list, generating an estimated $4.5 million in annual property taxes and over $1 million in other recurring annual net revenue, easing budget pressures and lowering tax burdens on residents. Given the town’s challenging budget situation, these would be welcomed revenues.
School and sewer capacity. School enrollment is declining, and Shelburne Community School is underutilized; more students would be desirable. Town analysis also shows sufficient sewer and water capacity to accommodate the envisioned project. O’Brien will be responsible for any improvements necessary, excluding sewer plant upgrades, including larger sewer lines, pumping stations and other facilities outside the property. The project puts existing infrastructure to better use without overloading it.
Direct costs. O’Brien will reimburse the town for up to $85,000 for legal fees to date and future staffing costs to manage the project through the development review process. In addition, it will cover legal and technical review costs and 50 percent of
any defense-related attorney fees and costs arising out of the town entering into the pre-development agreement. This addresses concerns about project administrative burden and cost.
Fixing the housing crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We support the Shelburne Selectboard doing its small part by granting the O’Brien sewer petition, conditioned by the pre-development agreement’s requirements and limitations on the property. It is a pre-development agreement because it doesn’t grant a development permit; O’Brien must still go through all zoning, development review, Act 250 and other permitting processes. This is just the first step with actual homebuilding still years away. Let’s let them get started.
Chunka Mui and Andrew Everett are members of the Shelburne Selectboard. These views are their own and do not represent those of other selectboard members or the town. This table —bit.ly/3ZZpRNR — summarizes the key elements and revisions to the pre-development agreement, which can be seen on the town’s website.
The circumstances surrounding this property and petition allowed the town to negotiate several requirements and limitations in exchange for adding the property to the town’s sewer service map. The pre-development agreement is a collaborative, win-win agreement addressing housing needs while advancing other town priorities, including conservation, path connectivity, climate action and fiscal health.
It’s the starting point for a project Shelburne needs, and we will be proud to have. Here’s a summary of the key elements:
Size, density and use. The agreement limits the property to 375 homes across the 200-acre parcel, an average under two per acre, and restricts building to about 40 percent of the property. Six-month minimum leases curb short-term rentals. This aligns with the town’s housing priorities while preserving open space.
Inclusionary and missing middle housing. Twelve percent of homes (up to 45) will be perpetually affordable to those earning 80-150 percent of county median
Paths and parks. As geography allows, an accessible multi-use bike and pedestrian community path will link Irish Hill Road to Thomas Road or Spear Street. Connectors will integrate developed and conserved paths. Public trails and accessible playgrounds will be created. These would be the largest additions to community bike and pedestrian network in more than a decade.
Village sidewalks. O’Brien will contribute $40,000 to a Falls Road Village Area pedestrian study. While outside this agreement, anticipated town updates to impact fee ordinances would further improve village sidewalks and provide safer access to Shelburne Community School and throughout the village center.
Traffic mitigation. O’Brien will fund a preliminary traffic impact study within three months of this agreement to establish baselines and facilitate traffic mitigation planning. Features to reduce car usage include bus shelters and parking for bikes and car sharing. O’Brien will work with the town to extend Green Mountain Transit bus service, if possible. Development review board and Act 250 reviews will guide final traffic-related decisions.
Property taxes and town revenue. A town analysis estimates that around $2.5 million in one-time fees will be collected
OBITUARIES
David F. Krause
David Frank Krause, 81, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Shelburne.
David was born on Sept. 19, 1943, in Minneapolis, Minn., to Albert and Frances Krause, the younger of two sons. They moved to the family dairy farm on Point Peninsula, N.Y., where David grew up working on the farm and attending a small schoolhouse until the family sold their herd and moved to Newark Valley, N.Y.
David developed a love of learning that would lead him on his mission to be a lifelong student and teacher. With a brief stop to serve his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, stationed at the Pentagon, he pursued his passion for education with a focus on history, graduating from SUNY Geneseo and the University of Tennessee.
