School news
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.
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).
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.
Nick Cellini competes at the Presidential 1776 Award for Civics
On May 2, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston served as the backdrop for an intense competition and powerful celebration of civic engagement and leadership. At the regional finals for the Presidential 1776 Awards was Woodstock’s own Nick Cellini, standing as one of three representatives for the Green Mountain State, selected in the basis of their scores in the “impossible civics test” earlier in the year. Nick was competing against students from 9 other states and showcasing his commitment to excellence in Civics as part of the nation’s birthday celebration.
The competition involved answering a series of rapid fire open response history and government questions on stage by a panel of judges, spelling bee style. Nick equipped himself admirably, and scored the highest number of points from Vermont.
The Presidential 1776 Award is a 2026 national civics competition for U.S. high school students (grades 9-12) celebrating America's 250th anniversary. Organized by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education, it tests knowledge of the American Revolution, founding documents, and early history to promote civic literacy and award significant scholarships.
Pippa Shaw presents at New England STEM Symposium
Woodstock Union High School junior Pippa Shaw took her research beyond the classroom last month, presenting her original scientific poster at the 4th Annual New England STEM Symposium in New Hampshire.
Pippa's poster, "The Effects of Handwashing Methods on Bacterial Diversity," explored how different handwashing techniques affect the variety of bacteria present — research with genuine public health relevance. She was among 32 students from 10 schools across New Hampshire and Vermont who gathered on April 25th to share their work and engage with professional scientists.
The symposium, hosted by the New Hampshire Academy of Science, gives secondary school students the opportunity to present original research, attend talks by STEM professionals, and sit down with working scientists over lunch to ask questions about their careers and what different paths in science actually look like. This year's event featured 15 posters spanning engineering, botany, molecular biology, analytical chemistry, and ecology.
Congratulations, Pippa, on representing Woodstock Union so well!