Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
PCBs at Green Mountain High School – What you need to know
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC After high levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls — PCBs — found in the Burlington High School led to moving that school’s students to an empty department store while a new school is being built, the Vermont legislature mandated testing every publicly funded school built before 1980. Through that […]
Green Mountain graduates 47 in the Class of 2023 Commencement moved indoors due to threatening weather
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Green Mountain High School’s five year run of perfect weather for its outdoor graduations came to an end last Friday as commencement ceremonies were moved to the gym for the 47 seniors, their families and friends. At his final graduation as principal, Keith Hill welcomed everyone […]
Chester to expand ambulance service with new full-time hire
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Ambulance Service could become a more extensive operation, providing community health services as part of that expansion if Town Manager Julie Hance’s vision comes to fruition. The first step came last Wednesday night when the Chester Select Board approved hiring a second full-time ambulance employee. […]
Glorious day for the Chester Alumni Parade
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester High School and Green Mountain High Alumni Association celebrated its annual reunion Saturday with a parade along Main Street lined with appreciative spectators. Music was provided by the Green Mountain High School and Chester-Andover Elementary School bands. And a number of classes – including the soon-to-be graduated Class […]
Two area first responders honored by Vermont
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two area first responders – one from Chester and another from Londonderry – were recognized with state Emergency Medical Services awards as part of 49th annual National Emergency Medical Services Week in late May. Steve Vertefeuille of Chester was named First Responder of the Year for his service with the […]
Julians apply for Chester permit for quarry changes
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC As foreshadowed in town attorney Jim Carroll’s legal memorandum to the Chester Select Board in April, the companies that own and operate quarries that have been the focus of many complaints in Gassetts have applied for a town permit to change the locations and scope of their […]
Meeting to discuss PCB levels at GMUHS Wednesday night State officials to be on hand to discuss test results
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The results of the State of Vermont’s testing of schools for PCBs has found that various parts of the Green Mountain High School building have elevated levels of the chemical, the school announced Monday. In response, the school will hold an information meeting regarding the problem and […]
Former Va. principal tapped to take helm at Cavendish Town Elementary
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC After nearly three hours of interviewing the candidates and deliberating on Wednesday night, the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District unanimously picked Dale Mann of Arlington, Va., to be the principal of Cavendish Town Elementary School beginning in July. The board came out of executive […]
CTES principal candidates meet the public
By Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC On the face of it, the two candidates hoping to become the next principal of the Cavendish Town Elementary School couldn’t be more different. For one, it would be her first principal post, while the other has nearly 25 years of principal experience at several elementary schools. At […]
Two members returned to GM District Board Anger, confusion reigns in meeting attended by 100+
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC By the end of an especially chaotic meeting on Wednesday night, the Green Mountain Unified School District Board did not interview candidates for principal of Cavendish Town Elementary nor did it appoint a new principal, as was on the agenda. Instead, it formally accepted the resignation of […]
GM calls off CTES principal forum after candidate drops out Special board meeting will go forward to look at next steps
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC A forum for the public to meet and ask questions of two candidates for principal of the Cavendish Town Elementary School tonight was called off when one of the choices – Donna Bazyk – informed Superintendent Lauren Fierman that she had taken another job. Fierman told The […]
News Analysis: Did GM follow the ‘Rules’ in mascot vote?
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the confusion that followed the end of last week’s Green Mountain Unified School District meeting, Vice Chair Adrienne Williams asked how Robert’s Rules of Order would handle the complicated situation that had just unfolded. See Friday’s article: GM votes to keep Chieftain … At that moment, […]
Residents, dogs escape house fire in Springfield
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two residents and two dogs escaped a house fire at 39 Chester Road in Springfield this afternoon. A third resident who was working nearby only realized what was happening when police cars rushed down his driveway. Just before 1:30 p.m., the Springfield Fire Department was called to […]
GM board votes to keep Chieftain; Fierman, 3 members resign Board member cites confusing motion, spotty internet in vote that upheld name
By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The divisive issue of using the Chieftain name by Green Mountain High School came to a head at last night’s school district board meeting and, by the time it was over, the board in effect voted to keep the “Chieftains” name and three of its […]
GM board offers Bellows Falls principal contract
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a public forum and an interview with two candidates on Monday night, the Green Mountain Unified School District board voted to offer Bellows Falls Union High Principal John Broadley the principal post at Green Mountain High when Keith Hill steps down at the end of June. […]
Pajala to sit on House impeachment inquiry panel
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC State Rep. Kelly Pajala of Londonderry is one of seven House members who were appointed to a special committee concerning the impeachment inquiry to “investigate the conduct and potential wrongdoing of Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore and State’s Attorney John Lavoie, according to a press release from […]
Tractor trailer rollover shuts down Rt.11 for nearly 12 hours
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC For nearly 12 hours on Thursday, Route 11 at Elm Street in Chester was closed as emergency crews worked to recover a tractor trailer that rolled over while exiting Gold River Industrial Park. According to a Chester Police press release, Howard Hubert Jardine, 58, of Arlington Mass. […]
Chester Select Board suggests alterations to zoning proposals
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Wednesday, May 3 meeting, the Chester Select Board held a hearing to review a set of amendments to the town’s zoning regulations known as Unified Development Bylaws. And while they thanked the Planning Commission for its work, in the end they sent the amendments back […]
Chester board hears legal processes to address Julian quarry violations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a memorandum to the Chester Select Board, municipal attorney Jim Carroll characterized the process for enforcing violations of land use rules under the town’s Unified Development Bylaws as “often-lengthy” and “expensive.” The memo was reviewed by the board in executive session on Wednesday, May 3 and […]
School restructuring panel begins discussing ‘right-sizing’ of Cavendish, Chester-Andover elementaries
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a struggle in which the Cavendish members of the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District lobbied for more representation on the new school restructuring committee because the results would impact their elementary school the most, the first meeting of the committee as originally proposed […]
