RISE at CVU 2024

The last two weeks took on a distinct character as the academic year wound down at Champlain Valley Union High School. The regular class schedules and programming gave way to a flurry of final projects, presentations, and assessments. Once these culminating activities were complete, the school transitioned into RISE, an enrichment program that occupied the remaining two weeks before summer break.

RISE stands for Reflective Interest-based, Student Experiences. Students attended either two sessions a day, morning and afternoon, or chose to participate in a full-day session each day. Students might also have explored an Independent Learning Seminar. RISE is a part of the academic school year and attendance is a graduation requirement.

An excerpt from the RISE 2024 Catalog: 

Our current educational model needs regular, system-wide, and equitable opportunities for student to develop and cultivate interests. We believe that RISE better accounts for the whole student (their interests and values), connects to the pursuit of lifelong learning, and will increase engagement and a desire to learn. Our model shows that, as a student-centered school committed to personalization, proficiency, and social-emotional wellbeing; we value the fusion of conventional and flexible learning opportunities to meet the needs of all students. 

Thank you Peter Booth, Carly Rivard, and Luke Dorfman for your incredible efforts to make this experience happen. And thank you to all staff for sharing your interests and passions with students in an enriching way.

Here's a small sampling of some of the varied offerings this year.

• Art and Activism: Puppets, Power, Protest, and Paint

Puppets? Protest? Join us for an integrated creative and theatrical experience. One of the many uses of art is to communicate, to express thought, to educate, and to motivate. Art and Activism explores the historical and contemporary use of images to create platforms for social issues through art and community engagement. While gaining perspective and context through examination of contemporary artists, we will work together to bring our own passions and interests to the masses. How will we do this? Through the creation of larger-than-life puppets! We will conclude with a theatrical presentation created entirely by participants. 

• Explore Non-Traditional Career Pathways

The intention for this RISE session was for students to be exposed to a variety of career pathways that may not require a 4-year college degree. We explored regional workplaces and career and Technical centers, with a focus on the fasted growing careers in Vermont, especially the trades. We did some career development work to explore interests and abilities and visited different workplaces that aligned with those interests. The goal was to visit a different place of employment daily off campus so that we could explore all of the careers involved and figure out next steps after high school. 

• Sports Analytics

Sports Analytics offered an exciting introduction to the world of data-driven sports analysis. Participants learned statistical techniques, explored data visualization, and applied their skills to analyze performance data from various sports. They unlocked the secrets of sports succedss through data-driven insights!

•  Game Programming

Students learned how to write code to create games of different types. They grew to understand that programming a game is a different experience from playing a game. They looked into the creativity and logic behind creating games. They learned through tutorials, experimentation, and examples from professional game developers. 

• Linguistics: The Art and Science of Language(s)
• Why is it so hard to say "She sells seashells by the seashore?" (Phonetics)
• What's the difference between a tapping bot and a dabbing pod? (Phonology)
• What is the "cran" in cranberry? (Morphology) 
• You this sentence can understand - but how? (Syntax)
• How did 'hlafweard' become 'lord'? (Historical Linguistics)

Participants explored these questions (and more!) by completing linguistic puzzles, investigating word histories, playing language games, composing metrical poetry, and digging into examples from the world's 7000+ languages. 

One session at RISE was called Documenting RISE: Photojournalism in Action. Facilitated by Olivia Gatti, CVU librarian and a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer, a group of students branched out to visit and capture the essence of various RISE offerings, in and out of the school building. See their photos below. (The names on the slides are the photographers.)

Thank you to everyone who helped make RISE a success once again! 

Past posts about RISE: 

2023

2019

The Origins of RISE

Author Jason Chin Visits CVSD Schools

Science teachers across the district have been looking for ways to integrate science into reading and writing classes while also creating a shared experience for our PreK-8 students. This week, CVSD's PreK-8 buildings are welcoming Jason Chin to share his experiences and insights into writing and illustrating children’s books. Jason Chin, a local author and illustrator, is a diverse author and a Caldecott Medal winner who has written and illustrated a series of children’s books including many on non-fiction science topics.

