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Bellows Free Academy - Fairfax
by Chris Santee
BFA Fairfax (802) 849-6711
School Board Chairperson Peg Stewart
Members Angela Baker, Jeff Loller,
Greg Beeman and Glenn McNall.
Franklin West Supervisory Union
Superintendent Armando Vilaseca
BFA Fairfax, Georgia Elementary &
Middle Schools and Fletcher Elementary.
High School Principal Scott Lang
Middle School Principal Thomas Walsh
Elementary School 849-2222
Elementary Principal Lisa Delorme
VermontTiger.com has some
excellent info on school spending.
BFA Fairfax has Chorus !
Beeman & McNall Return to School Board
The School Board has appointed Glenn McNall
and Greg Beeman to fill the vacant board
positions. They will serve until the next
general election.
Our Changing School
Principal Scott Lang writes on the costs of education on
page 6. School Board Chair Peg Stewart also writes on the
budget in School Board News below
Henry Raymond's Frontpage Photo.
Should Vermont Consolidate School Districts ?
A Special Report from Beth Parent, WCAX, Channel 3
The Bellows Free Academy Fairfax School Board
held a special meeting to discuss the proposed
FY2009 School Budget Monday at 6:30 in the library.
This is the first discussion.
Once the Board has approved a budget, they will be
announcing a Public Informational meeting to present
the final budget in late January or February prior to
Fairfax Town Meeting 2008.
BFA Fairfax
BFA held an Open House for parents and
community members on Thursday, October 11th
from 6:30pm to 8pm.
On Sunday night, October 7th from 6:30 to
8:00pm there was a Travelogue of the
Arctic presented by Christopher Murphy
in the BFA Fairfax Elementary School Gym.
Three students at Bellows Free Academy - Fairfax
have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College
Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on
the college-level Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Exams.
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program offers
students the opportunity to take challenging college-level
courses while still in high school, and to receive college
credit, advanced placement, or both for successful per-
formance on the AP Exams.
About 18 percent of the more than 1.4 million high school
students in more than 16,000 secondary schools worldwide
who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level
to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.
Students took AP Exams in May 2007 after completing
challenging college-level courses at their high schools.
The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement
based on students' performance on AP Exams.
Three students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by com-
pleting three or more AP Exams, with grades of 3 or higher.
The AP Scholars from the Class of 2007 are:
Patrick Fitzgerald, David Hamilton, Jr., and Marilyn Mead.
BFA Fairfax School Board Resignations
It is with deep regret that the Board of School
Directors have accepted the resignations of two
very valued Board members.
Lauri Fisher due to the fact that the law firm
she is employed by will be working on a pending
legal action that will require the subpoenaing of
documentation and other information from the school.
Rachelle Howard due to the closeness of the current
situation which could compromise her effectiveness
as a board member.
A Letter from Peg Stewart
I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank
both Lauri Fisher and Rachelle Howard for the many years
they have served on your School Board.
They have brought much knowledge to all of us.
They have both been very dedicated to their belief that
the students deserve the best education possible and that
their safety be a priority.
Lauri brought to the board understanding, commitment and
a thourough knowledge of what BFA was and will continue
to be.
Rachelle was very knowledgeable of the budgeting process
and was very instrumental in the positive Master Agreement
being approved.
Hopefully the opportunity will arise when they can return
as members of the Bellows Free Academy School Board.
Peg Stewart, Board Chair
Safe Routes to School - Bike Fair
by Colleen Steen
Although we didn't have as many participate for the
Bike Fair as we had last fall, all those who did
participate had a good time.
Peg Stewart took good care of the registration table,
where participants signed up for the Bike Rodeo.
If someone needed a new Bike Helmet, Doris Hughes,
Community Health and Wellness was ready with a
great supply of Bike Helmets at the cost of only
$5.00.
Steve White, of White's Bikes, on Rt. 7 in Georgia
was set up to check bikes before the kids went
through the rodeo. He made sure nuts and bolts were
tightened and tires filled with air so kids would
be safe. Then the participants navigated their
bikes through the lined courses, learning how to
ride safely through different situations that they
might encounter while riding on the roads.
Jill Nye-McKeown and Justin Brown did a great job
of planning the courses, and with Jennifer and Will
Skerrett, Julie and David Filliberti, Bill Ormerod,
and a few other helpers, guided the kids through
the rodeo. Upon completing the courses, each biker
received a photo license, supplied by
Blue-Cross/Blue Shield, a cool bike reflector, and
cups with SR2S logos.
