School news
Language Students earn top honors in statewide competition
The Modern and Classical Language Department is thrilled to announce that the following students were recently recognized for creative excellence in state-wide competitions!:
In the Vermont Foreign Language Association's Annual Poster Contest,. Clara Burkholder earned 3rd place in the middle school division. Sophia Randolph earned 3rd place in the high school division. Danny Smith earned 1st place in the digital category (open to all grades).
In the Annual Writing Contest sponsored by the Classical Association of New England, Annie Hauze earned 1st place in Vermont for her poem titled "Madwoman".
Congrats to all!
WUHSMS students present anti-bullying conference
On March 14th, a group of students gathered at Champlain College to conduct a workshop as part of the annual conference hosted by the Vermont Association for Middle-Level Education (VAMLE) on Anti-Bullying. The workshop was attended by participants from various middle-level schools across Vermont, including teachers, administrators, and students.
During the workshop, the students shared their expertise and insights on creating action plans and resources to encourage open and critical conversations within school communities. They emphasized the importance of driving social action and promoting positive change through meaningful dialogue and concrete steps toward progress. The students also presented a resource guide titled 'Vermont Students Critical Conversations Resource,' which they had created to provide valuable information and guidance for anyone seeking to initiate and facilitate critical conversations in their school community.
The workshop served as a valuable opportunity for the students to connect with others who share their passion for social justice and to inspire them to take action in their own schools and communities.
Thanks to our students Adelle Danilchek, Aidan Keough-Vella, Ava Rich, Ella Stainton, Farren Stainton, Morgan Putnem, and Owen Courcey.
CRAFT career panel and student retreat events
CRAFT has hosted two exciting events in the past week! The second in our trilogy of Career Panels focused on the theme of Conservation Careers. Students learned from the following panelists:
Holly Knox, US Forest Service
Hannah Dallas, Windsor County Forester
Rudi Ruddell, White River Partnership
Lorne Currier, Green Mountain Club
They were intrigued to learn about the winding and interconnected career paths of these folks, how mountain bike trails are cited, and designed, and how climate change is influencing each of their work in a variety of ways. We can sense some great collaborations and even internship possibilities cooking up with these fantastic community partners!
We also hosted our second student retreat. Each student currently working toward the CRAFT credential gathered at the Vermont Land Trust's King Farm this week to build community, reflect on stewardship and sustainability themes emerging in their learning, and to elicit some good old fashioned JOY.
Students attend exposition at the Hood Museum of Art
On Friday, February 10, our class visited the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College to see the exposition "¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now". Dartmouth's Vivian M. Ladd Tomasi and Beatriz Yanes Martinez led the students in the collection's English and Spanish tours, part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's traveling exhibit. The exhibit featured a broad, diverse, and inclusive view of American art.
Record turnout for the Poetry Out Loud contest
On February 14th, a record number of high school students -- 28!-- gathered in YOH Auditorium to participate in this year’s Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest. Even the student body that gathered to support them appeared record in number, so one might presume it was a good day to “heart” a poem -- either as a deliverer or a receiver.
Students self-selected their poems from The Poetry Out Loud anthology and, with much classroom (and beyond!) practice, offered their interpretations of poems ranging in content from madness to love (unsung and found), to Nature (her seasonal and animal impact and messages for humanity), perseverance, opportunity, and even a few poems or “Pomes” featuring wicked “W” wordplay and pun. The poetry recitations were assessed in several categories -- the speaker’s physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy.
Aside from the stellar Excel program Mr. Andy Smith put together to sum the judges’ scores for each student, Woodstock’s Poetry Out Loud Contest was a tech-free, “Old-school,'' pure mind-body-soul event where students from the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades truly distinguished themselves in offering a poem that mattered to them this past Valentine’s Day.
By 3:00 pm, the scoring team of Mrs. Vonada and Mr. Andy Smith reported the results from Judges Brennan, Richardson, Allen, Robbins, Smail and Hayslett to reveal freshman Agnes Kardashian’s third place finish with 146 points for “Invictus” by William Earnest Henley; junior William Obbard’s second place finish with 167 points for “Tomorrow” by Dennis O’Driscoll; and senior Anne Hauze’s first place with 185 points for “The Properly Scholarly Attitude” by Adelaide Crapsey.
As Woodstock’s 2023 Poetry Out Loud School Champion, Anne Hauze will represent Woodstock at The Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition in Barre, Vermont on March 9th, where she will compete with two poems and vie for a spot in the state finals to be held on March 16th at The Flynn Center in Burlington -- stay tuned! For students wishing to see the complete scoring results for all contestants, please stop by the Library Circulation Desk. Thank you to all the students who gave poetry recitation or reading a try this winter -- this was just about everyone!