It’s that time of year: many high school seniors across the state are weighing acceptance letters and financial aid packages. For years now, we’ve been hearing that a college degree today is what a high school diploma used to be. But with tuition costs rising, and so much uncertainty in the economy, we look at whether a 4 year degree is always worth the price, and how students and parents often struggle to make that choice. Bill Stenger, owner of Jay Peak Resort and chair of the 2006 "Next Generation Commission: Linking Learning to Earning in Vermont," and Laurie Berryman, an outreach counselor and supervisor at the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, discuss the cost and value of a college degree.
And "Visiting Artists," our monthly series with local artists and artisans continues with an interview of whistle-maker Mary Stone. Stone’s life-like sculptures of a wide variety of animals fit in the hand and are designed to be played. But, she says, people often don’t realize the sculptures are instruments at all until she picks them up and begins to make music. We visited Stone in her sunny East Montpelier workshop.