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

WCS Students Win a National Competition

Williston Central School's Equinox team is comprised of third and fourth graders. Two of the teachers, Jamie Coffey and Karin Ward, each adopted cows through the Discover Dairy program. They both got calves from the Gervis Family Farm in Enosburg, Vermont. Jamie and Karin shared photos over time with their combined classes to watch the progress of Aurora and Tawny.

Aurora is the heifer on the left and Tawny is the Brown Swiss on the right

Then they received an email with a challenge to make a video to go with the Discover Diary song. Students helped to choreograph the movements and started learning the words to the song as fluency practice. Thanks to other adults in the building, Tara Weegar and Jessica Wilson, the video was created and submitted. They won the award for the grades 3-5 category, nationally! 

The students won an ice cream party with heifer-patterned décor and lots of Vermont ice cream from Wilcox Dairy, a farm that sits at the base of Mount Equinox. 

Congratulations! 

An Exciting Finish at the State Geo-Bee Finals

Here's a guest post from Sam Nelson, SCS educator and Geo-Bee coach. Thanks also to Josh Roof, WCS Geo-Bee coach. Congratulations to both of you and thank you for your support of these students. 

On May 8th, students from schools around the state gathered at Montpelier High School for the 5-8th grade Vermont State Geography Bee. After a COVID-related hiatus, the Bee returned this year to offer the opportunity for students to flex their knowledge while answering quiz questions centered on state, national, and international geography and culture. The format is simple: sitting in rows of four, students answer individual questions to accumulate points for their teams. The team with the highest point total at the end of 12 rounds of questions is the winner.

At this year's Geo Bee, Shelburne Community School competed against four other schools: Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School, St. Johnsbury School, U-32, and Williston Central School. For SCS, the four 7th grade students representing their school were Ben Gardner, Jonny Thayer, Josh Kalbfleisch, and Leo Wang. For WCS, the team included Avery Antonioli, Kai Maxwell, Charles Meisenzahl, Grayson Pogact, and Annika Scott.

After the first four rounds, SCS had a two-point lead over both Williston and U-32. Four rounds later, however, SCS was down two points to Williston, U-32 and St. Johnsbury. The audience was audibly excited as the scores were close going into the final set of questions.

By the 11th and 12th rounds of questions it was clear that the two schools competing for the win were SCS and Williston. In the final round of questions it was Leo who came through for SCS. Navigating tricky questions centered on the Middle East, Leo came away answering the final round question correctly and, after an incorrect answer from a Williston team member, the results were in: Shelburne and Williston were tied after the final round.

This forced a playoff. Teams had five minutes to calm themselves and prepare. All four members of the SCS team used the opportunity to review a classroom atlas and cram whatever geographic knowledge they could before moving back to their seats on the stage. 

A notable moment came when, before the final round of questions were presented to the two teams, students from both SCS and Williston offered each other fist-bumps, handshakes, and "good luck" sentiments. This served as a model of respect and kindness within a heated competition. 

As the final questions were presented to each student on the two remaining teams, things came down to Leo needing a correct answer to seal the victory. To the question On which of the following seas does Iran have a border: the Aral Sea, the Black Sea, or the Caspian Sea? Leo took a moment, inhaled, and correctly responded with "the Caspian Sea".

Scores were announced, students celebrated, and more congratulatory handshakes and kind sentiments were shared. The SCS team held the state championship trophy high, capping off a triumphant return of the Vermont State Geography Bee. The WCS team ultimately finished as runners up by one point.

What an exciting finish. Way to go to both teams and their coaches! Thank you for representing CVSD and for your hard work that led to this great accomplishment! 

The SCS team and state champs

CVU Scholars Bowl Team Takes the Championship!

The team from Champlain Valley Union High School secured the state high school academic championship on Saturday, April 6th, winning the Vermont-NEA Scholars' Bowl at Montpelier High School.

CVU capped a run of four blowout wins at the April playoffs with a 505-245 victory over defending champion Burlington. The Redhawks also swept through the first set of playoffs in January, meaning they secured their third state championship overall and second in the last three years without needing to play in a championship match.

The result capped a dominant season which saw the Redhawks win every Vermont competition without losing a match. Including the regional round in the fall, the Redhawks finished the state tournaments with a record of 23 wins and no losses. CVU also won the the league's three side tournaments -- the Sue Pasco Opening Tournament in September, the Pre-Holiday Academic Tournament in December, and the Vermont NAQT Championship in March -- to finish the regular season with an overall record of 47-0.

