NYT author
to speak at
Pomfret School
POMFRET — Pomfret School will present Jessica Bruder as this year’s Schwartz Visiting Fellow. Bruder is best known for her book "Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, " which was adapted into an award-winning film starring Frances McDormand. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020.
At 7 p.m. Jan. 27 Bruder will deliver a public lecture  in Hard Auditorium on the Pomfret School campus. A book signing and reception will follow. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
“Jessica Bruder is known for really getting to know the people and places she writes about,” said Library Director and Schwartz Visiting Fellow Chair Beth Jacquet. “With Pomfret’s emphasis on teaching empathy and experiential learning, we are excited to welcome her to the Hilltop to share her process and expertise with our students and the community.”
To research Nomadland, Bruder spent months living in a camper van (which she named Halen) documenting itinerant Americans who hit the road, traveling from job to job, carving out a place in a precarious economy. The project spanned three years, and Bruder drove more than 15,000 miles from coast to coast, and from Mexico to the Canadian border.
In addition to Nomadland, Bruder is the author of Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man and co-authored Snowden’s Box: Trust in the Age of Surveillance. She has contributed to the New York Times for over a decade and has written cover features for The Atlantic, WIRED, and New York Magazine. Bruder teaches journalism at Columbia University.
Since 1989, world-renowned experts have visited Pomfret School under the auspices of the Schwartz Visiting Fellow Program. This speaker series is the result of the vision and generosity of Michael Schwartz ’66 and Eric Schwartz ’69. Past fellows include animal science professor Temple Grandin; author Bill Bryson; human rights activist Madame Jehan Sadat; historian David McCullough; and journalist, author, and national security analyst Peter Bergen.

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Woodstock public schools
Everyday: Fruit. Monday: Hot dogs, baked beans. Tuesday: Mozzarella stix, marinara sauce. Wednesday: Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, carrots. Thursday: American Chop Suey, green beans. Friday: Pizza, corn.
Putnam Elementary/Middle
Monday: Cheese-filled twisted bread, marinara sauce, broccoli. Tuesday: Hot dogs, baked beans, fruit. Wednesday: Chicken tenders, fruit. Thursday - 2 hour delay: Pasta with meatsauce, corn, sherbet. Friday: Stuffed-crust pizza, fruit.
Putnam High
Monday: Waffle bar or spicy chicken sandwiches. Tuesday: Rodeo BBQ rib sandwiches or bacon cheeseburgers. Wednesday: General Tsos chicken or chicken Caesar wraps. Thursday - 2 hour delay: Spaghetti, meatballs or calzone pizza boli. Friday: Big Daddy pizza or mozzarella sticks, marinara sauce.
Pomfret Community
Every day: Fresh fruits and veggies. Alt: Cheeseburgers. Monday: Cheesy pull-aparts, marinara dip, cucumber wheels. Tuesday: Teriyaki meatballs, broccoli. Wednesday - Brunch for Lunch: Sausage, egg and cheese bagels, hash browns. Thursday: Beef taco soup. Friday: Pizza, baby carrots with ranch.

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In the world of finance, the word annualize means to calculate a short-term rate (of interest or return) into a year-long rate. This is beneficial in accounting for any large (financial) spikes or dips so that, overall, finances/income/interest etc. can be measured against a whole year’s worth of activity.
Given that 2022 was another somewhat volatile and challenging year, I will propose that it, too, should be annualized. To determine 2022’s rate of return, I offer a summary below of what was good against what was bad…
What was good? For me, four primary categories stand out in terms of the positive advancements made in 2022: The first was in transportation and specifically, space travel. 2022 saw the discovery of 5,235 exoplanets and renewed zeal for traveling to the moon with the successful launch of the Artemis Program…
The second category was in global health. In 2022, the number of COVID-19 vaccinations surpassed 1 billion, and most places began to feel like we were living in a post-pandemic world. Moderna began trials of its first HIV vaccine and doctors recognized and promoted the positive health benefits offered by exploring nature and began distributing memberships to National parks…
The third was in climate awareness. There was a global concern for and discussion of renewable energy sources. Ten countries unified to protect marine ecosystems resulting in a significant gain in the number of humpback whales. The (Steve) Irwin family celebrated the milestone of saving more than 90,000 animals at the Australia Zoo…
The fourth category is in human investment. There was ACTUAL bipartisan legislature for passing the “No Surprises Act”. Canada officially banned Conversion Therapy. Maya Angelou became the first Black woman featured on a U.S. quarter. Numerous organizations and non-profits raised record numbers of dollars for aid for people in crisis or need. Women became heroes in Iran. And then there was the unwavering steadfastness of Volodymer Zelensky and the Ukrainians.
What was bad? Unfortunately, within these categories, 2022 also saw some very negative things. The USA faced challenges to Constitutional rights with a continued escalated political divide. Worldwide, there was an escalation of violence and terrorism. Some of these were major, such as Russia’s invasion of and war on Ukraine and the frequency of gun violence and mass shootings. However, the escalation of violent behavior trickled down across humanity as Will Smith spontaneously slapped comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars. There was also economic uncertainty and massive worldwide supply chain challenges. These caused escalating prices for EVERYTHING! Europe faced an energy crisis, and the environment began to show its fractures through earthquakes, tsunamis and severe weather. Water levels (the Colorado River) depleted to dangerously low levels, impacting agriculture from North to South America. And then there was the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
In annualizing these events overall, however, I consider that 2022, although tumultuous, resulted in a positive rate of return as ultimately, MORE people did MORE good for MORE people.
Net Gain! Net Gain!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

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