School news
Dr. Ambros, Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine, Visits WUHSMS!
On April 2, Dr. Victor Ambros, Nobel Prize Laureate in Medicine 2024 visited WUHSMS, his alma mater, to talk about his life, career, and the experience of winning the Nobel Prize! Dr. Ambros graduated from WUHS in 1971 and reflected back fondly on skiing in the winter. He opened his presentations to the Middle School, the Ninth grade, and Ms. Cramer's AP Biology classes with a takeaway for everyone from his presentation. He said he hoped everyone would think, "That's a job that I could do. I want to be a scientist." His presentation on his discovery of microRNA was accessible and inspirational. One of Ms. Cramer's science students stated, "Dr. Ambros noted how all people are scientists. I never thought of it that way before. Science is driven by curiosity which we all exhibit from a young age. I feel invited to stay curious and wonder how the world around me works."
Students came prepared with questions and one student asked Dr. Ambros where he gets his inspiration from when things get difficult. Dr. Ambros recommended:
talking with other people - you are not alone
convince yourself that what you are doing is important
change your thought process - reassess and drop things if they're not working
Dr. Ambros was so kind, gracious, and generous with his time. In a letter of thanks, he stated, "I can't tell you how incredibly exciting and rewarding the experience was for me! The students were so alive, present, inquisitive, and thoughtful. I needed that jolt of reality -- i.e. the reality of the powerful promise of the youth."
Woodstock Union HS Poetry Out Loud Contest 2025
Woodstock tucked in its 2025 Poetry Out Loud Competition on February 12th, ahead of winter vacation, and just ahead of the second of three big snow storms. Twenty two students participated in the recitation competition, held in The Rhoda Teagle Library, and attended by peers in 9th through 12th grades.
Pictured above: Owen Courcey as Accuracy Judge
Poetry Out Loud is a national competition that has its inception in high school classrooms across the country, and grows from there to schoolwide- competitions, state regional competitions, a state final competition and ultimately to a national competition in Washington, D.C.
Pictured above: Josh Byrne recites "The Conqueror Worm" by Edgar Allen Poe
Recitation is a particular art. Poetry Out Loud has rigorous judging guidelines, encompassing a student’s physical presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Far more than memorization, in so many words recitation requires the competitor to be the “vessel” for the poem’s performance.
Pictured above: Liam Wheeler recites "The Kiss" by Robert Graves
Recitation asks the student to deliver the poem in a way that clarifies the poem’s meaning, makes its words, imagery, figurative language, rhythm and meter, even punctuation, the star, over the person delivering the art. It’s a nuanced experience, demanding exactitude as well as effective interpretation.
Pictured above: Tula Klock recites "What to Say Upon Being Asked to Be Friends" by Julian Brolaski
The range of ideas and wisdoms across the twenty two poems students selected from The Poetry Out Loud Anthology was remarkable, cautionary, and encouraging, depending. And yet, “at bottom,” all boils down to “Words” (Haaken Oates’ choice by Pauli Murray) -- words’ selection, combination and arrangement. To offer a small sample: there were pleas for unity and community in poems like Santino Bohren’s recitation of “About Standing (in Kinship),” and Vasco Malik’s delivery of “We all receive the invitation”; Sam Hauze’s prose poem selection, “Don’t Bother the Earth Spirit” and Agnes Kardashian’s interpretation of “Walking with My Delaware Grandfather,” along with Jake Blackborn’s rendition of “Wind, Water, Stone,” offered nostalgic respect for ancestral and/or earthly wisdom, revealing the power of reflection to offer a kind of present eternity.
Pictured above: Tegan Miller recites "Summer" by Chen Chen
A number of student selections grappled with war and heroism/anti-heroism, from long ago, as was the case with Luke Pomeroy’s interpretation of Rupert Brook’s “The Soldier,” and Ayron Romanczak’s rendition of Henley’s famous “Invictus,” to the present, as reflected by poems such as Zara Khan’s selection “From the Sky,” or Mimi Kanda-Olmstead’s recitation of “To the Oppressors”. As Kirkegard once said, “Where tragedy occurs, the comic is present.” Such was the case with Josh Byrne’s rendition of “The Conqueror Worm”. In the end, poems having to do with some kind of love and humanity seemed to take the top slots: Quinn Eckler’s recitation of “The Universe as Primal Scream” (Tracy K. Smith) and Liam Wheeler’s rendition of “The Kiss” (Robert Graves) tied for third place (157 points each), Lylah Zeitlin captured second place (170 points), reciting “Siren Song” (Margaret Atwood) and Tegan Miller emerged as Woodstock’s 2025 POL School Champion with 178 points and her recitation of “Summer” by Chen Chen.