A similar situation occurred in the JV tournament as January winner CVU B outlasted Burlington B, 330-240, in the JV championship game. CVU's JV players have now won that tournament eight of the past eleven seasons.

Scholars' Bowl is a question-and-answer quiz competition, similar to Jeopardy! but featuring teams of high school students and with a heavier focus on the academic curriculum. The tournament has been held annually since the 1983-84 school year and is sponsored by the Vermont-National Education Association.

Competing members of the CVU team Saturday included (varsity) Frank Fidler, Jacob Graham, Elias Leventhal, Zoe Mui, Colin Ravlin, Nolan Sandage (JV) Mateo Dienz- Del Rio, Dylan Elder, Leo Elder, Willcox Elliott, Leah Rauch, Charles Redmond, and Wylie Ricklefs. The team is coached by CVU teachers John Bennett and Kiran MacCormick. Some members of the CVU team will be traveling to Atlanta with their coaches to compete in the High School National Championship Tournament (HSNCT).

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.

WCS Engineering Design Challenge

Middle school students at Williston Central School recently participated in an engineering design challenge. Students chose to create designs for either the rampball or catapult challenge and then competed against others to determine which had the greatest success. 

Students discuss ideas during the planning and building process.

Engineering in middle school sometimes means lots of glue, tape and recycled materials!

So how does the incline of the ramp affect the distance a ball will travel? Students tested it to find out!

Students compete with their catapult, which earned them a 3rd place finish at the Engineering Challenge!

Putting their catapult to the test!

What is Harkness?

Recently, CVU's 10th and 11th grade Harkness Building Coaches traveled to Harwood Union High School to participate in Harkness discussions with their counterparts at that school. The pictures below show a trust-building warm-up activity and then discussions completely led by students. In particular, CVU and Harwood 11th graders - who have a bit more training than the 10th graders - facilitated the discussions for the 10th graders. As is typical in high-quality Harkness, all the teachers had to do was sit back and observe. Magic only begins to describe it.

CVU will host Harwood's Harkness Building Coaches for a similar summit on Thursday, December 14.

We asked Brad Miller, a CVU social studies teacher to help our community learn more about Harkness. Here are his responses in a question/answer format. Thank you for your leadership on this valuable work, Brad! 

What is Harkness?

The Harkness Method began in 1930 at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH, and is still their primary mode of instruction today. It has since become very popular in the private school world, in large part due to Exeter’s renown.

In short, The Harkness Method asks that students be responsible for their own learning. Instead of the teacher being the sole deliverer of content, students are taught to engage with each other using the tools of civil discourse, taught to engage with content through annotation and questioning, and then taught to make sense of that content together ‘at the table’ (pictured above) using those tools of civil discourse. The teacher’s role is more to steer discussion and collaboration towards key understandings rather than leading them to those understandings through lectures.

Does Harkness at CVU look the same as Harkness in private school?

No. CVU - or any public school - can’t replicate the private school model. Instead, we teach a Harkness curriculum that operates within our capacity. We use highly scaffolded steps to bring our students ‘to the table,’ so to speak. While our version takes more time and has more steps, many CVU students at this very moment are skilled enough that they could sit down at the table with Exeter students and you wouldn’t notice a difference.

What’s the difference between a Harkness discussion and a Socratic Seminar?

Think of Socratic Seminar as one of the final steps along the Harkness process. Socratic Seminar is a discussion in which the teacher comes prepared with questions for the students to answer in order to achieve an understanding about content. Harkness pushes one step past that and instead asks the students to be the ones preparing questions. They would then engage each other in discussion, with the teacher there to provide direction and quality control.

Are Harkness discussions just freewheeling, dorm room-style riff sessions?

No. Successful Harkness teachers prepare vigilantly beforehand to make sure that their discussions are ones in which there aren’t interruptions, there is clear direction, content is the driver, and every voice matters. A student won’t be successful at Harkness simply by talking the most. The quality of their comments and their active listening are more important than their ability to talk a lot.

Is Harkness just meant for the Humanities classroom?

