School news
Priscilla Richardson is a Rockstar Teacher's Assistant in AP Environmental Science
AP Environmental Science TA Priscilla Richarson designed and taught a great lesson about weather patterns. She had students drawing on rotating balloons to model the coriolis effect. This was one of many awesome lessons that she planned during semester one in addition to helping students with their work on a daily basis. Thank you Priscilla!
Students display balloons they rotated and drew on to model the coriolis effect
Computer Science & Robotics in Room 26
All students started the year looking for patterns in Binary. Here's what Ruth S (9th) and Satori R (10th) discovered in Game Design class:
We've currently got three sections of Robotics classes running in Room 26, where Roman P (7th) and David T (7th) are starting to build components for a ClawBot.
Addison B (9th) already figured out how to connect up power and motors to create our first driving bot of the year.
Students in AP Computer Science Principles are starting to code in Python:
9th Grade IES Students Plant a Pollinator Hedgerow!
Last week in Integrated Environmental Science (IES), 86 freshmen worked with Karen Ganey from Regeneration Corps to plant native shrubs on campus in order to help transform our outdoor spaces to increase biodiversity, promote ecosystem resilience, and store carbon. The work builds on a design for a pollinator hedgerow created for a 2022 Stewardship Action Project by former Woodstock graduate Wyatt Begin and is one of several service learning opportunities offered in 9th grade. It could not have been possible without our former students or Karen.
Karen has a passion for connecting people to the land and has dedicated her professional life to a variety of organizations including Regeneration Corps, The Upper Valley Apple Corps, Ottauquechee Water Protectors Association, Vt Agroecology School, and the Clifford Park Community Food Forest. Highly energized by work that centers climate solutions and food systems, Karen is currently engaged in various regenerative design consultations, education outreach, and community organizing events.
To prepare for hedgerow planting, students individually researched various herbaceous perennials. Karen also visited our class to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and stewardship opportunities that create diverse land ecosystems in order to build resilience and increase biodiversity. Our amazing place-based educator Kat Robbins and committed Garden & Greenhouse Manager / CRAFT Teaching Assistant Abbie Castriotta were also integral in preparation efforts by obtaining the tools, equipment and shrubs necessary to complete this project.
In addition to having fun and being outside for the afternoon, our 9th grade students worked to increase the number of pollinator species, the number of interactions and exchanges between organisms, and the health of the ecosystem! Students were highly engaged and reported feeling very successful at the end of the day. When prompted to share a favorite highlight of the day, this is what our students said.
My favorite highlight was…
“Finally getting the plant in the ground and preparing it to flourish under our combined care.” - Luke Hecker
“The vivid green after the storm.” - Tee Miller
“Getting my hands dirty.” - Khloi Bruso
“Learning about how Kat uses the plants.” - Marshall Sommerville
“The feeling of making progress towards a goal.” - Liam Wheeler
Integrated Environmental Science (Week of 4/1)
This week, the 9th grade Integrated Environmental Science (IES) class invited guest visitor Kyle Burton to engage students in an exciting presentation about salamanders–an important vernal pool apex predator and bioindicator species–in order to supplement our current studies on Ecosystems & Citizen Science.
Kyle has always been an outdoor person. As a teen, he developed a love for zoology and sought out various volunteer opportunities. He attended Mizzou as an undergraduate and UC Denver, where he received a graduate degree in Geographic Engineering Systems. Currently, Kyle serves as a Science In Parks (SIP) intern through USGS, which works in conjunction with Americorp.
To prepare for his visit, students individually researched and reported out on frogs/toads and salamanders that are native to Vermont. Presentations included information about the amphibian’s visual identification, range and habitat, energy sources, winter survival strategies and breeding behavior. After break, students will build on their initial research by engaging in the Salamander Monitoring Project at Marsh Billings National Historical park. Engaging in this project serves to provide context to changing forest structures as the climate changes, including understanding salamanders’ role as a bioindicator species. In addition, students will engage in an authentic citizen science opportunity that will help to shape conservation efforts to support salamander breeding habitats.
In late April, the 9th grade students will be taking a field trip to three arrays within the Marsh Billings forest to monitor Eastern Red-Backed Salamander populations. Marsh Billings National Historical Park offers a unique habitat for 6 salamander species, including the endangered Jefferson Salamander; its unique hemlock-dominated stand, coupled with vernal pools, offers a stronghold for this population. Stay tuned for more information and additional volunteer opportunities in which you and your family can engage.
AP Physics news
This week In AP Physics I, students applied their knowledge of forces acting on an object and Newton’s 2nd Law to investigate a double-mass system. Students worked in small groups to share predictions about how changing the mass of a cart will affect the acceleration of the system and to brainstorm their plan of action for this investigation. Next week, students will be generating and analyzing their experimental data and comparing it to a theoretical value for acceleration.