School news
Library news, February 2026
Students with Jory Hearst
On Thursday, February 5, students who are in the Young Adult Diverse Books Book Club met with Jory Hearst, English teacher at Burlington High School and Teen Lit Mob co-organizer, to discuss plans for the big event! Teen Lit Mob, a literary festival for 200 Vermont teens, will be on Friday, April 10, 2026 at our school. The keynote speaker will be Lily Brooks Dalton, author of the Vermont Reads book, The Light Pirate.
Other authors participating in Teen Lit Mob are Jo Knowles, Kosoko Jackson, Dan Nott and Katy Faber. It is going to be a great day that celebrates students and their love of reading! If you are interested in attending, helping or just need more information, please let Ms. Piccoli know.
Football fun for Super Bowl Week at WES
Some of the Football players joined Mrs. Farwell at Woodstock Elementary School this week to help students with PE class during Super Bowl Week!
Birds of a Feather Flock together in Eco-Art Class
In Mrs. Jimerson's Eco Art class, students enjoyed researching resident winter birds in Vermont for a recent project. To create their birds, students made homemade inks from black walnuts and berries, and created real quills using traditional methods.
Students used steel wool, sandpaper, and exacto knives to create their quills from turkey feathers, and worked together to boil and mash black walnuts into ink. Students also practiced their calligraphy writing skills in preparation for the next phase of the project. The students will be painting scientific illustrations that include written descriptions of their birds.
Yoh Players present Treasure Island
Please join our Yoh Theatre players in March for a performance of Robert Louis Stevensons’ Treasure Island, a play by Mary Zimmerman. Come experience action and adventure, and sea shanties woven into the story!
Friday, March 6, 7pm
Saturday, March 7, 7pm
Sunday, March 8, 2pm
Summary
Enlivened by rum, mutiny, and buried treasure, Treasure Island is the classic pirates’ tale, widely regarded as the forerunner of this genre. After discovering a treasure map, young Jim Hawkins sets off to sea as cabin boy aboard the Hispaniola, where he encounters one of the most unforgettable characters in literary history—peg-legged buccaneer Long John Silver, a malicious mutineer and charismatic father figure.
“Zimmerman has powerfully captured the joy, danger, and fantasy of Stevenson’s novel. . . Pure fun, a potent coming-of-age story, and a rollicking swashbuckler.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Pirate Attack! Left to right: Jim Hawkins (Jay Allen) fights off an attack by Israel Hands (Quinn Eckler), Sailor O'Brian (Charlie Davis) creeps up from below while Pirate George Merry (Brady Kruse-Ely) fights his opponent, Captain Smollet (Tee Miller) fights with the pirate Johnny (Moira Helene)
Pirate Job (David Solitaire) descends from above.
Fred Schlabach (Yoh Theatre's set builder) with the Treasure Island set, which includes a thrust that comes right out into the audience, and many entrances and exits with stairs and a fire pole to support the action. Next the players will paint the set, and add lighting.
WUHSMS musicians participate in Connecticut Valley Honors Music Festival
Twelve musicians from WUHSMS were accepted and participated in the Connecticut Valley Honors Music Festival last weekend. This festival brings together the very best middle and high school musicians from throughout the state for a two day festival, this year hosted at Bellows Falls Union High School. The festival includes over 10 hours of rehearsal followed by a featured performance. Lia Gugliotta performed with the high school jazz ensemble and all other musicians performed with the middle school concert band. Bravo tutti!
Pictured from left to right: Josiah DeWerth, Mina Gugliotta, Izzy Gieder, Josie Flaster, Lia Gugliotta, Ava Byrne, Genevieve Williams, Norah Wolfe, Sadie Rowlee, Mari Maxham, Malina Siciliano and Anabelle Park