With rituals completed, fifteen Rotarians and three guests sat down to chicken, broccoli, rice, salad and cookies. Caroline was first up with two Happy Dollars: happy to have John Pandolfo here and for the food collection effort during voting on Town Meeting Day. John P. was next with a Happy Dollar for his experience in Rotary and a Sad Dollar that he will no longer be the grill cleaner at the Barre Rotary Breakfast. Tony gave a Happy Dollar and kudos to John for his service to the Barre City Schools. He also introduced Lindsay Lozier, representing Community National Bank’s corporate membership. I gave a Happy Dollar for being back after two months in the Bahamas and told of finding a blue hole with surrounding rails sponsored by the Eleuthera Rotary Club. Tony then proposed a fine of one-and-nine on me for not attending a Rotary meeting while I was in the Bahamas. Fine passed without a defense. Elizabeth passed around cards for us to sign for Billy Rossi (Diane sent this message to Elizabeth: We just opened the card with the socks. What a surprise!   I didn’t know such a thing existed! We need to get them labeled and will then send a picture....   Thanks! Diane )  and George Milne (Undergoing eye surgery on Tuesday.) President Eddie introduced Sandy Craige and John McCardle of the Central Vermont Pioneers Inc., an adaptive sled hockey team. They are selling raffle tickets for guessing the date and time when a shanty will go through the ice on a small pond on Barre Street. Several Rotarians took their chances and bought tickets.

 

Lest We Forget: From The Bulletin March 5, 1926

 

1789: Government under the U.S. Constitution begins.

1861: Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated. 

Superintendent of the Year

Paul Malone, Chair of the Barre Unified School District School Board, introduced John Pandolfo who is leaving to take a position as a superintendent in Colorado.  The focus of John’s presentation was the Superintendent of the Year Award, both state and national. He spoke of his experience in San Diego where the winner of the national award was announced at a conference. State winners are automatically entered in the national award contest. On stage he sat next to one superintendent whose district included 60,000 students. He said he met great people with a variety of knowledge and experience. He also provided some history of the Vermont Superintendent of the Year Award. Following are a few of the slides he presented.

The AASA National Superintendent of the Year® program, sponsored by First Student, AIG Retirement Services and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation’s public schools.The recipient of the award becomes Vermont’s nominee for AASA’s annual Superintendent of the Year nomination.  In addition to the recognition of his/her peers, the Frederick H. Tuttle Service Award recipient receives a stipend equal to AASA National Conference registration cost and airfare to the conference city.  The recipient will also have his/her name mounted on a plaque at the VSA office.

Frederick H. Tuttle began his education career in 1959, when, as a recent graduate of Middlebury College, he taught language arts at Lyman C. Hunt Junior High School.  After four years as a teacher, he became the school’s assistant principal and later served the same role at Burlington High School. In 1970, Mr. Tuttle became the Assistant Superintendent for the South Burlington School District.  He was appointed Superintendent one year later, a position he held for more than 20 years. Mr. Tuttle died after a heroic battle with cancer on June 7, 1992. The City of South Burlington renamed its middle school the Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School in his honor.

The NSOY® is selected from those who win their state awards for Superintendent of the Year and announced at the National Conference on Education, which takes place in February.John provided a colorful commentary of the national event and his positive, but challenging experience here in Barre as Superintendent. He will be remembered and missed as a valued member of the community and as a fellow Rotarian. With a warm round of applause, we wished him well in his future endeavors.

Until next time...that's all folks!