Town Column : Chilmark
By Jacqueline Sexton
Published: November 6, 2008
By the time this column comes out on Thursday, the election will be history and the new president will take over the Oval Office in January and try to make good on at least some of his campaign promises. We hope he will be able to lead the country in a productive, sensible direction. Whoever he is, we don't envy his gigantic task and we wish him well.
Now that the last shred of summer, daylight saving time, is over, we are officially embarked on our off-season rhythms - artistic endeavors, volunteer jobs, travel plans to visit other islands, or making a lot of apple pies for the freezer.
Volunteers at the school and the church are already at work. Ethel Sherman has put aside the jam pots for the time being and is back at the school for another year of helping students learn to read. And Ann Deitrich will also return for another year as a reading teacher. In the October issue of the Bell Tower, the school newsletter, principal Diane Gandy thanks all the Windemere volunteers. They are Nancy Leport, Kim Klaren, Travis Thurber, Craig Keefe, and Anne Mayhew. Everyone in the school gives Roberta Morgan a big hug for the scrumptious donut holes she takes to them every Halloween. And thanks to Kelly McCarthy for the breakfast goodies. That's a lot of volunteers.
Ms. Gandy reports that the entire school, teachers and students, participated in the Bay State Fitness Challenge, a 45-minute hike for cardiovascular health awareness. The school is therefore in the running for a $500 prize for gym and movement equipment, to the delight of gym teacher Ms. Capra.
Kristin Maloney, assistant librarian, has invited all parents of school children to an open house at the library on November 19 at 5:30 pm so they can see new titles and programs the library has for their children.
School superintendent Dr. Weiss was a guest at the last PTO meeting. He will also be the guest of honor at the School Advisory Committee meeting later this month.
The church is off to a busy season with the popular soup suppers - homemade soup, salad, bread, and dessert - from 5 to 6 pm on Tuesdays. If you can volunteer or bring a dish, please call Ann Deitrich at 508-645-9506, or Pam Goff at 645-9471.
Welcome to our new church pianist, Cliff Earle. He has an MFA in music and an MA in physics. He is a technology consultant at his company Vineyard PC.
The Rev. Vicky Hanjian and the Rev. Armen Hanjian will depart this weekend on a trip to Israel with the Rabbis for Human Rights/North America. While there, they will talk with members of Madison Watch, a group of Israeli women who have witnessed treatment of Palestinians at the checkpoints and they will also meet with Israeli soldiers who are committed to breaking the silence about human rights abuses. They plan a tour of the barrier wall and a visit to a refugee camp.
I don't know yet how many shopping days until Christmas, but Woodside Village residents urge us all to shop early and save money too at their bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 am to 2 pm at Woodside Village 11, which is directly across from the high school on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road. There will be a fine selection of new and used items, as well as handmade things and baked goods. Proceeds from the sale go to a student scholarship and for Island Elderly Housing needs. For more information, please call organizer Rita Reynolds at 508-693-3606.
As usual, it will take some getting used to, say, 9 am being an hour earlier than it has been. Every year when we return to Eastern Standard Time a couple of churchgoers show up for church only to find the congregation filing out and the services over. And pitch-blackness at 5 pm tends to mess up the dinner hour. We'll get accustomed to it.
Meanwhile, please make emailing or telephoning me with news of your comings and goings and celebrations and thoughts part of your winter routine. I will be eternally grateful.
The Saturday morning men's breakfast club was held last week at the old Whaling Church in Edgartown. For information on future locations or to suggest a program, call Pastor Richard Rego at 508-693-0589 or visit umc-mv.org.
For cantata singers, rehearsals will be held at the Chilmark church at 5 pm on November 9, 16, and 23.
