ADL student places third at state spelling bee

Last Wednesday, 41 elementary and middle school students from around the state participated in the Vermont Spelling Bee at the McCarthy Arts Center at St. Michael’s College in Colchester. Albert D. Lawton’s own seventh-grader Isabelle Petrucci made it through 24 rounds to place third in the competition.

“It was good, but I was a bit nervous,” Petrucci said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

Petrucci qualified for the state spelling competition by winning the ADL spelling bee on Feb. 17.

“My goal was to get in the top three,” she said, “and I did that.”

It was the word “comandante” that stopped Petrucci from taking the top. “I put two ‘m’s at the beginning of the word,” the Essex Junction student explained.

Liam Lustberg, an eighth-grader from Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, won the competition and will go on to compete against top spellers from every other state in the nation in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., in June.

The winning word was “pogrom,” a noun which means “an organized massacre and looting of helpless people usually with the connivance of officials.” Lustberg

MARCH 27, 2014

RepoRteRT H E E S S E X

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Essex Junction, VT 05452 Postal Patron-Residential

Walking for wellnessLocal organizations unite to

promote senior healthBy KELLY MARCH

The Essex Reporter

Every Monday and Friday participants of the senior wellness program Support and Services at Home (SASH) head to the Nordic Soccer Center in Essex Junction to get moving. The seniors don’t play soccer — in fact, they don’t even step on the turf. Rather, they spend an hour walking laps on the paved perimeter around the field.

A partnership between Nordic Soccer, SASH and Move for Wellbeing (MVP), the

program’s aim is simple: to help seniors stay active during the colder months from November through April.

“It’s really important for the seniors to get out of the house and get some exercise in the dead of winter,” explained SASH Wellness Nurse Kristi Poehlmann. “It’s good for the heart; it’s good for blood pressure and it’s especially good for people who deal with seasonal affective disorder. There’s also a soft benefit of social interaction.”

“And we manage to lose a pound once in a while,” a participant chipped in.

Now in its second year, the program has grown from attracting an average of 10 walkers each week to attracting around 20, according to Poehlmann.

– See SASH page 3a

Budgeting, bonding on Village Meeting agenda

Annual meeting set for April 2

With the calendar approaching April, the Village of Essex Junction is ready to solidify its operating budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The Annual Village Meeting is set for a 7 p.m. start on April 2 in the Essex High School auditorium. A free community supper will precede the meeting in the cafeteria at 6 p.m.

Village voters will be asked to approve a budget of $3.4 million for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget increases spending by 3.7 percent ($124,115) over the current year and would require an estimated 3.9 percent increase in the tax rate. The increase would cost the owner of an average-priced village home ($266,000) an additional $28 on their annual property tax bill, according to Village Finance Director Lauren Morrisseau.

“(The annual meeting) gives us an opportunity to hear what’s on peoples’ minds in terms of spending,” said village president George Tyler. “We’re hoping people will give us a lot of ideas,

and we look forward to having a good exchange.”

With just one item on the agenda, the Village Trustees plan to use the gathering to also discuss a proposal to sell $3.1 million in bonds to pay for a series of road, water, sewer, sidewalk and drainage projects.

The village is behind on some necessary repairs, Tyler said, and the meeting will allow the community to discuss plans to catch up. A vote on the bond proposal will come at the April 8 annual village election, concurrent with local school elections.

“We’ll use it as an opportunity to explain the bond vote and also explain why we haven’t been able to keep up with the infrastructure repairs,” said Tyler. “I think it’s an important subject, and we want to give people in the village an opportunity to discuss it and exchange ideas.”

The April 8 ballot also includes the election of two village trustees; incumbents Tyler and Dan Kerin are running unopposed. The election of an Annual Village Meeting moderator is contested, with Paul Dame challenging current moderator Steve Eustis.

– Jason Starr

Spellers wait for their turn in the competition’s round-robin format.

