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Machining Advisory Board Meeting April 29, 2024 Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

Rich Thompson started at 3:00 with a meet and greet. Then went into what we are teaching in Man 1 and 2. Showed students projects and pics of projects that were made in the Welding/Fab shop and the Machine shop. We also discussed that we will be teaching Solidworks next year to some of our Manufacturing 2 students. They will be eligible after completing the class to test so they can earn a certification. It was also discussed that the plan was to have the manufacturing 2 students that are interested in a pathway of welding to earn credentials in welding.Kurt asked what are the details of the certification that we wish to achieve. Rich said this is something we are working towards and do not have all the details currently. He did say that his hope was to work with a company like AirGas to get a certification program started for next year.

Singer/songwriter John Gorka Returns to Next Stage on June 2nd

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriter John Gorka at Next Stage on Sunday, June 2 at 7:00 pm.

Rising from a milieu of lovelorn singer-songwriters, John Gorka illuminates instead with his trademark wordplay, twisting, turning, and tying words and phrases in the way a balloon artist creates complex creatures from simple balloons. Few contemporary songwriters coax language as deftly as Gorka.

For over two decades, Gorka’s keen ear has picked up the stories of those along his path, folding them into poetry and song. His keen perceptiveness inspires people from all over the world to share their stories. By involving those tales in his music, he escapes the trap of introspection that hobbles less-gifted singer-songwriters.

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Presents Contemporary Klezmer/rock Ensemble Midwood on June 1st

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents contemporary klezmer/rock ensemble Midwood, on Saturday, June 1 at 6:00 pm at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Road, in Putney.

“Midwood is a who’s who of klezmer, jazz, and world music. Richie Barshay, the drummer, has played with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. The violinist, Jake Shulman-Ment, is one of the most sought after Klezmer and traditional violinists in the world,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We’re bringing some of the old world to Putney for a Klezmer dance party with Midwood. This one will be history in the making.”

Led by violinist Jake Shulman-Ment, Midwood is a contemporary klezmer/rock celebration of freedom and the Jewish tradition of wandering and migration. This new supergroup, featuring some of the most exciting young performers on the international world music stage, seamlessly traverses borders through original compositions, expansive improvisations on traditional melodies, and heart-wrenching re-imaginings of Yiddish folk songs. Their debut album on Chant Records, Out of the Narrows (2018) draws from deep Eastern European Jewish roots to explore the power of love, movement, and wilderness to transform the human mind and heart.

Books As Greenery

by AnneODyne | Books

If you’re a reader, fond of acquiring books, and have ever moved, you know there’s a day of reckoning when the sheer mass of paper harkens back to its original arboreal form. There’s also the curious phenomena where the sight of the cover, or even the pages themselves, trigger a corresponding site in the brain, bringing back some of the content and memories of reading, circumstances and experience. Books are not just objects, they can become part of our identity. But these are considerations for another time.

The bulk and burden of books may or may not be a vanishing element in our lives, as digital media proliferates, and reading actual volumes wanes as an entertainment or information source. It seems to me fitting that the packed box or carton of books has so much heft. Books ARE heavy in more ways than one. There’s no way around it. Having recently moved sparked an intensive bout of assessment. Are all books keepers indefinitely? Are they really toss-able? Or, heaven forbid, burnable, as an act of lightening and transformation rather than censorship and intimidation? It’s beneficial to recall; All is transitory in this world.

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Presents Dominican Jazz Guitarist Yasser Tejeda, on May 25

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents Dominican jazz guitarist Yasser Tejeda, on Saturday, May 25 at 6:00 pm at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Road, in Putney.

“This Bandwagon Series, we’re excited to have a lot more Latin-influenced artists like Yasser Tajeda,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Yasser was one of the headliners at this years’ GlobalFest at Lincoln Center, and when I saw his virtuosity on the guitar, his expression, and the joy he brought to the music of the Dominican Republic, I knew he’d be a great fit for our programming.”

Yasser Tejeda is an award-winning Dominican composer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer. According to Billboard, Yasser is giving traditional folkloric music a new spin with jazz, rock, and Caribbean rhythms in “a frenzied celebration of ancestral union.” At the same time, Juan Luis Guerra, the most influential Dominican artist in the world, praised his mission, calling it a “marvelous example of what’s happening with Dominican music.” Yasser hopes to incite an awakening while inspiring new generations to explore, promote and uplift their roots.

