School news
7th graders head to Farm & Wilderness
Our 7th graders headed to Farm and Wilderness in Plymouth for an overnight of connection and adventure — time away together as a class. Thursday brought rain, but Friday turned beautiful, and we wrapped up the trip with a perfect afternoon on the lake.
Imagine & Unwind: A quiet space to just create
Imagine & Unwind is a new Tuesday ARE/lunchtime drop-in space where students can slow down, create, and take a break from the noise and activity of the school day.
Students are welcome to come during ARE, or, if they have another club or commitment during ARE, they can bring their lunch and join during lunchtime instead. There are no assignments, critiques, or expectations. Students are simply invited to choose a creative activity and enjoy some peaceful time making art.
There is good reason to intentionally create spaces like this for young people. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study 68% of U.S. teens feel a great deal or a fair amount of pressure to earn good grades. The CDC also reports that nearly 1 in 3 high school students experienced poor mental health, including stress, anxiety, and depression, most of the time or always. At a time when students are balancing academics, activities, relationships, technology, and expectations for their futures, even a short opportunity to slow down can be valuable.
The club grew in part from Dr. Gravel’s interest in the ways creative experiences can support well-being. Last year, she completed a graduate certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from MECA&D and wanted to bring some of what she learned into the school setting. Imagine & Unwind provides a small space in the school week where students do not have to achieve anything, earn a grade, or even carry on a conversation. They can simply be present and create.
For the first gathering, students chose from a variety of mandalas, gathered drawing materials, grabbed a cookie, and settled in for some quiet creative time. The only real rule was no talking. The goal was to create a space where students could relax without the pressure to socialize, perform, or produce something for a grade.
Imagine & Unwind is currently offered on Tuesdays only, but Dr. Gravel hopes to expand the drop-in to additional days as scheduling and availability allow. Future gatherings will offer different simple, low-pressure creative activities. Students do not need to be enrolled in an art class or consider themselves an “artist” to participate.
For now, students looking for a little time to breathe, create, and reset are invited to drop in on Tuesdays during ARE or bring their lunch and join afterward.
Class of 2027 meets up at sunrise
On September 1st, the senior class had their Senior Sunrise! They gathered at the school. played some games and then watched the sunrise together.
9th grade snack club deemed a success!
A Farm to School vision grant from the Vermont Department of Agriculture supported an extension of the annual 9th grade Food Security project through the creation of a weekly Snack Club. 6 ninth graders gathered each Wednesday throughout the school year to prepare a healthy snack for their peers. They were guided by Annesonia Beardsley, through her senior Stewardship Action Project.
Annesonia planned the menu, researched recipes, helped source items from local farms, and facilitated the snack making. Snacks ranged from the popular energy ball to banana spinach muffins, to an entirely green snack of edamame hummus, cucumbers, and celery for St Patrick's Day. Champlain Orchards, VT Farmstead Cheese, and Maplebrook Farm generously supported this project with donations, and the Woodstock Farmer's Market offered a discount as well.
When surveyed, ninth graders reported that this program helped students discover new healthy snack ideas they could replicate at home and made them realize that they could also enjoy healthy food. Many respondents enjoyed the taste of the snacks, describing them as "delicious" or "tasty," and looked forward to the weekly delivery, which provided a positive break and "bursts of excitement" during class.
Students said: "When we get snacks I feel focused after a long day after lunch. It gives a little break in afternoon classes, while providing fuel to stay focused throughout the afternoon before the end of the day activities like sports or theater." The snack makers said: "WE make kids happy. We make kids full. It's really nice to give kids more food because I know everyone's super hungry even if we’ve just had lunch and it's really awesome to have all these kids who really want snacks and like them."
Thanks to Heidi, Violet, Annabelle, Wren, Astrid, Lux, Annesonia, Kat, and Mr Wolfe! We have enough funding for one more year of snack club!
Middle school salon club
The Middle School Salon Club added some flair to the first week of spring by hosting a free Pop Up Salon during lunch last Friday. Students and staff came to lobby for henna, hair tinsel, and nail art. Everyone left looking more glamorous!