“I love meeting readers and sharing what I love, and I hope that my visits will help young readers see themselves as artists, scientists, readers and writers.” -Jason Chin

These visits were funded through a grant, the school district, and each school's PTO/family organizations supported it as well.

Thank you, Jason, for such enriching and engaging presentations! Here are a few photos from the visit with Williston students yesterday. He was in Charlotte today and will be in Shelburne and Hinesburg this week as well.

A Long-Awaited Sculpture in the WCS Courtyard

 Here's a guest post from WCS art educator, Abbie Bowker. 

Our guest artist/educator, Katie O’Brien had the idea for this sculpture when a cedar tree fell in her yard and she wondered “what if I were to put the tree back together again - as a sculpture?” The idea was formed and she worked with ABS/WCS teachers Sara Beeken and Julie Rogers to create a proposal for collaborative outdoor sculpture at one of our Williston Schools. The trio received a grant from the Williston Family as Partners group to fund the project which was supposed to happen the spring of 2020. We picked up the project and planned to reinstate it this fall!

Katie supplied all the materials for the project from the grant, and her fallen cedar tree. She cut off small pieces of the branches so that each student could “take home a piece of the sculpture” and make something special they could wear as a necklace or hang as a decoration. She wanted the kiddos to be able to contribute to the community sculpture, but also wanted something tangible they could keep as a memento.

As a class we prepared by learning about color theory and color mixing. Next, we learned about contrast and unity as concepts relating to color, and balance and repetition as concepts relating to design/pattern. When Katie came to us, our students learned about the idea of abstraction being either representational or non-objective and considered what kind of design they wanted to use on their section of the sculpture. 

She showed them an example of a similar work she had made in her garden, and demonstrated painting techniques they could use on their artworks. Over the course of the next few days two of our 5th and 6th grade classes contributed to painting the sculpture.

A few students helped to “thread” the sculpture like beads and we fine tuned the presentation of it indoors.

Then, Katie and her husband Tim came and installed the sculpture in the courtyard! It was a fantastic experience for all!

Thank you to our student artists, Katie, Tim, Sara Beeken and Julie Rogers, and Families as Partners for whom we could not have had the experience without! I hope you will be able to see the beautiful sculpture in the courtyard, or outside our music room window, soon!

Save the Date for a Great Community Event!

 

The Flynn and the Champlain Valley School District are excited to bring Playing Fields to CVSD for the second year in a row. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors to come play with us on Thursday, September 7th from 6-8 pm at CVU. Come at 6:00 to make sure you don't miss anything!

This whimsical event is a free back-to-school celebration for the school district and surrounding community. 

Be amazed as 12-foot tall, luminous horses light up the field and joust, dance, and play with the crowd. 

Mark your calendars now! 

STEAM Works at WCS

Allan Miller and Abbie Bowker, WCS educators, shared this guest post and video about a powerful STEAM project that took place in the latter part of the school year. View the video to learn more about the experience that integrated  many elements of STEAM, and which included ways to support our multi-lingual learners and families. 

This spring a small group of WCS 5th, 6th and 7th graders with a strong interest in art and design were invited to be part of a special pilot project that was part of a Vermont Agency of Education STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) grant. Nine Vermont middle and high schools were selected for the project, based on their original idea for addressing a local school or community problem. The WCS STEAM Team, led by Art Teacher Abbie Bowker and Design Tech Teacher Allan Miller, proposed that a group of students could improve school climate and teacher morale by having students create a multilingual entryway welcome and individual teacher name signs using laser and vinyl cutting technologies. This video is their project summary, highlighting the process the team used, as well as the positive impact their efforts had around the school. As a pilot it was extremely successful, and the team is exploring how it can continue to make the school community even more welcoming and inclusive through student STEAM creations.

African Drummers and Dance at Allen Brook School

Thank you to Jen Canfield, a kindergarten teacher at the Allen Brook School, for submitting this post. She also wrote the grant to the Williston Families as Partners (FAP) organization that funded this incredible opportunity. The FAP's fundraising efforts provide grants to teachers and programs within the Williston schools. 

