It seems school lunches always have earned their share of criticism - probably rightly so. So 23 middle school and 12 high school teams, each with 5 students, took culinary matters into their own hands. Vermont's first Jr. Iron Chefs competition, held at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, offered students the chance to prepare their ideas of what could make school lunches more edible and acceptable, said the Burlington Free Press. Recipes were judged on taste, use of Vermont products, and the ability to be replicated for mass consumption. Recipes will be included in a cookbook and maybe even served at their schools. Whittingham's Twin Valley Middle School's vegetarian chili won Best in Show. Maybe Taylor Molander, 14, best expressed the proof of putting your appetite where your mouth is: "every time we practiced we'd pig out on it later."

It purportedly happened at least 40 years ago. A WWI cannon was stolen from in front of the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington and buried under the football field at Dartmouth College. It was hidden by a college student in the 1960s as a prank - or was it? A man who since has died confessed to police he was that college student, said the Rutland Herald. But further investigation at Memorial Stadium produced only an empty ammunition carriage, not a cannon. Add to this the fact no one at the veterans home can remember if the cannon ever existed, let alone stolen. There have been postcards dating back to the early 1900s that show a cannon in front of the home, but neither local history buffs nor the Bennington Historic Preservation Commission can verify its existence. But if the cannon is found under the football field, "we would love to see it returned to where it belongs," said Michelle Burgess, director of therapeutic recreation at the home. The college plans to search around the area where the carriage was found in hopes of solving this mystery. Where's Sherlock Holmes when you need him?

When Northeastern University student Molly Candon went looking for a summer job, she never thought it would be with the Boston Red Sox. Molly, who lives in Rutland with her parents and brother Justin when not at Northeastern, turned down several more lucrative offers to be the host for guests who purchased expensive group packages that include prime game seats and dinner, reported the Rutland Herald. She had all but forgotten about sending the Sox an inquiry letter regarding summer employment when she heard from them out of the blue, went for an interview at the corporate offices on Yawkey Way, and got the job. She will be "working" at every Sox home game that started with Opening Day when the World Championship team received their rings. "I was pretty starstruck, but hopefully that will change," she said. She's probably the envy of all her friends -unless they're Yankee fans.

Summer is coming and what says summer more than ice cream? Members of Brattleboro's KidsPLAYce have decided to make last summer's& experimental - and successful - ice cream stand permanent. They will offer nine flavors of locally made Chelsea Royal Ice Cream and a variety of toppings, as well as snacks and drinks. KidsPLAYce is a nonprofit space located underneath the Hotel Pharmacy where children come together and play on climbing stuructures, create their own arts and crafts projects, and learn about some live animals, inlcuidng fish, lizards and a python, up close and personal, says The Brattleboro Reformer. The group is trying new ways - of which selling ice cream was one - to get more involved in community activities and programs. The space can be rented out for kids' birthday parties, complete with ice cream for all the guests enjoy.

A group of Williston and Essex Junction Girls Scouts raised $20,000 last year to adopt a dog through CHAMPS (Children Against Mines Program) after representatives from CHAMPS visited schools with Utsi, a retired land mine dog. Utsi showed them how the pups are trained to sniff out buried land mines. The girls attended events, talked to people, collected contributions, and washed cars to adopt their own dog who would be trained and sent to Lebanon. But, it didn't stop there. They recently adopted Anita, an 11-year-old Bosnian land mine victim, said The Burlington Free Press, and are trying to raise $6,000 to buy her a prosthetic leg. "They can't do this themselves," said Aleksandra Stamper, 11. "Everybody should do service like this. It's humanitarian," added Caty Mara, 12. If they reach their goal, CHAMPS will receive matching funds to pay for the medical treatment of Anita and other victims. Kids helping kids - it's the American way.

Kids on the Move, a children's rehabilitation clinic in Rutland, welcomes a special visitor each Wednesday, says The Rutland Herald. Petunia, an 8-month-old Vietnamese potbellied pig, standing less than two feet tall and weighing 56 pounds, makes the rounds with the clinic's occupational therapist, Karyn Kipp. She acts much like a dog wrapped in pigskin, jumping on furniture, walking on a leash, "wagging" her tail, and hanging around the kids waiting for a snack. But, when she comes to the clinic, it's not who she is or isn't, but what she does. Petunia brings joy to the kids and "...gets smiles from kids we generally get no response from," said office manager Debbie Chisholm. She doesn't make a - pardon the pun - pig of herself, indulging only on carrots, which are allowed on her diet, and fed to her by the kids. This porker is a keeper.

The Journey East Program at Leland & Gray Union High School in Townshend is sending 23 students who will perform during a month-long tour across China and Mongolia, according to the Brattleboro Reformer. Coming up with a theme that Chinese kids could relate to through song and dance was the challenging part. The show will feature hip hop and modern American dance, and home-themed songs, including a reggae and traditional version of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Apparently the song is well known in China and 2,000 Chinese are expected to sing the chorus to that song. Students also will present a famous Chinese poem in Mandarin and English. "It touches on a lot of themes relevant to Vermont," says music director Mike Roberts. The show can be seen at Leland & Gray May 4 at 7:30 p.m. That's one long country road traveled.

Montpelier's Anne Ferguson loves reading and walking. She found a way to combine her two passions into a children's program to make reading and exercise fun, says The Times Argus. It's called StoryWalk and is exactly what the name implies. Kids currently can choose from six trails and read pages from six different books as they walk. Anne chooses only those books that have striking illustrations, a good story, and minimal amount of text. The pages are mounted on card stock, laminated to protect them from the weather, and stapled to sticks placed on a path. It's had an unexpected and unintended impact on adults, as one reader noted, "...I'm sure this was intended for little kids, but this big kid (55 years old) loved the treat." Future plans call for a library of StoryWalks to be made available for use by other communities. Maybe this is the new "rub your head and chew gum at the same time" challenge.

Mary loves to travel throughout her hometown of Jericho. You might find her at the local elementary school or at The Village Cup bakery or on her way to pay a neighborly visit to some friends at Freedom Farm. While this may sound like some people you know, the difference is that Mary is a 2,000-pound, 27-year-old draft horse, reports The Burlington Free Press.

Townspeople know Mary well from her travels and often bring her back home to her owners Lori and Bonnie Blades. She's even been known to go trick or treating as Superhorse, wearing a cape with a big S on it on Halloween. She's a favorite with the kids at the Jericho Elementary School who keep tabs on her even when she's out to summer pasture. "It freaks the kids out when she's not there," said the school's secretary. Maybe we should introduce Mary to Mr. Ed who could stop and ask directions if their travel plans go astray.

Vermont ranks among the top 10 most natural places in the world, according to the judges at Nature Valley. Hardly a surprise to the state's residents and visitors. The granola bar manufacturing company narrowed entrants' worldwide locations from 70 to 10 in their recent "Where's Your Nature Valley?" video online contest said The Burlington Free Press. Tyler Weeks and Ali Wise submitted a three-minute video of the Vermont winter activities they personally enjoy, including skiing, ice fishing, and sledding. The two UVM grads are among the ten finalists on the company's page on YouTube where viewers can vote on their favorites. First prize is a $61,000 trip to the ends of the earth, from the Falkland Islands to the Arctic Svalbard. Second place gets you to Galapagos Islands and Peru. Weeks and Wise think their video has an edge in the competition. "There's a lot of sincere enthusiasm in our video," Weeks said. "It was just fun." You can vote your support for their video - and Vermont - through March 13.