MONDAY Â Â EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 27 No. 37
Middlebury, Vermont
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Monday, December 7, 2015
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40 Pages
75¢
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ASHLEY  WOLFF  WORKS  on  her  newest  children’s  book,  “Pony  Day,�  in  her  Lake  Dunmore  home  studio  last  week.  The  book  features  a  young  girl  showing  her  pony  at  Field  Days.  Wolff  recently  returned  to  her  native  Addison  County  after  three  decades  on  the  West  Coast. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Author/illustrator returns to her roots Vermont landscape a constant inspiration in Wolff’s award-winning work By  GAEN  MURPHREE SALISBURY  —  Noted  children’s  book  illustrator  and  author  Ashley  Wolff  is  home.  Wolff  left  Vermont  after  graduating  from  Middlebury  Union  High  School  in  1974  to  study  art  at  the  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design.  BFA  in  hand,  she  did  a  brief  stint  in  Vermont  and  then  moved  to  the  West  Coast,  where  she’s  spent  the  past  30-Âsome-Âodd  years  working  from  her  studio  in  San  Francisco’s  Bernal  Heights. Â
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Now  the  59-Âyear-Âold  Middlebury  native  and  award-Âwinning  author/illustrator  of  more  than  60  children’s  books  has  returned  to  the  place  she  loves  best  —  Vermont. Just  about  any  parent  who  has  ever  held  a  board  book  will  recognize  Wolff  as  the  illustrator  of  5DI¿œV ERRN YHUVLRQ RI Âł%DE\ %HOXJD´ ² SHUKDSV one  of  the  most-Âhummed  children’s  ditties  of  all  time.  Wolff  is  also  the  author  of  the  long-Ârunning  ³0LVV %LQGHUJDUWHQ´ SLFWXUH ERRN VHULHV ZKLFK
feature  a  kindergarten-Âteaching  border  collie  in  a  green  dress  and  a  menagerie  of  26  animal  kindergarteners,  including  an  alligator  named  Adam,  an  elephant  named  Emily,  and  a  zebra  named  Zach. Wolff  is  back,  in  part,  to  be  nearer  to  her  mother  Deane,  who  is  now  87  and  a  resident  at  EastView.  But  she’s  also  back  to  be  closer  to  the  Vermont  countryside  that  has  inspired  so  many  of  her  books  (See  Ashley  Wolff,  Page  15)
MUHS  takes  new  look  at  college  prep  efforts
Developer  downscales  its  Brandon  solar  array
By  JOHN  FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY  —  A  group  of  area  parents  are  urging  the  UD-Â3  school  board  to  invest  in  some  ad- ditional  college  counseling  for  the  Middlebury  Union  High  School  Guidance  Department.  They  argued  that  the  lack  of  such  counseling  is  resulting  in  some  students  being  un-Â
By  LEE  J.  KAHRS Brandon  Reporter BRANDON  —  A  huge  solar  ar- ray  planned  for  over  100-Âacres  on  the  Brandon-ÂFlorence  line  is  get- ting  smaller,  but  if  approved  will  still  be  the  largest  project  of  its  kind  in  Vermont. Representatives  from  Ranger Â
prepared  for  the  college  application  process,  with  others  taking  a  pass  al- together  on  higher  education. There  are  currently  three  school  counselors  at  MUHS,  who  advise  students  on  a  myriad  of  academic  issues,  including  planning  for  post- secondary  education.  None  are  of- (See  MUHS,  Page  25)
Solar  returned  to  the  Brandon  selectboard  Nov.  23  to  update  the  board  and  residents  on  the  project,  and  to  answer  additional  questions.  Development  Manager  Liz  Peyton  gave  an  update  on  the  project,  saying  Ranger  will  likely  (See  Brandon  solar,  Page  14)