Community assesses options for the hungry

By JASON STARRThe Essex Reporter

The Brownell Library meeting room was filled last Wednesday when local philanthropists gathered to assess whether there is an unmet need among Essex’s food-insecure population.

Three local food pantries are currently dedicated to helping Essex residents – one located in Essex Junction and two in neighboring towns. But statistics gathered by Burta Kelly, a volunteer at the Williston Food Shelf who organized last week’s discussion, suggest a greater – and growing – need.

“The pantries are much busier than they’ve ever been,” she said.

The Heavenly Food Pantry was launched 16 years ago out of the First Congregational Church of Essex. It provides food and household items on the last Thursday of every month, focusing on Essex and Westford residents. The Essex, Jericho, Underhill Ecumenical Ministry Food Shelf also operates on a once-a-month schedule out of the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Jericho. It prioritizes Essex, Jericho and Underhill residents.

The Williston Food Shelf focuses on Essex, Williston, Richmond and St. George residents and is open three days a week in a space off Williston Road (Route 2A). Of the estimated 165 Essex families served by the three food shelves, Heavenly and Williston take care of 45 percent and 42 percent, respectively, according to Kelly.

Williston has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Essex residents it serves in recent years, according to operations manager Sally Metro. The percentage of people from Essex served by Williston doubled from 2010 to 2013 going from 13 percent to 26 percent, Kelly said.

“Williston is seeing seven to eight new families per month from Essex. They feel that’s not sustainable,” she said.

Kelly compared census data from 2000 and 2010 as well as information about students who receive free or reduced-price lunch from the Chittenden Central Supervisory Union to corroborate a growing need. The percent of Essex Junction residents living below the poverty line — defined as having an annual income less than

– See FOOD page 3a

Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School’s Isabelle Petrucci spells a word at the statewide individual spelling bee for Vermont students at St. Michael’s College in Colchester last Wednesday afternoon. PHOTOS BY OLIVER PARINI

Craft show for a causeLocal artisans

sell their wares for charity

By KELLY MARCHThe Essex Reporter

Nearly 130 local artisans packed into the Ross Sports Center at St. Michael’s College on Saturday to sell their wares and raise money for local charities at the ninth annual BeCAUSE Craft Show.

All vendors pledged to donate at least 50 percent of their proceeds from the show to a charity of choice. Event founder PJ Neverett said the goal Saturday was to raise $20,000 for charity, bringing the grand total of donations from the event over the last nine years to over $100,000. The final tally of donations wasn’t available as of press time, but Neverett felt “confident” that the group met its goal.

Helping that confidence were vendors who committed to donating 100

percent of their proceeds to charity. Paul Tagliamonte of Pabsie’ s Geometrics promised all of his earnings to two local charities: the Colchester Community Food Shelf and Colchester Summer Lunch Program.

“I had come to (the craft show) a few years ago and really liked the idea of 50 percent of your profits going to a charity of your choice,” the Colchester resident explained Saturday. “I

Participants of a winter walking program gather in the Nordic Soccer Center in Essex Junction on a recent Friday. Pictured, from left to right: Barbara Fagga, Gerry Follansbee, Lenore Whitten, Betty Moore, Don Carr, Marti Powers and Gaile Jenkins. KELLY MARCH

– See CRAFT page 3a

Essex brothers Val, Kris, Carl and Roland Laverty, ages 12, 10, 7 and 5, respectively, tell a customer about their nonprofit Folding For Food at the BeCAUSE Craft Fair Saturday at St. Michael’s College. The group sold $450 worth of origami at the event, all of which will be donated to The Vermont Food Bank.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

– See SPELLING page 3a

Is Essex helping its own?

Summer Camp

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3aThe Essex Reporter • March 27, 2014 The Essex Reporter • March 27, 2014

$23,550 for a family of four — grew by from 2.9 percent in 2000 to 6.2 percent in 2010, she said. That amounts to 480 households.