Funded by a generous FAP grant, Allen Brook students have had the privilege of learning from Burlington's Jeh Kulu West African Dance and Drum Ensemble. "Jeh Kulu" means community in the Bambara language of Mali and Jeh Kulu's Guinean American teaching artists brought our school community together in the celebration of West African dance and drumming.

Over the course of this week, each class learned a traditional West African dance and, at the end of the residency, we will gather together in a schoolwide celebration to share the dances we learned. We were honored to work with dancer Khadija Bangoura and drummers Ismael and Ibrahime Bangoura. Thank you to these amazing teaching artists for joining our school community for a week!

We can't wait to hear about the final celebration!

CVU Graduate Selected for Art Recognition

 

One of Iain's pieces

We are very excited to announce that The 2022 AP Art and Design Digital Exhibit is now available online and that one of our students, Iain Mahaffey - CVU class of 2022, has been featured! Iain is from Charlotte, Vermont.

The exhibit features 50 high school artists from six countries selected from more than 62,000 portfolios who submitted work to the 2022 AP Art and Design Exam. The featured students represent outstanding examples from the Sustained Investigation and Selected Works portfolio components. The exhibit is designed not only to showcase the rigor and excellence of the AP Art and Design portfolio but also as an exemplary teaching tool shared with AP Art and Design students worldwide. In this capacity, high-achieving students' artwork and statements, teacher statements, and school leader statements help teach best practices and support arts advocacy.

Student participation in AP Art and Design requires that each student's work is informed and guided by observation, research, experimentation, discussion, critical analysis, and reflection, relating individual practices to the art world. Students document their artistic ideas and practices to demonstrate conceptual and technical development to create a portfolio of work. Portfolios include works of art and design, process documentation, and written information about the work presented. In May, students submit portfolios for evaluation based on specific criteria, which include skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas and sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision, guided by questions. In addition, the AP Art and Design Program supports students in becoming inventive artistic scholars who contribute to visual culture through art making—annually showcased through the AP Art and Design Exhibit.

"College Board is pleased to showcase the 2022 AP Art and Design Exhibit featuring student works, images, and statements, and teacher and school leader statements," said Rebecca Stone-Danahy, Director of AP Art and Design. "The exhibit provides insight into inquiry-based portfolio development in AP 3-D Art and Design, AP 2-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing. Through AP Art and Design, students define themselves as future art leaders, making visual connections based on honest explorations of internal and external worlds."

"AP Art and Design students consistently demonstrate innovation and creativity through the inquiry-based curriculum," said Trevor Packer, Head of the AP Program. "Their portfolio development based on personal experiences continues to impress and inspire viewers, and I commend them on their accomplishments."

The AP Art and Design program was founded in 1972, and as of 1978, about 4,500 students had completed portfolios for submission to the program. Today, over 62,000 students participate annually. Research shows that AP students are better prepared for college, and those who receive a score of three or higher (on a scale of one to five) are eligible to receive college credit. AP students are more likely to enroll in college, stay in college, do well in their classes, and graduate on time in four years. Following challenging coursework, success on AP Exams helps students save money on college tuition and potentially graduate with less student debt over the course of their education.

There are currently 30 students enrolled in AP Art and Design at CVU.

Congratulations, Iain!


To learn more about the AP Art and Design portfolio and exam requirements, please download and review the course and exam description by clicking here.

CVU Students and Grads Involved in Summer Theater

 

Some recent CVU grads have taken over the helm of a non-profit theatrical production company and are producing a musical with many more CVU 2022 grads and students involved. They would love the CVU and CVSD community to come out and see the show and support their hard work. They were featured on WCAX this week. View the WCAX story.

Here's more information:
Student-run nonprofit Verdantrics Production Company presents Lucky Stiff: A Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty at Williston Central School Auditorium, August 4-6 at 7:30pm and August 6 at 2pm. This murder mystery farce of mistaken identities, millions in diamonds, and a wheelchair-bound corpse will leave you dying of laughter. Tickets available online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/389896670437 or at the door.

