Attendees at Georgia Mountain Community Wind’s open house on Sunday, June 9 climb down from seeing Turbine 3′s control room. (Photo by Courtney Lamdin)

On an appropriately breezy Sunday, Georgia Mountain Community Wind’s turbines lazily whooshed in the wind, greeting more than 300 visitors to the project site for the company’s open house.

As Burlington Electric General Manager Barb Grimes put it, Mother Nature was to thank.

“She must really like this event and what we’re doing for a change,” Grimes told the assembled crowd.

The afternoon event served as the company’s official welcome to the communities of Milton and Georgia, where its four 2.5-megawatt turbines straddle a shared ridgeline.

Georgia Wind went online in December and, at full power, produces 8 percent of Burlington Electric’s energy needs, fueling one-third of those residents’ homes, said Ken Nolan, BED’s manager of power resources and a Milton resident.

Visitors shuttled up the mountain to enjoy the sunshine, free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and the views, both natural and man-made. Attendees of all ages pointed cameras skyward, trying to capture all three 164-foot blades in one frame.

“This is an opportunity to have folks see it and feel it and touch it and listen to it,” Project Manager Martha Staskus said. Indeed, a long line to see the inner control panel snaked across the pad side for Turbine 3, the one at highest elevation.

Neil Brandt and Greta Dupuis of Burlington sport VPIRG T-shirts at the event. Brandt works for the environmental advocate, which seeks to power a quarter of Vermont’s energy needs with wind by 2025. (Photo by Courtney Lamdin)

The fete was mostly celebratory, with few political remarks punctuating speeches.

Co-owner David Blittersdorf, founder of AllEarth Renewables, said six years was too long to build the project.

“When it takes longer to permit a project than to fight a world war, we have a real problem,” he said.

“Our modern society stops without energy,” he continued. “If we don’t do something, we’re committing our society to suicide.”

For Blittersdorf, that solution isn’t storage: There’s much talk of building a battery to store intermittent power output, but Blittersdorf says the 100-plus-year-old transmission system will change when renewable developers force it to.

Paul Burns, director of environmental advocate VPIRG, defended wind from common criticisms about curtailment, when grid operators shut down irregular producers, typically renewables, for the sake of a stable grid.

“They are fixing that problem already in the Northeast Kingdom,” he said.

VPIRG wants Vermont to be 25 percent wind-powered by 2025 with “a relatively small number of turbines,” Burns said. According to VPIRG calculations, that number is 126 3-megawatt towers, running at 33 percent capacity.

Blittersdorf is convinced the majority of Vermonters want ridgeline wind, despite voices of opposition that still ring from the mountaintop. One neighbor gave a thumbs down to a bus full of passengers headed up the hill.

But the majority of last Sunday’s guests were visibly impressed with the 400-plus-foot towers, which Blittersdorf estimated were running between 25 and 50 percent capacity.

Chris, Peter and Rita Lavallee of Milton all stopped by to see the sights. Chris, 23, a recent environmental studies graduate from St. Michael’s College, thinks Georgia Wind is a good contribution to the state’s renewable portfolio.

Lavallee now works with Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, and runs efficiency challenges for companies. He studied abroad in Europe, where he saw wind and solar fully integrated into the landscape – though not sited atop mountains.

Greg Bergeron of Milton points his phone skyward in an attempt to photograph the turbines’ 164-foot blades. (Photo by Courtney Lamdin)

“I don’t think they look too bad,” Lavallee said of Georgia’s turbines. “It’s just four little windmills; why not?”

North Road resident Cheryl Alwine marveled at the towers’ scope.

“The perspective of the turbines above the ridgeline just really shrinks the whole size of the mountain,” she said. “I can’t wrap my brain around it.”

Project founder and landowner Jim Harrison attended the event with his wife, Janet. They both spoke of how Georgia Wind was an adventure for their family and a dream come true.

“We’re just trying to make this a better place,” Jim Harrison said.

The commissioning ceremony closed with brief remarks from Milton Fire Chief Don Turner, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ staffer Harper Gay and Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith (D-Morrisville), who said the “community” part of Georgia Wind’s name was apt, given the event’s attendance.

Merchants Bank President and CEO Michael Tuttle wished Georgia Wind well.

