School news
Steve Lazona receives McLaughlin Award from student council
The Student Council awarded Steve Lanoza with the James T. McLaughlin Co-curricular Award. The McLaughlin Award is named after Jim McLaughlin who was a former science teacher, administrator and winning football coach at WUHSMS. Students nominated Steve Lanoza, who works in the cafeteria, for this award for his dedication to supporting and encouraging students during sports events, concerts, theater productions, chaperoning the prom and his genuine interest in students' well being.
Upon receiving the award, Steve Lanoza expressed his gratitude by saying, "I would like to thank everyone involved in choosing me for this award. It was a complete surprise to me that left me humbled. I will miss all of the seniors very much. I wish there was a way to stay in touch so I could hear of all their future endeavors. And, I look forward to seeing everyone else next school year!"
College algebra students present topics
College algebra students presented on topics that they learned independently and then teach the class. These self-taught lessons turned the students into the experts as they broke down the complex geometry and formulas of parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas.
9th grade snack club deemed a success!
A Farm to School vision grant from the Vermont Department of Agriculture supported an extension of the annual 9th grade Food Security project through the creation of a weekly Snack Club. 6 ninth graders gathered each Wednesday throughout the school year to prepare a healthy snack for their peers. They were guided by Annesonia Beardsley, through her senior Stewardship Action Project.
Annesonia planned the menu, researched recipes, helped source items from local farms, and facilitated the snack making. Snacks ranged from the popular energy ball to banana spinach muffins, to an entirely green snack of edamame hummus, cucumbers, and celery for St Patrick's Day. Champlain Orchards, VT Farmstead Cheese, and Maplebrook Farm generously supported this project with donations, and the Woodstock Farmer's Market offered a discount as well.
When surveyed, ninth graders reported that this program helped students discover new healthy snack ideas they could replicate at home and made them realize that they could also enjoy healthy food. Many respondents enjoyed the taste of the snacks, describing them as "delicious" or "tasty," and looked forward to the weekly delivery, which provided a positive break and "bursts of excitement" during class.
Students said: "When we get snacks I feel focused after a long day after lunch. It gives a little break in afternoon classes, while providing fuel to stay focused throughout the afternoon before the end of the day activities like sports or theater." The snack makers said: "WE make kids happy. We make kids full. It's really nice to give kids more food because I know everyone's super hungry even if we’ve just had lunch and it's really awesome to have all these kids who really want snacks and like them."
Thanks to Heidi, Violet, Annabelle, Wren, Astrid, Lux, Annesonia, Kat, and Mr Wolfe! We have enough funding for one more year of snack club!
8th graders head to Bethany Birches to celebrate a great year
The 8th grade class celebrated finishing middle school with their annual Bethany Birches Campout on June 4-5! Students shared two sunny, fun-filled, phone-free days together swimming, taking runs down the water slide, and bouncing on the water trampoline. There was also lots of 9-square, spike ball, and Kan Jam, as well as numerous variety show acts, S’mores, and a spirited game of middle school Jeopardy, where advisories competed for bragging rights. Lots of yummy food and snacks kept the group fueled up and having fun. Congratulations 8th grade students and families!
“It was fun to be with friends and to make new connections.”
“I loved the amazing connecting moment when we all sang “Let it be” during the Coffee House.”
“It was great to reconnect without our phones.”
Spring in the Innovation Lab
Woodstock Union students are wrapping up their semester-long projects in the innovation lab. Work has been divided between two themes: heavy and light. High School students are working with the heavy material of plaster, building custom molds using desktop CNC machines. Middle School students have been working with light wooden dowels, Chinese rice paper, and 3D-printed joints to build kites based on Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kites from the early 20th century.