Pictured above: Judges and Scoring Team prepare for the next recitation
Tegan Miller, ‘27, will represent Woodstock at the southern Vermont Regional Poetry Out Loud Contest to be held at The Barre Opera House on Thursday, March 6th. Tegan will recite “Summer” at that competition, along with a second poem, “Friendship After Love” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Pictured above: Poetry Out Loud work in the classroom: Guest Teaching Artist Geof Hewitt works with Liam Wheeler on "The Kiss" by Robert Graves
The state final competition will consist of the top 5 recitations from the southern and northern regional competitions, respectively, and will take place at The Flynn in Burlington on Friday, March 14th, where finalists will recite three poems each to vie for the state champion and the opportunity to represent Vermont at the national competition in Washington, D.C. (April, 2025).
Pictured above: Mr. Clifford addresses the competitors and audience
Congratulations to all the students who participated with verve and rigor in Woodstock’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud Contest! Many Thanks to our 2025 judges: Mike Loots, Nathalie Kramer, Janet North, Detlef Hagge, Jessica Oakman, and accuracy judge: Owen Courcey. Ms. SJ as prompter and the dynamic scoring team, Heather Vonada & Andy Smith, along with scoring sheet “runner,” Jack Quicker, were invaluable to delivering a smooth contest, as were Mrs. Murphy and Ms Piccoli in “styling” the library space to accommodate the contest.
Pictured above: A poem is a sweet treat, but so are Ms. Hayslett's homemade heart cookies, Abbie's homemade pumpkin bread and Perk's oatmeal chocolate chip fruit bars
CRAFT Students Present at Northeast Organic Farming Association Winter Conference
Schuyler, Teagan, and Ayron presented about the importance of native plants and the potential harm that can be perpetuated when we use invasive vs native colonist rhetoric. Using the Multisolving framework, they shared examples of how native plants have been part of their education and have benefited our school campus and community in a multidimensional way.
They demonstrated how to winter sow native plants and each participant got to plant native seeds to transplant at home. It was an honor to be part of this uplifting day that brought farmers and gardeners together from around the state.
Farmers and gardeners together from around the state enjoy students present at NOFA Winter Conference.
VTLSP/OVX Students attended the State House Rally
VTLSP/OVX Students attended the State House Rally on February 11. The Annual OVX Statehouse Rally in Montpelier provides youth from around the state a platform to educate and inform key decision makers and fellow Vermonters about tobacco and nicotine related issues, as seen and experienced firsthand.
Our students were also able to meet with our local Representative, Charlie Kimbell. Students who attended are: Elliot Namkung, Elisabetta Cirovic, Eleanor Williams, and Izzy Gieder with their advisor Annie Luke.
VTLSP/OVX Students attended the State House Rally on February 11.
Students meet with our local Representative Charlie Kimbell.
AP Language and Composition Explores Transcendentalist Texts
AP Language and Composition students have been studying Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Nature,” presenting group slideshows including their analyses of Emerson’s claims and their own writing in imitation of his intricate and poetic descriptions of nature. Sometimes we forget to find beauty in the cold depths of winter, but these slides (see below) reveal students’ appreciation of this season.
“Not the sun or summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ms. Hagge also asked students to design their own argument essay prompts in response to quotes by Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. While workshopping these prompts, we accepted the invitation from Abbie Castriotta to hold class in the sunny and warm space of Arnie’s Greenhouse. Surrounded by humid air, plant life and earthy aromas, we passed around prompts asking for our opinions on a variety of Transcendentalist quotes. Topics included: the value of “returning to reason and faith” in nature, the importance of self-reliance, the role of nonconformity in society, and the responsibility to share knowledge.
Aleks Cirovic and Sophia Rosenbach
Lia Gugliotta
Priscilla Richardson
Kyler Eaton