Many Champlain employees have welcomed new family members, both human and animal, over the last year. Brace yourself, because the cuteness might knock you right out of your chair!
Becky Swem: “Ruby joined our family in early February. This is puppy class graduation. She definitely didn’t try to eat the cap right after this picture.”Cyrus Patten: “This is Luna! She is an 8 month old rescue and the sweetest dog you’ve ever met.”David Kopec: “We had a son named Daniel Kopec born during the pandemic.”Barbara Colombo: “Baby Thomas – joined our family on March 5th”Kerry Shackett: “Kenna Mae Shackett joined our family (and the Champlain family!) on August 26th of 2020. She has attended more Zoom meetings than we ever expected and was a pretty sneaky secret as we moved to working from home last March. We can’t wait for her to be a part of the class of 2038.”Scott Baker: “Moose, our Portuguese Water Dog puppy (now 6 months old)”Valerie Esposito: “Layla become part of our family in January and she is so sweet. She’s especially patient with our girls and loves hot dogs!”Emily Rudolph: “Stu Pickles is a two year old rescue who is full of love and pure energy. Her favorite things to do are chase chipmunks, play tug-of-war, and snuggle. Stu doesn’t like the rain but loves to swim and can’t wait to have her first Vermont summer!”Christina Erickson: “We got a new pandemic pet: “Tulip”, a Holland Lop bunny. There’s seemingly mutual love.”Veronica Lewis: “Walter joined our family in August and while he has made some occasionally appearances on Zoom he is very much looking forward to visiting Burlington for the first time this summer! (Our cats, Marv and Harry, continue to be disinterested but have thoroughly enjoyed the new toys and blankets our tiny human as accumulated.)”Elaine Young: “Daisy May was born on May 13, 2020 and came to our home on July 11, 2020. She is a welsh cardigan corgi and is a true joy and wonderful addition to our family. Her big sister Fiona Greyhound is tolerating her!”Cheryl Casey: “Daisy joined our pack in early April 2021. She is a 15-month-old spaniel mix, just 22 lbs, and has two settings: snooze and zoom. Our aged border collie has even perked up a bit since Daisy’s arrival!”Sarah Calnan: “Meet Louie Baggins and Maple Jane (brown around her eyes) – These Guinea Pigs joined our family in September 2020. Louie loves hiding, enjoys tomatoes and cucumbers, and is always good for a cuddle! Maple loves digging into her hay, whistling when we come home, and will cuddle if you bribe her with a lettuce snack!”Robin Collins: “We got a new puppy named Poppy in December. She’s so cute!”Rachel Lavallee: “My latest Grandchild was born July 27, 2020. Skyler Finn Dion”Steph Doan (she/her/hers): “This is Willow (named after Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer of course). She’s a rescue from the Chittenden County Human Society and she’s almost three years old. She’s extremely timid and socially anxious, but she’s very kind and very sweet. She will always accept a Greenies cat treat, and she’s clever enough to drag her cat beds under my bed so she can hide comfortably, especially when I’m working. Her favorite activities are showing the spring toys she has who’s boss with her polydactyl paws and stealing my spot on the bed when she sees me leave the room because her three cat beds are just not enough.”Melanie Brown: “Douglas joined our family and the math faculty on August 16, 2020. He made sure to cook long enough so that his mom could get everything settled for the fall semester. Dougie’s contributions to the Champlain community this year have been numerous, including his work on the Faculty Welfare Committee and his efforts in developing the new minor in Actuarial Studies. He also enjoys attending Zoom meetings so he can smile at all of the faces on the screen, and he views cats on-camera as a real value-add to the virtual experience. However, his cats at home wish he weren’t quite so enthusiastic with his love…”