The Fairfax Rescue Squad was at the site in the
event of any mishaps, and also had the ambulance
open so kids could check it out.
State Trooper Lamothe and his K-9 friend were also
present.
Safe Routes to School is an ongoing Federally
funded, State administered program to encourage
walking and biking safely.
Jennifer and Will Skerrett are the new SR2S co-
ordinators, and welcome participation by the
entire community.
Project Graduation
Many graduates celebrated their big day with an
alcohol and drug free overnight party Sunday at
Bellows Free Academy Fairfax.
Graduates enjoyed an evening at Racquet's Edge too.
BFA Fairfax Graduates 87
The BFA Fairfax Class of 2007 graduated Sunday,
June 17th at 1pm, outdoors on the ballfield. This
class has led the school academically to a signif-
icant increase in the number of Advanced Placement
students and has taken more math and English than
any class previous.
Nearly fifty percent of BFA graduates have attained
a calculus level in math.
The graduating class has led BFA to new heights in
co-curricular participation. Three sports; Nordic
Skiing, football and track have all become varsity
sports since this class has been in high school.
In addition, co-curricular participation in ath-
letics and other activities have continued to
increase to a point where over 60% of BFA students
are involved in a co-curricular activity.
Graduating with the BFA Class of '07 were two
Vietnam War Era Veterans, Richard Warren and
Reggie Broe.
Upholding the more than one hundred year trad-
ition of excellence, BFA students were co-
champions in boys basketball in the NVAC,
Mountain League champions in cheerleading,
were State finalists in cheering, DIII boys
cross country, DIII girls cross country, DII
girls Nordic skiing and had five students win
or place at the DIII State track meet.
Valedictorian Catherine McGuinness,
Salutatorian Lindsey Mucia and
Class President Hannah DuPrat addressed
the graduation audience.
BFA seniors chose English teacher Rick Potash
to be their guest speaker.
B.F.A. Fairfax Alumni met for dinner June 15th.
Free Skin Cancer Screening
There was a free skin cancer screening by the
office of Dr. Robert Gordon in the Fairfax
Community Library April 19th.
Special thanks to Sharon Horr & the Library.
The first Fairfax Health & Wellness Fair held
Saturday April 14th 9:30-12:00 was a very pos-
itive event ! Thanks to some awesome volunteers
who went above and beyond !
Brenda Kerr and Pam Jumper did a lot of email and
phone work to reach out to the wellness people
and with their guidance, we ended up with a profit
of more than $150 !
Making a profit was something I hadn’t planned on
at all, the thought was to just provide a wellness
service to the Fairfax community.
This was a well received event, and many vendors
said they would be willing to come anytime again
in the future.
We didn’t have a tremendous turn-out, but we did
have maybe 40 or so stop in over the morning.
Thank You to all who helped make this fun
educational event happen!
6th Grade Science Fair
One of FranklinOne.com's favorite annual events
is the 6th grade Science Exhibition on Perpetual
Motion held Wednesday night in the M.S. Gymnasium
at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax at 6:30pm.
Essex Wins H.S. Chess Championship !!!
FranklinOne.com encourages BFA Fairfax to create
a Chess team. Ivy League schools every year have
dozens of chess scholarships that go unfilled.
Mr. Al Daniels 6th Grade class at BFA Fairfax
is studying laws of motion, energy, gravity
and friction and in April they had a Segway
demonstration by Doug Young.
BFA-PTSA’S Fairfax Success by Six cele-
brated their Annual Birthday Bash April 7th
from 10:00am to 12:00pm in the BFA Middle School
Gym and Multi-Purpose Room.
This free birthday party for all Fairfax children
included a variety of activities to encourage
children to explore, create, and get messy while
having fun !
It had a tumbling area, bounce castles,
an infant play area, and art & craft activities.
Admiral Hamm at BFA Fairfax
U.S. Navy Admiral Warren Hamm was at BFA Fairfax
in April to talk with Mr. Jim Lonergan's students
about the war many years ago in Vietnam.
Hats off to Bellows Free Academy Fairfax !!
Superintendent Note
I want to thank the voters of Fairfax for approving
our Bellows Free Academy School budget request for
the 2007-2008 school year.
