The Rochester Café & Country Store
Group of people with black shirts standing on a porch

If you spend any time in Rochester, you’ve probably stopped in at the Rochester Café & Country Store. It’s one of those places where people run into neighbors, catch up quickly over coffee, or take a quiet moment to themselves.

General Manager Beea Benedict says that serving local families is what makes the work meaningful. “We love feeding them and watching the families grow and thrive,” she shared. That community connection guides much of what the café does.

Read more here.


Coast Jazz Ensemble and Music Director Taylor Ho Bynum
man playing saxophone to a student assembly

The Coast Jazz Ensemble has been part of the Upper Valley for a long time. As Taylor explains, “The Coast has existed for over 100 years, founded by Dartmouth students around 1917 to explore the new music they’d been hearing called jazz.” What started as students trying out a new kind of music has continued for more than a century. The group became officially recognized by Dartmouth in the 1970s when Don Glasgo became the first director and led the ensemble for 40 years. Taylor Ho Bynum took over in 2017 and continues that work today. Click to read more!

Coast Jazz Ensemble
man playing sax to a student assembly

The Coast Jazz Ensemble has been part of the Upper Valley for a long time. As Taylor explains, “The Coast has existed for over 100 years, founded by Dartmouth students around 1917 to explore the new music they’d been hearing called jazz.” What started as students trying out a new kind of music has continued for more than a century. The group became officially recognized by Dartmouth in the 1970s when Don Glasgo became the first director and led the ensemble for 40 years. Taylor Ho Bynum took over in 2017 and continues that work today.

For Taylor, community is not just a word. It is how the group works. He says, “Very few of the students in Coast are music majors, but they all love playing music and find the time to come together in an extracurricular context to do so.” Students are there because they want to be there. They care about the music and about playing together. He also shares, “The beautiful thing about this music is it prioritizes the unique contribution each individual makes to the collective sound.” Everyone brings something different, and that is what makes the group strong.

Taylor brings in guest artists who matter to him personally. He explains, “The guests I bring up this term, the incredible Wadada Leo Smith, Mary Halvorson, and Tomas Fujiwara, are all heroes and friends from my artistic community that I am excited to bring up here to the Upper Valley where I live.” These visits give students the chance to learn from experienced musicians and give the community a chance to hear something new.

Click to read more.

Ada Gardner's UVM internship with WRVMS
woman building a canoe

Ada Gardner is a current student at the University of Vermont studying Place-Based Education with minors in Food Systems and Community Development. She grew up in the fields and forests of central New Hampshire, which fueled her love for being outside and her passion for helping others make connections to the place around them.

Ada started interning at White River Valley Middle School in the winter of 2025 through an internship with the Catamount Community School Collaborative (a partnership between the University of Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Education, and state and community partners). This internship supports community school programming at WRVMS to enrich student learning, collaborative partnerships, and community vitality. This video outlines some of the work that Ada was involved in during the winter + spring of 2025.

Jr. Iron Chef
three kids in chef uniforms, smiling.

Inspired by the statewide Jr. Iron Chef VT event, this local event brought together middle school student teams from First Branch (Chelsea), and Sharon Elementary for a culinary competition. Families and community members were invited to attend the free event and cheer on student teams. The day concluded with an awards ceremony.

“I love seeing our Jr. Chefs figure out their own recipe from start to finish. What an accomplishment!” said Lori Elderd, Chelsea One Planet Site Coordinator

Students met weekly all winter to build culinary skills, develop their recipes, and prepare for the state event.  Bad weather kept the teams from the state competition, so we acknowledged their efforts with a local competition and kick off a new WRVSU tradition.

We had a wonderful WRVSU staff serving as team leaders that have contributed to ensuring a successful day of learning and celebration.

The competition is supported by One Planet, WRVSU Community Schools, Vital Communities, and local Farm to School partnerships including the South Royalton Market.

Nando & a Food's History and Taste
man carrying an armful of homemade chips stands in front of the Chelsea Public School

Nando Jaramillo’s yellow crescent-moon empanadas and packaged arepas are a now familiar site in the small food shops of our area. Under his business, Moon & Stars, Jaramillo makes the Colombian specialties in the basement kitchen of the Royalton House. Originally from Cali Colombia, Jaramillo moved to the Upper Valley in 2016. In the years since Jarmaillo has become a fixture in the community and local food scene of the South Royalton area; hosting roller skating evenings in the summer, music in the old speakeasy of the Royalton house and now by bringing his food and his energy to the schools of the White River Valley Supervisory Union (WRVSU) through education, demonstrations, and of course through corn. Click here to read more about Nando's work featured in the Feb. 13th, 2025 edition of the Herald.

Rudi & the White River Partnership
child preparing to snorkel in the white river

Dan “Rudi” Ruddell’s work with the White River Partnership (WRP) and the White River Valley Supervisory Union (WRVSU) is all about creating deep connections between students, their community, and the environment they call home.

Since 2016, Rudi has been helping students understand the vital role the White River plays in their lives through hands-on conservation education.

One of the most exciting programs Rudi helps with is the freshwater snorkeling program in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. This field trip gives WRVSU 4-6 graders from Rochester, Stockbridge, Bethel, South Royalton, Chelsea, Sharon, and Newton (Strafford) a chance to explore the White River and its ecosystem up close.

Click here to read more about Rudi's work in the October 10th, 2024 edition of the Herald.