“Let’s hope a fair wind continues to blow upon this community for many years to come,” he said.

View more photos from the open house by clicking below. All photos by Courtney Lamdin/Milton Independent unless otherwise noted.

A giant cake in the shape of 2-5-0 was served to the 300 guests at Milton’s 250th birthday party this Saturday, June 8 at Milton High School. Madeleine’s Bakery made the colossal confection for the special event. (Photo by Harjit Dhaliwal)

Hear ye, hear ye!”  John Lindsay’s voice rang out in the Milton High School auditorium last Saturday, June 8.

“Welcome to the reaffirming of the charter of the town of Milton on its 250th birthday!” Lindsay called, looking ducky in a tailcoat, green vest and top hat. The celebration, nine months in the making, was finally underway.

Nearly 300 Miltonians showed at the school on the drizzly day to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Milton’s charter signing. Lindsay played Gov. Benning Wentworth, who sold off a portion of his native New Hampshire that became Milton on June 8, 1763.

The re-enactment, featuring Selectboard members and a few actors in period costume, capped the morning of events. To the crowd’s delight, Milton historian Jim Ballard played King George III, who granted the land transfer from Britain with a feathered pen.

Lindsay-as-Benning reflected that present-day Milton met the charter’s terms and granted the reaffirmation with a rendition of “Happy Birthday to Us” and three cheers of “hip hip hurrah!”

“Go forth and enjoy our glorious town!” Lindsay proclaimed. And the people did, stopping first at the cafeteria for a 250-shaped cake and Arrowhead Delight, the Island Ice Cream special edition flavor.

The day showcased how many community groups celebrated Milton’s milestone year. Milton’s Post Office was present with its special 250th birthday postmark, and Ballard brought a trifold poster plastered with photos of Milton residents, past and present. Each was numbered, and people challenged to place names with familiar faces.

Also on display was a replica of an incubator, designed by Luman Holcombe, a town doctor active in the turn of the century. He was famous for saving the “miracle baby,” born 100 days early on a minus 20-degree night. The girl grew to be a healthy mother herself.

Karlo Salminen as Dr. Luman Holcombe greets Kristiaan Finstad during charter day at Milton High School on Saturday, June 8. (Photo by Courtney Lamdin)

The doctor came to life on Saturday, thanks to Karlo Salminen’s portrayal. The 66-year-old Milton resident shaved his goatee to a mustache and donned a tan suit and bowtie, never breaking character in the two hours up to the re-enactment.

“Some get confused, and others just fall right into it when they pull out a cell phone, and I say, ‘What’s that?’” Salminen said.

Salminen researched the good doctor at the Milton Historical Society Museum prior to the charter day. In doing so, he discovered the miracle baby moved from Milton to the same southwestern New York town as a college roommate of his wife, Carolyn.

“I haven’t pursued that yet, but it’s really neat,” Salminen said.

Darcy Bessette’s Girl Scouts also created a connection with history that will last beyond June 8. Troop 30233 researched the 36 American towns called Milton, and one Troop leader in Wisconsin asked if the Vermont girls would be pen pals.

“I’m sure they’ll talk about how it’s different living there than here,” Bessette said.

The Milton, Mich. Selectboard sent a signed resolution honoring the Milton, Vt. 250th birthday, which Bessette hopes to frame and display in the municipal building.

The day was also marked with speeches, all on the theme of service.

Vermont House Minority Leader Don Turner, also fire and rescue chief and a local businessman, spoke of the importance of volunteerism, something he learned growing up in Milton and that many others embrace.

“For that, we all benefit,” Turner said. He urged people to get involved, starting that day: “If our community is going to continue to thrive in the future as it has in the past, we need your help.”

Selectboard Chairman Darren Adams traced Milton’s military past, starting with storied Civil War Gen. George Stannard, who famously broke a Confederate charge. Major Gen. Abner Doubleday remarked the feat “saved the day, and with it, the whole North from invasion and devastation.”

King George – also known as Milton historian Jim Ballard – accepts Milton’s new charter from a townsperson. (Photo by Courtney Lamdin)

“That was Milton men,” Adams said.

He also touched on Alton Lombard, an expert diver and father of four, who drowned in 1961 trying to save drowning victims. His body was never recovered.