The goal of the school board is to provide a top-notch
educational experience for our children while balancing
this goal with what the community feels is a reasonable
request.
The school board should be commended for what I believe
is meeting this goal.
Our school continues to struggle with the incredible
number of mandates from both the State and the Federal
government, which often come unfounded or poorly funded.
The challenge in the future for Fairfax as well most
communities throughout the state is how to continue to
provide an educational experience that prepares our
students for the demands of the future while helping
keep the costs of educating our children affordable.
In a future article I will review research and data that
addresses how we should be structuring our schools for a
future that may be much different from what we have today.
Currently, there are several bills being discussed by our
legislators that could affect the way we operate and fund
our schools.
One of my main concerns is that several of the bills could
shift the costs from the State to the local communities
for programs required by the State.
I urge you to contact our representatives and ask them to
support legislation that requires the State to pay for any
mandates that they place on schools.
Again, thank you for your continued support of our schools.
Armando Vilaseca
Superintendent FWSU
Tongues Untied met with the public in the
elementary gym to discuss video violence.
Last year, Governor Jim Douglas joined the
group at BFA Fairfax.
On March 14th, Governor Jim Douglas announced
the appointment of Brian Vachon as the newest
member of the State Board of Education.
FOOD ALLERGY SUPPORT WORKSHOP
"My Child Has Food Allergies" - Now What ?
Vermont Food Allergy Organization, a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization of Shelburne is holds a support workshop
for families with newly diagnosed children.
Enormous stress and anxiety can occur for families
where children are diagnosed with life-threatening
food allergies.
Parents can come to this workshop and get support and
have their concerns addressed and questions answered
and learn that they are not alone.
Call (802) 373-0351 or e-mail
for questions.
Math Tutoring Available
For students wanting help with homework,
studying and a greater understanding.
Jenny Berschling
899-4349 or e-mail here
Education Funding
The House Education and House Ways and Means
Committees held a joint public hearing on March
14th about education funding and cost-containment.
The joint hearing was held in room 11 at the
statehouse from 6pm until 8:30 pm.
E-mail me at: cbranagan@leg.state.vt.us
or call me at 527-7694.
Rep. Carolyn Branagan
Franklin-1, Fairfax/Georgia
Vermont House of Representatives
No Longer a Secret !
On Thursday, March 8th the PTSA and Fairfax
Education Association planned a
Drop Everything and Read Day.
That morning, all students K-12 participated
in a "drop everything and read time",
which will last 20 minutes.
During the afternoon, the high school students
visited the elementary school and read fables
to the students.
These were a combination of fables they have
written as well as published ones.
To add to the excitement, the library
created a Dr Seuss Display.
The kitchen served green eggs and ham
with a Dr. Seuss themed cake too !
This was a fun and exciting event for the
entire school !
On a mission to share the tradition of baking
bread at home, The King Arthur Flour Company of
Norwich, Vt., visited the Bellows Free Academy,
Fairfax in Fairfax, and the Georgia Elementary
School in Georgia, on Friday, Feb. 9 to
teach 400 middle-school students to bake fresh,
nutritious bread from scratch through its Life
Skills Bread Baking Program.
The assemblies weree held in the BFA gymnasium
at 10 a.m. and the Georgia Elementary gymnasium
at 2 p.m. Students then used their newfound
skill (along with ingredients donated by King
Arthur Flour) to bake their own loaves, half of
which will be donated to the Fairfax Food Shelf
and St. Albans Food Shelf.
The BFA School Board has tentatively approved the
2007-2008 budget in the amount of $10,618,235
or a 3.97% increase.
This includes the proposed articles if approved.
The increase will be 3.61% without the articles
to be presented.
The complete budget will be presented at a
public forum in the near future.
The BFA Fairfax School Board met December 4th
with the 06/07 budget being the main topic.
They met again on December 18th.
BFA Fairfax Misses AYP
The Fairfax News has some comments
from Superintendent Vilaseca.
This does not mean our school is weak.
A Complete List from St. Albans Messenger
This was a drill, this was only a drill !!!
BFA Fairfax Conducted a "Clear the Halls"
drill Wednesday with Vermont State Police.
Students from K through 12 were "locked down"
Budget Input
The B.F.A. Fairfax School Board invited the
community to provide input into the 2007/2008
budget on Monday, November 13th.