Information provided by the three food pantries show that they combine to serve 34 percent of those in Essex Junction living below the poverty line. At the same time, the cost of food is rising faster than the minimum wage, Kelly said, and federal funding for food stamp assistance is expected to be part of federal budget cuts over the next 10 years.

Adam Solace of Essex Junction Recreation and Parks said he has noticed a decrease in the size and quality of the lunches kids are bringing to the department’s summer programs. He is working with Hunger Free Vermont to provide free meals for this summer’s

programming.Operators of the Essex, Jericho,

Underhill food shelf — a collaboration of 10 area churches — wondered whether raising awareness about the food shelves would help with unmet need, including awareness about the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf in Burlington, which operates five days a week and welcomes Essex residents.

Several of the roughly 40 attendees of last week’s meeting signed on to continue discussing whether current resources are adequate and what new resources could be brought to bear.

“We can dig deeper into the statistics and talk about what we can do as a community to help those in need,” Kelly said.

The participants on a recent Friday ranged in age from 65 to 88. Many were quick to note that eight laps around the field makes a mile and some of them, including one 88-year-old, completed more than double that in the hour.

“Some will walk five miles in the hour and some have health problems and walk maybe two or three laps, which is huge for them,” Poehlmann reflected.

Walkers track their miles with fitness devices or by switching a coin from one pocket to another after every completed lap. A rough mileage report is important, as the group has set a winter goal of walking the distance from Essex Junction to Virginia Beach, Fla.—roughly 600 miles. If they meet their goal, they plan to throw a beach-themed potluck when the program comes to an end on April 4. But many participants have asked organizers for a sweeter prize: continuing the program in the summer.

“I love this program and I want to do more,” said Betty Moore, of Jericho. “I wish we could do at least three days a week and continue meeting in the summer. I like being active and having incentive helps.”

The biggest incentive the program offers walkers is group encouragement, but MVP offers additional incentives, too; walkers who meet their personal goals each week are entered into a drawing to win gift certificates or fitness accessories like pedometers and water bottles.

“We’re trying to help give incentives to be part of the group and help motivation,” explained MVP’s Marti Powers, who volunteers at each walking session. “The program tends to concentrate on meeting your goal and getting a reward for that. It’s a lot of fun. We’ve come to be quite a family after starting off not knowing anybody. Now everyone’s bonded and made some new

friends.”Poehlmann said organizers weren’t

thinking of the social benefits of the program during its inception, but it has turned out to be one of the main selling points for walkers.

“It’s just a lot of fun to get together with everybody and walk,” reflected Barbara Fagga, of Essex. “I’m hoping it continues. I walk outside all summer long, but I usually walk alone and this is more fun because you get together with a nice group of people and chitchat.”

Program organizers are currently trying to find a way to make walkers’ wishes for expansion come true. “We’re trying to figure out a way to continue because these guys asked for it,” Poehlmann explained. “They want to walk more days per week and they want to walk in the summer. We’re looking into how and where we can do that. Transportation is really the biggest issue for us, because right now we rely on one van and one driver.”

While the walking group is open to anyone who participates in SASH, a free program that services most of Chittenden County and other areas throughout Vermont, transportation to the Nordic Soccer Center sessions is currently limited to one van that circulates Cathedral Square Senior Apartments in Jericho, Essex and Essex Junction. Other interested walkers have to drive or find a ride to the biweekly sessions. Organizers are currently brainstorming ways to expand the program and potentially increase transportation options next year – or maybe even this summer, if all goes to plan.

Editor’s note: To find out more about SASH or the walking program, visit www.sashvt.org or call 863-2224.

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SASH from page 1a

decided to come out and donate all of my profits because, to me, there’s nothing better than doing that. I’m retired and in a place where I don’t need the money. What I need is to draw. If people can benefit from that, then I’m happy. That’s why I do this.”

Essex brothers Val, Kris, Carl and Roland Laverty, ages 12, 10, 7 and 5, respectively, also donated 100 percent of their earnings to charity. The group from the nonprofit Folding For Food raised $450 dollars for The Vermont Food Bank by selling their handcrafted origami figures at the event.

