DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS 6-13-2024
INSPIRATIONAL VISIT BY VERMONT CHILDRENS' BOOK AUTHOR - NATALIE KINSEY-WARNOCK
On Wednesday morning, June 12th, writer Natalie Kinsey-Warnock met with multiple learning communities in the library to talk about the stories she writes for children. Her stories are drawn partly from her personal experiences of living on farms in one of the most sparsely populated and rural areas of the state - the North East Kingdom. The animals she rescued, the natural beauty of that region and the abundant wildlife there show up in her writing. This Wednesday she focused on the remarkable life-experiences of members of her family going back generations. Her family roots began in Scotland and her ancestors came to Vermont roughly 200 years ago.
The students and staff loved seeing pictures of her farm, the huge numbers of dogs, cats and horses she has rescued from sad living situations, and some incredible examples of hand-sown quilts her grandmother completed in the twilight years of her life. Natalie also told several compelling stories that are either printed in her books or gradually moving to the writing and printing stage. The story she told that made the strongest impression on the audience was about one of her relatives who survived a prison camp in civil war and our country's worst boat accident. A steam ship he was traveling home on with other former prisoners blew up killing 2000 people. He was one of 300 wounded survivors. Obviously this tragic story was shared with only older students. Ultimately, she wanted the audience to know that all of us have family members with interesting stories that are worth recording.
Natalie's ability to inspire people and make a living by writing about her family stories, animals and the natural beauty of Vermont hit home. Her visit to SACS came through a grant by the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF). As students left her talk they were able to select two free books to take home with them to read.
PANCAKE PRINTER
FLAG RETIREMENT CEREMONY
June 14th, 10:00 am
Mt. Calvary Cemetery
Team USA in conjunction with the VFW and American Legion will be co-hosting a flag retirement ceremony. We have numerous boxes of old flags that have been prepared by students for a proper retirement. This is a solemn and dignified event. Ceremonies to retire a flag can differ from each other. The short ceremony will include a few words shared by the veterans, pledge of allegiance, taps, and an honor guard with a three rifle volley. The rifles will be fired as a part of the ceremony. There will be a fire onsite to dispose of the flags. The ashes will be buried the following day.
Example of a ceremony - https://youtu.be/tdHXR0PYCuY
Flags needing to be retired can be dropped off at Team USA.
THIS SUMMER, READ BOOKS TO WIN ACCESS AND PRIZES AT THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY FAIR
The Champlain Valley Fair has partnered with Libraries around the state to promote reading. St. Albans Free Library is one of those librarys. Students who read three books over the summer can qualify for a free 1-day pass to the fair, a coupon for a $5 ice cream, and a free book.
