8th graders consider "To Kill A Mockingbird"

8th graders put the novel To Kill A Mockingbird on trial this week to decide: Should students today still have to read this book? The trial was the culmination of an investigation into classics, and when and whether they should be canceled.

Our class looked at censorship issues around the US, developed criteria for what a classic book should do, and spent several weeks reading To Kill A Mockingbird, analyzing and discussing its flaws and merits.

Students found racist content and offensive language in the book, but they also found relevant messages about tolerance and justice. They interviewed elders about their experiences with the book and read articles to try to answer the question: Is this a racist book, or a book about racism?

This week, teams of defense attorneys presented arguments to keep the book in the curriculum, while prosecutors argued for its removal. Our judges asked tough questions of both sides and reached different conclusions in each class. In the end, students used pages of To Kill A Mockingbird to create a visual representation of what they believe should happen to problematic classics.

"In the book we are constantly feeling bad for the characters we morally shouldn’t be ... the way Harper Lee writes in the people of color, she uses them as literary devices to raise the plot of the story, leaving us to feel for the wrong people." - Lexi, Prosecutor

"Racism in our nation has often been ignored and [flown] under the radar, despite being the catalyst in so many issues then and today. It’s important for us all to know this, no matter what race, as history must be remembered and not forgotten, because once something is forgotten it can happen again." -Charlie, Defense

8th grade class read “It Ain’t So Awful Falafel”

We made falafels! The 8th grade class finished the book, It Ain’t So Awful Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas about America’s relationship with Iran. The main character, an Iranian middle school-aged girl living in the US, makes the point that falafels are not traditionally Iranian but Americans often don’t know the difference. Jennifer Jabareen, one of our paraeducators, made the authentic falafel mixture and students made 3 dips. There were no leftover falafels and they got to sample some Persian ice cream flavored with saffron, rose water, and pistachios while taking their summatives this week.

Middle School Book Club reads Katherine Arden's Small Spaces

Tuesday was the first meeting of the Middle School Book Club! We are reading Katherine Arden's Small Spaces in preparation for her upcoming visit to our school. The publisher's note describes the book as "...a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure."

Prior to writing the Small Spaces quartet for middle-grade readers, Arden wrote The Bear and the Nightingale for adults which was on The New York Times bestseller list. Publishers Weekly described it as "stunning" and Booklist called it "utterly bewitching." We have Arden's debut novel in our library along with the second book in the Winternight Trilogy titled The Girl in the Tower.

The Middle School Book Club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00-12:30 pm and Katerine Arden will be visiting later this month or in early February. The Young Adult Diverse Books Book Club will be meeting on January 24 at 11:00 am to discuss Black Birds in the Sky and the Faculty/Staff Book Club will be meeting on January 30 at 3:15 pm to discuss Solito: A Memoir.

If you are interested in joining any of these book clubs, please stop by the library. If you have overdue books, please return them and pick out some new titles for your winter reads.

Vermont legislative pages 2023

Each year, thirty eighth grade Vermont students are selected by the state to work as Legislative Pages in the Vermont State House. We would like to congratulate our Woodstock pages for 2023, Adelle Danilchick and Nicholas Cellini!

The pages live and work in Montpelier for 6 weeks during the legislative session, providing support for members of the Senate, House of Representatives, and various legislative offices. Serving as a page offers a unique opportunity to observe the workings of the legislature and to witness in person the often historic events in our state capital.

Art students make animal clay planters

Seventh and eighth grade Studio Art students used basic forms to build 3D animal clay planters, using a variety of hand building techniques. After several weeks of building and glazing their artworks students took a field trip to our Green House. Abbie Castriotta, our Garden/Greenhouse Manager, taught students how to propagate, plant, and care for a plant of their choice.