School news
Migrant Justice presents "Milk With Dignity"
On Thursday morning, two representatives from Migrant Justice visited our library on their Milk With Dignity tour of New England. The Milk With Dignity Tour was designed to bring awareness of immigrant dairy workers' working conditions and their call for human rights while calling on Hannaford supermarkets to "source its store-brand milk from farms where workers' human rights are independently monitored and protected, and the long-term interests of farm owners are supported."
There were over eighty students in attendance from Ms. Megyesi's Spanish class and Ms. Jimerson and Ms. Piana's middle school Art classes, the largest audience they have had so far on their Milk With Dignity Tour of New England. The presentation by Migrant Justice is part of our programming for the Vermont Reads book, The Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers.
The presenters, Madeline and Abel, brought a new awareness to our students today about their work, human rights and activism. Members of the Social Action Club were in the audience including Ella and Farren Stainton. Farren said, "I had no idea of the mistreatment of migrant workers for milk until the presentation. I am really grateful I got to learn about this movement's action." And Ella said, "After learning about Milk With Dignity I was motivated to get involved in the movement, making sure to sign a postcard before I left the presentation."
Middle school book club reads Wolfish
On Tuesdays and Thursdays the Middle School Book Club meets in the library and they are reading Wolfish by Christiane Andrews.
The author took her inspiration for this book from Roman mythology. Her previous book Spindlefish and Stars was inspired by Greek mythology. The publisher's note for Wolfish states, "Inspired by Roman mythology, this mysterious and uniquely magical adventure explores the intricate roles of nature and fate in our lives, the power of language to shape our world, and the boundless importance of love and kindness."
Christiane M. Andrews is scheduled to visit with the Middle School Book Club in May! If you would like to read either of these books, stop by the library to pick up a copy and if you'd like to attend the author talk, please let Ms. Piccoli know.
Eighth grade students write letters to Ukrainian children
During Middle School Advisory this week, students learned about the stories of four Ukrainian children who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine. Then, eighth grade students wrote Letters of Love to Ukrainian children who had to leave their home country due to the war. In a few weeks, after their unit on Ukraine, seventh grade students will be participating in the project.
Ms. Drufovka's advisory and Mrs. Stuntz's advisory met in the library and wrote their messages of love and hope and illustrated their letters with colorful hearts, flags and flowers. Clara Burkholder wrote in her letter, "We love you, we are thinking of you and we hope you will stay strong! My home town in Vermont has Ukranian flags hanging in our windows and on doors."
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.
Middle school winter carnival fun!
7th and 8th Grade Students and teachers enjoyed an afternoon of fun during our Middle School Winter Carnival on Thursday, March 9th.
After spirited games of students vs. faculty in dodgeball, students chose between sledding, ice skating, and indoor activities including a murder mystery, spaghetti tower building, and board games. More than 70 students took advantage of the opportunity to skate at Union Arena.
The afternoon wrapped up with the entire middle school enjoying cookies and cocoa outside in the sun.
Thanks to our middle school Student Leadership Club, Lucia Beckwith, Tilly Richardson, Nick Cellini, Julia Barry, Vasco Malik, Marshall Somerville, Jake Blackburn, Abby Kowalczyk, Morgan Darling, and Addison Tapley, for planning and organizing the Winter Carnival, as well as to Lexi Judson and Declan Haugh for helping with our snacks. It was a fantastic afternoon!