“It’s amazing that these four young kids were able to raise $450 for a good cause by selling crafts they made out of paper,” Neverett reflected. “We always have kids involved in the show as vendors because we want to encourage them to take care of others and be good citizens from a young age.”

This year’s craft show was the biggest to date, attracting over 100 more venders than the inaugural show in 2006 at Maple Street Park, where 15 vendors raised $2,850 for various charities.

“The first year was at Maple Street Park with 15 vendors and handmade signs that I put up,”

Neverett recalled. “It was far different than it has grown to be. For the first few years in was in a different location every year because it kept growing out of the spaces we used…Now this year we were maxed out (at the Ross Sports Center) with 128 vendors and we had a waitlist of others who wanted to get in.”

“It’s worked out beautifully,” she added, noting that volunteers Barry and Mo Genzlinger, Jennifer Knowles, Heather Cleveland and

Lesile Friedman helped to organize and facilitate the event. “We’re helping charities, helping local businesses that sell crafts and helping people find things that they want to buy while supporting those businesses and charities.”

Event organizers are already starting to make plans for the 10th annual BeCAUSE Craft Show next spring. For more information about the show, visit www.becausecraftshow.com/about-us.html/.

CRAFT from page 1a

FOOD from page 1a

Village tree committee takes rootTree care workshop upcoming

On April 5, the Essex Junction Tree Advisory Committee will sponsor a tree care workshop. This will be held at the Kolvord Room at the Brownell Library from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. At the workshop, Village Tree Warden and Burlington City Arborist, Warren Spinner, will share his knowledge of trees and his experience working with them. The workshop will cover the basics of tree biology and tree care.

The workshop is intended to help attendees select the proper tree for a location, and learn about the best practices in tree planting and year-round care. General tree maintenance tips and basic pruning will also be addressed.

In the spring of 2013, the Essex Junction Board of Trustees approved a Tree Policy to enhance and maintain the community’s urban forest. The board subsequently established a Tree Advisory Committee to carry out the goals of the policy. The Committee has four active members, and is currently in search of a fifth member to complete this team.

The committee works with the Village Tree Warden, Village staff and the Village Planning Commission to promote the improvement and preservation of public trees. Other committee goals include compiling an inventory of the existing trees that are located in the municipal right of way, and updating the Land Development Code as it pertains to suitable species, tree planting and maintenance

requirements. A long-term goal of the committee is to develop a Street Tree Master Plan, which will identify the locations of existing street trees, as well as vacant spots that would be especially suitable to plantings.

The Tree Advisory Committee works to educate residents about the benefits, care and potential threats to trees. The committee is also planning to organize an annual Arbor Day Celebration, as well as other yearly planting events.

The Tree Advisory Committee meets every third Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Lincoln Hall meeting room. Residents are welcome to provide input at all of these meetings. Contact Committee Chairman Nick Meyer at nmeyer52@aol.com for additional information about the Tree Advisory Committee or the Tree Care Workshop.

Paul and Kazia Tagliamonte man the Pabsie’s Geometrics booth at the BeCAUSE Craft Fair Saturday at St. Michael’s College. Paul Tagliamonte donated 100 percent of his earnings from the event to the Colchester Community Food Shelf and Colchester Summer Lunch Program. KELLY MARCH

pronounced and spelled the winning word correctly in round 26.

Lucinda Storz, a fifth-grader at Thaddeus Stevens School, came in second.

Bob Johnson of the VPA introduced the event. David Moates of the Barre Times Argus / Rutland Herald served as pronouncer for the event. Peter Gilbert, Vermont Humanities Council Executive

Director; Beth Fastiggi, FairPoint Communications State President; and Steve Pappas, Barre Times Argus Editor; served as judges. Catherine Nelson of the Rutland Herald and Bob Johnson of the VPA presented the awards.

For more information on the national bee, visit www.spellingbee.com.

— Elsie Lynn

SPELLING from page 1a

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