Irene commemoration documentary celebrates community
September 4, 2021 | By Cheryl Casey 
The senior capstone project by Champlain College students Connor Greene and Ben Nicholas contributes to the Waterbury Historical Society's documentation of Tropical Storm Irene on the 10th anniversary. Screenshot
When Tropical Storm Irene washed through Waterbury, it was still three years before I would move to Vermont and the foothills of the Worcester Mountains. I cannot pretend to have a clue what the days and weeks after Irene were like, nor have I ever experienced the likes of the devastation and loss wrought upon my newfound neighbors and friends. But I saw and heard the aftershocks rippling throughout the community.
Fast forward to 2021, and what I sense most intensely is the strength and resilience of Waterbury. That spirit inspired and fueled my volunteerism in the life of the community. Now, as president of the Waterbury Historical Society, I had an idea.
The story of Waterbury’s 10-year journey of revitalization needed to be told and preserved. I was in a position to make that happen.
I teach communication, media, and culture at Champlain College, and one of my tasks is to oversee the Senior Capstone projects in Communication. Students work in pairs to produce multimedia materials for a client. So I added the historical society as a client, and two talented students who specialized in video and audio production, seniors Connor Greene and Ben Nicholas, jumped at the chance to tell Waterbury’s story.
The video project incorporates still photographs from the time period of Tropical Storm Irene and the recovery along with recent interviews of town residents and officials reflecting on the experience. Screenshot
Over the course of the spring semester, the historical society board guided and supervised Connor and Ben as they conceived, wrote, filmed, and edited the short documentary that ultimately premiered in the Steele Community Room last weekend on Aug. 28, the 10th anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene.
“The 2011 Flood: Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene” begins with the rising floodwaters, but does not follow them as they recede. Nor does it linger on the details of cleanup. Rather, the film lifts up and celebrates the community spirit and revitalization efforts that forged ahead (and sometimes plodded along) in the decade that followed the flood.
It is a story of resilience, hope, optimism, community bonds — and even some interviewees marvel at how much better Waterbury is as a result of the last decade’s efforts. It is Waterbury’s story, made all the more poignant by having been filmed during a pandemic as evidenced by some of the speakers on screens within the screen, some wearing headphones.
I am grateful for the ways I can bring together my commitment to community with my passion as a teacher and scholar of communication. I did not see the film itself until the semester ended in May, in order to avoid any conflicts of interest as both president and professor. When Connor and Ben screened the final cut at our Capstone Showcase, I practically burst with pride, admittedly shedding a few tears.
Familiar faces on screen tell Waterbury’s story from their vantage points including town officials like Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk, former Village Trustee Skip Flanders, former Select Board Chair Rebecca Ellis, Fire Chief Gary Dillon, and longtime resident Jeremy Ayers.
Then I had to sit on the video file for three months, as the film was produced specifically to be part of the program of events planned by Revitalizing Waterbury to commemorate and celebrate the 10 years since Irene.
I didn’t think I could stand it, but somehow I kept myself from sharing the video far and wide until now.
In my role as WHS president, I am also proud and honored to ensure that this story is not only heard today, but available to future citizens of our resilient little town. History is always in the making, constructing and reconstructing who we are. What is past is not old and dusty but vibrant in the fabric of the present. What is present is not ephemeral but the building blocks of the future.
Waterbury Center resident Cheryl Casey is an associate professor of Communication at Champlain College and president of the Waterbury Historical Society. The 12-min. film can be found on the Waterbury Historical Society’s YouTube channel.