School news
Sugaring season at King Farm
Students in CRAFT and agriculture classes had the opportunity to go up to the King Farm during class to learn about and help sugar.
SAP (Stewardship Action Project) students began last week by putting out 42 taps with buckets. They have been busy collecting sap, boiling and splitting firewood.
Food and Forest Systems classes, along with Foundations of Agriculture students, have visited the sugarhouse with Kat Robbins. They had fun learning about the sugar content of sap vs. syrup using a hydrometer, the quantity of sap required to produce a gallon of syrup, the process of sap evaporation and filtration, and they also had the opportunity to taste the sweet sap sugar that was produced during the past week and a half of boiling.
We have already collected over 300 gallons of sap from our buckets and plan on collecting a lot more this week as the cold nights and warm days make for a perfect run! Our syrup will be tried by students during a pancake breakfast and will be used in future CRAFT classes for cooking. We might even have enough for the cafeteria.
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!
WUSHMS Trailblazer Speaker Series
Gordon MacMaster ‘16 recently spoke with Andy Smith’s AP Computer Principles class in our Innovation Lab. Gordon is currently living in Salt Lake City, Utah and working as a founding engineer for a small startup currently in stealth mode. Gordon’s computer programming experience began at Woodstock where he took courses in introductory programming as well as AP Computer Science.
We’re grateful to all of the WUHSMS alumni who have taken the time to chat with our current student body this past year and in 2022.
Gordon MacMaster '16
Gordon has gained programming experience in various languages and frameworks. He interned with the Vermont Agency of Digital Services, Pennsylvania Multifamily Asset Managers, and finally for Tesla Motors as a Digital Products Engineer. He enjoys his work immensely and is planning to stay in his current role for the foreseeable future. In this Trailblazer conversation, Gordon discusses all of the above and more with Andy Smith's AP Computer Principles class.
Kathleen Sheppard '14
Students form our Advanced French class met with Kathleen Sheppard ‘14. Kathleen studied Business Administration at Babson College, with a specific focus on Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Marketing. She graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in 2018 and began her career in digital marketing. The following year, Kathleen launched her sustainable swimwear brand, Tiller Swim. She utilized Kickstarter to crowdfund for her first collection of clothing and has been able to leverage profits and self-funding to propel the business since August 2019.
Sarah Andrews '10
Students from our Advanced Placement English Language class visited with and interviewed Sarah Andrews. Sarah is a member of Woodstock’s class of 2010 and is currently the campaign manager for the re-election campaign of Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Sarah was formally the Chief of Staff in the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Her experiences range from leading youth engagement efforts for Hillary Clinton, managing rural policy for U.S Senator Michael Bennet, and conducting scheduling & advance in the Obama White House. She’s a graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder where she earned a degree in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies.
Andre Malerba '06
Andre is a fully accredited photojournalist based out of Bangkok, Thailand. He has worked throughout Southeast Asia and further afield, from Sri Lanka to Mongolia. From 2013-2016, he covered Myanmar exclusively, as the country struggled through the early days of democracy. In this interview, Andre describes how he got started with photography and shares a few of he favorite projects and stories. He also discusses how both political turmoil and the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted his life and work in Southeast Asia.
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.