No, but Harkness does look different in different disciplines. For example, it’s totally reasonable for Humanities teachers to expect their students to be able to sit in circles of 10-12 and have discussions about content. That might not be applicable to, say, a math or science classroom. Instead, in that context, Harkness might look like groups of 4-6 collaborating on problems or labs. One is not more valuable than the other, especially since the same skills of civil discourse can be taught and assessed. The teacher’s goals, how students reflect, and what’s being assessed are all potential commonalities between Harkness in different disciplines at CVU.

What’s the difference between Harkness and a debate?

Harkness isn’t a setting in which students seek to ‘win’ or ‘own’ each other, as they might say. It’s a setting in which students are asked to unpack complex content together through civil discourse. Sure, disagreement is a natural part of Harkness, but ‘winning’ is not something that’s prized within the pedagogy. Perhaps a teacher might use a Harkness discussion to help their students prepare for a debate.

What's the current status of Harkness at CVU? 

An after school class to help educators learn about Harkness is now in its third year and I’m proud to say that my co-teacher, Kathy Cadwell, (from Harwood) and I have trained 27 CVU teachers in the Harkness Method. Over and over again, I have seen that Harkness allows students to be heard, to take risks, and to experience a much more equitable version of classroom discussion than I had used in the past.

How many CVU students have been trained in Harkness?

Every single 9th grader received training last year. Additionally, most current juniors participated in some degree of Harkness training during their 9th-10th grade years. The ripple effects that teachers are seeing in their 10th and 11th-grade class discussions are profound.

What do CVU students like about Harkness? 

The responses below come from anonymous surveys given to 9th graders last year.

• I liked the emphasis on including everyone in the discussions.
• I liked the passionate discussions, how it was so polite without any interruptions and I loved the vibe of the room.
• We didn't interrupt, like, at all, and that was great, as that's something I get mad at my friends for doing. I think we all had great points to share too.
• I think I did a good job listening to others and letting others talk. I have a tendency to talk for a long time, and I think I did a good job holding back and letting others have the floor.
• We had a lot of really good connections to things you would never think of connected to what we were talking about. Hearing these made what we were talking about easier to understand.
• I think it gave me some new ideas and a deeper understanding of the units than I would have learned on my own.
• I liked to hear everyone's ideas, and I liked to see my classmates growth.
• It was a good way to get ideas for the LEAF formatives and summatives. I also think it was a good way to get comfortable with sharing your ideas to a group and potentially disagreeing with others.
• I felt like I was heard and my opinions were valued. I didn’t feel embarrassed when I messed up or stumbled over my words. I felt very included.
• It is really hard to be actively in the discussion if you are not prepared.
• I really liked how we had a lot of control as the students.

The Return of RISE

It was four years ago that we last wrote about RISE at CVU. You can learn more about the origin of RISE and see some highlights of the 2019 program. CVU took a hiatus from RISE after 2019 due to COVID and the many adjustments to school and schedules. Happily, it has returned and it is off and running as of June 1! 

Given that it's been four years, it's likely new to most students and families in our district. Here's a bit of a refresher.

RISE stands for Reflective Interest-based, Student Experiences and is taking place during the last two weeks of the school year. Students attend either two sessions a day, morning and afternoon, or choose to participate in a full-day session each day. Students may also explore an Independent Learning Seminar. RISE is a part of the academic school year and attendance is a graduation requirement. It culminates on June 14 with a Presentation of Learning Day. 

Peter Booth, a Nexus teacher at CVU, is also the coordinator of RISE. Thank you Peter, and all CVU staff, for your incredible efforts to make this experience a reality once more! 

Here's a small sampling of some of the varied offerings this year followed by photos from some of the sessions.

