GMC woos Colby-Sawyer grads
POULTNEY—Green Mountain College will waive the application fee for Colby-Sawyer graduates with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher who apply to GMC graduate programs. Applicants must submit the necessary admissions materials. Although the arrangement is good for all Colby-Sawyer graduates, Green Mountain officials say candidates best fitted for the arrangement are those with majors in environmental studies, environmental science, and community-based sustainability.
CU recognizes Commuter Student of the Semester
CASTLETON—Castleton University named political science major Vanessa Robertson its Commuter Student of the Semester at the school’s Jan. 17 convocation. She has also served as the youngest elected member of Rutland City’s Board of Aldermen.
CU acquires new tool for handling problem students
CASTLETON—The university’s public safety department has a new tool to apply in situations where students are argumentative and/or abusive, whether from substance abuse or other reasons. Staff has been certified in Verbal Influence and Defense (VID), a method for officers to assess a situation, develop a plan for controlling it, and prevent escalation. Residence Life staff have also taken an abbreviated version of the course. Having recently finished instructor certification in VID, Castleton Director of Public Safety Keith Molinari hopes to take the program to Johnson State, Lyndon State, and Vermont Tech to improve their campus safety offices as well.
Poultney Library gets a new lease on life
POULTNEY—After months of construction and finishing, the Poultney Public Library plans a grand reopening, Jan. 29. Library trustees and supporters have been working toward this day since 1996.
In addition to an official ribbon cutting, State Librarian Martha Reid, former Town Manager Jonas Rosenthal, Library Board of Trustees Chair Bruce Williams, and Library Director Rebecca Cook will make brief remarks.
The addition nearly doubles the library’s square footage, from 1,656 to 3,050 square feet. The $381,000 construction project is yielding far more than space alone. It includes insulation and repairs in 1971-laid cinder block walls, boiler and radiator replacement, window replacement, additional electrical outlets and breakers, and a new roof. It also provides structural support for the sinking floor in the original 1910 portion of the building.
The expansion permits separate areas for quiet reading and computer use, a room for programs without limiting access to shelved materials, a new “Young Adult” area for teens to do homework, socialize, and read, and more room in general for people of all ages to spread out, or gather as they wish.
Fair Haven school notes
FAIR HAVEN—Fair Haven Grade School is among the region’s schools taking part in raising trout eggs in their classrooms. Two hundred eggs arrived at the school recently, delivered with water temperature at 45 degrees, which will come up gradually. Students will follow the fishes’ growth until they are released.
Congratulations to FHUHS student Ella Patterson for winning first place in the ten-school art show at Castleton University.
