Third- and fourth-graders at Thatcher Brook School in Waterbury were given an "assignment" to write down their stories about Hurricane Irene because they are a part of living history. Vermont author Natalie Kinsey-Wearnock tells the kids, "It's happening now. It's what you've been through." The author knows firsthand about what she suggests as she shares her real life stories about her own grandparents who were in the great flood of 1927. Her book, "Nora's Ark," was inspired by that flood. The kids are helping the town recover with a special project that will publish their and other residents' stories. Profits will help the town rebuild. The Children's Literacy Foundation, a nonprofit based in Waterbury Center, helped put the project together, and invited Kinsey-Wearnock to share her book and experiences with the children.

Middlebury's Kristen Farrell had a role in the restoration of a flag that flew near the World Trade Center Sept. 11. The flag will be part of a permanent exhibit in the National Sept. 11 Memorial Museum in New York City once the restoration process is completed. Farrell's contribution was but one stitch in the 20-foot-by-30.5 foot piece of fabric, but a much larger contribution of national pride was made as she completed that stitch. The terrorist attack also has a personal connection to Farrell as her cousin was a senior flight attendant about American Airlines Flight 11 which flew into the North Tower of the Trade Center. "I do know she helped a lot of people during those scary moments; she was a hero," Farrell says of her cousin. The flag is scheduled to visit all the states, under the supervision of Fire Department of New York officials and volunteers of the New York Says Thank You Foundation.

The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration is organizing old court records and legal documents into data that can be more easily searched, says the Bennington Banner. Examples of punishments handed out included 100 lashes for burglary, 39 lashes for adultery; two hours "standing in the pillory" for perjury; and thrown into prison for an indefinite term for not paying a debt. The initial process has been funded by a federal grant targeting Caledonia, Orleans, and Lamoille Counties in Northern Vermont from 1794-1945. The long term goal is to catalog records from all 14 of the state's counties. But, that's going to be a real challenge will be to make order out of incomplete, often deteriorating, records that were stored in basements or attics. These records are "essential to the history of our state, as well as to the right of our citizens," says Secretary of State Jim Condos. Condos continued, "This is just the beginning." Better pay your debts.

The Shaftsbury Elementary School will be the first Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union school to offer world language this fall, says the Bennington Banner. The school is teaming with language teacher Rosetta Stone so that students in grades three through six can choose from several languages. Rosetta Stone was selected as a cost-cutting staff measure as well as allowing children the option to learn several languages, as opposed to learning from a teacher who might only specialize in one or two. Previous language learning programs have been extremely popular, but have had to be cut because of budget constraints. The program can be accessed during the school day in a lab that would also be open prior to and after school hours. "There's also a home component so not all sessions have to take place here at Shaftsbury school...," says Principal James Harwood. The program will be offered next year to elementary schools throughout the supervisory union if the pilot program proves successful. Watch your language.

Helen Weston of Bristol grew up playing a variety of musical instruments, as did her five siblings, says the Addison County Independent. She majored in concert piano and music theory in college and taught music to children at Starksboro's Robinson Elementary and Lincoln Community Schools. But there was something missing. Weston always had wanted to run her own business. Something during an encounter with a piano tuner at her parent's house clicked and changed her career direction. She spent months of studying how to tune and repair pianos on her own, then enrolling in Boston's North Bennet Street School which specializes in hands-on technical training. It took her two years to finish the course and now she's one of fewer than 2,500 registered technicians with the Piano Technicians Guild. "If I can do it, anybody can. Take two years out of your life to learn something completely new because you want to," she said. Now her life's in tune.

Burlington Vermont National Guardsman Capt. Zachariah Fike, who recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, delivered a long overdue Purple Heart medal to the family of deceased recipient Corrado Piccoli, says the Burlington Free Press. Fike's mother bought the medal from an antique store in Watertown, N.Y., because her son collected WW II memorabilia. Piccoli's name was engraved on the back of the medal and, so began Fike's search for the Piccoli family. Fike himself, in a strange twist of fate, was awarded the Purple Heart after he was wounded in Afghanistan. Fike tracked down two of Corrado's sisters, still living in Watertown, who thought another brother had the medal in his possession and were not even aware it was missing. Corrado's Purple Heart, Bronze Star, a Combat Infantryman's Badge and other medals were presented to the family Aug. 7, ironically enough on National Purple Heart Day. A family reunion was held after the ceremony to which Fike was invited as part of their "family."

The Green Mountain Arena in Morrisville will be home to Vermont's first professional hockey team starting this fall, says the News and Citizen. The team will be called the Green Mountain Rock Crushers and is part of the Federal Hockey League. The arena currently holds about 400 people, but there are plans to increase seating capacity to about 1,000 people and update dressing rooms with the announcement of the team's arrival. The team hopes to draw from Vermont's northernmost counties, as well as the southern part of Quebec. The Rock Crushers is one of two teams added to the initial 6-team league this year. The home opener is scheduled Oct.. 29 against the defending league champs, N.Y.'s Akwesasne Warriors. "...so far the response from the community has been really positive," says General Manager Andy Makal.

Brattleboro's Municipal Center's Hanna Cosman Room recently received a facelift courtesy of some young community artists, says the Brattleboro Reformer. About 12 kids, through a partnership with the Town Arts Committee and Art in the Neighborhood, painted small, brightly colored floral murals on the walls of the meeting room. The flower motif was decided by the group as most appropriate. It was a four-part project that began with sketches on sheets of paper, placement of background colors on walls, then sketching and painting the flowers on the walls. Project organizers hope this helps connect kids with the town's history and government, in addition to prettying up the room. From the mouths of "babes" comes this classic: "My favorite part is painting on the wall, because I'm not allowed to do that at home," said 11-year-old Mackenzie Butts of Brattleboro.

A restored, 65-foot-long wooden, luxury 1903 Pullman train car, called the Sunbeam, will be making its appearance - appropriately enough-at the restored estate of Hldene, says the Burlington Free Press. Hildene was the summer home of President Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, who was also the president of Chicago's Pullman Place Co., makers of private, luxury rail cars, in the early 1900s. The car features a dining room, parlor, and stained glass windows. The car will be used for research and education about the people who rode and worked on the cars. Stats include a 2-year nationwide search for the car, a 3-year restoration project, a price tag of $1.5 million, and a 1,000 mile journey from the restoration site in Lancaster, S.C. to Hildene. It will be open to the public for touring Aug. 1, 2011.

It's deju vu all over again, says the Burlington Free Press,, when sheep returned for one day only to graze on the green at the University of Vermont as they did 200 years ago. The flock of sheep were invited to call attention to the university's free, weekly historic Saturday tours which are being conducted through October. Apparently sheep were a common sight on the green in the 1800s; however, students were none too pleased with the bleating or the droppings. They built a fence to keep them out in 1837 which remained until 1874. "We always thought the fence in the old photos was there to keep the sheep in, but now we know it was to keep them out," said Jeff Wakefield, Associate Director of University Communications. The sheep contentedly grazed for about two hours. No word on whether they were invited back.