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This commentary is by Steven Berbeco of Winooski. He is editor of the 802 Ed, a biweekly newsletter about education policy and practice in Vermont.

A Latin teacher from junior high school once told me that the word trivia comes from roots meaning “three roads.” The idea was that people would come together where roads meet to  exchange small pieces of information — trivia. 

Here in Vermont we certainly swap news on street corners, and I’ve had my share of half-shouted updates between open car windows. The flow of information also happens in grocery stores, coffee shops and waiting for pickup at the end of the school day. 

Recently I found another spot for “hot tea,” as the kids like to call gossip these days. I was sitting  in my gym’s sauna and struck up a conversation with someone who is a school leader. 

I learned that the post-election anxiety many Vermonters are feeling is also showing up in  schools among students, many of whom are worried about being deported as part of what’s  been promised to be the “largest deportation program in American history.” 

And to clarify, these aren’t kids worrying about whether they will be able to go to Ikea in Montreal.  The federal government claims that it can stop and question people within 100 miles of a border.  For anyone doing the math, the distance from Highgate Springs to Middlebury clocks in at less  than 75 miles, for example. 

School leaders have so many responsibilities: to their students, the staff, the community. Now,  add to the list that schools have historically been swept up in immigration enforcement efforts. Despite this, Education Week recently pointed out that there hasn’t been much in the way of  public statements from school leaders. Or, ahem, state government.

There are levers that can be pulled within the state to help protect our vulnerable students. As the Legislature gets ready for session in January, elected representatives can prioritize this issue so schools can focus on teaching and learning. 

My gym’s motto is, “you belong here.” It’s time for Vermont’s education system to adopt a similar  mission statement.

David Ismail fired in a brilliant goal from distance in the 18th minute. Yaniv Banzini led the second-half offensive outburst with a pair of how-did-he-do-that finishes. And Sydney Wathuta played the setup man once again.

The result was clear: Vermont men’s soccer knows how to win NCAA Tournament games. And the Catamounts claimed another one on Thursday night.

Behind Ismail’s opening strike, Banzini’s brace and Wathuta’s two assists, Vermont cruised past Iona 5-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in front of 2,035 at Virtue Field.

The America East champion Catamounts (12-2-5) will play Hofstra in a second-round matchup at 5 p.m. Sunday on ESPN+. The Catamounts will seek their third straight trip to the Round of 16; two years ago, they reached the quarterfinals, one win shy of the College Cup semifinals; last year, they were ousted after advancing through the first two rounds.

The Catamounts now have six NCAA tourney wins since 2022. They had four in their program history prior to that.

More: Cardiac Catamounts: Vermont soccer strikes late to capture America East championship

In Thursday’s match, defender Zach Barrett dribbled down the right sideline and found Ismail on the edge of the box. The junior forward turned and, given too much space by Iona defenders, uncorked a lefty blast from 20 yards out that a leaping Iona goalie Loukas Georgiou could not reach.

Ahead 1-0 at the break, Bazini doubled the advantage 19 seconds into the second half. Bazini received a short pass following an Iona turnover 40 yards away from goal, and the dynamic senior forward weaved through multiple defenders before unleashing a blast from the top of the 18 that skipped in front of Georgiou and inside the right post.

In the 55th minute, Barrett heaved a long throw-in into the box for Max Murray, who nodded toward Bazini. With a crowd around him, Bazini beat the Iona defense with a crafty backheel for a 3-0 margin. It was Bazini’s team-leading 10th goal this fall.

To polish off the high-scoring performance for an America East school in an NCAA Tournament game, Wathuta set up Ryan Zellefrow in the 70th minute and Maximilian Kissel in the 85th minute, the latter giving Wathuta a single-season team record of 14 assists. Kissel also has nine goals this season, all as a substitute.

Niklas Herceg made three saves in net for his fourth clean sheet of 2024.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.