“We supply the citizens who stand up and fight and never give up,” Adams said. This independence and stubbornness will carry Milton into another 250 years, he said.

Adams’ theme of “service before self” was a thread in Lindsay’s opening remarks, in which he thanked not just the obvious dignitaries but those who help a community function, from field liners to classroom teachers.

“Without any of these, our town becomes a smaller place,” Lindsay said.

The ceremony also recognized Celeste Parot, who designed the Milton 250 logo, and the winners of a historical writing contest. Town Manager Brian Palaia thanked all the organizations responsible for the day’s events and said his family is proud to live here. John Sonnick sang the national anthem.

Recreation Coordinator Kym Duchesneau, who logged countless hours planning the events, said Saturday nodded to Milton’s history, but the work isn’t over: The 250th Committee will throw a grand celebration on July 4, including the usual parade and chicken barbecue but also music, games, a hypnotist, tethered hot air balloon rides and the biggest fireworks display the town has ever seen.

“The next 250 years – what’s that going to bring?” she asked.

If Saturday’s events were any indication, a whole lot of fun. The town photo, which was postponed, will also be taken that day, time and place to be determined.

Milton police officers participate in the Special Olympics Torch Run on Friday, June 7. (Photo by Courtney Lamdin)

Milton police Officer Christopher Grenier, Detective Cpl.Paul Locke and Cpl. Scott Philbrook carry the Vermont Special Olympics Flame of Hope torch during the annual law enforcement run on Friday, June 7.

Milton cops got the torch from Franklin County law enforcement near the Georgia town line. They were chauffeured to Rene’s Discount Beverage in Milton and ran nearly 5 miles Gonyeau Road.

The run coincides with the Special Olympics summer season kick off and nods to the Special Olympics’ own Torch Run, during which athletes carry the torch to the opening ceremonies, also held June 7 at the University of Vermont.

S.D. Ireland crews work to fix up the shoulders of the newly-paved Westford Road in Milton, one of 12 town streets that will get a new overlay this spring. Other projects on the horizon include fixing deteriorating sewer lines and eventually, repaving roads affected by last summer’s town core sewer project. (Photo by Craig Plumb)

The orange traffic signs are out, heralding another spring of roadwork in Milton.

This year’s spring paving, which will add 4.5 miles of asphalt, began May 31and is nearly complete this week, Public Works Director Craig Plumb said.

“There’s a lot going on, but it’s not as straightforward as it was last year,” Plumb said, noting 2012’s town core sewer project. “We’re still very busy, but it’s definitely quieter from a traffic impact perspective.”

S.D. Ireland crews are out between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on 12 town roads, including Haydenberry Drive; Pinewood, Raspberry, Strawberry and Stewart lanes; Watkins, Petty Brook, Gonyeau, Beaver Brook, Middle and Westford roads and Shirley Avenue.

These had the lowest pavement condition index based on a Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission survey, Plumb said. The town has 100 miles of paved roads, and ideally, 10 percent would be repaved every year. FY13 paving represents 4.5 percent.

“We want to do as much as we can,” Plumb said. “Everybody has the opinion that their road needs to be done first. It’s not the wrong opinion.”

One area that has garnered some complaints is a section of West Milton Road near the Lamoille bridge, where culverts, buried six feet underground, have settled, creating a dip, Plumb said.

“We’ve gotta get out there and address it, we’ve just got to get the materials,” he said, noting recent flooding in nearby towns might slow parts’ delivery.

The culvert crosses the entire road and might require a full closure, likely after school ends so as not to interfere with bus travel, Plumb said.

Most of the work is funded with the town’s $275,000 paving program. An additional $151,000 in grants pays for one mile of Westford Road. The town paved half last year, up to Ted Road, because it was unknown how the Georgia Mountain Community Wind project’s heavy trucks would impact fresh pavement, Plumb said. The culvert project comes out of a stormwater line item.

Later this summer, the town will tackle sewer projects approved by voters this Town Meeting. The $240,000 bond from the state revolving loan program, repaid by ratepayers over 20 years, will fix deteriorating lines.

Two areas – Barnum Street at Moss End and Village Drive at River Street – will get new PVC pipe, requiring minimal excavation. Three spots will see point repairs using a robotic tool, requiring no digging. Other sections will get wholly new lining, a fiberglass-like material that reinforces like a stent, keeps groundwater out and gives the pipes 50 years more life.