Fairfax Education Association
Celebrated Support Staff
During American Education Week
November 12th - 18th
During the National Education Association’s (NEA’s)
85th annual American Education Week, the students
and faculty at Bellows Free Academy recognized
and honored our support staff.
These outstanding people are often called on,
sometimes at a moment’s notice, to step into a
teacher’s classroom and carry on the important
work of educating the Fairfax students, or add
to their educational day in very important and
often unrecognized ways.
American Education Week’s theme was
Great Public Schools:
A Basic Right and Our Responsibility.
The theme represents NEA’s vision of calling
upon all Americans to do their part in making
public schools great for every child so they
can grow and achieve in the 21st century.
Members of the Fairfax Education Association
send our heartfelt thanks to all the people
who make BFA a great place to learn and grow.
These include but are not limited to, custodians,
substitutes, administrative assistants,
instructional assistants, and bus drivers.
BFA Fairfax Dramatic Arts Ensemble
presented Flowers for Algernon
November 9th, 10th and 11th.
Harrison King was superb.
Call Sara at 802-849-6711 for more.
A group of students from BFA Fairfax, did
not collect candy for Halloween this year.
Some collected canned goods for the Food Shelf.
WCAX reported on BFA Fairfax's Security !
WCAX Covered BFA's Tongues Untied
and the St. Albans Messenger did also
Alumni News
Arianna Fondry, daughter of David and Patricia
Fondry, of Fairfax, is spending the fall 2006
semester studying abroad in Sydney, Australia,
through a program run by St. Michael's College.
Emily Rooney is studying in Kenya, through
St. Lawrence University.
Congratulations to David and Linda Fournier
of Essex, VT.
They won the BFA Fairfax Alumni Association
Cord of Wood Raffle.
David purchased the ticket at the 2006
Alumni Banquet.
His wife Linda (Hendee) Fournier is a Fairfax
Alumni from the class of 1975.
Special thank you to Doug Stewart who donated
the cord of wood for the raffle.
FolKids of Vermont,
a performing arts program for middle-school
children, seeks participants for its
2006-2007 program.
In the FolKids program, Vermont students in
grades 5 through 9 are taught about traditional
folk dance, music, and songs, and prepare a
performance of American folklore to present
in another part of the world.
No prior experience is required.
Since 1983, fifteen different FolKids groups
have gone on tours to locations in Europe,
Asia and North America, involving more than
250 Vermont young people in unforgettable
international exchanges.
The group's most recent trip, in the spring
of 2006, was to Belgium and France.
The children performed for many school and
community groups, and enjoyed scenic train
rides, days at the beach, and a memorable
climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
FolKids will begin a new cycle in September,
working toward a trip to Asia in the spring
of 2007.
Local performances will also be scheduled.
The host school for this program is BFA Fairfax,
but participation is open to children aged 10
to 14 from any community who are willing to
meet the individual and family requirements
of FolKids.
Interested kids and families will be invited
to come to two consecutive Tuesday night
sessions in the month of September at no
charge or obligation.
To find out more about the program and how
to join, please call Laura George at
802-527-5092
FolKids of Vermont, founded in 1983,
is a program of the Vermont Performing Arts
League, a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization.
The mailing address is 354 North St.,
Burlington, VT 05401;
e-mail address is vpal.folkids@verizon.net
Submitted by April Werner
Vermont Performing Arts League
802-863-6713
Students in grades ten through twelve began the new year
on Thursday, August 31st, a regular school day.
Schedules, handbooks and other important materials were
mailed on August 14 to the families of all registered students.
If you did not receive information please call the school,
849-6711 for middle and high school
or 849-1200 for the elementary school.
BFA faculty and staff welcomed back students
in grades one through nine on Wednesday, August 30.
Busses ran their regular schedule and lunch was
served for those who wished to purchase it.
Summer Reading Program
The Fairfax Community Library has once again
had a very successful summer reading program.
Thanks to all children who participated and
the parents who brought them to our Thursday
morning programs.
A very special thank you is extended to Sharon
O'Neill who brought her wealth of artistic
talents to the programs this summer !
This year we had two reading incentive programs.
One was for the Trek Mountain bikes for younger
children, and the other was for the MP3 players
for the older students.
Both programs were very popular.
On August 10, we held drawings for both these
contests. The winners were as follows:
Allie McCabe and Corey Bonning won the bikes,
Catherine McGuinness and Andrew Philips won the
MP3 players.
