WEBUTUCK — At the May 9 meeting, the Board of Education (BOE) of the North East Central School District (commonly known as Webutuck) unanimously approved the change in arrival and dismissal time for the Eugene Brooks Intermediate School (EBIS).The time schedule change was part of a larger proposal that also included a new program to be implemented in the district. That portion of the proposal was not approved.As it stands now, fourth- through sixth-graders arrive at the middle school by 8:30 a.m. and leave at 3:15 p.m. Students who stay after school take the 5 p.m. bus home.Once the change goes into effect in September, the younger students will attend school from 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., which is the same schedule used by the intermediate and high schools.Since some parents have expressed concern about mixing the middle school students with high schoolers on the bus, it is important to note that the current 3:15 p.m. bus is shared by high school students who have stayed after school. The 5 p.m. bus also carries students from grades four through 12. The middle and high schools also shared the same bus schedule prior to the construction of the new intermediate school wing.The EBIS principal, Katy McEnroe, sent a notice home with students about other important elements that are certain to remain unchanged. The following points were included in the letter:• The time schedule change will not increase the students’ time in school.• There will be 75 minutes of dedicated class time for the core subjects, and the “specials” — art, PE, library and music — will continue as before. • EBIS will continue on a six-day cycle.• The students will continue to have recess daily.The BOE decided to approve the time schedule change because it makes it less confusing to have the whole building on the same schedule. It also ensures that there will be nurse coverage throughout the day for all students. As it currently stands, there is a short period of time at the end of the EBIS normal school hours when a nurse is not present.The original proposal also called to institute a new program for students that would have added a 21st-century skills class. The addition of this class would have pushed band and chorus out of the normal school schedule and changed them to after-school activities.This portion of the proposal was rejected when it was decided that there had not been enough planning and interdepartmental communication.The BOE will have ongoing discussions about the unapproved portion of the proposal.There have been previous proposals to the BOE that wanted to implement a “one-bell” schedule that would have put all students from kindergarten through 12th grade on the same schedule. Those proposals were not approved and it seems very unlikely that a one-bell schedule will be accepted in the future.A one-bell schedule would require more capital to purchase more buses and pay more drivers. This type of schedule would also give fewer hours to each bus driver.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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