“There’s nothing that says it won’t fail again, but the likelihood that it will in the foreseeable future becomes very small,” Plumb said.

The town expects bids to come back June 14, with the work complete before August.

Highway crews will also be out grating dirt roads and making other structural repairs as necessary.

Plumb also looks forward to the fall, when crews will overlay the streets impacted by last summer’s town core project.

Many travelers, including Selectboard Chairman Darren Adams, were disappointed in how uneven S.D. Ireland left Middle Road and Railroad Street after the lengthy construction. The bid award for the $3.5 million project didn’t include paving, but Plumb has since found some unspent bond dollars to cover part of the $100,000 cost.

The rest is helped by a $54,000 state grant for Class 2 roads, Plumb reported. The town will go out for bids in August.

Residents can keep up with roadwork via the town website, www.miltonvt.org, Twitter account @TownofMiltonVT or by calling the Public Works office at 893-6030.

Superintendent Ned Kirsch (third from right) introduces Dr. Eunhee Jung, executive director of IVECA, to parents and family members gathered in the Georgia school library for the live class presentation. (Photo by Jacqueline Cain)

Despite the setting sun on a Monday evening this month, fourth-grade classrooms at Georgia Elementary and Middle School were bustling with presentations, performances and projections.

The 7 p.m. timeslot was to allow three GEMS classes to align classtimes with another school – Charmsaem Elementary School in Sejong, South Korea. There, it was early Tuesday morning.

The live classes on June 3 culminated an eight-week program between the two schools, GEMS technology teacher Dayle Payne said. Through the non-profit International Virtual Exchange of Classroom Activities, or IVECA, GEMS kids studied with three Korean fifth-grade classes.

IVECA integrates with local curriculum, said Eunhee Jung, the organization’s founder and executive director.

For Vermont students, that meant researching some of the state’s major industries, including dairy and skiing. In turn, the Korean students informed their American peers about kimchi and ginseng, two edibles commonly included on local menus.

Over eight weeks, students posted information, photos and videos onto an interactive, online portal. Topics ranged from introductions about the students, their families and their culture; poetry and stories; facts about the students’ respective homelands; and the environment and life.

During the live class, conducted over Skype, students in Georgia and Sejong could see one another inside their respective classrooms. They gave true-or-false-style quizzes and entertained their peers with musical selections: American students sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” while the Korean kids sang a traditional folksong and danced to the pop hit, “Gangnam Style.”

“We tried not to make extra work,” said Ned Kirsch, superintendent of Franklin West Supervisory Union, who was instrumental in bringing IVECA to two of its schools this year. “We tried to find things that might be interesting to both groups of students.”

Kirsch first met Jung in 2011 through Kenneth Hood, Kirsch’s former advisor at the University of Vermont who also runs an education exchange program. Jung was working with Burlington High School and a school in Bhutan, and Hood directed her to FWSU when she expressed an interest working with a Vermont elementary school.

“He is so keen to understand the importance of this intercultural exchange activity,” Jung said of Kirsch.

IVECA worked in two fifth-grade classrooms at BFA-Fairfax and in Georgia this semester, and Kirsch took his own trip to Korea for an educational fellowship completely separate of IVECA. Making global connections for students is a central mission of the supervisory union and is included in its action plan, Kirsch said.

“It’s tremendously important that our students have the ability to communicate with other cultures. That’s the way the world works now,” he said. “There are lots of cultural differences that if you’re going to be working with people, you should understand.”

For example, two Chinese students lived with the Kirsch family last summer. He noticed the students were wary of picking up a sandwich or a slice of pizza during a meal.

A student from Charmsaem Elementary School in Sejong, South Korea introduces herself over Skype to the students in Stacey Sullivan’s fourth-grade class at Georgia Elementary and Middle School on Monday, June 3. (Photo by Jacqueline Cain)

“They were a little sketched out by that. They eat everything with chopsticks,” he said. “It’s cultural. [Americans] don’t eat pizza with a fork and knife; you use your hands.”

