Killington brands itself the Beast of the East. One of the largest ski resorts in New England, it draws a loyal following, whether weekend warriors who make the drive year after year, or devotees who have moved to Vermont to get more days in on snow. Opening day was earlier this month, and I wanted to talk to the die hards. Skiers love skiing, and they are, I learned, willing to wake up at ungodly hours to get in their first runs of the season, even when only a trail or two are open. 

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Melissa Knipes teaches kindergarten at Killington Elementary. This year, for the 28th time, she's welcoming a new class of students, 5-year-olds. Teaching kindergarten means expecting the unexpected, but usually it's the kids, not a pandemic, that throws a wrench in Knipes's plans. Eighteen months since the beginning of state of emergency, she feels confident she can keep herself and her students safe, and she's adapted her teaching to the new normal. 

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Some kids like to collect baseball cards, others play video games. Lyric, 9, and her brother, Luca, 6, of Little Diggers Worm Farm, have a different hobby: worms.

Along with their grandmother, Kim Ray, the sibling team created Little Diggers Worm Farm, selling mini worm farm kits, vermicomposting starter kits, worm casting compost, as well as worms themselves for fishing and composting.

Listen Lyric and Kim teach a group of kids how to start their own farms at the State Fair in Rutland. 

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