• Empowering Women in Business
• In this session, we will explore the challenges and rewards women face as they enter the workforce. Topics around gender equity, finding your leadership voice, balancing work and life, self-care, and the importance of self-advocacy will be the focus of our class time.
• What participants will gain from this session is confidence in their thoughts and ideas, the skills to implement ideas, a knowledge of the resources available to support women in business, a deeper understanding of what it is like to work in business, and strategies for self-care as they balance the demands of work and life.
• Strategies to reach these goals will include guest speakers, field trips to local businesses, a job shadowing opportunity, and a potential trip to New York City to meet and network with women in business leadership positions.
• Wilderness Leadership and NOLS Wilderness First Aid
• In this full-day offering, students will develop their self-reliance, group-work, and leadership skills in a wilderness setting. They will come to understand the CVU motto of “Take care of yourself, take care of each other, and take care of this place” in a whole new context. 
• Students will become NOLS Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified, do their own leadership inventory and training, hike the trails in the region, and do community service for the Green Mountain Club and Vermont Youth Conservation
• Fractals, Ferns, & Formulas
• In this session, we will explore fractals, the infinitely complex mathematical shapes that are found all around us! After an introduction to fractals and their creation, we’ll investigate the connections to geometry, nature, art, architecture, technology, and more.
• The Science of Happiness
• Based on the most popular course at Yale, The Science of Happiness will focus on the question, “Why do I feel the way I do?”
• In this RISE session, students will grapple with strategies designed around how to increase their own happiness and build more productive happiness habits. We will examine misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the brain that guide us to think the way we do, and the research/strategies that can help you change. By the end of the session, students will be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity (or more) into their life.
• Come join us for a RISE focused on finding happiness and joy!
• Painting and Poetry
• Painting AND Poetry? It’s a win/win combination! The focus of this school-appropriate twist on the “Paint & Sip'' phenomenon is to encourage all students, regardless of artistic or writing ability, to engage in activities where they will be asked to think about varied subject matter, paint it, and then write about it using multiple forms of poetry. The culminating activity will be to participate in an in-house "Paint & Sip" (on age appropriate beverages, of course) class by a local artist who will guide students through a class-selected painting.
• Cooking for Independent Living
• Do you love a home-cooked meal? Do you have a sense of what you love to eat, but you are not sure how to prepare it? Would you like to leave this course with a menu of meals you have already prepared once, and are prepared to make again?
• In this course, we will work collaboratively to prepare meals (some in one pot preparation!) that you can return to time and time again once you are living independently, or for your current living situation! Impress your friends and parents with these go-to meals. Designed for first-time cooks, you will learn some basic techniques for preparing some main meals, paired with sides of vegetables and starches. Important- Many or most of these dinner entrees will not be vegan or vegetarian friendly…Please consider this course only if you are comfortable preparing and consuming fish, beef, pork, and chicken.
• Celebrating Culture and Diversity: A Project-Based Learning Experience
• Are you fascinated by the beautiful diversity of human cultures? Do you want to learn more about your cultural heritage, or are you curious about other cultures?
• In this RISE course, we’ll explore, celebrate, and experience the range of elements that make up culture: language, food, clothing, art, music and dance, spirituality, gender roles, etc. We’ll also open up avenues for you to explore your own cultural interests more deeply.

Click on the three vertical dots below the slides for a larger view/full screen.

Celebratory Events at Charlotte Central School

Last week there were two events that took place at Charlotte Central School (CCS) on the same evening. In the gym, about 150 people came to enjoy a math night. There were a variety of games and activities run by both adults and students. 

In another space, seventh and eighth graders shared their Personal Interest Projects (PIPs) with families and friends. There was quite a variety! 

Please enjoy this short video which captures a few elements of each event. 

CVU Math League Accomplishments

 Thank you to Charlie MacFadyen, CVU's Math League coach, for providing this update. 

The CVU Math League Team has wrapped up a very successful year! We tied with South Burlington High School as co-champions of the Greater Burlington Math League, capping off CVU’s best season ever! And we did it in style with our new T-shirts! Of the 14 awards given out for individual performances in the league, 5 of them went to CVU students.

Team members who competed this year included Anna Dauerman, Patterson Frazier, Thomas Garavelli, Jacob Graham, Alyssa Hill, Joe Jacobs, Dan Knight, Georgia Knight, Elias Leventhal, Jacob Medici, David Merchant, Veronica Miskavage, Clay Nicholson, Lily O’Brien, Wylie Ricklefs, Keaton St. Martin, Julia Shrier, and Sam Yager.

In addition to our league competition, students also participated in the American Mathematics Competition, the UVM High School Prize Exam in Mathematics, and the Vermont State Mathematics Coalition Talent Search Contest (coordinated by CVU math teacher, Kiran MacCormick).

The results for the UVM Prize Exam just came out and CVU had three students in the top ten statewide (Elias Leventhal in 2nd, Jacob Graham in 3rd, and Keaton St. Martin tied for 8th) and six students receiving Certificates of Merit. Earlier in the year, Elias and Jacob also qualified and sat for the prestigious American Invitational Mathematics Exam, based on their scores on the AMC.