Jung demonstrated a different example. After her introduction to about 50 family members gathered in the GEMS library, separate from the live class, Jung bowed to dismiss herself. Then she laughed, and apologized. Bowing is a formal greeting for Asian people, while Americans prefer a handshake, she said.

Intercultural activities help students understand different cultural practices are not “weird,” Kirsch said.

Jung said communication is key to developing intercultural competence.

“Not from library books or stories. Learning from each other, teaching each other, is the best way to do [it],” she said.

The students in Georgia demonstrated global understanding after saying goodbye to their Korean friends Monday night, saying they’d like to try kimchi.

A student from Stacey Sullivan’s class noted the Korean kids were dressed like the Vermonters: “One had an Angry Birds shirt!” he said.

“I wanted to learn more about how they live, how different they live from us,” said one student in Heather Sikorsky’s class. Korean traditions are different, but their daily life is very similar, he added.

Another classmate was happy to meet the students with whom she’s corresponded for so many weeks.

“I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw their faces because it’s, like, amazing that you get to see people that are all the way across the world from you,” the student said.

The lessons were all conducted in English, and the American students said their Korean peers’ language skills surprised and impressed them the most.

Jung, who lives in New York City, trained FWSU staff over Skype but didn’t actually “meet” them until she traveled to Franklin County.

“I kind of felt like I had met them personally … That is the kind of effect we can get out of virtual technology,” she said.

That is exactly what Jung wanted to achieve with IVECA.

The students “feel like they met friends overseas. They really study together throughout the semester,” she said.

Training five FWSU teachers with IVECA cost about $1,500 from FWSU’s overall technology budget, Kirsch said. He hopes each school can budget for the program annually.

TICKETS
8 Speeding
2 Uninspected vehicles
1 Condition of vehicle
1 Driving on roadways laned for traffic
1 Driving with suspended license

ARRESTS
1 Driving with criminally suspended license

TOTAL CALLS
155

5/29, 10:43 a.m., Disorderly Conduct, McMullen Rd.
Cpl. Gordon LaFountain helped break up a verbal altercation between two males.

5/29, 3:21 p.m., Accident Property Damage, Clapper Rd.
Cpl. LaFountain responded to the area for a two-vehicle collision, no injuries, at the Clapper Road/Route 7 intersection. The driver of a vehicle, in an attempt to make room for a turning tractor trailer, backed up and into the vehicle behind him. The second vehicle sustained extensive damage. LaFountain didn’t ticket the offending driver.

5/29, 8:24 p.m., Domestic Disturbance, Streeter Brook Rd.
A female came to the police department to apply for a restraining order against her husband, whom she said sits in the house, drunk, all day. The man came to the police department to tell his side of the story. A court clerk did not grant her the order, so the woman said she’d proceed with divorce paperwork in the morning.

5/30, 9:58 a.m. Animal Problem, Route 7
Officer Ed Larente was dispatched to Route 7, in front of Subway, for a report of an injured turtle on a lawn. The animal was gone upon his arrival.

5/30, 1:32 p.m., Child in Need of Service, Hibbard Rd.
First Call emergency response came to the police department with a child, who didn’t feel comfortable going home. The case was referred to the Vermont State Police, as it was discovered the child lives in Franklin County.

5/30, 5:51 p.m., Drugs, Tennis Court
A caller found two cars, parked close together at the tennis courts, and suspected a drug deal. Officer Larente spoke to the operators, who turned out to be a husband and wife, talking.

5/30, 9:52 p.m., Suspicious, Donald Dr.
Officer Charles Brown did not locate a black Camaro, which was called in as suspicious after someone saw it parked on a walking trail.

5/31, 5:25 p.m., Suspicious, Lacasse Dr.
Officer Tom DuPont investigated a strange vehicle with New York plates parked at a property. Looking inside, he found materials suggesting the driver might be looking for petition signatures against genetically modified organisms. DuPont did not locate anyone canvassing the neighborhood.

5/31, 6:56 p.m., Vandalism, Route 7
The windows of a truck parked behind Building Home Center were smashed in. Officer Christopher Grenier is investigating. Call 893-6171 with any information.

6/1, 8:30 a.m., Simple Assault, Route 7
A town employee witnessed an assault in the Short Stop Mobil parking lot: A man was dragging a woman by her hair across the parking lot. The woman explained to Officer DuPont that she is a caseworker for an 18-year-old autistic man. She contacted her company, who sent another worker to take custody of the man. She sustained no injuries, and no charges were filed.