Taylor Trubia, Griffin Lestage, Liz Adams and
Morgan Hayes won gift certificates to book stores.
Meghan Bosley and Justin Smith won fun passes for
Mini Golf in Essex.
Addie Stillman won the book "Dragonology."
We would like to thank Sharon Horr for writing
the grant for the MP3 players from Ben & Jerry's,
and our anonymous donors who donated the bikes.
Thanks again to everyon who participated.
See you next summer !
August 2006
School Board News
by Peg Stewart
Summer vacation has brought heat, humidity
and flooding. At the same time, many projects
within the campus are being completed.
The playground was repaired and after the
flooding took the road to the gazebo out and
the wood chips washed across the playground
into the road.
The varsity field was crowned and re-seeded,
the sidewalk to the main entrance of the high
school is being replaced along with the area
from the student parking lot.
Within the building, the asbestos has been
removed and the tile is being replaced.
The wiring has been installed for the new
computer placements in preparation for the
2006-2007 school year.
The School Board, Administration and Super-
intendent will be holding an all day seminar
to discuss the successesand challenges of 2006
and also to plan for the 2007 school year
keeping in mind what makes a good school
better.
I think we all agree that BFA is a good school
and we want to be, not better but the best.
Keeping this in mind we must have the following:
* Strong and professional administration
and teachers
* A broad curriculum available to all students
* A philosophy that is conducive to learning.
A good school is safe, clean, caring and well
organized
* An ongoing assessment system that supports
good instruction
* A high level of parent and comunity
involvement and support
BFA certainly has all these qualities but
as we all know anything good
can be made better.
With the co-operation of everyone from
community members, parents, guardians, staff,
administration and school board, we can become
the "BEST".
The School Board is interested in hearing from
community members what they would like to see
changed, improved or added.
You may contact any board member or e-mail me:
pstewart@verizon.net
The board meetings will resume the second and
fourth Monday evenings beginning in August.
July 1, 2006
Armando Vilaseca is the new Superintendent of
Franklin West Supervisory Union.
Franklin West Supervisory Union met
at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax.
FWSU said good-bye to former Superintendent
Phil Higgins and welcomed new Superintendent
Armando Vilaseca.
Armando Vilaseca Accepts Superintendent Position
Current Colchester Superintendent, Armando Vilaseca,
has accepted the Superintendent's position of
the Franklin West Supervisory Union, consisting of
Bellows Free Academy Fairfax, Georgia Elementary and
Middle Schools and the Fletcher Elementary School.
Mr. Vilaseca met with faculty and staff last Monday
afternoon and the community Monday evening.
The Franklin West Supervisory Union (FWSU) met
Wednesday night at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax.
Current FWSU Superintendent Phil Higgins has announced
his resignation effective at the end of this school year.
Bellows Free Academy Fairfax received the
following letter from:
First Baptist Christian School
4141 Ponchartrain Drive
Slidell, Louisiana 70460
Dear Friends in Christ,
In the aftermath of Katrina I have seen the
worst and the best in a variety of situations
and people.
I have seen both, even within myself.
Never did any of us think that rebuilding of
our homes, schools and community would go on
this long, and there is still a long road
ahead of us.
In the middle of an existence foreign to us,
filled with confusion and sadness, God pro-
vided a tremendous blessing.
From people we have never met, an outpouring
of love and support has come.
It has been an overwhelming and unexpected
joy.
Hope and strength have returned to our lives.
A desire and eagerness to overcome has en-
gulfed us all.
Your gift has been a message to us of your
belief in us and our ability to overcome.
Your gift has been a reminder to us that we
are one family under God.
Please accept from the depths of our hearts
"Thank You".
Thank you for your care, your love, your
compassion, support and prayers.
Your gift is one that we will take with us
into eternity.
In His service,
Olive Zenon & Susan Flarity
BFA Fairfax Class of 2006 Graduated June 18th
Rick Potash delivered the Commencement Address.
Awards and honor roll will be posted here asap.
At the Community Library at BFA Fairfax
Parent Resource Collection
The library has a wonderful collection of books
for parents on a wide variety of subjects.
This collection is currently funded by the
BFA PTSA.
We have recently added some great books.
Does your child refuse to cooperate in the morning?
Refuse sleep? Are you tired? Is your child tired?
An estimated 70 million Americans are sleep deprived.
Is your child one of them?
