Celebrating CVSD Retirees

It's that time of year where, with bittersweet emotions, we recognize those that are moving on and retiring from CVSD. 

Thank you, thank you. 

If you'd like to reach out to any of these people, feel free to use the CVSD Kudos topic on Let's Talk and we'll make sure your message gets to them. 

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

CVSD Schools Take the Plunge

The annual Penguin Plunge event, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Vermont, took place on February 10. Once again, CVSD schools came through! The total raised by teams representing all of our schools came in at over $41,000! 

All funds raised through the Penguin Plunge support Special Olympics Vermont’s local and school-based programs that foster awareness and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities by using the power of sport to showcase their gifts and abilities.

Thank you to the organizers, students, faculty, staff, parents and caregivers who dedicated their time to raising funds and to those who created alternate events to keep the spirit strong.

Here are updates from each of the CVSD schools who participated this year. 

Charlotte: 5 people participated this year representing CCS. We raised $1,840 this year and it was a great time!

CCS

CCS

Hinesburg: The Hinesburg team was made up of 38 5th-8th grade students, along with teachers Paul Lasher and Alyssa Wieland and board member Cassandra Townshend. We raised $11,500, the third most for all teams. 5th grader Nora Cudney raised $1700 herself!

HCS

HCS

Shelburne: SCS had 14 members and collectively raised $8,370. SCS team was the fourth highest fundraising school, coming in just behind CVU and Hinesburg. SCS also had the highest student fundraiser of all the Cool Schools (Gray Latka $3,270)!

SCS

SCS

CVU: We had 55 plungers for the CVU team and raised $19,486! This was the most raised by a school team.

CVU

CVU

Congratulations and thank you all for your effort and dedication to this incredible event, and thank you to all who contributed in support of it as well. 

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 Unique Look at the CVU Class of 2002

Through a series of recent events, we discovered that there are a number of CVSD (and what was formerly CSSU) alumni working in the district. We reached out to those that we know of from CVU's class of 2002 and asked them to share a few memories. Here's what they shared, in their own words. 

    

Mariel Adsit (CCS and SCS school psychologist)

I grew up in Charlotte– I attended CCS K-8 and then CVU. I have many fond memories of both CCS and CVU. At CCS, I forged strong connections with peers and adults and discovered some of my strengths and vulnerabilities as a learner. I got the support I needed to develop my weaker skill sets, even if it meant going to a room in the basement to get extra help (the room is no longer!). Luckily I was allowed to bring a friend! I think this early experience ultimately inspired me to help others figure out their learning profile and to get the necessary support (as a School Psychologist). At CVU, I enjoyed my time on the tennis and Nordic ski teams and expanded my interests. Sadly, Psychology was not a course option at the time.

Doug Pierson (CCS special educator)

Memories from CVSD schools:

Being completely confused that in the middle of our math class all of a sudden we would start doing Tai Chi with Mrs. Heatherlee

Walking in to Mr. Mares class and having him announce to the entire class that an average student will get a C in my class. Being an athlete and getting a C didn’t really work so I remember turning to Pete Cernosia and thinking this is going to be a really long semester. It turned out that after a hard few weeks he was one of my favorite teachers and he had this great ability to push students to pay attention and give everything their best in his class. This class helped me the rest of my years at CVU.

For some reason, I was nominated to be the class Marshall (I think that is what it was called) and I don’t enjoy being the center of attention but as part of being the Marshall I had to walk the senior class (class of 2001) down and light a candle with a match in front of everyone (the entire class, parents etc.) My hands were shaking I was so nervous being up on stage that I was having a hard time lighting the match. It took me some time but once I finally lit the match and the candle I took a deep breath of relief and ended up blowing out the candle.

At SCS, I was on the Delta house and I remember Mr. Carlson would sit/stand on tables and sing to you in his Elvis voice happy birthday.