6/1, 8:18 p.m., Larceny from Building, Middle Rd.
A 14-year-old boy admitted to shoplifting a $4.50 bottle of cologne from Dollar General. Officer Frank Scalise didn’t file any charges, because the boy returned the item without incident.

6/3, Between 5:55 and 10:19 a.m., Larceny from Motor Vehicles, Doris Dr. and Birch Ln.
A .22 rifle, loose change and pill bottle were taken from several unlocked vehicles. Milton police are currently investigating more than 40 reports of car break-ins and suspect the same subjects, Detective Cpl. Paul Locke said. Call 893-6171 with any information.

6/3, 1:29 p.m., Illegal Dumping, Overlake Dr.
A man came to the police department to report ongoing property disputes with a local developer, who allegedly put 600-pound tubes in front of the man’s house. The developer told Officer Kendra Raymond he couldn’t start his project until the complainant removes his fence. Police involvement stopped since the issue is a civil matter.

6/3, 9:59 p.m., Suspicious, Route 7
A caller reported a woman was walking in the middle of Route 7, near Andrea Lane, but was gone upon Officer Brown’s arrival.

6/4, 4:02 p.m., Accident Property Damage, Bombardier Rd.
A woman backed her vehicle into another driver at a slow speed in the library parking lot. There was minor damage to her vehicle and none to the other. No further action was taken.

6/4, 6:26 p.m., Larceny, Herrick Ave.
A mother reported her daughter’s white iPhone 4 was taken from school the previous day. It is still missing. Call 893-6171 with any information.

6/4, 7:07 p.m., Suspicious, Route 7
A caller saw a man take a dog from a car and walk away with it. Officer Brown found the man, who explained he’d just dropped his car off for service at Vermont Wagen Works and took his dog with him.

Milton eighth-grader Emma Preiss dances the “fan dance” from the ballet Don Quixote in the 802′s Got Talent show in Colchester in May. The 13-year-old took second place in her age group in that show, and is now planning a trip to perform in the world’s largest arts and comedy festival in Scotland this August. (Photo courtesy of the Preiss family)

When Emma Preiss received news she was one of 25 students selected from nationwide auditions to perform at a ballet festival in Scotland this summer, she was shocked. In fact, because of the tremendously slim chances of being chosen, Preiss had honestly forgotten about the opportunity altogether.

Emma, 13, was chosen to perform in Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the Burklyn Ballet Company in August. Last year, the Fringe showed more than 42,000 performances featuring nearly 22,500 people, making it the world’s largest arts and comedy festival.

Emma’s parents, Judy and Kurt, have always known Emma was a beautiful dancer, but they shared her surprise.

“She was competing against youths from across the country,” Kurt Preiss said. “There just wasn’t that expectation.”

The ballet dancer and Milton native knew she loved the art form after seeing “The Nutcracker” at the Flynn Center in Burlington as a young girl. Soon enough, Preiss was performing in that very show as a clown and has continued gracing the stage every year since.

Ballet is not Emma’s only interest, though.

Emma starts her average day at 6 a.m. By the time she starts her homework around 10 p.m., she has accomplished a full school day, rehearsal for Milton Middle School’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” (she starred as Juliet), track and field practice and two dance classes at Colchester’s Fusion 802 studio.

Judy Preiss admits Emma’s hectic schedule has caused her to think once or twice about asking her daughter to scale back, but Emma’s schoolwork never slipped.

“I always ask her if she’s happy, and she says yes,” Judy Preiss said. “She just loves it”.

Dancing is not a leisurely pursuit by any measure. While Emma dreams of leaping across a professional stage someday, she knows the reality of the business.

“You have to be cut for it, and you have to really keep working at it if you want to conquer it,” Emma said.

According to one of her dance instructors, Nicola Boutin of Fusion 802, Emma has the potential to achieve just that.

“Everybody looks up to Emma because of her will, her determination,” Boutin said. “There’s just nothing that can stop her. She’s put her mind to this, and it’s something that she wants, and she’s just going to drive herself to get there.”