CVU grads and students involved are:

Class of '22
Avery Smith - Producer and Director
Isabella Hackerman - Music Director
Eliza Brooks - Stage Manager
Eric Sandage - Cast
Mina Pricer-Coan - Crew

Current Students
Kaylee Bliss - Lighting Designer
Will Richardson - Production Assistant, Artist
Izora Hart - Costume Designer
Grace Kafferlin - Cast
Frankie Fidler - Cast
Conner Brian - Rehearsal Pianist, Band
Lilly Greenwood - Band
Eric Carroll - Band

If you're able, go out and support this group of dedicated and talented young adults, and share the news of this amazing accomplishment!

Artistic Collaboration Across Schools

 Here's a guest post from Abbie Bowker, visual arts teacher at CVU. 

Abbie Bowker's three sections of Ceramics recently completed a collaborative art project with Lorien Leyden's Hinesburg Community School first graders. The first graders were asked by their art teacher, Lorien Leyden, to make up a "creature" including a drawing of that creature and some other attributes (where they live, what they eat, what they like, etc.). 

The young students sent these along to the CVU students as a type of "call to action" as they needed to then turn around and make something inspired by those artworks. Ms. Bowker's CVU students chose to make a wide variety of things out of clay for their first graders as a "response" to the "call to action" - the creature itself, or the house it lives in, boots to keep their feet dry, food to eat, etc. 

CVU students visited HCS on Friday 4/29 to deliver the artwork. Apparently the first graders started screaming with excitement when they saw the bus! As you can imagine, the exchange was adorable with smiles all around! We hope the project will be featured in an upcoming CVU show, including footage of the delivery. Here are a couple of photos to whet the appetite.

Vermont Wildlife Education Fund Student Art Competition

From the CVU Art Department: 

We are proud to announce that several CVU students entered the Vermont Wildlife Art competition. Not only did our students submit work, but they also took home the 1st, 3rd, and honorable mention spots. You can see the full list of winners here. 

1st Place - Shakeh H., Grade 9, Champlain Valley Union

“The red eft played a huge role in my childhood. Its magnificent orange hue, its luminous transparent skin, and its large glassy eyes were and are a magical jewel in the forests of Vermont.”

Title: "Jewel of the forest"

Medium: Oils Size: h 20 inches X w 24 inches

3rd Place - Aren E., Grade 10, Champlain Valley Union

While driving home from babysitting, I narrowly avoided hitting a small rabbit. I was surprised but not too worried about it. Later in that same drive another bunny leaped in front of the car and froze. I slowed down but it was too late and I heard a thud and felt a small impact. I brought the car to a stop, got out and checked for the bunny. I did not see it, but I am pretty sure it did not survive the incident. I made this drawing to honor and remember that innocent bunny.

Gianna P., Grade 9. I chose to paint these fish because I go fishing a lot with my Dad. I think a lot times people forget how colorful Vermont fish really are because they are not ocean fish. They are very mysterious in the water. I wanted to paint them in watercolor to show how vibrant and colorful they really are!!!

Gianna P., Grade 9. I like to paint cardinals because of their color. I like how their color really pops against the snow in the winter time! Also, I like how they look a bit different in the brown trees in the spring!

Congratulations to these talented artists!

Access CVU Fall-Winter Class Registration Is Now Open!

Some exciting news from the folks at Access CVU:

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Popular classes fill quickly! Sign up today, tell your family and friends, and please help spread the word about our AWESOME classes!

HIGHLIGHTS:

• 202 awesome classes
• Back to in-person learning at CVU!
• 42 Online classes via Zoom
• 27 New instructors!
• Age 65+, Senior Discount. Age 85+ FREE or by donation!
• 100% FUN- Bring a friend & sign up today!

HEALTH & SAFETY GUIDELINES:

Our wonderful custodians work hard to make sure CVU is a safe and clean learning environment for students and the community. Here's how you can help keep our community safe:

• Masks are required in the CVU building for all students attending in-person classes.
• Please use the hand-sanitizer stations located throughout the school building and upon entry.
• For more information, please follow the Vermont Health Department COVID Guidelines.

WEATHER & CANCELATIONS:

• We will notify you, via email and text, by 1pm, if classes are canceled due to inclement weather. Classes will be rescheduled and our website will be updated.
• Have an emergency or need to speak with us before a class starts, please call us at 802-482-7194. We will be checking messages!

