Ferrisburgh Selectboard Meeting. Dec 17, 6:30 p.m.
Breakfast with Santa. Dec. 7,  8:30-10 a.m., VUHS Cafeteria.
ANWSD Holiday Craft Fair Dec. 7, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., VUHS Gym.
Ferrisburgh Grange King Pede card parties. Dec. 7 and 21, 6:30 p.m.
Proficiency Based Learning discussion. Dec. 10, 6 p.m., VUHS Library.
Second Friday Movies Double Feature. Dec 13, 6-8 p.m., Bixby Memorial Library,  “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”FERRISBURGH — December brings holiday fun and also vacations for the community and our students. School events and vacation dates are listed at the schools’ websites: ferrisburghcentral.org and vuhs.org. The Vergennes community holiday events are listed at the Vergennes Downtown Partnership site at vergennesdowntown.org.
Enjoy all the various Holiday Stroll festivities in Vergennes on Saturday, Dec. 7. The first event of the day will be the traditional Breakfast with Santa, from 8-10:30 a.m., at the VUHS cafeteria. Santa makes his annual visit to the children (all children are welcome, whether naughty or nice.) Families can enjoy a scrumptious pancake breakfast prepared by the Vergennes students.
In addition, there will be a great Holiday Craft Fair from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the VUHS Gym — the public is invited to start early on holiday shopping with these wonderful crafts and products for sale. All proceeds from this event directly support the after-school programs across the Addison Northwest School District in helping to purchase supplies and other materials needed to run these quality educational programs. For more information on the craft fair, contact Tara Brooks at [email protected] or at 877-3761.
On Tuesday, Dec. 10, there will be an evening discussion for parents and the community entitled “Proficiency-Based Learning — Continuing the Conversation” from 6-8 p.m., at the VUHS Library. The presentation will feature Vermont Principals’ Association Assistant Executive Director, Mike McRaith. McRaith will discuss student-centered learning practices, including personalization, proficiency-based reporting and state-wide trends. Parents, students, educators and community members are welcome.
Ferrisburgh Central School continues to host its longstanding Open Gym for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. On Friday mornings from 9-10:30 a.m. families with infants and young children are welcome to come to the school and play in the school’s gym, and parents can enjoy a child’s version of a “workout.” These exercise sessions are particularly welcome as our long Vermont winter settles in and opportunities for play and exercise are needed for young children. For more information, contact Mary Neffinger [email protected].
The Ferrisburgh Grange “King Pede” card parties are scheduled for the Saturdays of Dec. 7 and 21. This social event is held at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall and Community Center and begin at 6:30 p.m. with a sandwich supper and then on to an evening of fun and card games. King Pede is an unusual game that involves “trick-taking” techniques such as in Hearts and Spades or Pitch. This is a game of fun and skill so all are welcome — but come prepared to use your strategic thinking.
The Commodore Parent/Teacher Group is inviting parents and the public to join in their efforts to support the learning environment at the Vergennes Union Middle and High Schools. This year the group has plans for special middle school events, staff appreciation, and specialized community dialogue nights. The Commodore PTG is working to expand their enrichment grant budget through a series of fundraisers that are designed to be fun while adding to their reserves. All are invited to the meetings that are generally on the fourth Monday of the month from 6:30-8 p.m. in the VUHS library. The PTG new email address is [email protected] and their Facebook is at facebook.com/commodoreparentteachergroup.
The VUHS Booster Club also welcomes parent and community support. The club is seeking a parent volunteer from each elementary school (Vergennes, Addison, and Ferrisburgh) to join the Boosters as a member-at-large. This will assist to bring in more parents with new ideas to create fundraising events and increase supports for the school sports. The Boosters meet the second Tuesday of each month from 7-8 p.m. For more information, contact Kirsten De La Cruz, Booster Club President, at [email protected].
In 2019, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has been exploring the life and work of Captain Jahaziel Sherman, (1770-1844) a Vergennes resident, early steamboat captain on Lake Champlain, and the general manager of the Lake Champlain Steamboat Company. Recently, a private collector in California offered to lend the museum two portraits of Jahaziel and his second wife, Harriet Daggett Sherman — the only known likenesses of the pair to survive. These portraits have become a key part of the museum’s collection.
Last summer, the LCMM’s staff developed two exhibits, “Jahaziel Sherman’s Steamboats” and “Steamboats of Lake Champlain,” for the Museum’s onsite visitors to highlight this important local history. However, the physical exhibits can only tell so much in their limited space and hours, so LCMM has developed an accompanying digital exhibit, “Jahaziel Sherman of Vergennes, Steamboat Pioneer,” available for free online at lcmm.org/digital-exhibits. This winter the museum staff will continue to expand this digital exhibit to further explore Jahaziel’s multi-faceted life through a series of blogs at lcmm.org/jahaziel-sherman-blog-intro. Visit both of these sites to learn of the amazing life and times of the Sherman family and also plan to view the exhibit in person when the museum re-opens in May, 2020. 
NOTE: We are always interested in including a variety of Ferrisburgh-related news in this column, so if you have news that would be of interest, contact Sally Kerschner at [email protected]. You are able to access these columns and other information about Ferrisburgh news and events by viewing the Ferrisburgh Town Website at ferrisburghvt.org.