School news
Empower UP! mentoring program holds mentor appreciation event
This year the program had 17 matches! Four of those matches came from high school peer mentors and had mentees/buddies at Woodstock Elementary School and Killington Elementary School. Our program is school (elementary) and community based (middle/high school).
In the picture are some, but not all, of our mentors! Empower UP! Mentoring Program is always looking for new mentors! Please contact Annie Luke at annie.luke@mtnviews.org if you are interested in becoming a mentor for next school year!
Woodstock Envirothon team places second
Schuyler Hagge, Kody Lantiegne, and Pippa Shaw won second place in the Vermont Envirothon Competition. They rotated through four stations where they worked as a team to complete hands-on tests about Aquatics, Soils, Forestry, and Wildlife. They also presented about Nonpoint Source Pollution in our watershed and potential solutions. The team enjoyed spending the day at Buck Lake Conservation Area, showcasing the knowledge they've gained in their science and agriculture classes, and getting to talk with professionals in the field.
If you are interested in joining the Envirothon Team next year, please reach out to Abbie Castriotta (Room 27 or abbie.castriotta@mtnviews.org).
8th grader Norah Wolfe wins 2026 Lincoln Hildene essay contest
Congratulations to Norah Wolfe, who won first place in the annual Hildene Essay Contest this spring! The contest is open to 8th graders around Vermont, and this year's prompt asked students to apply a value from the Declaration of Independence to a current issue in our nation. Norah's essay was titled Frozen Liberty, and it tackled the controversy around ICE, whose "recent actions regarding illegal immigration, including aggressive enforcement maneuvers and unwarranted searches in the U.S. are uprooting the country's founding value of liberty." Norah was honored at a luncheon at the Lincoln Family Home in Manchester, Vermont, last weekend, where she was awarded with $500. Congratulations, Norah!
Equitable climate action partnership at VINS
Middle school and high school students presented at the third annual ECAP\(Equitable Climate Action Partnership) at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science on May 8. Students got to experience some activities, check out the birds and trails, learn about birds and climate change and present their projects.
Middle school students Reese Fenity, Isa Contarino and Annabelle Park presented about their food system project from wellness. The girls gathered local foods from Annabelle’s garden, cooked over 80 healthy meals and served them to people in need in Rutland.
Middle achool atudents Reese Fenity, Isa Contarino and Annabelle Park presented about their food system project from wellness. The girls gathered local foods from Annabelle’s garden, cooked over 80 healthy meals and served them to people in need in Rutland.
High schoolers Pea Richardson, Bethany Thorburn, Sadie Boulbol, Owen Whalen and Brody Allen shared about their immersive semester work at the King Farm this past fall where they created a permaculture design for future use of the land and made and planted air pruning beads with native trees.
From Woodstock to the streets of Madrid
Just before spring break, eighteen students, accompanied by Mr. Villanueva and Mrs. Leibly, swapped our rural countryside for the bustling streets of Madrid, Spain. It was the second half of our exchange program; after hosting our Spanish correspondents in October, it was our turn to see where they live.
For a group from a small town, the commute was just as much of an adventure as the landmarks! Students navigated the metro (subway) and public bus systems. They also took a sightseeing bus tour and hit the Gran Vía — Madrid's version of Broadway — to go shopping and people watch. We also spent an evening at a flamenco show, watching both dancers and musicians perform. The energy and rhythm were incredible to see in person, especially since we have nothing similar here at home. To round out the city fun, we spent an afternoon at an amusement park.
We packed a lot of history into a few days, including:
The Royal Palace and the armory where we discovered that medieval armor is Mrs. Leibly-sized. Sadly, the king and queen were not there to greet us.
The Prado Museum, where we turned art history into a scavenger hunt.
The Plaza Mayor, the Main Square which served as the city's central marketplace in the 9th century (and for many centuries after that). Not far from the plaza we saw the world's oldest restaurant, which is even older than our country!
Retiro Park, where we took a break from walking to row boats in the park's famous pond and saw the Puerta de Toledo and the Puerta de Alcalá, massive gates that served as entrances to the walled city.
Segovia: We spent a day in Segovia, a small city about an hour north of Madrid. The students stood beneath a 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct and toured a 13th century palace-fortress called an alcázar. This was the place where Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to fund Columbus' famous voyage.
Tapas and tortillas: you can't go to Spain without eating! Our students were brave foodies, trying everything from jamón (Spanish ham) to calamares (fried squid rings), to croquetas. We also learned that in Spain, a tortilla is a potato omelet (with or without onions), but is definitely not a corn chip! In Segovia, we tried a variety of dishes from the city's Christian, Moslem, and Jewish history.
Staying with host families gave our students a true 'day-in-the-life' experience that they'll never forget. A huge thank you to everyone (mostly Mr. V) who made this trip possible.