For sports, I was fortunate to have Shep all four years at CVU for my soccer coach and I’ll never forget him driving us to play North Country. We were close to the top of this big hill and all of a sudden we heard a giant pop. He pulled the bus over and we were all wondering what was going on and what happened until we looked behind us and saw all the soccer balls rolling down the road. The loud pop was us running over a ball but we also all had to get off and run down to retrieve all our soccer balls.

A small connection I have from then to now would be I remember being a big brother while at CVU and coming back to SCS to read to a young boy in 2nd grade. I also remember doing a project around teaching the first grade and going into HCS to help out for a semester. I remember having to teach my own lesson at the end and thinking back I had a great time doing this. I also had some family personal connections in special education and going into college didn’t know what else I wanted to be so decided education it was. I am now in my 14th year at CCS as a special educator working with the 3rd and 4th grade teams.

Laura Dyer (ABS teacher)

My memory would be of working in Carmen LaFlamme's class for WISH (Williston Student Helpers) in 8th grade (Mr. Ford would drive us over to the newly-built Allen Brook School from Williston Central in his car!). Mrs. LaFlamme told me I would make a great teacher and that I could have her job someday, which was the highest compliment from my very own kindergarten teacher! I went on to get my degree and come back to teach kindergarten at ABS, but I missed Carmen's retirement by one year.

Of course, a highlight was meeting Mariel Adsit in Justin Chapman's lit class at CVU and making a friend for life!

Brett Cluff (SCS 5-8 principal)

My favorite part of CVU was the purposeful community-building activities and structures. Coming from Charlotte, I felt like a small fish in a big pond. Some of the memories from CVU that come to mind first were the time I spent in advisory. Chris Hood was my advisor! I loved the relaxed atmosphere and the chance to get to know kids across grade levels. Climbing the wall in Project Adventure and all the field trips we took in Nichols Core were also really helpful in making us feel like part of the same team.

I got to learn from some amazing educators in my time at CCS and CVU. I think my favorites were usually the ones who really listened to what kids had to say and brought some humor into the classroom. I've tried to reflect that in my own career. As a school principal, I may not always be able to solve every problem, but I can at least listen with empathy and try to connect with kids and adults through laughter.

Laura Rice (CVSD Director of Human Resources)

As I think back to my time as a student in CVSD, there is one person that always comes to mind. Ms. Downer was a school counselor at CCS for many years. She is a beam of light and every time I saw her, she would make it a point to stop and chat. I always enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with her. Ms. Downer was never a downer, even in some dark moments when she had to give me bad news. She was a rock for me and I am forever grateful for her patience, kindness, and welcoming attitude. I ran into her this past spring at a restaurant and when I told her who I was, it was like no time had passed. We picked up in conversation. I hope that someday there is a person who thinks back fondly to my interactions with them in this same light.

When I was a kid, I often thought I would be a teacher mostly because of the awesome teachers I had at CCS and CVU. There was a culture of kindness and support that felt like an extension of home. I wanted to be in a place where I could support people the same way I felt supported. In college, I discovered my passion for supporting adults and it has now all come full circle with being in HR in education.

Dianna Fletcher (transportation)

I am a proud alumni of both CVU and CCS and would love to share! There are so many wonderful memories from my time as a student here.

One of my most cherished memories was when I was in the CCS Jazz Band. We were playing on Church Street on the very last day of my 8th-grade year. As we all came down the stairs to leave, all the teachers and staff had gathered in the lobby to send us off since we wouldn't be there at dismissal time. It was so heartwarming and special. And now, even after all these years, there is still a wonderful sense of warmth and caring flowing through the halls.

It is so amazing to connect with old peers that you haven't seen since graduation. They are your coworkers and the parents of the students you work with. The result is a community that feels more like family than individual groups and a real connection to where we all came from. I feel truly blessed to work where I grew up and to give back to the community.

Jennifer Goodspeed (SCS food service)

I remember one of my teachers at Charlotte Central School, Catthy Folly. One of her family members worked with my mom after I had been in her class. When she heard through the grapevine that I was having a baby, she made me a baby blanket and I still have it.

