![Kellogg students saw ‘constant change’](https://lakevillejournal.com/media-library/selectman-dave-barger-gave-grace-graney-the-peter-g-lawson-citizenship-award.jpg?id=48215615&width=980&quality=90)
Selectman Dave Barger gave Grace Graney the Peter G. Lawson Citizenship Award.
Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE With rain in the forecast, the Class of 2023 at Lee H. Kellogg School had their commencement ceremonies inside on Wednesday, June 14.
There were six eighth grade students promoted to ninth grade: Chase Tyler Ackerman, Hayden Marias Bachman, Grace Olivia Graney, Aiden James Krupa, and Jasper Hidalgo Oyanadel.
A seventh student, Santino Balomiro Scott, attended and was listed as an “honorary graduate,” as he spent the bulk of the school year at Kellogg before his family moved.
In their remarks, several students referred to the disruption of school caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wolfe said she and her classmates persevered “despite constant changes, virtual and in-person,” and Graney said that her class, which was in fifth grade when the lockdowns began, would be the ones who tell future generations about it.
Selectman David Barger presented Graney with the Peter G. Lawson Citizenship Award, and principal Stacey Calo attended to the Presidential Award of Educational Excellence (Graney and Wolfe) and the Presidential Award of Educational Achievement (Bachman and Oyanadel).
Region One Superintendent Lisa Carter noted that Bachman was the winner of this year’s Litchfield County Superintendent’s Award.
The students received their certificates and, per Kellogg custom, a copy of “The Little Engine That Could.”
There were refreshments after the ceremony.
On a cloudy Wednesday at the start of October, my girlfriend, Taylor, and I decided to enjoy the autumn afternoon by getting off our laptops and into the woods for some much needed movement. Having just moved to Norfolk as a new reporter for the Lakeville Journal, I was on the hunt for panoramic views of the landscape I now call home, accessible with the hour and a half of daylight left to us. Haystack Tower it was.
I’m not entirely unfamiliar with the landscapes of the Northwest Corner: I visited family and friends in the region as a child and would drive up on high school joyrides from my home in Westchester County. But calling somewhere home brings new meaning to a place, and I was eager to see a familiar view with a new sense of belonging.
To extend the walk a bit, we chose the yellow trail loop, starting from the bottom of the road leading up the hill off North Street. Our journey began on a neatly mowed path through a gently sloping meadow, with stands of purple-white New England asters poking out from a mosaic of green and red leaves and grasses on either side of the trail.
Our trail took us into a forest sporting half-autumn colors: some maple stands blazed gold and orange while others remained dark green. The occasional fiery swamp maple glowed bright red below the overstory, catching the glints of sunlight that managed to penetrate the cloud layer and canopy.
As we trudged up the forested hillside, my field of vision was so washed in texture — a chaos of rocks, roots, bark, and leaves of every shade — that my eyes almost started to ache.
The trail plateaued after a short climb into a new type of forest: three-story oaks underscored with hickory saplings. With a new composition, the forest assumed a browner and yellower hue than that of the maple-dominated lower hillside.
We eventually reached the imposing stone tower at Haystack Mountain’s summit, and we quickly climbed the winding stairs to find what we came for: 360-degree views of forested hills folding over one another as they spread into the distance, interspersed by patches of valley farmland. A copse of orange maples framed Route 44 as it passed through Norfolk below. This was the beautiful patchwork landscape I am lucky to now call home.
A relaxed jaunt down a wide carriage road took us around the mountain’s northeastern flank as eastern hemlocks leaned overhead and clung to the steep slope below. Reaching the car with daylight to spare, we decided to prolong the outing with an evening pint.
At Norbrook Farm Brewery, we were asked if we wanted to join a game of jukebox bingo. It looked like fun, but we couldn’t get enough of the October evening air, so we headed outside instead to sit fireside on the patio. Settling into an Adirondack chair, I sipped the brewery’s brown ale (the “Beckley Furnace Ale”). It was malty and crisp, and certainly one of the better in the style I’ve had recently. Taylor is partial to seasonal beers and opted for their pumpkin ale, joyously titled the “Gourdo.” I’m usually not a fan of pumpkin-flavored anything, but I agreed that this was a nicely balanced beer and enjoyed the few sips I took.
As the light faded on the hills, we noted that the foliage across the fields looked to be nearly peaking in the soft glow of the evening. A chill settled in and I huddled closer to the fire, eager to lean into the swiftly changing season in my new home.
Chilly rain sprinkles did not keep area art lovers away from the opening of the Kent Art Association’s Fall Juried Art Show on Sunday, Oct. 13. Judges for the event were association members Liz Maynard and Conrad Levenson. The show will continue until Saturday, Nov. 2, during the association's open hours.
Kent artist and long-term resident Carolyn Millstein (above) paused for a photo next to her piece, “Near Oakdale."
“SHELTER,” an art exhibit supporting The Gathering Place opened on Suday, Oct. 12, at the Royal Arcanum Building in Norfolk, Conn. Featuring works by fourteen area artists, proceeds from sales will benefit The Gathering Place based in Torrington, Conn., which provides essential services to the homeless across 26 towns in Litchfield County. Open weekdays, this vital resource offers everything from hot showers and laundry facilities to housing assistance. The exhibit runs through Nov. 24.