‘HVRHS Today’ — a new paper

‘HVRHS Today’ — a new paper

From left, Ibby Sadeh, Anna Gillette, Nathan Miller, Maddy Johnson and Caitlin Hanlon proof the pages of HVRHS Today at The Lakeville Journal office while Shanaya Duprey teleconferences in on Thursday, May 29.

James H. Clark

There’s something new in this week’s edition of The Lakeville Journal — the first issue of the student-produced HVRHS Today.

This publication is the culmination of nearly two months of diligent work from five juniors at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.

The program started with a simple goal: to re-establish students’ voices in the community. The program’s structure was broadly devised by content coordinator Nathan Miller, a recent graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and proponent of the “Missouri method.” Miller joined The Journal last summer.

The “Missouri method” is, basically, learning by doing. The students met with Miller at The Journal office every Thursday for preparatory lectures and discussions, but the bulk of their education came from in-the-field reporting and the feedback Miller provided after the fact.

It’s tried-and-true experiential learning, and the benefits are obvious. Mizzou graduates have been in all but one class of Pulitzer prize winners since 2010. The pieces featured in this inaugural issue of “HVRHS Today” are further evidence of the success of this method. These five students, who had never reported on or written a newspaper article before in their lives, have put together their own publication practically from scratch.

There was some help along the way, and a few people that deserve thanks for helping make this program a reality. We would all like to thank Peter Vermilyea, HVRHS social studies chair, and Lori Bucco, English teacher, for helping to assemble this impressive group of young reporters. We would also like to thank Nancy Hegy Martin, HVRHS educator and 21st Century Fund board member, for helping organize meetings with the students and principal Ian Strever for helping us bring this program to the school.

This program was generously supported by Funds of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the 21st Century Fund for HVRHS.

We would also like to thank the courageous volunteers that stepped up to create this inaugural issue. As the first group, they were responsible for naming their publication and developing a general tone and goals for the paper. They are also responsible for approving the final design and visual style of the piece. All that is in addition to hours of reporting, writing and photography on stories that they pitched in the first place. Every step of the process was shaped by their decisions.

The students’ issue can be read on Pages A5 through A8. Give it a read, it’s worth your time.

HVRHS Today is also available online at www.lakevillejournal.com/hvrhs-today and is expected to return in print this fall.

Latest News

Geer Village announces ‘strategic partnership’ with Integritus Healthcare

Geer Village Senior Community in North Canaan announced its partnership with the Mass.-based Integritus Healthcare on Aug. 7. Geer will remain the operator of the facility’s programs and services but joins the umbrella of 19 entities at Integritus Healthcare.

Photo by Debra A. Aleksinas

NORTH CANAAN — For the first time in its more than 95-year history, the nonprofit Geer Village Senior Community will soon operate under a new management contract, although it will remain an independent organization.

A joint announcement of a “strategic partnership” between Geer Village and Integritus Healthcare, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization and post-acute healthcare industry leader based out of Pittsfield, Mass., was made on Aug. 7.

Keep ReadingShow less
Deputies respond to political dispute at Fountain Square

AMENIA — Dutchess County Sheriff’s Deputies broke up a political dispute between two Amenia residents at Fountain Square in downtown Amenia on Tuesday, July 15.

Kimberly Travis of Amenia was conducting her daily “No Kings” anti-Trump administration protest at Fountain Square at 1:15 p.m. when Jamie Deines, of Amenia and candidate for Town Board in the Nov. 4 election, approached her.

Keep ReadingShow less
East Twin Lake
finds new hope 
as hydrilla fades

Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), where he heads the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), was a guest speaker at the Aug. 2 annual meeting of the Twin Lakes Association.

Debra A. Aleksinas

SALISBURY— A fierce and costly battle to halt the spread of hydrilla in East Twin Lake may have finally paid off.

All but three remaining small patches, one near the shoreline at O’Hara’s Landing Marina and two others in deeper water as boats exit the marina and head out, have been destroyed by this summer’s treatment with the aquatic herbicide fluridone, which began on May 20. None of the remaining plants are thriving.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Mae Keller

LIME ROCK — Lisa Mae Keller of Lime Rock, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at her home on July 26, 2025, following a yearlong battle with cancer. Lisa remained at home between lengthy stays at Smilow Cancer Hospital – Yale New Haven. Throughout Lisa’s ordeal, the family home was a constant hub of love and support, with friends and relatives regularly dropping by. Their presence lifted Lisa’s spirits and helped her stay positive during even the toughest moments. The family remains deeply grateful to the community for their unwavering kindness and encouragement.

Born on June 2, 1958, in Bridgeport to Mae and Robert Schmidle, Lisa graduated from Newtown High School in 1976. Lisa first attended Ithica College to pursue a degree in fine arts concentrating on opera. Drawn to a more robust and challenging curriculum, Lisa transferred to Whittier College, Whittier, California earning a Bachelor of Science degree. It was in 1988 that Lisa met and married Robert (Rob) Keller in Newtown, Connecticut. Together, they embarked on a remarkable journey. The couple started small businesses, developed land in Litchfield County and welcomed in quick succession their sons Baxter and Clayton. The growing family discovered the long-abandoned historic Lime Rock Casino in 1993, while attending a race at Lime Rock Park. The couple found it difficult to commute for work while raising a family and restoring a vintage home. Lisa persuaded her husband that chimney sweeping was a noble profession, leading them to purchase the established business, Sultans of Soot Chimney Sweeps. She later leveraged her role into ownership of the largest U.S. importer of vintage Italian reproduction gun parts. Even as her entrepreneurial ventures expanded, Lisa continued managing the pick, pack, and ship operation for Kirst Konverter, though she sold the remainder of the business prior to her illness. Lisa will be remembered for her business acumen, community service, and being a trained vocalist with the Crescendo Coral Group of Lime Rock. Lisa tended the extensive gardens around the home and curated an art collection that adorns the walls within. Baking cookies was a passion. Countless cookie packages were sent world wide to each son and their military friends while deployed. It is still undetermined in the Keller house whether the Army or Marines leave less crumbs. At Christmas, the Lakeville Post Office staff would post over 80 packages of cookies to lucky recipients, while receiving a tray for their effort. Unable to bake cookies in her last year, Lisa selflessly compiled and self-published “ Pot Luck at The Casino”, a 160 page book of all of her favorite recipes, sent to everyone on her cookie list. It was a true labor of love.

Keep ReadingShow less