Bernie Buzz

If the United States is going to thrive in a competitive global economy, we need to have the best educated workforce in the world. What does that mean? It means that we have to rethink the concept of public education.

On Saturday, April 1, I saw something pretty remarkable: 130 young Vermonters from every county across our state coming together to learn and play the game of chess at our first-ever “Youth Chess Day.” I saw elementary and middle school students try out the game for the first time during our Learn to Play Session and more experienced players from 1st to 12th grade test their skills in our recreational tournament.

“Electric aviation’s time has come.” Those are the words of Kyle Clark, native Vermonter and founder of Beta Technologies. Officially established in 2017 and headquartered in South Burlington, Beta Technologies is working to revolutionize air travel from right here in Vermont – just a stone’s throw away from where Kyle grew up. Today, Beta Technologies has become a national and international leader in the manufacturing of electric planes.

There are a number of resources available throughout Vermont that provide treatment, support, referrals, and other recovery services for Vermonters struggling with addiction and for families and loved ones. One of the excellent resources is Jenna’s Promise, in Johnson, Vermont which I had the opportunity to visit a few years ago. Founded and run by the Tatro Family, Jenna’s Promise is a recovery community with a whole-life approach, including sober housing, treatment services, community support, an innovative work program, and more.

This year, nearly 400 students from 31 Vermont high schools submitted essays on many, many important issues. After the winners were chosen by an independent group of Vermont teachers, I had the opportunity to sit down with the 15 leading finalists for a round table discussion at the State House. I don’t know about them, but I had a lot of fun.

At just 13-years-old, Alexander Collins of Norwich is the youngest state champion in Vermont at one of the oldest games in human history. Recently, the Bernie Buzz got to speak with Alexander about winning the state tournament and about how we can encourage young people to begin to play chess and benefit from this game of dedication, strategy, and quick thinking. I hope you’ll take a listen to what this remarkable young man had to say.