In 1968, David married his beloved wife, Wanda Rich Krause. They had two children
and spent their careers teaching in Leesburg, Fla., with David spending 26 years as a history professor at Lake-Sumter State College. He loved nothing more than a good academic debate and was known for challenging his students to view accepted ideas in a new light.
After retirement, David and Wanda began a new chapter and moved to New England, settling in Shelburne in 1999. A devoted father and grandfather, he spent his later years living close to his children and two grandsons.
He was predeceased by his brother, Albert “Pete” Krause; and brother-in-law, Robert Rich.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Wanda; children, Mara (Michael) Donohue and Brendan (Kelly) Krause; grandsons, Luke and Benjamin Donohue; sistersin-law, Patricia Krause, Diane (Peter) Sande and Susan (Andrew Arrison) Rich; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Shelburne with Rev. Dwight Baker presiding.
Richard D. Lang
Richard D. Lang, a lifelong educator, former executive director of the Vermont Education Association, and respected member of various boards, died peacefully on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, at the age of 93 due to complications from end-stage renal disease.
He was born on Sept. 15, 1931, and raised in Clinton, Mass. Rich-
DIRECT CREMATION SERVICES
ard dedicated his life to the betterment of education and community, leaving an indelible mark on countless individuals.
Richard’s dedication to service began early when he served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 508th Military Police Battalion, stationed in Munich, Germany. After his military service, Richard pursued his passion for education, earning a master’s degree in education from Worcester State College in Massachusetts and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in secondary school administration from Boston University, where he honed his skills and knowledge to become a dedicated educator.
In 1957, he married Helene W. Browne in Clinton, whom he met at Worcester State College.
Richard served as a school administrator for the U.S. Navy in Sigonella (Sicily), Italy and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he played a pivotal role in shaping the educational experiences of service members and their families. Upon his return to the United States, he taught elementary school for three years in Massachusetts, then served as a school principal in Whitingham, Vt., where he furthered his impact on education by providing leadership and guidance to students and faculty alike.
As school principal in Whitingham, he fully supported the Vermont tradition of school children learning to ski as part of their school week. Richard then settled in Montpelier, where he lived with his wife and children for nearly 50 years.
Richard joined the Vermont Education Association in 1967 and witnessed Vermont’s first teachers strike in 1978 and the 16th in 1990. In fact, Richard’s very first assignment for the Vermont Education Association as a new staff member was to travel to Washington, D.C., to help draft the legislation that gave Vermont teachers the right to strike.
He served the Vermont Education Association for 25 years and became its executive director in 1980. During his tenure, he worked tirelessly to improve educational standards and support teachers across the state. In addition to his contributions to education, Richard served on the boards of Horace Mann Mutual Fund and Delta Dental of Vermont, where his insights and leadership greatly benefited the organizations and the communities they served.
Richard enjoyed spending his summers at the family’s cottage on Lake Carmi, where he found solace and joy in the beauty of nature. He served as the director of the Lake Carmi Campers Association for 20 years, dedicating himself to preserving the natural beauty of the lake and creating lasting memories for families in the community. He was also a long-time member of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, Lake Champlain chapter, and thoroughly enjoyed his time spent “messing about in boats.”
Later in life, Richard and Helene became residents of Wake Robin in Shelburne, where he continued as an enthusiastic member of the community. Richard was an avid golfer and served
as the golf coordinator for Wake Robin’s golf community, fostering camaraderie and sharing his love for the sport with fellow residents. Tennis was also a passion that he pursued with friends at Wake Robin.
Richard was predeceased by his beloved wife of 62 years, Dr. Helene W. Lang, in 2018. Helene, a former professor at the University of Vermont, and Richard together shared a passion for education and a lifetime of love, laughter and cherished memories. Helene’s legacy as an esteemed educator and Richard’s kindness, wit, wisdom and gentle spirit will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing them.
Richard is survived by his three devoted sons, Dustin (Christine) of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Lake Carmi, Larson (Catherine) of St. Louis, Mo., and Derryl (Jennifer) of Dorset; and five grandchildren, Alden, Charlotte, Meredith, Taylor and Catherine. A private family ceremony will be held to celebrate his life.
