By Lani Duke
Bomoseen hosts an exotic visitor
BOMOSEEN—A yellow-crowned night heron has been frequenting Bomoseen State Park in August. Nyctanassa violacea is more often spotted year-round in warmer coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean islands. But its breeding range extends up the Atlantic seaboard and across the mid- to lower Mississippi River watershed and southeastern U.S.
Changes addressed at Castleton University
CASTLETON—Signage on Vermont roads that points to the higher education facility in Castleton is bearing a name change. Gone are markers for Castleton State College, replaced by Castleton University. When school president David Wolk gave his annual semester-opening speech, it was his very first state-of-the-university address. In his address, Wolk noted that one element of college life that will not change in the current or next-coming academic year is tuition, frozen for a two-year span. He said that the spirit of the school will not change either, continuing to offer a personalized, relationship-based education. Castleton has grown in more ways than just a name change. It has closer ties with Rutland in the expanded Castleton Downtown office and gallery plus the dome that will be erected near the Spartan Arena. There is a growing number of international students on campus, 54 from 17 countries, plus 13 visiting scholars from China. The president’s Council on Inclusive Excellence is to host diversity workshops, and an October international film festival will expose students to cultures from around the world. More than $3 million in scholarships have enabled more students than ever before to attend Castleton too, Wolk said.
Vermont State Colleges chancellor Jeb Spaulding’s visit marked the first time a VSC chancellor had attended a Castleton convocation, and he did so to offer congratulations.
Congratulations
To Poultney Public Library, which has received a $30,000 Vermont Arts Council cultural facilities grant to help in upgrading plumbing and HVAC system.
Also to Pawlet Historical Society for winning an $8,729 cultural facilities grant to convert the cemetery’s old chapel into a historical display and storage space plus an ADA-compliant bathroom.
And to Middletown Springs author Hugh Coyle on a $3,000 creation grant to support his writing of a historical fiction novel on the development of the Nobel Peace Prize. He plans to use the funds for a December session at the Vermont Studio Center where he will work toward completing his manuscript, and to publish a pair of short stories on founder Albert Nobel and first female recipient Bertha von Suttner.
Thank you
to Castleton University students and staff who helped clean up the Castleton Community Center garden and grounds. With their help, Center leaders weeded and mulched flower and vegetable gardens, painted outdoor benches, trimmed shrubs and cleared the Walking Trail.
