Gene Bont to be honored in Cavendish; Springfield Medical collects school supplies

School board member Bont honored by Cavendish

The Town of Cavendish will be honoring Dr. Gene Bont, the longtime member of school boards representing Cavendish, for his commitment to the town’s children.

The public is invited to join past and current school board members at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at the little park next to Cavendish Town Elementary School, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville, where a bench will be dedicated to honor his service.

Dr. Bont has served as a school board member from 1973 to 2018, with a short respite when he took a medical position in Albany, N.Y.  He is known for his questions to the administration about policies and procedures that always focused on what was best for the students.

When the Proctorsville and Duttonsville schools declined in population, Dr. Bont, who sat on the Duttonsville School board,  lobbied hard for a consolidated district but Cavendish Village (better known to the locals as Duttonsville) fought it.

Springfield Medical Care hosts drive for school supplies

Springfield Medical Care Systems hosted a backpack and school supply drive to collect donations for area students to help them get ready for the new school year.

The drive, coordinated as part of National Health Center Week and conducted in Springfield, Ludlow, Londonderry, Chester, Bellows Falls, Vt., and Charlestown, N.H., health center locations, yielded boxes of backpacks and several hundred school supply items.

The supplies were delivered to area schools and service organizations in each of the towns for distribution.