David F. Krause
Richard D. Lang
CVSD picks Bunting as permanent superintendent
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Adam Bunting is the Champlain Valley School District’s new permanent superintendent.
As former principal of Champlain Valley Union High School for 10 years, Bunting was appointed interim superintendent in May, following the resignation of Rene Sanchez, who announced in March that he would be stepping down after three years on the job.
The 1994 CVU graduate has more than 25 years of experience in teaching and administrative roles at the high school and in Montpelier. He holds degrees in English and school leadership from Connecticut College and Harvard University, respectively.
He began his career at CVU, first as a substitute teacher and coach before becoming an English teacher for three years and a house director for nine. He served as principal of Montpelier High School from 2012 to 2015 before returning to the district in 2015, where he worked not only as prin-
CAPITAL PLAN
continued from page 1
The estimated $15 million project would take place in year three of the capital plan, during 2027-2028.
The current fire and rescue facility is in “rough shape,” according to Lawless.
The talks about the new facility are several years old. The town purchased the old Rice Lumber lot on Route 7 years ago with the intention of building a new facility but plans to build on the site never materialized.
The planning commission focused on the fire and rescue facility during its review of the capital improvement plan in November, posing the question of whether the lot would best serve as a rescue facility or a potential housing development.
The lot is in a prime location on Route 7 and is served by municipal water and sewer, but there is limited space for a new fire and rescue facility in Shelburne, according to selectboard member Andrew Everett, and the commission agreed it would be ideal to build one there.
Lawless said funding for the project would be divided between grants, a bond vote, philanthropy and public-private partnerships.
“Financing $15 million is hard, and projects of this size are failing in Vermont, so we’ll take this commitment very seriously when the time comes,” Lawless said.
Faced with spending obliga-
cipal but as leader of the design and implementation of personalized, proficiency-based learning for the school’s 1,300 students.
“I am truly honored by your trust. We are in a difficult place,” Bunting told the Champlain Valley school board last week regarding the district’s education budget. “I also feel incredibly energized despite some of those challenges, because I can’t think of a group of human beings who I would rather navigate this really hard work with.”
The board in August tapped the board’s human resources and labor relations committee — made up of board members, staff and parents — and Laura Rice, the district’s human resources director, to head the superintendent search.
“(Rice) provided a list of all the applicants to the HR committee, which included whether or not the applicants met the requirements to be a superintendent in the state of Vermont,” Meghan Metzler, chair of the school board, said. “From there, the committee
reviewed that list of applicants and identified a number of them that they wanted to interview.”
The committee interviewed three applicants but recommended Bunting, the internal candidate, for the job. The board voted unanimously for his appointment.
“I’ve been able to work with Adam, obviously since he became interim superintendent at the beginning of the year, and I think it was clear to myself and all the board members that he is the right leader for our district, and he’s really focused on students, the employees and the district overall,” Metzler said. “He’s the right leader for this moment.”
Bunting earned recognition as Vermont Principal of the Year in 2018, served on the Governor’s Opioid Coordination Council and has been published in numerous educational journals and books.
“We’ve got to move with a little bit of pace forward and pull ourselves, our faculty and staff out of what I would describe as this Covid financial malaise that I think has been around, and move
toward a really collaborative, creative, innovative approach because our kids deserve that,” he told the board. “I can’t prom-
ise to get it perfect all the time, but I’ll tell you, I will put my full heart into this and into the human beings here. I love this district.”
tions in the near term, the selectboard pivoted its discussion to year one of the capital improvement plan, which demands $3.2 million in spending during the next fiscal year for paving, facilities improvements and new vehicles and equipment across departments.
Spending for year one includes HVAC and roof repairs at town hall, communication upgrades for dispatch, which is currently operating with a faulty radio tower and using car batteries to back up computers, a new roadside mower and paving projects that are more expensive than last year, due to a rising fuel cost.
Next year’s property taxes will fund half a million dollars of capital spending, according to Lawless, with another half a million coming from the local option tax. The town is also pursuing $561,000 in grants next year, but success on those applications will vary.