Most importantly, this is a fun, collegial group of students who just love to solve problems and it's a pleasure to work with them.

Thanks again to Kiran MacCormick for all of his help with the team and to the CVU math department for all you do!

Congratulations math superstars!

Students Shine at the VAMLE Conference

Here's a guest post submitted by Lynn Camara. Lynn is a student assistance program (SAP) counselor at Williston Central School (WCS). 

Students from Charlotte Central School and Shelburne Community School also attended the conference.

On Thursday, March 16, WCS sponsored a group of twenty-six 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to participate in a day-long conference at Champlain College. The event was hosted by the Vermont Association for Middle Level Education (VAMLE) and featured workshops relevant to adolescents. It was an incredible conference with 350 middle school students from all over the state. Our students were very engaged in the learning opportunities, they took positive risks, and were terrific ambassadors of WCS.

Jared Bailey, a 5th & 6th grade Sterling House teacher at WCS and the president of VAMLE, gave an opening welcome speech to all of the conference attendees. Then WCS Sterling House 6th grader Eisley Devitt read the Land Acknowledgement to the large crowd. Later in the day Mr. Bailey, Eisley, and other Sterling House students, Anna Thorley-Doucette, Annika Scott, Teague Flattery, and Varian Theriault facilitated a workshop on “Implementing Social Courage.”

The guest speaker was Bennett Townley from Special Olympics Vermont. Bennett is a graduate of WCS and Champlain Valley Union HS. He spoke of his experiences being treated unkindly and being excluded as a middle school and high school student. He found a wonderful sense of community in the Unified Sports program at CVU and shared his excitement about being part of a basketball team. Audience members found his talk to be inspirational and heartwarming.

Later in the morning students participated in a variety of workshops relevant to middle school students. In addition to the “Implementing Social Courage” workshop presented by a group of WCS students, other workshops included: Alternatives to Hazing in Athletics, Creating Change in Your School, Responding to Social Media, Unified School Communities, Organizing Against Racism, Learning About Gender, Pronouns, and Sexuality, among others.

The students returned to WCS excited to share what they have learned with their peers.

               

Nora Brady, a WCS 6th grader, said "It was a really fun experience. It was amazing to see students from all over Vermont. There were a lot of people there all learning from each other.” "This conference was a great learning experience," said 8th grader Malashie Tonokie. "It reinforced that when students can express themselves, they can become leaders. Student voices make student leaders!"

Seventh grader Orion Power-Freeman said of the day at Champlain "It was really great to see the diversity of students from all over Vermont. I loved knowing students all over are working on the same issues we are here at WCS." These students were terrific ambassadors of WCS and did a great job jumping in and participating in the conference!

Note: VAMLE is the Vermont chapter of the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE). WCS educator Jared Bailey, the president of VAMLE, added this perspective, "It was our largest conference ever. It's also the only AMLE chapter conference that is run by students for students. It was great to see students from all over the state come together to share concerns, learn from each other, and leave with ideas on how to make their communities better! We hope to see many of this year's attendees back as presenters next year!"

Seal of Biliteracy, Part Two

The Seal of Biliteracy at CVSD

Contributed by: Johanna Shaw-Daniels, Robyn Suarez,

Susan Simpson, and Melita Sedic-Lawton

Last May we wrote about the CVSD Pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy Program. The following is an update to that post.


The Seal of Biliteracy is a fairly new award given by the Vermont Foreign Language Association, under the authorization of the Agency of Education. It recognizes students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.

Since 2020, CVU High School has had two recipients of this award, and our program is growing. This year, so far, we have five seniors graduating with this award. In CVSD's elementary and middle schools, there are approximately 30+ active participants working towards this achievement through our Pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy program. The Pathway program is designed specifically for our younger multilingual students, with classes focusing on their heritage languages.

This year, classes are being offered at WCS in Nepali, Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese. Some of these classes will be offered at SCS as well. At the high school, students are participating in French and Spanish classes, forming conversational groups in the CLD Center, and studying independently. Students’ enthusiasm for participating in the Pathway program has been wonderful to see! Before the 8-week sessions began, students frequently asked when their heritage language instruction would begin. In addition, ABS has launched Lunch Bunches, an opportunity for students to eat together while chatting with a volunteer in their heritage language. The warm relationships students develop with their language instructors and with each other as multilingual learners has been invaluable.