For my CVU grad challenge, I learned how to decorate cakes. It didn’t lead to what I’m currently doing, but now I see the connection!

I am happy to be doing this job as the hours align with being able to be there for my daughter, who is now a student at CVU.

Amanda Laberge (WCS teacher)

I attended Shelburne Community School from K-8th grade. My fondest memories there are of teachers and projects that I enjoyed, like the Pioneers unit with Ms. Morrissey (yes, Marybeth Morrissey, a current colleague at WCS was my 5th-grade teacher) and the Salem Witch Trials unit with Dick Carlson. I also remember the teachers that I connected with most and stayed in touch with long after graduation from SCS and CVU, like Meg O'Donnell, Dave Ely, and Carl Recchia.

Some of my favorite memories at CVU were from events with the Madrigal Singers, and the performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat my 9th-grade year, during which I was thrilled to wear gold go-go boots and play the honorable part of the Camel's Second Hump.

I also remember an English course at CVU in which our teacher asked each of us to perform part of a song. I don't remember which song I performed, but I do remember Brett Cluff's rendition of "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. I think in my young mind, it was Grammy-worthy!

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing at CVU for almost the entire day of Tuesday, 9/11/01 when we were just starting our senior year.

Overall, I remember finding my people in both my peers and teachers; they were people who supported and accepted me and who I'm grateful to have known. I feel very fortunate to work with several of them now, and to catch up a little bit at every district inservice and hear about their families and experiences living and working in.

When I was a student at SCS and CVU, I learned the value of teachers who care deeply about who their students are as human beings; that is the most important lesson that I have carried with me into my role as a middle-level classroom teacher. It is a lesson that transcends time and all of the changes we've seen in our society over the past 20+ (!) years.

Thank you for being a part of our community in so many ways, from student to employee! We value what you bring to our district and its schools.

Two CVSD Educators Recognized for Work Around Technology

Tim O'Leary

Tim O’Leary, currently serving as the Instructional Coach and  Curriculum leader at Shelburne Community School, was recently honored with the Frank Watson Award by Vita-Learn. Tim consistently demonstrates a remarkable dedication to his profession, approaching his work with unwavering professionalism and enthusiasm. His tireless efforts are aimed at enhancing student outcomes through information technology, and he fearlessly engages in initiatives that promote enhanced learning experiences.

As a 2020 Rowland Fellow, Tim, alongside Charlie MacFadyen from CVU, worked on developing an equitable K-12 computer science program across CVSD. Tim is a fervent advocate for educational equity and improved access to technology and computer science. He played a pivotal role in implementing First Lego League groups in all K-8 schools within our district.

In addition to his advocacy and active involvement, Tim is a dedicated member of the Computer Science Teachers Association and serves as a board member for the Vermont chapter. He has been instrumental in advocating for Vermont students' access to the Congressional App Challenge.

The Frank Watson Award, presented by Vita-Learn, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to educational technology in Vermont, spanning local, regional, and state levels. This marks the third consecutive year that a CVSD educator has been honored with this prestigious award.

Charlie MacFadyen receiving his award

Charlie MacFadyen was honored with the CS Teaching Excellence Award at the recent New England regional Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) meeting. His recognition stems from his exceptional leadership in computer science (CS) both at CVU and district-wide over the past few years.

Charlie holds the role of digital learning leader at CVU and actively instructs computer science classes, contributing to the expansion of CS offerings at the school. Moreover, he dedicates his time to coaching the cyberpatriot team and the math league, while also assisting in the coordination of various events for these groups. His leadership style is characterized by thoughtfulness, creativity, and dedication to staff and students.

The CSTA's CS Teaching Excellence Awards are designed to acknowledge the exceptional teaching efforts of K-12 computer science teachers. Recipients of this award excel in inspiring students to explore the field of computer science, engaging them in learning rigorous standards-aligned CS content, and working towards broadening the participation of underrepresented students in computing.