We have two new books that offer solutions to
this problem:
Sleepless in America: Is Your Child Misbehaving
or Missing Sleep? by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Take Charge of Your Child's Sleep: The All-in-One
Resource for Solving Sleep Problems in Kids and
Teens by Judy Owens, M.D. and Jodi Mindell
Cancer is a "family disease", it affects not only
the person who has been diagnosed, but everyone
in the family.
We have a collection of new books that deal with
children's questions about cancer. They are:
Our Family has Cancer ,Too! by Christine Clifford
Angels & Monsters : A Child's Eye View of Cancer
by Lisa Murray and Billy Howard
Cancer in the Family: Helping Children Cope With
a Parent's Illness by Joan Hermann
Can I Still Kiss You?: Answering Your Children's
Questions About Cancer by Neil Russell
Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer:
A Guide for Parents by Peter Van Dernoot
The teenage years can be challenging at best,
but they are even tougher if you have an anxiety
disorder.
If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder:
An Essential Resource for Parents by Edna Foa
is a guide for parents, teachers, and anyone else
involved with teens who may be affected by
this disorder.
U.S. Justice Department statistics show that
the rate at which girls are arrested for assault
is fast approaching the rate at which boys are
arrested.
See Jane Hit: Why Girls Are Growing More Violent
and What We Can Do About It by James Gabarino
examines some of the reasons behind this trend
as well as some ideas to reverse it.
Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads: Dealing with
the Parents, Teachers, Coaches and Counselors
Who Can Make-- or Break-- Your Child's Future
by Rosalind Wiseman is a follow up book to her
best-selling book Queen Bees and Wannabes that
talked about entitled girls and their excesses.
This book is about their parents!
The author provides some rules to help navigate
the minefield between overprotecting your kids
and being a hands-off parent.
We all want our children to get the most out of
the sports they play. Whose Game Is It, Anyway? :
A Guide to Helping Your Child Get the Most from
Sports, Organized by Age and Stage by Richard
Ginsburg offers helpful information concerning
coaches, competition and your child.
Please stop by the library and check out these
books, as well as many others in the Parent
Resource Collection.
Success By Six
by Lisa Stone
Fairfax Success By Six Activities
Fairfax BFA’s PTSA’s Success By Six Committee
is a subcommittee of our school’s Parent,
Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) that focuses
on activities and opportunities for families with
children age 6 and under.
All Fairfax Success By Six activities are free
and open to all !!!
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Georgia Elementary & Middle Schools
by Chris Santee
Georgia Elementary & Middle School (802) 524-6358
Fax GEMS at (802) 524-1781
GEMS School Board
School Board meetings are held on the first
and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm
in the GEMS Library.
Middle School Principal Frank Calano
fcalano@gemsvt.org
Elementary School Principal Flora Hurteau
fhurteau@gemsvt.org
Business Manager Chris Sumner
csumner@gemsvt.org
We are part of the Franklin West Supervisory Union.
Our Superintendent is Armando Vilaseca.
He can be reached at 802-849-2283.
We are a Pre K-8 school system.
Our total student enrollment is 700.
The average class size is 17 in Pre K-4.
The average class size is 19 in 5-8.
We have a combination of multi-age/single grade
classrooms.
Instruction to students is offered in all
academic areas, as well as in physical education,
both vocal and instrumental music, art, enrichment
and computer.
We employ 15 professional specialists to provide
services to students with special needs.
We have one of the most modern Learning/Media Centers
in the State of Vermont.
We have a Computer Lab with 24 workstations,
as well as computers in the classrooms,
enabling our students to access the latest
in technology.
School hours for students in Grades Pre-K-4
is 8:00AM to 2:20PM and 8:45AM to 3:15PM
for students in Grades 5-8.
Transportation is provided for our students
and we plan our bus routes so that no student rides
longer than 45 minutes to or from our school.
Our graduates can attend the high school of their choice.
We have students attending BFA St. Albans, BFA Fairfax,
Essex, Colchester, South Burlington and Winooski.
Students may enroll in Kindergarten if they are 5
on or before August 31st.
Our staff, with an average tenure of 20 years,
is extremely dedicated to our students.
Historical data validates our belief that
Georgia students are successful.
Gems Fall Book Fair is over !
The Georgia Education Association's annual fall
Book Fair at the Georgia Elementary and Middle
School is over.
This was an excellent opportunity for some holiday
shopping.
