School news
The latest news from C.R.A.F.T.
CRAFT Seniors Owen Whalen, Kody Lantigne, Maya Sluka, Sadie Boulbol, Sophia Rosenbach, Brody Allen, Kaitlyn Burres and Priscilla Richardson presented at UVPTC (Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative) Conference. Students shared a variety of experiences they have learned from in CRAFT including Stewardship Action Projects, Immersive Semester at the King Farm, German Exchange, creating CRAFT as a non profit organization, competing in Envirothon, CRREL project, service learning projects and studies in APES. The students were articulate, showed true leadership and represented WUHSMS extremely well! The adult educators they presented to were extremely impressed by all the incredible work they have done in their school and community.
Students in Regenerative Agriculture volunteered to pass out food from the Vermont Foodbank during our monthly community distribution. VeggieVanGo distributes 2 million pounds of food annually across the state and helps feed thousands of families.
Students in the CRAFT Immersive Semester volunteered at Sustainable Woodstock to help make window inserts that reduce home energy consumption. This program made inserts for 27 homes this year and in the past 4 years has made enough inserts to save up to 8,000 gallons of fuel oil.
Students in Regenerative Agriculture helped plant native seeds that will be cold stratified this winter, divided in the summer and sold next fall in our native plant sale. Students planted locally foraged seeds as well as ones from local seed companies to offer over 35 native plants to the community next fall. These native plants are well adapted to our region, require less water, no pesticide or fertilizers and create habitat for our native pollinator species. They improve biodiversity, can withstand floods and drought and bring beauty wherever they are planted.
CRAFT Immersive students have been planning for the future of the King Farm while also learning about permaculture design. During that process, students are learning about agroforestry practices and planting important native fruit and nut trees into the air pruning beds they made with the help of our garden and greenhouse manager, Abbie. Students helped plant thousands of seeds that will eventually grow into seedlings that can be planted to improve the ecological health and diversity of the forest as well as provide food for many species, including us!
Library news: Middle School Book Club reads The Lost Year
In this edition of From the Library, read about the Middle School Book Club's book The Lost Year, learn how to access to The Atlantic magazine for free, discover how the Mona Lisa vanished from our library, make time to check out the Middle School Art endangered species clay tile exhibit, discover how the Faculty/Staff Book Club immersed themselves in spycraft during their discussion of Book and Dagger and there's an event reminder for the Book Swap and Winter Party the Young Adult Diverse Books Book Club is hosting on Tuesday, December 9 during ARE time! To read more and see photos, please click here.
Students take on art heist
In shocking news this month, our school suffered an immeasurable cultural loss when four priceless works of art were stolen in broad daylight from the Rhoda Teagle Library. The works include The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh, Girl With A Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, and Beneath the Great Wave of Kanagawa by Hokusai.
Fortunately, our 8th graders have launched an intense, multi-agency investigation into this brazen heist. They have been analyzing surveillance footage, collecting fingerprints and physical evidence, interviewing persons of interest, and drawing lessons on how to proceed from history, using Nicholas Day's book The Mona Lisa Vanishes, which we coincidentally happened to be reading in English class.
At this time, the students' investigation is active and ongoing. They have narrowed down the list of suspects to 8 individuals in our school community, and I am happy to say that all eight of those individuals are cooperating fully with the investigation, submitting to interviews and fingerprinting.
Over the next couple of weeks, teams of investigators will be reviewing their evidence -- physical, testimonial, and documentary -- and building a case to bring the perpetrator to justice. In the meantime, if you have any information that might aid their investigation, please reach out to any 8th grader. Also, if you see any of these hardworking detectives in the community, please buy them a donut. They need all the help they can get!
When does the holiday season begin?
Señora Leibly's Spanish II class is holding a debate to resolve one of the defining questions of our time: does the Christmas season begin before or after Thanksgiving? Working in like-minded groups, students wrote a statement declaring their position on the topic as well as five supporting arguments. In an effort to anticipate what the opposing group might argue they developed five counterarguments and then a statement indicating why each of these is incorrect. The students are doing this completely in Spanish, a big lift at this level of language learning. The spoken portion of the debate will take place in Spanish, too, making this planning all the more important.
Middle School recognized as a School of Distinction
A few of our proud middle school teachers: Dr. Ryan Becker, Anne Lessard, Melissa Fellows, Erin Hanrahan
We're thrilled to share that Woodstock Union Middle School has been named a 2025 AMLE School of Distinction, an honor that recognizes outstanding middle schools worldwide. Only 24 schools across the globe received this recognition from the Association for Middle Level Education this year!
Our school’s AMLE profile, included below, highlights some of what makes WUMS special.
Key Practices
Place-based Education
Outdoor Community Building
Advisory
SEL
Teaming
Shared MS/HS resources
Wide Variety of Extracurricular Opportunities
Integrated Units of Study
Highlights of Exemplary Practices
Essential Attribute: An Education for Young Adolescents Should Be Responsive
At Woodstock Union Middle School, we weave a narrative of responsiveness, where student voice is the heartbeat of our community, driving meaningful change. Students shape their learning environment by influencing clubs, classroom topics, and vibrant events like the Winter and Spring Carnivals. Our diverse electives—ranging from computer programming and robotics to cooking and performing and visual arts—empower students to explore new passions and skills. When students voiced a need for more downtime, we reinstated recess after lunch, supporting their mental and physical well-being. A full-time social-emotional learning (SEL) specialist provides tailored support, while our advisory program, strengthened through professional development led by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), ensures we listen and adapt to meet student needs. This deep commitment to responsiveness creates a school where every voice matters and every student thrives.
Essential Attribute: An Education for Young Adolescents Should Be Engaging
Woodstock Union Middle School tells a story of engagement, fostering a dynamic, hands-on, and inquiry-driven environment where students grow through real-world experiences and meaningful connections. Annual camping trips and student-led carnivals build community and nurture independence, while regular celebrations strengthen our sense of togetherness. In the classroom, students dive into exploration—experimenting with dry ice, constructing Rube Goldberg machines, or studying biodiversity in partnership with a local National Park. Our Innovation Lab, a unique collaboration with NuVu School, empowers students to tackle real-world challenges using cutting-edge tools like 3D printers and CAD software. Integrated projects invite students to explore profound questions about identity, community, and their future, creating a learning environment that sparks curiosity and inspires growth.
Essential Attribute: An Education for Young Adolescents Should Be Empowering
At Woodstock Union Middle School, empowerment is at the core of our mission, enabling students to take charge of their learning and growth as individuals and community members. Through student-led conferences, a wide array of elective choices in arts, technology, and environmental studies, and personalized inquiry-based learning, students actively shape their educational journeys. Goal-setting is woven into core Student's classes, supported by guidance in developing executive functioning skills. We encourage self-advocacy, with counselors readily available to provide support. Leadership opportunities abound, from designing the yearbook to organizing school-wide initiatives like Empathy Week. Clubs such as the Queer-Straight Alliance and Leadership Club foster inclusivity and community, while our unique theatre program and competitive mountain biking bike team celebrate creative expression and athletic excellence. At Woodstock Union, we empower every student to leave their mark, building a vibrant, inclusive community where they are both challenged and supported to soar.