Selectboard members agreed about capital spending for next year but mulled about costly projects down the road. Board member Chunka Mui suggested focusing on the next three years of the capital plan and developing a succinct spending strategy for those years, rather than voting on a 10-year plan.
Everett agreed.
“It’s a bit like asking me to guess the weight of a pig I haven’t seen,” he said.
Guiding you home
COURTESY PHOTO
Adam Bunting
2024 Year in Review Shelburne
PHOTOS
Top left: The Shelburne and Hinesburg fire departments work together on a joint ice rescue training exercise.
Above: This crew from Florida is all smiles in April as they catch the beginning of the total solar eclipse.
Top right: Frankie White of Burlington crosses the finish line at the 50th running of the Green Mountain Athletic Association Apple Harvest 10K at Shelburne Town Beach in September.
Middle right: Chief Mike Thomas with Susan Eliott, assistant to the town manager, at a ceremony in March honoring public safety employees.
Bottom right: Shelburne celebrates a new beach house in June at the town’s official welcome to summer, Back to the Beach. Architect Jeff McBride cuts the ribbon.
OPPOSITE PAGE
Top left: In August, the annual Shelburne Day on the town’s Parade Ground features food, music and plenty of fun and games, with visits by the town fire department.
Top right: Lighting designers at Shelburne Museum outdo themselves for this year’s “Winter Lights,” a festive celebration of the season that draws thousands of visitors during the holiday months.
Bottom left: A blazing orange maple frames the Methodist Church in Shelburne.
Bottom right: Light and clouds and sun and sky mix to create a stunning sunset over Shelburne Bay.
2024 Year in Review
Left: Graduates toss their mortarboards during Champlain Valley Union High School’s graduation ceremony in June at the University of Vermont’s Patrick Gym.
Middle left: Shelburne residents gather at the new Falls Road pedestrian bridge in November for an unveiling ceremony that was 14 years in the making.
Bottom left: On top of the 50 cows at Shelburne’s Maille Farm, a few friendly barn cats can also be spotted rolling around on the hay bales. Here, Jim Maille holds one of the cats as a heifer looks on.
Below: Shelburne’s annual Halloween parade always draws a big crowd of kids of all ages.
SPORTS Year in Review
Redhawks win 13 state titles in Division I
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
It was a year of honors and awards for sports teams and figures, with the Champlain Valley Union High School athletes raising 13 state championship trophies and a Shelburne native earning the state’s top sports honor.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights from a busy 2024:
CVU cross country wins state and regional titles
The Champlain Valley girls’ cross country team saw success up and down New England and New York this year, bringing home quite a haul of hardware.
The Redhawks won the Division I state title — their third in a row — and the New England championship, the program’s eighth New England crown, and fifth since 2016.
CVU then finished second in the Northeast Regionals to claim one of the two qualifying team bids for Nike Cross Nationals. The Redhawks finished 19th in the national race.
CVU football wins championship, goes undefeated
Champlain Valley football captured its second D-I state title with total dominance through the regular season and in the championship game.
Champlain Valley beat Rutland 41-14 this fall to capture the program’s second title in three years.
CVU also finished with an 11-0 record and saw quarterback Orion Yates named the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Soccer wins again
Champlain Valley won state titles in both boys’ and girls’ soccer.
First, the girls beat South Burlington to clinch the D-I girls soccer state championship, their second in three years. On top of that, the Redhawks finished the season unbeaten at 16-0-1.
The boys followed that up with a 3-0 win over Colchester to win the state title.
It was the 21st state title for both programs — a record that is tied for most in state history.
FILE PHOTOS
Above: The Champlain Valley Union High School championship girls’ basketball team. Below: CVU keeps Middlebury from gaining much ground in a lopsided win in October.
SPORTS continued from page 11
CVU boys’ and girls’ golf teams with Division I titles
Champlain Valley won its 13th state title in boys golf in dramatic fashion in 2024, finishing just one stroke ahead of second-place Rutland to capture the state championship.