Students were given an opportunity to visit the
Book Fair with their classes.
Parents and other community members were invited to
visit during our expanded Special Family Event hours
on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The proceeds from this Book Fair are used for the
GEA's Camp Scholarship Fund.
Each year many students are able to attend various
summer programs thanks to your generosity.
For more information contact Pat Chamberlain at
524-6358 or pchamberlain@gemsvt.org
Outstanding Teachers
by Scott Lang
Outstanding Teachers
Heather Weeks and Sara (Daniels) Villeneuve
were recognized at the University of Vermont
Outstanding Teachers Recognition day in
Burlington on October 19th.
Both received plaques from Richard Cate,
Commissioner of Education and Fayneese Miller,
Dean of the College of Education and Social Service.
The ceremony was also attended by Peg Stewart,
School Board Chair, Phil Higgins, Superintendent of
Franklin West Supervisory Union, and Principals
Lisa Delorme and Scott Lang.
This was the Twenty-fifth annual recognition ceremony
sponsored by UVM.
The event recognizes one elementary teacher and
one secondary teacher from each of Vermont’s
Supervisory Unions.
Heather Weeks is a physical education teacher at
BFA Fairfax.
She has taught physical fitness to K - 5 students
for the last twelve years.
Ms. Weeks is an educator who contributes to BFA and
the community in numerous ways.
She organizes yearly school events such as
the school hike day, jump rope for heart,
television turn-off week and summer hoop camp.
The energy she brings to teaching is endless.
BFA is a more effective school due to Ms. Weeks’
professionalism, knowledge base and work ethic.
She is an exemplar in her field.
Sara (Daniels) Villeneuve, a UVM graduate
has taught at BFA Fairfax for four years.
A BFA graduate (’95), she teams with another
BFA graduate, Will Brooks (’90) to teach
Global English, an interdisciplinary course
for ninth graders.
Sara also teachers creative writing and teaches
and coaches drama.
In a teacher leadership position, Ms. Villeneuve
was also responsible for coordinating a system
of writing portfolios for high school students
as well as training and calibrating all
high school teachers in writing.
Sara’s father Al was BFA’s representative for
UVM Outstanding Teacher two years ago.
Project Graduation 2007
by volunteers
For updates on our fundraising efforts, visit
the school’s web page at:
www.bfafairfax.com
Fairfax Teen Center News
by Reverend Elizabeth
After two years of meeting, planning and dreaming
a community teen center is a reality.
Peggy Bushey, who wanted to act on her vision of
a teen center for Fairfax, met with Rev. Elizabeth
and has been the driving force behind the plan.
The Teen Center is designed for youth in grades 5-8.
Not wanting to meet in the school, the committee
met with Fr. Conners of St. Luke and, thanks to
his generosity and the cooperation of the diocese,
the Teen Center will meet there, as it has the
best useable space available for a Teen Center.
The Community Teen Center has, of course, no
sectarian affiliation.
Music, food, board games, video games, movies
and contests are activities available for youth.
The next step in bringing the Teen Center into
operation will be to develop a group of
volunteers.
Please contact Rev. Elizabeth at
pastorliz@earthlink.net
or 849-6588
Recreation Park News
by Carol Lizotte
There was a Fairfax Recreation Programming
meeting in November, open to the community.
So much thanks goes to the whole Ben & Jerry's
St. Albans Community Action Team for their generous
support and donation!
All residents are encourage to check out the new
Fairfax Community Park.
Thanks to Mike Cady, Rob Schukei, Bob Horr, Ed Nuttall,
Brenda Paradee, Julie and Dave Filiberti, Myles Cahoon
and his son Kevin and the entire Patry family
who have so generously donated time and equipment.
Consider participating and supporting the Park
& Path Project!
For volunteer opportunities,
please don't hestiate to contact me.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Carol Lizotte
Fairfax Community Park Project Manager
Fairfax Recreation Director
cal100@educert.com or 827-9723
There was a well attended Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony 09/30/06 Morning at the
Fairfax Recreational Path & Park down
by the cul-de-sac at 9:30am.
Henry Raymond was there, camera in hand,
along with Mike Cain, official photographer
for the events. Check their sites !!!
Some of the events planned for were:
* A short running race for kids on the rec path
before the ribbon cutting and dedication.
* Obstacle courses for kids, which were fun
and educational.