HELP BUILD OUR COMMUNITY!

Access CVU is a non-profit organization that relies mostly on class fees to sustain our program. In an effort to keep classes affordable, show appreciation to our wonderful instructors, offer financial support to those community members in need, and grow our program, we kindly ask for you to do these three simple things:

• Tell your family, neighbors, friends, and cohorts about Access.
• Promote our classes on Front Porch Forum and social media platforms (follow us on Instagram @AccessCVU). Share a specific class URL, or our full course listing at cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.
• Become a sponsor! We are offering businesses and members of the community the opportunity to sponsor a class of choice. Call us for more details!

View additional information on this flyer.

Thank you for being a proud supporter of community education!

Climate Change: Don't Ignore the Signs

Shelburne Community School students on the Yellow Team worked with art teacher Carin Lilly to illustrate their learning in new ways. Thank you to Carin and Yellow Team teacher, Robin Halnon, for your guidance on this project and for providing the following information about it to inform all of us about this important topic. 

Climate Change: Don't Ignore the Signs is a collection of art produced by 7th and 8th grade students, that is based on research around climate change. Their work is inspired by the threat of global warming and widespread effects of climate change. They are raising their “voices” in the hopes of having an impact on awareness and to inspire personal decision making that supports efforts to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. Working off of a central website, students inserted their own art and then linked it to their own sites with their artist's statements and research. It is a treasure trove of art and research!

Climate Change: Don't Ignore the Signs

Recent Highlights from CVU's Visual Arts Department

Thank you to Abbie Bowker, Emily McLean, and Olaf Verdonk  for providing this update from CVU's Visual Arts Department and Design Technology. Take some time to look through the various collections of photos in the links below. We are thrilled to highlight the talented artists and their teachers! 

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Congratulations to our 2021 AP Art class. We are so proud of their perseverance and artistic accomplishments. Here is a sampling of their work from the semester: AP Art 2020-21.

Our AP Art class teamed up with our Graphic Design class to work on creating a mural for the Route 7 underpass on the Charlotte Town Link Trail. Thank you to the Charlotte Trails Committee for providing us with the opportunity to create a community-based art project and to Vermont Paint Company in Williston for providing us with supplies.

Here is a picture of the original design by Graphic Design student, Emma Allaire

and pictures of our AP Art students working on the mural this week. We plan to complete the mural next week.

MORE PHOTOS

AND

CVU Graphic Design Students have been hard at work for their last project of the year, all of which will have a ripple effect into our community. One of the biggest splashes will be for the Humane Society of Chittenden County who will have a set of great photo props for their annual fundraiser fun run! This was a collaboration between Design Technology II students Julia and Mark and their teacher Olaf Verdonk, and Graphic Design Students Hannah, Carly, Abby, and Addison and their teacher Abbie Bowker. Photos of the work in progress

AND

Speaking of Graphic Design, a shout out to Tyler Davis who used his class skills to design a special 50th Anniversary logo for the Shelburne Little League.

WOW!

Pandemic Self-Portraits at WCS

 

Liz Demas, art teacher at Williston Central School contributed the following post and the self-portraits. Thank you, Liz, and your students, for sharing your personal and creative portraits. 

I shared the work of some contemporary collage artists with my grades 5-8 art students. Using collage as the medium, the goal was to create a photo realistic self portrait using an enlarged photo of themselves, and various papers: newspaper text, magazines, old maps, and books. My hope is for the students to produce art that reflects this extraordinary time we are living ~ a piece to look back on years from now that documents this surreal time in history. I will say as I worked on mine along with my classes, this was probably the most challenging art assignment I have done!

Credit goes to Judy Klima, art teacher at Edmunds Middle School, who developed the project and shared it with me.

Daily Affirmations at ABS

Allen Brook School (and Williston Central School) Enrichment teacher, Julie Rogers, collaborated with ABS librarian Cara Clopton, this February on a Diversity project for Daily Affirmations. Each student made a "power pose" and thought about an affirmation that fits who they are to go with a self portrait. The hallways are filling up with these K-2. It's a JOY!

