April is Month of the Young Child
BRATTLEBORO - April is designated as Month of the Young Child, a celebration of our youngest learners and future leaders.
The local celebration consists of a month-long series of free events throughout Windham County offering opportunities for children and their families to play, learn, and come together as a community. It's also a chance to discover and sample spaces and programs designed to support the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of young children.
Activities throughout the month include exploring and learning about nature and animals, singing and making music, dance, circus arts, children's art, puppet performances, and cooking and tasting foods.
All events are free and open to the public. Some have limited space and require pre-registration. For more information, visit www.windhamchildcare.org, pick up a brochure at your local library, call 802-254-5332 or go to Facebook.com/WindhamChildcare.
Garden design with Rod Payne-Meyer at Putney Library
PUTNEY - Spring is coming and so is the urge to revive and enjoy the outdoor areas around your home. Join Rod Payne-Meyer, a professional designer and builder of landscapes, at Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., on Thursday, April 6, at 7 p.m., for a free presentation on making the most of your garden space.
Payne-Meyer says choosing the right location and garden shape can go a long way toward creating a visually pleasing garden. He has more than 40 years of experience in the fields of horticulture and landscape design and has created numerous gardens, patio installations, and water features in our area. His photo-rich presentation will have tips that anyone can use to give their gardens new life.
BUHS graduate returns to lecture on U.S. diplomacy in Asia
BRATTLEBORO - W. Patrick Murphy will discuss the impact of recent events on the relationship between U.S. and Southeast Asian nations, in a talk at the Marlboro College Graduate Center on Vernon Street on Friday, April 7, at 7 p.m.
The talk is co-sponsored by Marlboro College and the Windham World Affairs Council, and is free and open to the public.
Murphy is the deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State for Southeast Asia, and a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, he has served previously as deputy chief of mission and chargé d'affaires in Thailand and Lesotho.
His prior Washington service includes special representative for Burma, director of the Office for Mainland Southeast Asia, political advisor for the Haiti Working Group, and desk officer for Burma and Laos. Since joining the Department of State in 1992, Murphy has completed diplomatic assignments in Burma, China, Iraq, Guinea, and Mali.
Murphy's comments will be followed by a question-and-answer period, and preceded by coffee, tea, and conversation at 6:30 p.m.
BF bike project hosts fundraiser
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Community Bike Project will host their second annual Silent Auction Fundraiser on Saturday, April 8.
The event runs from 6 to 9 :30 p.m., at 33 Bridge St., and is free and open to the public. There will be many unique auction items to bid on - gift baskets, local artisan wares, gift certificates, bikes, and more.
Enjoy live music by local musicians Jesse Peters, The Milkhouse Heaters, and Josh Maiocco and Ben Carr, plus food and a cash bar by Donovan's, a bike raffle and a 50/50 cash raffle. For more information, email Bonni at [email protected], or visit www.bfbike.org.
Hospice to offer memorial flag-making event
BRATTLEBORO - On Tuesday, April 11, from 4 to 6 p.m., Brattleboro Area Hospice will offer an opportunity for people to make a memorial flag to honor someone who has died.
Creating a memorial flag can be a valuable commemoration activity to help individuals with grief. Children are welcome if accompanied by a responsible adult. No special talent is needed, and all materials will be provided. The flags will hang at the Hospice Memorial Garden on Guilford Street during the coming year, though participants are welcome to take their flag home with them if they prefer.
This event will take place at Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St., Brattleboro. Judy Van Wageningen and Cicely Carroll will facilitate. They would appreciate an RSVP by April 7, so they can be sure to have enough materials and work space. To register for this free event, contact Carroll at 802-257-0775, ext. 108.
Samirah Evans, Scott Mullett headline Kurn Hattin Homes' 2017 Jazz Invitational
WESTMINSTER - On Wednesday, April 12, at 7 p.m., Kurn Hattin Homes for Children will host the annual Kurn Hattin Jazz Invitational.
Master of Ceremonies will be Eugene Uman, director of the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro. Performing ensembles include Northfield Mount Hermon Jazz Ensemble, Vermont Academy Jazz Ensemble, Putney School Jazz Ensemble, Dylan Chambers Jazz Ensemble, Alyssa Leonard Jazz Ensemble, and Kurn Hattin Jazz Ensemble.
Featured guests include vocalist Samirah Evans and the Keene Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Scott Mullett.
Admission is a canned good to be donated to the local food shelf at Our Place in Bellows Falls. For more information, contact Lisa Bianconi at (802) 721-6931 or [email protected].
Applications sought for Robert L. Crowell Scholarship
NEWFANE - Moore Free Library is offering a total of $12,000 in scholarships, generously funded by the family of the late Robert L. Crowell. These awards are open to graduating high school seniors residing in Brookline, Newfane, South Newfane, and Williamsville who will be entering their first year of college, community college, trade or vocational post-secondary education in the fall of 2017.
The scholarship committee will consider academics, personal growth and community contributions. The number of scholarships awarded and the award amounts will be determined by the applications received.
Applications should include a printed cover page (pick up at the library or request one to be emailed to you), a brief autobiography (including plans for continued study and the name of the school you have been accepted by), a high-school transcript, and a minimum of two letters of reference. Completed applications should be submitted by May 15 to Board of Trustees, Moore Free Library, P.O. Box 208, Newfane, VT 05345.
Host an exchange student next year
BRATTLEBORO - Next school year, local high schools will be welcoming students from the Future Leaders Exchange program. These students receive prestigious scholarships from the U.S. Department of State so that they can study in the U.S. Students are selected through a very competitive application process in which approximately 1 in every 40 applicants is selected to participate in the program.
The FLEX program was created from former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley's conviction that the best way to ensure long-lasting peace and understanding between the U.S. and the former Soviet countries in Eastern Europe and Western Asia is to enable young people from these countries to learn firsthand about the U.S. and Americans.
FLEX students come from many different countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. They will attend area high schools for the 2017-18 school year, arriving in August.
These students are excited to learn about our culture and to share theirs with their new family. Hosting isn't as expensive or routine-altering as it might seem, but is more rewarding than you can imagine. For more information, contact Kimberly at [email protected] soon, as placement deadlines for these students start at the end of May.