One Monday night at 7:30, Kismet closed its doors to customers and arranged a judge’s table with four chairs beside a small stage at the front of the restaurant. Every seat was full, and late audience members fit into gaps…
Month: February 2018
Cardboard Violence: The Pep Rally Controversy
On Friday, February 16th the U-32 high schoolers were gathered for the winter sports pep rally. Packed in the bleachers, they cheered for the teams as they entered the gymnasium. Most of the team entrances were typical to U-32 pep…
Profile: Caitlin Roberts, Athletic Trainer
Last season at lacrosse practice, Shawn Lavigne started to experience some hip pain. He went and saw the athletic trainer (AT), Caitlin Roberts. Roberts first thought it was his IT band, basically a large tendon running from your hip to…
“An Alcoholic Frolic: The Story Behind Vermont’s First Drunk Driving Law”
Photographer unknown. 1910s. A postcard showing the West River covered bridge between Brattleboro and Dummerston, Vermont. The sign reads “Dangerous, automobiles take notice, short turn → bridge”. Courtesy Vermont Historical Society, Barre, Vermont. Before dawn on July 3rd, 1916,…
West Windsor’s Peculiar Poet
His mausoleum was a symbol of his wealth, costing $38,000 to build ($500,000 today).(6, 8) It was modeled after Napoleon Bonaparte’s final resting place, made of marble and imported cypress wood from Florida.(8, 11) The massive structure dwarfs the surrounding gravestones, overlooking…
Student Loans in Vermont: Four Case Studies
On Wednesday, November 8, almost three dozen colleges visited U-32 High School. Situated in the Atrium at large rectangular tables, Castleton University offered colorful brochures, Rivier University gave out branded pens, and the University of Maine advertised enticing scholarships. These…
Taking out the Trash: Waste Stream Audit
On the 24th of January, the U-32 auditorium was flooded with things like trash, a set of keys, a blue plastic plate from the cafeteria in the classroom trash, a whole set of Pez* dispensers, and even a brand new…
Class at 12:30pm: The Early College Program
It was 8:00am. Luca Montore woke up and looked his alarm clock. He still had three hours to sleep. His previous high school, U-32 would require him to be at school right now. But not this year. Montore is enrolled…
Cutting Photo: Where is the Line?
Editor’s note: The Chronicle has decided to include the controversial image in question at the bottom of the article. The image contains content that may be disturbing to some readers – though no one was actually harmed in the making…
The Panera Menu: How to Get the Most Bang For Your Buck
You throw open the glass front doors of the Berlin Panera and enter the warm environment of your everyday oasis. As you respectfully stomp the dirt and snow off your shoes, the sweet smell of freshly-baked Chocolate Chipper Cookies® wafts…
Local Art: The Stories Behind the Prices
Willis Backus stands solitary, encompassed by four glass cases of colorful jewelry. This is his counter– he’s earned the right to call it that. The only vacation he’s ever taken was in 1975, when he had a heart attack. “I…
Fred Harris and The Brattleboro Winter Carnival
On January 12th, 1922, two feet of fresh snow covered Brattleboro, Vermont (1). Thousands of people gathered on the town rink for the first annual Brattleboro Winter Carnival (2). A 25 piece band huddled around an oil heater to keep…
Why Are Organic Milk Prices Dropping?
It’s 3am, 30 degrees, and the lights switch on in the barn. Twenty cows are herded into the milking parlor above the operating pit. As milk is pumped from the Holsteins, it travels through tubes into two stainless steel bulk…
Artist Tribute: Black History Month
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” – Martin Luther King Jr. Art by Robin Hartzell
George Schmitt: Professionally Amateur, and Dead
On September 2nd, 1913, a crowd of around 500 spectators assembled on the fields of the Rutland Fair to watch George Schmitt fly in his Baldwin Red Devil biplane. (10) The machine, little more than a few metal rods…