* Kids received certification that they have
completed the "Bike Rodeo".
* Blue Cross-Blue Shield provided photo IDs for kids
* A representative of the Health Department
had a health/wellness display.
* Bike Helmets were available to purchase
at a reduced cost.
* Whites Bikes in Georgia had a
"bike shop" set up.
* State Trooper Bill Sweeney was present with
his companion - a Bomb Sniffing Black Lab.
* The Fairfax Rescue Squad was available in
the event of any mishaps, and the Ambulance was
on site and open to allow kids to see the inside.
The Georgia Recreation Committee and Georgia School
Community Relations Committee are joining forces with
the hopes of improving recreational and community
activities within the town of Georgia.
A group of ten, committed town residents met the
evening of Tuesday, September 12, 2006 to discuss
activities that would provide opportunity for Georgia
residents to be involved in recreation, workshops
and events close to home while meeting their neighbors.
Ideas abounded, and the group decided to target a few
events including a senior luncheon.
Other ideas and events will be explored in the future.
The committees plan to hold initial activities at
the Georgia School.
Are you interested in helping improve our town's
recreational and social opportunities?
The group met again on Thursday, September 28th
at 6:30 at the GEMS library.
We welcome enthusiastic people with a willingness to
help - so please get involved and bring a friend!
For more information, contact Lynn Knight at 527-9600.
Watch for schedule to be posted here.
The Milton Grove Academy of Music
(located at 92 Main Street, Milton)
is accepting new students presently in private
piano and violin lessons, and eventually
branching out into chambe music and other
instruments, and later on yet having courses
in theory and composition.
The Violinist (Mark Woodyatt) and I (Joseph
Pepper) are both conservatory trained (Eastman,
Ithaca College, and the Conservatory at
University of Missouri-Kansas City) classical
musicians that dabble in all musical genres.
We are looking for dedicated students to guide
in a mostly classical teaching tradition, but
also dabbling in other styles
(usually of the students' interests).
Substance Abuse
Just a reminder if you had not had a chance to
submit comments regarding substance abuse in
Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, you can still
submit comments on line to the Secretary of the
Agency of Human Services, Mike Smith,
by going to the following website:
www.healthyvermonters.org
and clicking on the right side of the page
that says "Comments on the Substance Abuse Forums"
The Secretary is looking for real concrete examples
of what is or is not working in our community
regarding substance abuse.
Please take a moment to share your thoughts.
Thank you!
Angela S. Baker, MPA
Substance Abuse Prevention Consultant
Vermont Department of Health
Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs
20 Houghton Street, Room 273
St. Albans, Vermont 05478
Phone: (802)524-7918
Email: abaker@vdh.state.vt.us
"60's Mania" wrapped up in the BFA
Middle School Gym. It was another entertaining
show presented at the school.
Director John O'Brien and Producer Sara (Daniels)
Villeneuve put together another "winner" with
Craig Sodaro's comedy.
Michael Smith played Norman Hinkle to Sarah
Gottschalk's Barbara Hinkle.
Genevieve St. Hilaire played Aunt Hilda Winsap,
a busy body spinstress and Sheilagh Smith was
daughter Debbie Hinkle, looking to break free
from the confines of dullsville and find her
dream through Jon Koval's Starbaby.
Roger, played by Ryan Betcher, tried to stop
his beloved Debbie from running off, but when
Alison Hinkle, played by Hannah Duprat, wins
a date with Ringo (Patrick Fitzgerald), the
fun began.
Daycare - Pre-School in Franklin-1
Countryside Children's Center is open in
Fairfax with Dianne Russin, to serve families
with children 6 weeks to 12 years old.
Countryside is located behind J&L Hardware,
in the same building with Janet Franklin, esq.
Dianne Russin is available at 524-4382.
Toddlers Too
In-Home Registered Childcare Openings
for infants and toddlers.
An opportunity for Meaningful Play based
on your child's needs and interest.
Located in Fairfax
15 minutes from Westford and Fletcher.
Summer Nature program 4+
Preschool curriculum program for
ages three through five !
Discounts for second child in care !
Convenient Location !!
Please Call Deb @ 309-8873
Elisabeth Kirkpatrick is running The Shepardson
Hollow School in Fairfax, for children 3 to 5.
The Shepardson Hollow School focuses on creativity,
self expression and the Dramatic Arts.
The Shepardson Hollow School is at 849-9823.
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