Please view this graphic to learn more about the many benefits of multilingualism, and the photos of CVSD students enjoying their heritage language learning.

Russian Heritage Language Class

Practicing Chinese characters

Vietnamese Heritage Language Class

Nepali Heritage Language Class

Math and Music Are Connected

The information for this post was shared by Lori Marino, music teacher at Shelburne Community School. 

A fourth grade class was learning musical notation. Specifically, the associated number of beats each note is “worth” in a 4/4 measure. I drew the diagram shown in the pictures below. The last student to leave class had left the class line and drawn a note with multiple flags with a number written beneath it in the first picture. The student knew to increase to the power of 2 each time a flag was added to the eighth note which is valued at 1/2 beat in a 4/4 measure.

Curious when I saw the large number written below the note the student had drawn, I called a colleague, Jodi Sanders, in to see if we could verify. Sure enough after we worked through each power of 2 (we did have to resort to a calculator!) we verified that the student (who did not have a calculator!) nailed the value!! 

This was a remarkable accomplishment! After acknowledging the student's achievement later this afternoon, they told me that they had memorized all of the powers of two through 300 something million and proceeded to rapidly rattle off all of the numbers Jodi had worked to figure out earlier in about 5 seconds!

I thought this was a great academic/artistic connection to share!

Note: The excitement spread to others and students continue to make these connections. Here's another photo of what they worked on 2 days later. 

Wow, thank you for sharing this with us, Lori!

SCS Students Present to State Board of Education

 This guest post was provided by Lashawn Sells, DEI coach at the Shelburne Community School. 

Photo with newly-elected US House representative, Becca Balint

In late September, a group of 22 students from the Shelburne Community School went to Montpelier for the Day of Anti- Racial Equity and Education. The event was sponsored by Vermont Student Anti- Racism Network (VSARN). Students were chosen by teachers and some students self selected. Students from Charlotte Central School and Hinesburg Community School attended the event as well.

More recently, six SCS students presented virtually to a committee of the State Board of Education . These students shared about the day they went to Montpelier with other students across the state to learn more about Anti- Racial Equity and Education. The students discussed how much they enjoyed connecting with students from other districts and how they want to use this information to help make change in their school community. They also took this moment to share some things they feel we need to work on across the state such as hiring BIPOC teachers, diversification of curriculum, and opportunities for students to learn outside the traditional classroom. 

The committee was elated to hear from our students and are taking their suggestions into consideration.

Williston Candidates' Forum a Great Success

Last Friday, the middle school students at Williston Central School hosted their biennial Candidates' Forum. The teachers and their students invited the Republican and Democratic candidates for US Senate, US House of Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General.

Various candidates for federal and state offices were invited and nine were able to attend. This is a great opportunity to inform students and educate them about the political issues facing voters in the November elections. These are the offices our 7th and 8th students were busy researching and preparing questions for. The 5th and 6th grade students also studyed the candidates, political parties, and issues of the election. They created posters that lined the walls in the school and auditorium. Following the forum, students will use the evidence from the forum for a writing assignment.

“The Williston Candidate Forum is an authentic way for our students to learn about democracy. It encourages students to thoughtfully engage in the process of educating themselves about relevant issues and asking questions to further their understanding of the topics,” said Jackie Parks, Williston Central School Building Principal. “Ultimately we want students to become active in their communities and this learning experience provides them with the foundation to build on as they grow into responsible and involved citizens.”

The following candidates and the office they're running for attended this year's forum: 

• Gerald Malloy (R), US Senate
• Peter Welch (D), US Senate
• Becca Balint (D), US House of Representatives
• Phil Scott (R), Governor of Vermont
• Brenda Siegel (D), Governor of Vermont
• Joe Benning (R), Lt. Governor of Vermont
• David Zuckerman (D), Lt. Governor of Vermont
• Michael Tagliavia (R), Vermont Attorney General
• Charity Clark (D), Vermont Attorney General

In addition to posing challenging questions to the candidates, some students were behind the cameras livestreaming and recording the event. They had support from the Media Factory. The complete recording can be seen at this link, thanks to the Media Factory. 

This was the 12th candidate forum sponsored by the social studies committee at WCS. Thank you to this exemplary group of teachers for preparing your students so well!

Here's a small sampling of photos taken at the event.



