BURKE, Vt. (AP) - A Burke School project has given students and the greater community a chance to learn more about their town and themselves.
More than two dozen residents of the town have been interviewed by 8th graders for a journalism assignment. The students also made linoleum block prints of their chosen subjects in the project called Humans of Burke.
The written works as well as portraits will be debuted in a public showing that opens Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Cafe’ Lotti in East Burke Village.
A total of 26 profiles and portraits will be on display for the student show, said middle school language arts teacher Morgan Moore.
The project-based unit saw 26 8th graders work on the assignment in their language arts, humanities and art classes at the Burke Town School.
Aiden Bogie, 14, interviewed his dad, Eric, a physical fitness teacher at the Barnet School.
He said he always knew his dad did important work and was committed to the community, but sitting down with him and really interviewing him, finding out more about his dad as a boy, helped him to see a long view of his father’s character and qualities.
“It’s important to him, what he does for the community,” said Aiden, whose father teaches physical education at the Barnet School and recently earned a prestigious statewide award - the 2017 Physical Education Teacher of The Year for all of Vermont.
Of his dad’s recent statewide honor for his teaching, Aiden said, “I’m very proud of him.”
This excerpt comes from Aiden’s piece about his dad:
During the summer Eric Bogie can most often be seen in the hay fields of Ryegate and Danville area. The hot July sun beating down on him, his wife and two kids as they heave the fifty pound bales up onto a large trailer to bring home to their horses, cows and goats. The stench of sweat lingers in the air as the kids heave bales up to their father who stacks them perfectly so they don’t fall off the trailer when they drive home.
As a child Eric Bogie would get of the bus from school, do whatever chores he had at the farm or the house and then would hop on his bike and ride the five to six mile hilly road to his friends house to play football. At dusk he would hop back on his bike and ride back home to eat dinner. Doing things like biking long exhausting distances, haying and farm chores day after day daily helped Eric become the fit and healthy person he is today.
When Eric was asked why he thought it was important to stay fit he said, “Because you’re only given one body for your entire life so it only makes sense that you take care of it. It’s not like a Car or Bike you can’t trade it in for a newer model.”
Avery Tomczyk, 14, interviewed her father, Pete Tomczyk.
“I decided to interview him because he does a lot for the community,” said Avery. Her dad is a registered nurse at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, and her family owns and operates the Village Sport Shop in Lyndonville, which has a satellite bike shop and pub on Darling Hill Road frequented by Kingdom Trails riders.
Avery said her dad often volunteers to help with rescues out on the trails.
Pete Tomczyk also is on the ski patrol at Burke Mountain and at the Lyndon Outing Club, helping people, said Avery.
“He does a lot more for the town than I knew,” said Avery of what she learned by interviewing her dad.
Here is an excerpt from Avery Tomczyk’s profile of her father, Pete “Chief” Tomczyk:
He was relaxed. Sitting on the couch watching the game. It was six o’clock and after a long day of work, Pete Tomczyk deserved this. That’s when he got the call: “A groomer flipped on the Mountain.” He bolted to the door as fast as a freight train at full speed. Grabbed his skis, patrol jacket, pants, and ran out to his truck. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t his day to work. It didn’t matter that it was after hours. What mattered was that someone was hurt and he was the first response.
He loves the community and he emphasizes how everyone is helping each other out. This very much describes him: always doing things for others.
Brittany Webber, 14, wrote about a teacher at the Burke Town School who likewise gives her all to the town of Burke: Tracie Surridge.
“She does a lot for the community,” said Brittany about her choice for the project.
Brittany was in Mrs. Surridge’s class in the fourth grade.
Here is an excerpt from Brittany’s writing about Tracie Surridge:
Have you ever felt safe because of just one smile, laugh, or just a look? Well this is how Tracie Surridge has made many students, club members, and others feel. She is that type of person who you know cares. Surridge is a committed mother, wife, teacher, and leader of a group called Modern Woodmen of America (MWA).
Every month at least, her group goes out to their community and helps their community on someway. They have helped at nursing homes and played games with elderly to get prizes for the holidays and just for everyday items. They also have cleaned trash and cans off of roads for Green Up days.
Firstly, Surridge’s most memorable moment that her group has done was to make trails at Burke Town School. They spent days working towards cleaning up, to make the trails. They had around 230 people working with chain saws and bush cutters to make the trails and in result she not only got excited students ready to go through trails but Tracie received a national award in 2007.
We can all do a little good for our community. Even if it’s picking up one piece of trash to throw away every day. Then we can begin to clean up our town, counties, states, countries, and hopefully we can make our whole world greener. But we can’t forget who inspired us to do so, a caring loving and committed individual, Tracie Surridge.
Arya Degeorge, 13, also interviewed a teacher at the Burke Town School, Desiree Hertz.
“She’s a really good community member, and always helps out,” said Arya of Mrs. Hertz, who she said, “is one of my favorite teachers.”
Below is an excerpt from Arya’s profile:
Des Hertz is an intriguing person, She teaches, works with the community, and is and outdoor adventurous. She originally did not plan on teaching at first, but now that she is teaching she loves seeing her successful students out in the world and she loves working with kids. She works at Burke Town School as a Literacy Teacher For grades, K-8. She teaches them how to write. When she was a child she had always wanted to be a writer, actress, park ranger, and an astronaut.
One great thing about Mrs. Hertz is she is not just involved with school activities, but that she works with outdoor activities, with the afterschool program and involves students with things they love if they need help outside of school.
Des Hertz is involved in the community and helps it too. She is (chair of) One Burke, a group committed to helping the community so she will be involved in Burke’s decisions for years as long as she is involved in One Burke. Des Hertz is an inspiration, she is always willing to help her students, she goes on trips with them and she volunteers in the community.
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Online: http://bit.ly/2FO0Ttd
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Information from: The Caledonian-Record, http://www.caledonianrecord.com
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