Tejeda has released three commercial albums, La Madrugá (2023), Kijombo (2019), and Mezclansa (2009), with his group Palotré, while also surprising his followers with an acoustic EP called Interior in 2021. Mezclansa was dubbed one of the “100 essential recordings of Dominican music” by the Dominican National Association of Art Writers (Acroarte). His second album Kijombo received six awards from Dominican Republic’s Premios Indie, including Best Album. La Madrugá, which is Tejeda’s latest offering, features his latest collaboration with Vicente García, “En El Naranjo”, as well as the singles “Tu Ere’ Bonita” and “Todo Va a Marchar”.

A Bit More About the Next Guilford Play

by DonInGuilford | Arts

People have been asking Guilford Center Stage about our upcoming play, as both the playwright and the play will be new to our audience.

We were chatting with a high school teacher, Marc Considine, way up in Hardwick, Vermont, about Charles Henry, who painted the four theater curtains at Broad Brook Community Center, and also some at Hardwick Town House. He coaches a very ambitious after-school drama club at Hazen Union High School, and had produced the Charles Henry play, “A Battle of Wits”, which we also staged in 2016.

He mentioned that he had written scripts for his students, and we asked him to send us one his kids had performed at a regional high school drama festival, and that’s the play we’re performing.

“Love Lost Diaries” will have three performances at Broad Brook Community Center: Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday May 5 at 2:00 pm. One of the lead actors in that 2016 play, who has appeared in almost all our productions, Julie Holland, is directing this show.

Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Opens May 18th with Mehrnam Rastegari & Habbina Habbina

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series opens its season with Persian musician Mehrnam Rastegari and Mediterranean surf trio Habbina Habbina, on Saturday, May 18 at 6:00 pm at The Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Road, in Putney.

“When we kick off the Bandwagon Series, we are looking for an artist that delivers on our Bandwagon promise of diversity, virtuosity, and creativity,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Mehrnam is a rising star in the New York City World Music scene. The pairing of Mehrnam and Habbina Habbina brings joy, dancing, and a unique sonic experience. People should come prepared to dance!”

WSESD Board Meeting Minutes – April 9, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary

● Motion was made to find local venues that are cost effective for the Board & Admin Retreat in June in advance of the new school year.

● Four new hires for FY25 were approved.

● Two resignations were accepted.

● The Board approved the Warrants and Payroll presented.

● Policies F22, G1 AND H2 were re-adopted.

● The Board entered Executive Session involving the discipline of students.

Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes – April 10, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

Two 6th grade students from Academy School, Luca Mnookin and Elsa Anders, presented their research project looking at the lack of access to gender-neutral bathrooms at school. Academy School has only one gender-neutral bathroom that is accessible to anyone, and it is in the upper-grade wing, so not available to K-2 students. Some—but not all—classrooms have their own gender-neutral bathroom. The students presented an assessment of why it matters, including transgender students’ fear of harassment in gendered bathrooms. Their research involved surveys at Academy School and Putney Central School, and with their results, they advocated for private, all-gender bathrooms throughout the district.

Anna Patton on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Arts

An accomplished musician, Anna Patton loves to improvise and experiment in composing, performance, and teaching. She explores sound and harmony in creative, innovative ways. Anna shares stories of a life filled with music, and her performances and connections with the Vermont Jazz Center, the Julian Gerstin Sextet, the Soubrettes, Elixir, and contradancing.

Hanneke Cassel Band featuring Keith Murphy and Jenna Moynihan, plus Yann Falquet to Perform at Next Stage in May

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present Hanneke Cassel Band featuring Keith Murphy and Jenna Moynihan, plus Yann Falquet, at Next Stage on Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 pm.

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations. She has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”

The Hanneke Cassel Band features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle/vocals and Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best in the new generation of fiddle players. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is in no way bound by it. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenna performs as part of a duo with cutting edge harpist Mairi Chaimbeul and is the regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project. Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy began absorbing his native musical languages – folk songs, ballads and dance music – from an early age. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, he has long applied considerable energy to the rhythmic side of music, becoming a valued band member and highly sought-after sideman on guitar, mandolin and foot percussion.

Singer/Songwriter Carsie Blanton Returns to Next Stage Arts in May

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton, at Next Stage on Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 pm.

Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Inspired by artist-activists including Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her catalog careens through American popular song from folk and swing to pop-punk protest anthems.