It was the program’s first state title trophy since 2020. Cooper Guerriere shot 74, Jack Bryan, 83, Quinn Vincent finished with 86 and Camden Ayer shot 92.
For the girls, two top performances led CVU to its second straight state championship. Ryan Sleeper was the top scorer for the Redhawks, coming in with an 88, and Stella Rakochy rounded out the top two scorers with a 93.
Boys’ lacrosse returns to the top
After a one-year absence from the top of Division I, the Champlain Valley boys’ lacrosse team won a state in 2024, the program’s 13th overall.
The Redhawks scored in overtime to beat Middlebury 13-12 and win the title, the program’s 10th in 11 years.
Mattias Williams paced the offense, scoring four goals, while Peter Gilliam and Jacob Bose each had three. Alden Endres, Brian Rutherford and Niko Kapsalis each scored once for the Redhawks.
CVU track and field wins outdoor and indoor titles
On Saturday, the Redhawks put it all together to capture the D-I girls’ track and field state championship — the program’s first in 49 years.
Buoyed by dominance in the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter races, Champlain Valley earned 112 points for the title.
The track-and-field title comes after the CVU girls also captured the indoor track and field championship this winter, the program’s first indoor state title.
Basketballers
win, Berger named Miss Basketball
Champlain Valley limited its opponents to 12 points in the second half to beat No. 2 St. Johnsbury to win the state title — its second in a row.
On top of that, CVU star Elise Berger took the crown this year as the best player in girls’ high school hoops in Vermont, as selected by the Burlington Free Press.
It was the 10th title for the CVU program and the second year in a row the team has beat St. Johnsbury to capture the trophy.
It was also the swan song for coach Ute Otley, who made the move to lead the Norwich University women’s basketball program.
Shelburne native named to Vermont sports hall
Native Shelburner Kevin Lepage’s need for speed landed him a spot this year in the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame.
One of 12 inductees for 2024, he’s the only Vermont-born stock car driver to compete at the highest levels of NASCAR.
Lepage had a successful run on short track in Vermont, including Thunder Road, where he won three
FILE PHOTOS
Above: The Champlain Valley Union High School Redhawks football team won the Division I championship in 2024.
Left: The Champlain Valley boys’ lacrosse team also won the D-I state championship.
Below: CVU’s Peter Gilliam tries to get around South Burlington’s Finn McCarney during a Redhawks’ win over the Wolves in May.
continued from page 12
Milk Bowls, one of the country’s toughest short-track races.
He raced 13 years in the Winston Cup Series starting in 1997 and compiled two top five finishes and nine top 10s. Between the Winston Cup series and the Busch series, Lepage has run over 560 races in his career.
Alpine champions
Champlain Valley had quite the two-day performance on the hill at Burke Mountain for the Vermont alpine state championships, winning titles for both the boys and girls.
The girls’ team placed four skiers in the top 10 on the second day to clinch the state title, while the CVU boys were named D-I co-champions along with Rutland after a delay due to a scoring error.
Ella Lisle was first overall in the slalom, Rachel Bialowoz came in third and Kate Kogut followed in fourth place in the slalom to race to the D-I title, the program’s third championship in the last four years.
CVU Nordic wins state title
The Champlain Valley Nordic ski team thought it was in rebuild mode to start the season but then skied away with the D-I state championship.
The Redhawks led from the start in the final, leading after the
first day of classic racing, and then continued through the freestyle race to win it all.
Estella Laird was the top finisher for the Redhawks, coming in fourth in classic and fifth in freestyle.
Charlotte Crum, Annalise Wood, Lilyanna Mittelstadt, Maeve Parker-Clark, Annika Johnson, Senja Erickson and Kate Silverman rounded out the top CVU finishers.
FILE PHOTOS
Above: The Champlain Valley boys’ Division I soccer champs. It’s the program’s 21st state championship, a state record, and is only matched by the CVU girls’ soccer program.
Below left: The girls’ Nordic team took the state title while the boys came in third.
Below right: The CVU’s girls’ soccer team celebrates its D-I title. See more sports photos online at shelburnenews.com.
Season’s greetings
From our local family business to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
