A community is defined by it’s people, traditions, local government, and the shared spaces it holds dear. Concert halls, libraries, meeting houses, general stores, favorite restaurants, schools and parks are all the places where you can FEEL the community. What a community values most becomes evident through its allocation of time and money to create and maintain community resources.
We need to ensure that these very special characteristics of the five towns continue to thrive. One of the ways we can do that is to invest wisely in our future community members, our children. Our youth deserve an educational structure that matches their potential and reflects our values. We need a place that is utilized by all that live here, a gathering place, an expression of all we have to offer. Mount Abraham Union High School has the potential to be that place. The innovative teaching approaches through interdisciplinary teams, the many opportunities in technical and practical training, the flexible scheduling that occurs to ensure student athletes can also tap into their theatrical talents are all testaments to our community’s values.
It is time for our Five Town community to make the same commitment that our predecessors made in 1968. Fifty years ago the people of these towns decided that they wanted to build a union school that would show the commitment they had to excellence for their children. They created a building that was cutting edge at the time and spared no expense to include items like an indoor pool, a theater, and a planetarium. And while this building continues to serve the community well, it is in much need of updates and repair to bring it back to the state of the art building our predecessors envisioned and built. Now is our time.
Why invest in your local school? Schools are the lifeblood of the community. If we want young families to move here and businesses to choose our towns over others then we must create a place that is vibrant and robust with activities and opportunity. This is our chance to make the statement that we are proud of our past and determined to create a bright future for our five towns.
We have spent several years doing the assessments, hiring the professionals, hearing from the community. Your school board and district leadership have done an amazing job of tightening the belt and preparing for this moment. If you have questions about the project and what is in the proposal, please reach out and get accurate information. They have put together a financial situation that we really would be remiss to not take advantage of. It is often said that actions speak louder than words. We can no longer continue to say that we value education in this community and not act to renovate the Mount Abraham Union High School, our community resource. This project is the right choice at the right time.
Troy Paradee
Mt. Abe Renovation Committee, Bristol
Sarah Crum, Bristol