View additional coverage of the event from local TV stations.
WPTZ: Vermont Students Meet with Candidates During Forum
WCAX: Students Questions Vermont Candidates on the Issues

WFFF: Vermont Candidates Discuss Major Issues in Middle School Hosted Forum

Summer Learning at WCS

WCS had two week-long summer learning experiences for some students. This slideshow showcases the 6th-8th experience with a focus on real-world application of math, science and reading. Thanks to Cris Milks and Colleen O’Brien for their work on creating and leading these experiences for our students.

Meeting Needs During Post-Service

Our educators are hard at work this week! All PreK-8 educators were together in one building on Monday and Tuesday  for a variety of opportunities. The mornings were spent in PLCs, allowing grade level teams, departments, and other cohorts to have time together. for reflection, planning, and working with data. 

In the afternoons, there was a selection of workshop offerings. 

SEL and Mental Health: Annie O'Shaughnessy facilitated Resting in a Community of Care and Debby Haskins hosted Healing Your Heart. 

Technology: Options included Getting Organized (anything tech-related, especially Gmail and Google Drive!) and updating team and department websites.

Art: Mindful Mark Making and Calming Collage

Physical Movement: Rally Ball

Comments we heard afterward: 

"I need more time to get organized!""This is just what I needed." "Thank you for providing this opportunity and the time." "It was fun and relaxing!" "It was great to reconnect with district colleagues and be together again."

The work continues back in school buildings for the rest of the week.

Cookies Are Great... Right?

Who doesn’t want a free cookie? Well, it depends on what kind we’re offering. In addition to chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin, another type of cookie was distributed to some CVU students last week. Read on to learn more.

A few weeks ago, CVU 9th grade student Alex Fox, as part of research about cybersecurity for a Nexus project, shared a survey with all students at CVU. The goal was to see what they knew and thought about a number of topics. Some of the questions included: What are computer cookies? What do you do when you get a cookie pop-up? What is two-factor authentication? Should passwords for all accounts be the same? What do you do when you get spam? What is cybersecurity, why might it be important, and what are the potential benefits and negatives of cybersecurity? Alex reports that they had over 60 responses to the survey and that most people who responded knew very little about cybersecurity.

That survey whet the appetite to help people learn more about computer or internet cookies. Faculty members of CVU’s technology integration committee, led by digital learning leader Charlie MacFadyen, decided to engage students in a related activity to help them learn about internet cookies, using real cookies.

On Monday, May 9, during the lunch blocks at CVU, students were offered a free cookie. All the students had to do to get the cookie was fill out a one-question form. They were asked “Which best describes you?” with options around whether they liked dogs, cats, both, or neither. When filling out the form, it automatically collected their email address. By the way, special thanks goes out to the Redhawk Cafe staff for the delicious cookies!

About 300 students filled out the survey to get a cookie. CVU advisors were told of this activity ahead of time and were asked not to share what it was about with students until later in the week.

On Wednesday, students who filled out the form got an email that looked something like this, depending on their answer to the form.

Hi _____________,

We hope you enjoyed your cookie in the cafeteria!

And since you're a dog person, here's a picture of some adorable puppies. By the way, we also shared your information with dogs.com, so you may be getting their ads soon*.

*Just kidding-- we didn't really share your info with anyone! But guess what? When you accept cookies on the internet, this is often what happens. Cookies are files that save information about your activity on a website. So-called first-party cookies can be helpful so that sites "remember" you the next time you visit (for example, knowing what preferences you chose or what's in your shopping cart). But when you agree to third-party cookies, you allow websites to share your information with other websites (often, for targeted ads). Next time you're asked to "accept all cookies" on a website, try clicking the option to learn more and choose what you agree to.

At the end of the week, ALL students got an email with the general information about this activity. Advisors were asked to show a video (see the first link below) to their advisories and then pose some questions to get the discussion about the experience going. Some teachers reported that these were valuable conversations.

Hopefully, this will help inform more of you about computer cookies, and maybe you’ll think twice before deciding whether or not to accept one next time.

Learn more here:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdVPflECed8
• https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/10/18656519/what-are-cookies-website-tracking-gdpr-privacy
• https://youtu.be/HFyaW50GFOs
• https://cookie-script.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-third-party-cookies.html

Thank you to the CVU technology integration committee for sharing this with us!