Emma’s parents think dance has positively impacted their daughter’s life, improved her self-confidence, drive and physical strength – and that they are very proud of her. But all that dancing leaves little time for seeing friends.

“It always affects your social life,” Emma said with a laugh. “I work everything around dance.”

That’s one reason why she’s so thrilled to go to Scotland. When Emma attended a summer intensive last year, she was pleasantly surprised by how much she and her fellow dancers had in common.

“They would do stretches while watching TV with me,” Emma exclaimed, “and eat a lot, too!”

Many of Emma’s American peers may not understand just how big a deal the Festival Fringe is, Boutin said, but she’s sure Emma will meet many students in Scotland who share her commitment and excitement.

Emma’s festival preparation starts with an intensive four-week class at Johnson State College, after which Emma will board a plane and begin her two-week European adventure. She’ll have just one day to catch up on sleep before being launched into non-stop rehearsals and performances.

This trip comes at a cost, though. To lift some of the financial burden, Emma has turned to an online fundraising site and received a scholarship after performing the famed “Fan Dance” from the ballet “Don Quixote” in a talent show hosted by her dance studio. Through her own efforts and the generosity of family and strangers alike, Emma estimates she has raised more than $5,000.

While Emma has and will continue to experience once-in-a-lifetime dance opportunities, her favorite moments are quiet ones.

“[I just like] being in the studio when you have a really, really good day, and you just feel like smiling whenever you dance,” she said.

Hunter Goodwin and Milton teammates celebrate a goal during the Yellowjackets’ first-ever playoff victory in boys lacrosse, a 5-4 overtime win against visiting Harwood on June 5. Goodwin had two goals in the game, Milton’s first home tournament game in the sport. (Photo by Robert Whitcomb, vtoutdrsphotography.com)

Milton couldn’t come up with an upset of No. 1 seed Lamoille in Friday’s Division II boys lacrosse quarterfinal, but the 11-2 loss to the Lancers ends a season that was the Yellowjackets’ best in the short history of the program.

Milton’s seven regular-season wins more than doubled its previous high of three from a year earlier. The team earned its first home playoff game with the No. 8 seed and won its first tournament game. The Yellowjackets’ four previous playoffs included three first-round losses by 10 goals and a six-goal defeat.

After opening the playoffs with a come-from-behind overtime win against Harwood, Friday’s rainy loss to Lamoille finished Milton’s season with an 8-9 record.

Sam Noel and Ian Pelkey had a goal each for Milton, and Eric Wilcox made 14 saves in goal.

In the team’s June 5 playoff win, Milton trailed by four goals before the first half was over but scored five in a row to win, including the tying goal by Hunter Goodwin and the winner in sudden-death overtime by Shane Morgan.

The No. 8 seed Yellowjackets started their comeback with 41 seconds left in the first half when Noel scored after No. 9 Harwood had built a 4-0 advantage.

Pelkey netted a goal midway through the third quarter and earned an assist on the first of Goodwin’s two goals, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with just four minutes remaining in the contest.

Goodwin scored again with 2:31 left on the clock, sending the game into overtime.

In the first four-minute, sudden-death extra period, Morgan scored with 2:22 gone when a hidden-ball trick play worked to perfection, giving Milton the win.

Milton’s U14 boys team includes (Front row, L-R) Ryan Brown, Liam Flynn, Lee Rowley, Alex Dooley, Ryan Collette, Spencer Lane, Aiden Flynn, Jacob Whitcomb, (back row, L-R) Coach Rob Whitcomb, Cam Goodrich, Josh Adams, Jake McNeil, Jarek Cyr, Brandon Button, Carson Bianchi, Tre Sherwood, Emilio DeSouza, Jack Kasupski and Asst. Coach Karin Kasupski. (Photo courtesy of Marielle Brown)

Milton Soccer Club U14 boys were tournament champions in the 21st annual Memorial Day Classic in Amherst, N.H last month.

The team started the weekend with a late afternoon game on Saturday in windy, cold rain conditions against Dover Soccer Academy, who scored within five minutes and played very well. Ten minutes into the first half, Ryan Brown scored twice in less than a minute and again five minutes later to finish out the first half. Cam and Ryan B. each scored in the second half with goalkeeper Jacob Whitcomb holding Dover to two goals to finish 5-2.

