Landscape architecture is alive and well in Vermont and a recent round of awards gives the public a glimpse of the very best.
Also noteworthy: some of the state s most talented practitioners export their ideas around the country, and even overseas.
This month, the Vermont Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects honored some of the most charming, ambitious and useful examples of work by Vermonters executed in the past two years.
The winning designs range from the restoration of vast swaths of parkland in New York (the renewal of Jackson Park, by Charlotte-based Heritage Landscapes) to the taming of a quiet corner of a Panton residence with stone staircases (Burlington-based Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture.
The Montpelier Bridge
Oregon Department of Transportation Engineers In School/Creative Commons
Not long ago, if you asked an eight year old what engineers do, you’d probably get a quick answer, “They drive the trains!” This story makes eight-year-old Silas O’Neil smile.
“Engineers solve problems,” he says, “They fix things. They figure things out and they build new things. Engineers can drive trains, but there are all kinds of engineers, like. . . electrical engineers.”
Silas’ teacher is Nancy Mears, who teaches second grade at Montpelier’s Union Elementary School. She’s also a former architect who says, “I love teaching engineering because it feels real and can incorporate many math and literacy skills, such as graphing, information writing, and the understanding of nonfiction texts.” Although Mears may be uniquely suited to this study, engineering is a part of the curriculum for all Vermont students from kindergarten on.
The Montpelier Bridge
Union Elementary School. Photo by Carla Occaso
Ask any student at Montpelier’s Union Elementary School who Mrs. Kane is and they may answer, “She’s one of the specials.” At UES, the “special teachers” (officially the Interactive Arts Team) are those who teach P.E., music, library, or, in Kristina Kane’s case, art. In this year of COVID, they are partnering with classroom teachers to teach academic subjects in person using the pod model. In addition, these teachers create their own virtual lessons for all UES students.
Not every family can afford to buy art supplies, so Kane began by boxing up art supplies. “Equity is important,” she says, “So I sent home sets of colored pencils, crayons, and pastels to everyone.” Then she began to plan for the 2020–2021 school year. “Teaching virtually is challenging, but it gives you an opportunity to do something new, something fresh.”
Virtual pinning ceremony for nursing students, Admissions Office information session among events
Connection sessions for students past and future, a pinning for Accelerated Bachelor of Science nursing students and the arrival of the Norwich Record alumni magazine’s WInter 2021 issue stud the calendar for the last full week of the Norwich University’s fall semester.
First, for the future. From 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Admissions Office will hold an Introduction to Norwich webinar. Staff will answer questions about academics, scholarships, financial aid and student life, both for members of the Corps of Cadets and civilian students.
Admissions Director Steven Wolf, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, has said these sessions seek to answer the “Why Norwich?” question for prospective students and their parents.