Recognizing This Year's Retirees

Sadly, it's the time of year when we recognize those who are retiring from CVSD. Thank you for your many years of service and dedication to CVSD students, schools, colleagues, and the larger community.

You will be missed. 

We wish you all the very best on your next adventures!

SCS and Their Special GOAT Guests

Shelburne Community School has some special guest visitors for the next few weeks... goats! The goat visitors are from New Village Farm. Five Nigerian Dwarf goats are stationed in the breezeway at SCS for the next two weeks. 5th grade "Goat Ambassadors" are available to meet with classes and small groups to share more about these animal friends. All classes have the opportunity to sign up for a visit.

Thank you to Jess Howard, Vasanthi Meyette, Devon Morrill, and Sean Murray for helping this partnership come to life. And thanks to 7th graders for helping to build the goats an enclosure last week. If all goes well they hope to bring the goats back in the fall.

Constructing the enclosure

CVSD Sets a Penguin Plunge Record

The annual Penguin Plunge event, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Vermont, was canceled this year due to the extremely cold temperatures on February 4. Those who had signed up to participate, as teams or individuals, were encouraged to find another way to show their support for this great organization. Once again, CVSD schools came through. The total raised by teams representing all of our schools came in at over $53,000! 

Thank you to the organizers, students, faculty, staff, parents and caregivers who dedicated their time to raising funds and to those who created alternate events to keep the spirit strong.

Shelburne

The Shelburne Community School Plungers, led by student Gray Latka, raised $5589! They organized an alternate event at Shelburne Beach on February 20th.

Charlotte

Charlotte's team, made up of 12 staff members called CCS and Company, held an alternate event at Charlotte Town Beach on February 15, raising $4104 for Special Olympics Vermont! 

Hinesburg

Hinesburg Community School's team, led by Paul Lasher, had 46 participants. 35 of those were there to plunge into Lake Iroquois on Saturday, February 11. They raised just over $12,000! See the NBC5 story below.

Williston
On Saturday, February 11, 35 brave Williston penguins assembled in the WCS parking lot - seated in a circle on cold metal folding chairs, waiting for a “Bucket buddy” to dump an ice cold bucket of water over their heads.

They counted down from 10, and then went around the circle. A few brave souls even volunteered to take a 2nd bucket for the cause! It was a crisp sunny day - and the Wildcat spirit was alive and well.

The team felt great about honoring the generous donations raised that totaled over $16,400 - Wow! In fact, for the first time, our Williston Team was the top fundraiser among the school teams signed up for the event this year.

Shout outs go to Emily Downing-Ponce, Ingrid Luby, Sam Beatson, Lauren Goracy, and Cathy Kohlasch - all who helped to make the event possible.
 

CVU

The massive effort by CVU, always a top fundraiser, did not disappoint this year. They raised $15,544 in support of Special Olympics Vermont! When we get more information, we will add it here. 

We are so proud of all who organized, participated, and donated to this great event. Thank you CVSD!

 

Robotics in Action

We are thrilled to share the positive news about the expansion of robotics in CVSD. CVU's Robohawks have led the way on many levels. First, they garnered well-deserved attention for their own success as the Vermont Robotics Champions, which we wrote about last spring here. They traveled to Houston to compete in the FIRST Robotics World Championship. That was an amazing experience, where they connected with and learned from other robotics teams and represented CVSD well.

Also last spring, the Robohawks were awarded a grant to support robotics teams at our other schools. That grant provided materials for teams from each of our K-8 schools, enabling them to learn about, prepare, practice, and then participate in FIRST LEGO League (FLL) competitions. The Robohawks followed that up this year by visiting the K-8 teams and offered guidance, expertise, and enthusiastic support. 