The second game against Cheshire United was again in rainy, windy conditions. Ryan B. scored twice in the first half, and Carson and Ryan B. scored in the second half. Jacob held Cheshire to one goal for the game with help from Jack Kasupski and Josh Adams, who each had many great saves throughout the weekend.

Game 3 on Sunday was against the last-place team. Milton was able to give everyone a lot of field time and goals were spread out over many players: Ryan Collette and Ryan B. each earned two, while Cam, Jake McNeil, Carson, Brandon and Tre each netted one.

The semi-final against Ocean State Soccer School was Milton’s toughest game. Milton controlled the game, but Ocean State quickly picked out Carson as the threat with his cross passes and double-teamed him the entire game. Frustration over Milton’s control of the game had the other swearing and yelling at each other and even clapping when one of their players received a yellow card for an intentional foul. But the Milton boys rose above to keep their composure and sportsmanship and finished Ocean State off with Ryan B. scoring two for the 2-1 win.

The finals game was against a team from Warwick, R.I. They scored 33 seconds in, and Milton immediately fired up and were much better fit, so they were able to outrun Warwick throughout the game.

Milton finished the weekend with 28 goals, only gave up 13 and remained undefeated for the championship. Ryan Brown was voted MVP and received the Championship Game Ball. The boys played with skill, teamwork and sportsmanship and were proud representatives Milton and the Milton Soccer Club.

Milton’s U14 girls team includes (Back row, L-R) Emily Pallas, Sophia Georgakis, Morgan Bushey, Cassidy Button, Meg Reilly, Sydney Shappy, Taylor Quintin, Katerina Desranleau, Jessica Wells, Amber German, Coach Shawntel Burke, (back row, L-R) Miranda McHugh, Rachel Clark, Molly Blouin, Kate Rowley, Carlie Reen, Marissa Brill, Hannah Barrett and keeper Lucy Vestrand. Not pictured: Guest player Lauren Holsopple.

The Milton U14 Girls Spring Soccer team competed in the 21st Annual Memorial Day Classic held in Amherst, N.H. last weekend with 257 other teams from all over New England.

The girls, coached by Shawntel Burke, finished third in their bracket overall after losing 1-0 in the semi-finals to Warwick U14 girls from Rhode Island.

The team began its weekend with a 2-0 win against Warwick WSA. The first goal came from Sydney Shappy, who placed a great ball in the left corner of the net off a penalty kick. The team’s second goal came from Carlie Reen on a breakaway down the middle of the field. The Warwick keeper was playing out of the net when Carlie took a beautifully-served ball from the midfield and placed a perfect lofted ball over the keeper’s head. Milton maintained possession for most of the game by keeping up the intensity and moving the ball.

“We controlled the middle of the field very well, moving the ball up the field nicely [and] allowing our team to use the space and capitalize on our second goal,” Burke said.

The girls second game against Hudson Heat ended in a 1-1 tie. Both clubs played the game defensively. Strong play from Taylor Quintin, Cassidy Button, Miranda McHugh, Emily Pallas and Kate Rowley was instrumentally key for the team. Amber German got the solo goal during this game with a powerful shot from outside the 18. Hudson Heat scored on a corner kick where the Milton team scrambled and couldn’t clear the ball quick enough.

On Sunday, Milton played a single game against Oyster River United from New Hampshire. The girls played a strong offensive game against the younger U14 girls team, winning 5-0. Many players contributed to goals and assists during this game which was nice to see everyone get involved on the field. Milton dominated a majority of this game, allowing only two shots on goal against keeper Lucy Vestrand, who played very composed soccer all weekend.

The win on Sunday put Milton in first place of its bracket, where the players would be facing Warwick Fire Fighters SC from Rhode Island, also first place in their bracket. Milton came out strong, utilizing speed and ball control to move the ball up and down the field. During the first half, Warwick took advantage of a few missed steps and placed a hard shot in the left corner of the net. Milton, down 1-0 early in the game, never let down with several opportunities during the remainder of the game, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. With time running out, everyone moved up to put pressure in the middle in hopes of tying the score. But the match ended 1-0, ending Milton’s surge to the finals.

Even with the loss in the semi-finals, the weekend was a huge success. The girls stepped up their game, played as a team and had fun! We look forward to next year.