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AUGUST 29, 2024
State hires new Chittenden County Forester
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
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Unleashing smiles at the library
Therapy dogs attract an after-school crowd BY INDIRA BUSH Special to the Observer
Brandon Benedict was hired in June as the new Chittenden County Forester. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
BY JASON STARR Observer staff Brandon Benedict started this summer as the new Chittenden County Forester, succeeding Ethan Tapper, who left the position in June. Benedict, a native of Rome, N.Y. who went to college in nearby Syracuse, moved into the position from South Carolina, where he worked on a federal forest census program that inventories forests nationwide. He moved to Vermont in March to first take the vacant Addison County Forester position, but just three months later transferred to Chittenden County. County foresters in Vermont work under the Agency of Natural Resources’ Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. see FORESTER page 4
After the first day of school at Williston Central School, a group of eager students headed straight next door to the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library where an exciting friend was waiting. Rocko, the therapy dog, is a well-mannered golden retriever and a monthly feature at the library, with whom visitors have the option to read or just spend some quality time. Bonnie Lord, the assistant library director and youth services librarian, says adults are welcome, but it does tend to be children who gravitate toward spending time with the dogs. According to Lord, the program started in 2005 as an opportunity to read to therapy
Therapy dog Rocko is an after-school attraction at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library for kids getting out of nearby Williston Central School. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
dogs, with the thought that it could “help with struggling and reluctant readers.” Later on, librarians opened
it up to just hanging out with the dogs. Lord says, especially for older kids, reading around peers can be scary, but just hanging out
with dogs allows them to have a safe and judgment-free mental health break. Each day after school, students come into a welcoming library space where they can read, listen to music, talk to friends and chat with Lord about books, games and whatever’s on their minds. Lord says that many of the students have been returning year after year. A visit with Rocko, or fellow therapy dog Lola (who also visits the library once a month) has become another fun part of the day. The kids take turns with the dogs that amount to approximately ten-minute shifts. Each one waits patiently for their turn, and Lord gives the kid with the dog a “two-minute warning” so they know when to start getting ready to say goodbye to the furry friend.
CVSD launches superintendent search
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
With the start of the new school year comes the start of a search for a superintendent at the Champlain Valley School District. The school board on Tuesday voted to charge its Human Resources and Labor Relations subcommittee with finding candidates for the district’s top leadership position. The committee has a Sept. 10 meeting planned to begin the search. “The process will be thorough and involve all of our constituencies,” said committee chair Keith Roberts of Hinesburg. Adam Bunting is filling the role
“The process will be thorough and involve all of our constituencies.” Keith Roberts CVSD School Board
this school year as interim superintendent. He moved into the role when Rene Sanchez left the position in June. Bunting was previously the principal at CVU High School. In preparation for taking on the task, the subcommittee updated its charter to include “the hiring, retention and evaluation of
the superintendent, with input and approval from the (school) board.” The board approved the updated charter Tuesday, and dissolved a Superintendent Evaluation Committee that had previously conducted annual superintendent performance reviews. Over the summer, the Human Resources and Labor Relations subcommittee solicited proposals from consultants for help conducting the superintendent search. Two bids were received — one from a firm founded by two retired Vermont school superintendents and another from a company out of Omaha, Neb. The committee discussed the proposals at an August meeting but came to no decision whether to hire
see DOGS page 4
one of the firms, at a cost of up to $20,000. On Tuesday, the board decided to pass on the proposals and keep the superintendent search inhouse with guidance from the district’s director of human resources, Laura Rice. “She has done this kind of search before in prior roles and feels very confident doing it here as well,” said Roberts. Rice allayed board member concerns about the potential for a conflict of interest as she leads a hiring process for which Bunting — her direct superior this year — will presumably be a candidate. She will be merely facilitating the search, she said, and “not be on the committee that’s making a decision.”
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