Early this fall, teams were formed and coaches and volunteers were recruited. Funding for the coaches and some additional materials was provided by a number of district grants including a Rowland Foundation grant awarded to Tim O'Leary and Charlie MacFadyen and a CVSD Innovation grant. Tim O'Leary was especially instrumental in organizing and supporting the effort to get the FLL teams underway.

We are proud to say that every one of CVSD's K-8 schools had a team this year and they all participated in the Vermont FIRST LEGO League competition at the end of January. Some photos from that event and comments from coaches and students can be found below. 

From WCS Coach Allan Miller: 

It was great to see all 4 CVSD schools field successful teams this year and a huge thank you to Tim O’Leary and Charlie MacFadyen for sharing the Roland grant funds to help support the teams and Olaf Verdonk and the CVU Robohawks for their financial and technical support. This is probably the most successful full-district initiative I’ve seen in the past 10 years.

From SCS Coach Joey Adams: 

The SCS RoboCats finished up their first season with a resounding crescendo of teamwork and joy at the First Lego League Robotics State Championships at Norwich University on January 28th. The team was composed of over forty SCS students from grades 4th-7th who participated in the after-school sport from October to January. Their dedication to teamwork, building friendships, and having fun were on full display at the competition and throughout the season. The RoboCats worked hard on building robots to solve complex missions that involved learning and applying computer coding skills while working interdependently. The competition also included an intense judging panel that interviewed the RoboCats about their team roles, challenges, and what they learned as individuals and as a team. A quote from many RoboCats during the judging panel and feedback received about this new sport at SCS is best summed up: "...we worked so hard as a team and we learned so much but we also had so much fun while making new friends..." The RoboCats and the coaches can't wait for next season where we plan to roar with joy even louder together! 

From Tim Holcomb and CCS:

The kids worked really hard in completing several missions and getting their attachments to cooperate. With lots of innovation and creativity, they were proud of (and surprised) at how well they performed at the competition. As a team, we are looking forward to growing and continuing our program.

From HCS Student Jo Reiley:

On January 28, 2023, twenty-six teams gathered at Norwich University for the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Statewide Championship. Among the teams was a group of ten HCS students from 4th through 8th grade gathered at Norwich to test their coding skills and teamwork. They raced against another team’s robot to complete a set of missions in the span of two and a half minutes. They had been preparing for this moment since October, starting out by just doing a couple of team building activities then slowly escalating into building complex Lego builds including wind turbines, as well as researching a chosen community problem to face for the Innovation Project.

FLL was originally founded by Dean Kamen in 1998. He worked with the owner of the LEGO group Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen to create a fun, STEM, teamwork emphasizing competition. Since then, teams from around the country have been working to code their robot and figure out what their Innovation Project is going to be about.

The team from HCS, or “Platinum Builders,” chose to do three different missions and got set on making those perfect. Their Innovation Project on the other hand was about turbines and their ability to collect energy. No one knew each other very well in the beginning but throughout the past couple of weeks, they have created quite a bond with each other. They hope that their team will grow next year and can’t wait to partake in the competition again.

- HCS coaches are Stephanie Bruning and Sunshine Ouimette

And finally, the Robohawks did it again and defended their title last weekend as Vermont state champions! Here's a description from coach Olaf Verdonk. 

CVU hosted the annual Vermont FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Championship this past weekend. There were 19 robotics teams from all over Vermont and this is the second year that CVU has entered TWO teams into the tournament; the varsity squad RoboHawks (#5741) and the JV squad RoboRedhawks (#22683). You may recall that last year the RoboHawks qualified for the World Championship...well this year both teams were outstanding!
This year CVU will be sending not one team to the World Championship, but BOTH teams!

The JV team managed to outplay the varsity team and led the way to the afternoon playoff stages. The JV team created an alliance partnership with the varsity team and together this CVU alliance won the tournament! The best of three finals were SUPER exciting with the CVU alliance winning the last match by only 4 points! The tournament win gives the JV team a berth for the World Championship in Houston, TX. Not to be outdone by the JV team, the varsity RoboHawks team were selected as the prestigious Inspire Award champions as the best team and robot in the tournament which qualified them for the World Championship in Houston, TX in April.

