Bob Ross Holiday Painting Extravaganza: AP Art

Students in AP Art celebrated the holiday season with a Bob Ross Painting challenge. They chose a Bob Ross video and then spent the next 30 minutes completing a painting. It is not easy completing an entire painting in such a short amount of time. And even though Bob Ross was very supportive and calm, for the students this was at times a very intense and challenging process. 

Everyone embraced their happy accidents and had a wonderful time. 

Sophomore Shadow Day 2025 Kicks Off

Last year, members of the Class of 2026 shadowed at more than 50 different organizations, businesses, and state agencies. 

WUHSMS’s sophomore class started the new year considering what they might like to do for Sophomore Shadow Day. While the actual date of Shadow Day is not until May 1, there is lots to be done before that date to ensure that every sophomore has a placement about which they are genuinely excited. 

Thankfully, opportunities abound in our community. For each of our previous four Sophomore Shadow Days, we have had more than 50 placement sites in careers as diverse as law enforcement, chemistry, manufacturing, retail, education, public policy, forestry, marketing, plumbing, and many more.  

In English classes this week, students shared some of their own occupational interests, heard about some of our students’ previous Shadow Day placements, and took a career inventory assessment called the Career Interest Profiler. Later in January, sophomores will have a chance to hear about the numerous occupations one can pursue through the Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program, as well as the youth and adult programming offered by Dartmouth Health’s Workforce Readiness Institute for those interested in health care. 

By late February, with the help of our team, students will have identified a potential host for Shadow Day and written a letter introducing themselves. One way parents/guardians can help is to ask their student what they are interested in doing for Shadow Day and share any potential connections they have that align with their student’s interests. 

This program is facilitated by the Center of Community Connections (C3), Counseling, and English II teachers. If parents/guardians have questions or would like to volunteer to host a member of the Class of 2026 for Shadow Day, please contact Beth Hayslett and Luis Bango at C3@mtnviews.org

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

WUHS Seniors Aidan Keough-Vella and Levi Halley Receive Congressional Nominations

Two of our WUHSMS students Aidan Keough-Vella and Levi Halley have received Congressional nominations  to the US Service Academies from Vermont's US Congressional Delegation, Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, and US Representative Becca Balint. Aidan Keough-Vella of Bridgewater Corners has applied to the U.S. Air Force Academy and Levi Halley of Woodstock has applied to the U.S. Military Academy. 

Both of these students attended a reception at the Vermont State House on December 29 and were included in Senator Sanders' newsletter, the "Bernie Buzz" on December 29. 

According to the newsletter, "Each year, the Vermont Congressional Delegation comes together at the end of December to nominate outstanding young Vermonters to be members of the United States Service Academies. We hold this annual reception at the Vermont State House and invite families and current students of the academies to join us.

"As part of this annual event, we hold a roundtable discussion so that the students can get to know one another and share why each of them has chosen to serve their country. And let me tell you, after hearing what these young Vermonters have to say it would be hard not to conclude that they are a very special group of youngsters. As Vermonters, we should be very proud of all of them.

"At just 17 or 18 years old, they have made a decision to serve our country. They have chosen service to community, above self. These young people may go on to have 20-year careers in the military. They may also receive important education and training through the academies and military service that will lead them to become the doctors, nurses, engineers, pilots, teachers, and first responders who live and work every day in our communities."

Here's the link to the complete newsletter - https://www.sanders.senate.gov/bernie-buzz/these-young-vermonters-give-me-hope/

CRAFT at the Youth Climate Leaders Academy

Three CRAFT students participated in and one CRAFT student helped facilitate the Youth Climate Leadership Academy (YCLA) at the Hulbert Outdoor Center last weekend. They were supported by WUHS staff Katrina Jimerson, Janis Boulbol, and Mike Loots and mentored by staff from the Vermont and New Hampshire Energy Education Programs (VEEP/NHEEP) to develop a school-based environmental action project. They attended a variety of leadership development and systems-thinking workshops and were able to interact with 100 students from all over VT and NH working on similar projects. One student shared these reflections about the experience:

“What motivated me to attend YCLA was when I first found out that it was about climate change and how to change something that needs to be fixed in our school. So I thought it seemed really cool to join and talk about what we could do to fix it… The most valuable skill I learned is how to speak nicely to the people that are working in the kitchen that I am going to speak with about the paper plates and how some people get metal forks but they throw them away not thinking that is something that we need and something that we can reuse and something that we do not want to get rid of…The best workshop for me was the one where we were learning about how to do an interview and that was very helpful for me so I would be able to do a better job at doing an interview if we have to do one for my school's project…For next year’s participants, I would say: Be prepared to do a lot of work! When I went there I thought oh yeah it's going to be fun and there is not going to be as much work as there is in a school day but I was wrong; there is a lot more! I’m not saying it is not fun because I really had fun and did not even want to leave the place.”