By Guy Page

The 56-year-old Sunderland Elementary School in Bennington County will close its doors later this month, the Manchester Journal news story reported by the Journal-Opinion. The K-6 school will close as part of a district-wide consolidation. 

Elementary school students will move to Dorset while middle school students will go to Manchester. 

Community members gathered for a special celebration on Saturday, May 30 ahead of the final graduation on June 15. 

“What to do with the building and the property is now a question the Sunderland Select Board will be grappling with for the next month,” reports the Manchester Journal. “The school district has made an offer to sell the building and the roughly 9 acres of property it sits on to the town for $1, but with the provision that if the town sells it to another buyer within five years after the sale to the town, it will also have to pay the school district for the approximately $31,000 in capital improvements the school district has made to the building since 2017.”

The town board has formed an advisory group, made a plan for a public hearing, and will make a decision before a deadline at the end of the month. 

Kurt Wright returns to AM talk radio – As posted on his Facebook page, longtime legislator and WVMT talk radio host has returned to the microphone at WVMT. 

“I AM EXCITED TO COME OUT OF RETIREMENT and be back hosting The Morning Drive again with Anthony!,” Wright wrote. “I always loved doing the show and definitely missed it. Now, with Rich Haskell taking over a lot of the Scheduling of guests (I’ll still do some) I won’t have to commit quite as much time to it.  

Former Senator Bray earns Masters Degree in Energy Law – Former Addison County Sen. Chris Bray has earned a Masters Degree in Energy Law from Vermont Law & Graduate School. 

He writes on his social media: “As a senator and Chair of the Vermont Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy I saw just how crucial and challenging it is to understand the complexities of our energy system, including its laws and their many connections to politics, economics, climate science, and community. At VLGS I got to dig into all this and more to develop an even better mental tool kit for building an affordable pathway to clean energy. 

“I am particularly grateful to Professor Michael Dworkin, who got me started in the program, and Professor Ross Jones, who helped me complete it with an in-depth look at carbon pricing.” 

Speaking of graduation – Vermont State University graduated 188 this month from its Level IV registered apprenticeship programs, which the university offers in partnership with the Vermont Department of Labor. Of that total, 133 electricians and 55 plumbers, representing 115 employer sponsors, were recognized at the graduation for having completed all four offered levels of training in their respective trade. 

Since 1999, Vermont State University (and its predecessor, Vermont Technical College) has partnered with the Vermont Department of Labor to manage the instructional component of the Registered Electrical & Plumbing Apprenticeship programs. 

Apprentices are required to complete 144 hours of classroom instruction during each of the four years of the apprenticeship for 576 total classroom hours. During this time, apprentices work on-the-job under a master electrician or plumber to obtain the required 8,000 on-the-job hours required to sit for the Vermont Journeyman’s Licensure Exam.

The graduation ceremony, held at VTSU’s Randolph campus, recognized those students who have completed all four years of the program. 89% of this year’s graduating class are Vermont residents, with the remaining 11% hailing from neighboring New Hampshire and New York. 

Civics Bee today in Stowe – On Monday, June 8, The Vermont Chamber of Commerce will host a 2026 National Civics Bee State Finals Competition aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Middle school students from across Vermont will demonstrate their civics knowledge, discuss how they would solve a problem facing their community, compete for cash prizes, and the opportunity to move on to the National Championships on June 8th in Stowe.

More information about the event can be found here: Civics Bee Vermont Finals