Dottie Waller Retires as CVU Director
February 25, 2010....
by Martha Perkins

Dottie Waller moved to Charlotte after she and her husband, Dave, a life-long Charlotter, were married. Dave grew up working on a farm on Lake Road, and his mother was the Town Clerk for many years. They raised their daughters Amy and Jodie in Charlotte. Amy and Jodie attended Charlotte schools and, now in their own communities, rave about their beloved hometown in Vermont. Amy lives and teaches in Redmond, Washington, and Jodie lives in New York City and works for RSCG, a world-wide public relations firm. Amy named her first child Charlotte.

Dottie is a successful real estate agent with Lang McLaughry and Spera. Affable and compassionate, and a Charlotte lover, she quickly perceives her clients’ needs.
In her 12 years (1998-2010) on the CVU School Board she has observed enormous changes in education. “Change happens so much faster now; the students today need to be able to adapt and change/move with the new ‘ways’. Education is no longer just content, memorizing and doing what was needed to achieve an A. It is learning to master essential skills for learning and living in the 21st Century.

“It has been very rewarding to participate in the evolution of the school. CVU is truly a student-centered school. For example, I was happy for my town that prior to building anything we spent many hours with the administration, teachers and students asking, ‘What is it that we want for the students, what do the students need?’”

Dottie joined the CVU School Board after her children graduated. She had been active in CVU Friends of Education through which she organized the ski program, which led to ski teams and organized skiing after school. She loved her involvement and the students and decided she would like to be a school board member representing Charlotte. It has been her contribution to her community and has been enormously rewarding to participate in the evolution of learning processes at CVU.

She has kept up with the changes at CVU and understands how education has evolved in her 12 years on the board and, as she says, “As in life, CVU’s education will always be changing to meet the changes as our community and the world progresses.”

Dottie Waller’s decision to retire from the CVU board after 12 years is a huge loss for Charlotte but a splendid opportunity for her successor.

Dottie thought Charlotte News readers and Charlotte citizens would be interested in CVU’s Mission Statement and Essential Skills for Learning. The mission statement says: “CVU believes that every student can demonstrate the behaviors, skills and knowledge essential for a contributing member of a democratic society. The mission of CVU and the community is to ensure this learning for all students and challenge them to develop excellence in their individual pursuits.”
The Skills are: Communication; Writing; Reading; Technology; Critical Thinking; Goal Setting; Mathematics; Science; Citizenship; Healthy Choices; Culture and Diversity in Community.