The RoboHawks won several other awards due to their outstanding work in all aspects of the competition. They vastly outscored all teams in the judged presentation, design, and engineering portfolio events of the tournament.

This document outlines all their awards, as well as description of the semi-final and final knockout stage matches.

RoboHawks:
Crawford Phillips, Jared Kennedy, Sam Yager, Violet Fennern, Jack Gourlay, James Haines, Addison Hoopes, Joe Jacobs, Jaden Parker

RoboRedhawks:
Clay Nicholson, Braden Griffin, Will Akerly, Gavin Blackburn, Jacob Graham, with support from Rhett Gardner and Sean Maynard

Congratulations and well done to all students, coaches, and volunteers! 

 

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.

SCS Paraeducator Recognized!

We are thrilled to share that Gloria Mantagaris, a paraeducator at the Shelburne Community School (SCS), has been named the Vermont NEA's Education Support Professional of the Year! 

Gloria was honored at a surprise ceremony today at SCS, surrounded by colleagues. 

Gloria was surprised at todays' event!

Gloria and Stephanie Dupras, who nominated her for this award.

The VT-NEA shared this information in their press release announcing Gloria's award: 

On this national Education Support Professionals Day, we are pleased to announce that Gloria Mantagaris, an intensive needs paraeducator at the Shelburne Community School, has been named the Vermont-NEA ESP of the Year for 2023. A leader, negotiator, and active member of the Champlain Valley Education Association, Gloria was instrumental in forming her district’s Paraeducator Mentor Program. She has also helped secure extra sick time and an additional paid week during April break for ESP. In short, according to Stephanie Dupras, who is the co-coordinator of the ESP Peer Mentor Program, “Gloria’s passion for this profession is unparalleled. She is always an advocate for what is right and just for all ESP families. She is a peer that I look to in admiration for all she does for the ESP profession.”

As the Vermont-NEA ESP of the Year, Gloria will receive a $1,000 check, an all-expenses paid trip to the NEA ESP Conference in March, and will represent the state in the national ESP of the Year contest, which carries a top prize of $10,000.

“The core of my work is to foster trusting relationships with all students,” she said in her application. “Student success is driven by meeting them at their needs and this something I live and work by.” 

This marks the second year in a row that a CVSD education support professional has received this recognition. Jimmy Johnson, one of our valued bus drivers, was honored last year. We are so very proud! 

We encourage our communities to help to recognize and thank CVSD Education Support Professionals (ESPs) every day, but especially today, which is National ESP Day. ESPs include paraeducators like Gloria, food service staff, custodians and maintenance crew, bus drivers, and many more that not only support our programs, schools, and students, but also help to keep our schools safe, healthy, and welcoming for all. 

Congratulations Gloria!

 

Stone Soup at SCS

 Here's a guest post from Shelburne Community School: 

We had lots of smiling faces last week as we collected ingredients and made stone soup. If you're not familiar with the story that sparked this activity, check it out in our library or see this short, animated video version. Hopefully, the kids will have taken the enthusiasm and some new skills home!

It was really impressive to see how attentive they listened, and how focused, and enthusiastic the kids were when peeling, chopping and cleaning up. With all the chatting, it really felt like friends preparing a meal together. They showed resourcefulness (how about using scissors for the herbs?) and flexibility (substituting tools if needed). They willingly shared and swapped stations to try something new. Many parent helpers and teachers commented on the value of these life skills.

Here is Stone Soup by the numbers; our recipe for success:

230 kids helped prep
150lbs of chopped vegetables
75 gallons of soup
40 adult helping hands (some multiple times)
23 different vegetables and herbs
12 classes and cohorts
4 days of fun
3 donated stones
2 visits to the nurses
1 amazing community

Thank you to the parent/caregiver community, teachers, our food service staff, and our wonderful students.