Chess champs
Year in sports
Elementary schoolkids make the right moves
A recap of high school sports action in 2024
Page 6
Page 12
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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the DECEMBER 26, 2024
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School district eyes staff, program cuts
VOLUME 48, NO. 52
A look back at 2024
Final budget meeting set for Jan. 8 LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
South Burlington School Board members are considering a variety of staff and programming reductions as the district grapples with what officials call “undoubtedly the hardest budget season” it has ever experienced. “This was an extremely difficult budget to put together,” super-
intendent Violet Nichols said last week. “We knew that we were facing the real fact that we had really limited financial supports this year and far more diminished than any other year that we’ve faced.” On the heels of a year that saw a third of Vermont’s school budgets See BUDGET on page 7
Hometown coach reflects on Cardiac Cats’ title win PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
Brad Cole grew up on Spear Street in South Burlington, right across the street from the University of Vermont’s sport complex, where he now helps coach a championship soccer team. As the program’s associate head coach, Cole was on the sideline last week when the Catamounts won their first national championship in Cary, N.C., with an overtime goal by Maximilian Kissel that shocked the nation. Cole said the victory was years in the making. He joined the team
as associate head coach two years ago after coaching at Cornell University and the University of Portland. Before that, he played soccer at UVM and held a few early-career coaching positions with the team. Cole is originally from South Hero, but his family moved to South Burlington when he was in sixth grade. He attended Mater Christi Elementary School, Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School and South Burlington High School, all the while playing soccer with See COLE on page 2
FILE PHOTO
Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington held a small parade, ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony in October. City hall and school staff, police and fire personnel, the school’s mascot, Marky the Moose, and nearly 400 students and others watched as the currently unnamed street that goes past South Burlington Public Library was renamed Dattilio Drive, in honor of Sue Dattilio, a longtime Rick Marcotte front office assistant. The city gave students at the school the chance to name their school’s street. After forming a naming committee and voting on several options, the kids picked Dattilio Drive. Our year in review in photos begins on page 8.
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