Around Town
compiled by Edd Merritt

to Michael Metz, who was honored by the Women’s Rape Crisis Center (WRCC) at its annual meeting November 6. He received the 2008 “Visionary Award” for his leadership in the center’s capital campaign.

to Kathryn Jordan, who was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is one of 160 students enrolled at the highly selective school.

to Charlotte Central School students Ellie Blake and Carolyn Woodruff for having their poems selected for inclusion in the Burlington Free Press “Young Writers Project.” On November 24 Ellie, a sixth-grader, wrote in response to the prompt, “Perspective.” She writes as though she were song; “song of the past, song of the future, I am song of your life.” Appropriate to its December 1 issue, eighth-grade student Carolyn chose to prepare us for “Winter” in a bitter-sweet homage to the fun of its chill but also to the need to leave and seek warmth. “I may feel bitter as I watch you dance with another girl,” she says, “But it’s cold out here.”

to Tom Oliver, Operations Director of the University of Vermont’s food services, who helped students prepare “Holiday Meals” through a UVM project called Campus Kitchen. Initiated and run by students, the project takes unused food from campus dining halls and cafes and serves it to needy members of the Burlington community. The Free Press featured Tom in a recent article, describing him as a “genial and experienced tutor,” teaching students what they need to know about preparing food that they will soon serve to many more than simply their roommates.

to the Charlotte Food Shelf, which was also featured recently in the Burlington Free Press in a profile of its work and its needs. The Food Shelf is located at 3319 Mt. Philo Road and is open between 7:30 and 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. The article notes that the Food Shelf does more than serve meals. Through financial donations it also provides fuel assistance, helping families pay utility bills. Karen Doris coordinates the program through the Charlotte Congregational Church. She may be contacted at 425-3252 or by email at charlottefoodshelf@gmail.com.

to Charlotte Cohousing and builder Tim Yandow, who were featured in the November 29 Burlington Free Press describing plans for an energy efficient cohousing cluster village in Charlotte. The idea, according to the article, is to build efficiently, to cluster homes, maintain open space, use energy and materials efficiently, and live communally, meeting shared needs.

to Charlotter Bonnie Ayer, who announced that she will retire as principal of John J. Flynn School in Burlington at the end of this school year. Bonnie has spent 18 years at Flynn, the last nine as its principal.

to Don Carpenter, who was featured in the November 26 Burlington Free Press for his post-retirement work as a taxidermist. The owner of Wildwood Taxidermy, Carpenter shows off many examples of his animals – large, small and in-between – in the article.