School news
English students learn how to save seeds
Ms. Perkins's 10th grade English class is reading The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson as part of their ongoing study of indigenous peoples in American Literature. The publisher's note states, "Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and, through them, to our ancestors."
On October 2, Abbie Castriotta invited Sylvia Davatz to speak with the students in the library. Abbie stated, "Sylvia is an expert seed keeper, co-founder of Solstice Seeds, and specializes in growing heritage and rare varieties of grains that are hardy to our New England climate." During her talk, Sylvia encouraged students to "...listen to the things they [plants] are telling you about the conditions they are growing in." She also shared stories of exchanging seeds with people from around the world and she displayed some of the seeds she has collected. In addition to reading The Seed Keeper and attending this talk, students visited the greenhouse with Abbie to learn the basics of seed saving.
Libby, Annasophia, Ruth and Sylvia with some of her plants and see
Woodstock Union HS Poetry Out Loud Contest 2025
Woodstock tucked in its 2025 Poetry Out Loud Competition on February 12th, ahead of winter vacation, and just ahead of the second of three big snow storms. Twenty two students participated in the recitation competition, held in The Rhoda Teagle Library, and attended by peers in 9th through 12th grades.
Pictured above: Owen Courcey as Accuracy Judge
Poetry Out Loud is a national competition that has its inception in high school classrooms across the country, and grows from there to schoolwide- competitions, state regional competitions, a state final competition and ultimately to a national competition in Washington, D.C.
Pictured above: Josh Byrne recites "The Conqueror Worm" by Edgar Allen Poe
Recitation is a particular art. Poetry Out Loud has rigorous judging guidelines, encompassing a student’s physical presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Far more than memorization, in so many words recitation requires the competitor to be the “vessel” for the poem’s performance.
Pictured above: Liam Wheeler recites "The Kiss" by Robert Graves
Recitation asks the student to deliver the poem in a way that clarifies the poem’s meaning, makes its words, imagery, figurative language, rhythm and meter, even punctuation, the star, over the person delivering the art. It’s a nuanced experience, demanding exactitude as well as effective interpretation.
Pictured above: Tula Klock recites "What to Say Upon Being Asked to Be Friends" by Julian Brolaski
The range of ideas and wisdoms across the twenty two poems students selected from The Poetry Out Loud Anthology was remarkable, cautionary, and encouraging, depending. And yet, “at bottom,” all boils down to “Words” (Haaken Oates’ choice by Pauli Murray) -- words’ selection, combination and arrangement. To offer a small sample: there were pleas for unity and community in poems like Santino Bohren’s recitation of “About Standing (in Kinship),” and Vasco Malik’s delivery of “We all receive the invitation”; Sam Hauze’s prose poem selection, “Don’t Bother the Earth Spirit” and Agnes Kardashian’s interpretation of “Walking with My Delaware Grandfather,” along with Jake Blackborn’s rendition of “Wind, Water, Stone,” offered nostalgic respect for ancestral and/or earthly wisdom, revealing the power of reflection to offer a kind of present eternity.
Pictured above: Tegan Miller recites "Summer" by Chen Chen
A number of student selections grappled with war and heroism/anti-heroism, from long ago, as was the case with Luke Pomeroy’s interpretation of Rupert Brook’s “The Soldier,” and Ayron Romanczak’s rendition of Henley’s famous “Invictus,” to the present, as reflected by poems such as Zara Khan’s selection “From the Sky,” or Mimi Kanda-Olmstead’s recitation of “To the Oppressors”. As Kirkegard once said, “Where tragedy occurs, the comic is present.” Such was the case with Josh Byrne’s rendition of “The Conqueror Worm”. In the end, poems having to do with some kind of love and humanity seemed to take the top slots: Quinn Eckler’s recitation of “The Universe as Primal Scream” (Tracy K. Smith) and Liam Wheeler’s rendition of “The Kiss” (Robert Graves) tied for third place (157 points each), Lylah Zeitlin captured second place (170 points), reciting “Siren Song” (Margaret Atwood) and Tegan Miller emerged as Woodstock’s 2025 POL School Champion with 178 points and her recitation of “Summer” by Chen Chen.
Pictured above: Judges and Scoring Team prepare for the next recitation
Tegan Miller, ‘27, will represent Woodstock at the southern Vermont Regional Poetry Out Loud Contest to be held at The Barre Opera House on Thursday, March 6th. Tegan will recite “Summer” at that competition, along with a second poem, “Friendship After Love” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Pictured above: Poetry Out Loud work in the classroom: Guest Teaching Artist Geof Hewitt works with Liam Wheeler on "The Kiss" by Robert Graves
The state final competition will consist of the top 5 recitations from the southern and northern regional competitions, respectively, and will take place at The Flynn in Burlington on Friday, March 14th, where finalists will recite three poems each to vie for the state champion and the opportunity to represent Vermont at the national competition in Washington, D.C. (April, 2025).
Pictured above: Mr. Clifford addresses the competitors and audience
Congratulations to all the students who participated with verve and rigor in Woodstock’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud Contest! Many Thanks to our 2025 judges: Mike Loots, Nathalie Kramer, Janet North, Detlef Hagge, Jessica Oakman, and accuracy judge: Owen Courcey. Ms. SJ as prompter and the dynamic scoring team, Heather Vonada & Andy Smith, along with scoring sheet “runner,” Jack Quicker, were invaluable to delivering a smooth contest, as were Mrs. Murphy and Ms Piccoli in “styling” the library space to accommodate the contest.
Pictured above: A poem is a sweet treat, but so are Ms. Hayslett's homemade heart cookies, Abbie's homemade pumpkin bread and Perk's oatmeal chocolate chip fruit bars
The Hive is Live!
The Hive is Live! Middle school journalists have been hard at work putting together the first issue of our student newspaper. Check out all their stories at The Hive, or read the sample headline below.
"Two Words" from Seniors
Seniors in AP Lit: Narrative Reality recently read Isabel Allende's short story, "Two Words," as an early exploration of the way(s) narrative shapes reality.
In response, these seniors shared their own "two words" that "ward off melancholy" or otherwise build their resilience and ability to recognize the good in a day or in a situation. Check out their poster of power positives that keep them each ticking.
Seniors Collaborate on Gatsby and a Lit-to-Life Mural Project
Seniors in English IV and AP Lit Collaborate on Gatsby and a Lit-to-Life Mural Project
In the last weeks of the semester, members of the Class of 2024 read a high school classic,
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and engaged in a series of sixteen journal prompts inspired by key lines from the novel, occasioning their own related experiences and recollections. Check out the murals in the main high school hallway to catch excerpts from those journal entries and a “look-see” into the dreams, the once-special objects, recollected names, experiences of the “ultimate degree,” self-reinventions, their own visions for “one fine morning --” and what they view as their supports to “beat on, boats against the current,” in pursuit of their future aspirations, among many other Gatsby-inspired anecdotes from their own real, true lives. Congratulations to the Class of 2024 - “-- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther --”