SCS Lockers As An Art Installation

The lockers at Shelburne Community School are no longer used by students now that middle schoolers can access cubby storage in their teams’ common area. In an effort to bring more color and excitement to the SCS hallways, K-6 Art Teacher, Pete Boardman and UVM student teacher, Dan Reinville, have been working with students to paint temporary murals on the lockers using tape and washable paint. This project also highlights the idea that public art has the power to bring a community together, as well as bring new life to forgotten spaces. 

Some Fireside Entertainment

WCS band students, working with band teacher Kim Thompson, have continued to adapt and find new ways to perform remotely. Musicians were empowered to choose, rehearse and record winter songs for the community, families, and friends to enjoy. In the video below, you will hear a variety of musical styles, content, and developmental levels spanning grades 5-8. There are some surprise guest performances from teachers and staff as well. Music is alive and well at Williston Central School!

Access CVU Shifts and Adapts

Many of you are likely familiar with Access CVU, the valuable program that offers courses for community members to expand their knowledge and learn new things. Laura Howard, the Program Director for Access, shared the post below with us. This is in no way intended to be an advertisement for Access; we want to highlight what they have accomplished and what they continue to offer our community especially during a challenging time. Okay, maybe it's a bit of an ad. Keep this in mind for the upcoming Winter/Spring semester! 

Ginny Joiner Watercolor Plein Air

Access had to pivot quickly this semester to comply with the COVID state guidelines that stated no public access to educational buildings. At a crossroads we had two choices: Either postpone the program to the following Fall school year 2021, or embrace virtual and outdoor learning. We sent a survey to our Access members and had an overwhelming response from the public to continue offering classes in any capacity possible! So, to meet the needs of the community we started to work with our instructors to offer online and outdoor classes this Fall. With a very limited budget and only a team of two, myself and Jen Morton, we managed to offer 156 classes this semester!

Thankfully, last fall we had transitioned to using an online registration platform, Eleyo, which also hosts our website: https://cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com/. Many members already had user accounts so enrollment and online payment was easy. We are fortunate to have for the 3rd year in a row, CVU Senior, Isaac Krementsov, volunteer his time to help instructors and community members with any technical, Zoom or computer issues. This has been a huge asset for many of our partners that were intimidated to take or host an online class. To date we have had 745 registrations and still have 40 new class offerings that have not yet started!

It was not feasible to produce the famous "Access Brochure" this year so we got creative with our advertising. We used FPF, Social Media, local newspapers, and started a weekly newsletter (highlighting upcoming classes) which yields the most uptick in registrations. We were also fortunate that the Shelburne News did an article on Access at the beginning of the semester, which can be found here.

Some of our class highlights this semester:

• Watercolor for Beginners with Ginny Joyner. This class was offered outside on the CVU campus (see photo) and has now transitioned to online for the remainder of the semester
• Carving in Wood- The Spoon with Bob Lindemann, "Under The Lights!"
• Ethiopian Injera - Take Out Dinner with Alganesh Michael - We served an overwhelming 60 meals at the back of the cafe!
• Intro to Kickboxing on the CVU Green!
• Spanish Language Classes online with Dunia Partilo
• Primitive Fire Building with Mischa Tourin
• Shaken & Stirred: A History of Cocktails from c.1700 to present day, 3-part series with Adam Krakowski
• Lincoln Hill's 19th Century Black Farming Community with author, Elise Guyette
• Canine Manners- Dog training class under the CVU pavillion
• Chinese Medicine 101- Online with Liz Geran
• Digital Photography with Sean Beckett. Plus, 4 other virtual photography classes!
• Yoga for Women with Jane Taylor- Online for all ages and abilities

So many more...

We send out surveys after completion of each class so that we can improve upon the experience and give feedback to our instructors. The silver lining for Access this year is that we can now reach communities near and far with virtual learning. Although, nothing beats the in-person connection, we will continue to offer enrichment and enjoyment with virtual options. We are currently planning the Winter/Spring semester that begins in February. Virtual classes will begin the semester and as the weather warms in late Spring we are hopeful to offer outdoor learning again in May/June.

Thank you, as always, to CSVD for your support of the Access CVU community ed program!

Kickboxing under the tent

Mala Bead

Watercolor for Beginners