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. 

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

Lindy Gramling wins 2023 Adapted Physical Educator of the Year Award

Williston Physical Educators, Cathy Kohlasch, Dustin King and Kate Grozier congratulate Lindy Gramling (in white) for her recognition as the 2023 SHAPE Vermont Adapted Physical Educator Award.

Lindy Gramling, a school-based physical therapist for the Champlain Valley School District, has been named the 2023 Adapted Physical Educator of the Year by SHAPE Vermont, the Society of Health and Physical Educators.

Lindy has been a physical therapist for 29 years and has worked with many students and staff in the Champlain Valley School District since 2019.

Lindy is an advocate for students who collaborates and communicates thoroughly with a comprehensive team of physical educators, special education case managers, classroom teachers, families, and primary care medical personnel.

She was recognized for her outstanding work as a professional who supports students with skill work, participation, and inclusion to be sure their best interests and needs are met.

"I cherish feeling so invited by my PE colleagues into the service of these amazing kids. Whether sharing lunchtime together on the gym floor or connecting in the offices, classroom, and hallways, we always find time to share our observations, our perspectives, and creativity about helping children thrive in the PE classroom. Being part of such a collaborative and inspired team is as joyful as seeing the children I work with feel a sense of pride successfully participating with their peers."   - Lindy Gramling

"Lindy's years of experience, professionalism, smile, enthusiasm, and perseverance make for a positive connection with all. We are fortunate to have such a caring and competent person assisting the students, families, and staff in our district."   - Cathy Kohlasch, Williston Central School Physical Education Teacher

Congratulations, Lindy and thank you for all you do for students in Williston and CVSD!

WCS School Counselor in the Spotlight

 

Williston Central School's school counselor, Chris Ford, is in the Vermont School Counselor Association's Spotlight this month. Chris answered a few questions below. Congratulations on this honor and well-deserved recognition, Chris!  

What influenced you to become a school counselor?

In reflecting on this question, I think three things influenced my path to becoming a school counselor: 1. Always enjoying and having fun with kids in all parts of my life; 2. Having a high school counselor that was supportive, kind, and helpful; 3. Seeking a career path that is meaningful and rewarding each day.

What's your favorite part about being a school counselor?

Definitely connecting with kids in my role as a school counselor. Whether it is in classes, groups, or individual meetings, the days I work more with students are the days that seem more satisfying (even when the work is challenging).

What’s unique about your school community?

I appreciate all the student leadership and extra-curricular opportunities that our students have available to them during the school day, and after school, to help them connect with others, find their passions, and contribute to making our school community better for all students.

We are proud to call Chris a colleague and thankful for the work he does on behalf of students.

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.

CVSD's National Board Certified Educators

Three additional educators in the Champlain Valley School District, all based at the Williston Central School, have attained National Board Certification, a significant achievement in the field of education.

We extend our sincere congratulations to:

Colleen O'Brien - Early Adolescence Mathematics
Courtney Sherman - Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Deb Laskarzewski - World Languages, Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood

Two educators maintained their certification, which is also a proud accomplishment. Congratulations to Erin Crowley (ABS) and Andrea Griffin (WCS). 

Colleen, Courtney, and Deb join others in CVSD who have achieved this recognition. At fifteen, our district has the largest number of Board Certified Educators in the state of Vermont! 

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National Board Certification was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide. It is the most respected professional certification available in K-12 education.

Created by teachers, for teachers, the National Board Standards represent a consensus among educators about what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. Board certification is available in 25 certificate areas spanning 16 disciplines from Pre-K through 12th grade.

The certification process requires that teachers demonstrate standards-based evidence of the positive effect they have on student learning in alignment with the Five Core Propositions. They must exhibit a deep understanding of their students, content knowledge, use of data and assessments and teaching practice. They must also show that they participate in learning communities and provide evidence of ongoing reflection and continuous learning.

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!

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!

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!

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!"

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!

 

Williston's Digital Learning Leader Wins Award

 

Williston’s Digital Learning Leader, Jessica Wilson, was presented with VitaLearn’s Frank Watson Award on Friday at their annual Vermont Fest conference in Killington.

The award is presented to a person whose many years of devoted service, vision, and leadership have significantly advanced educational technology at the local, regional, and state level. Jessica has not only served on the board of VitaLearn for many years, Vermont’s ISTE affiliate, but she also served on the board of RETN (now known as the Media Factory) and continues to serve on the board of the Vermont NEA.

Jessica has educated elementary and middle school students at both the Hinesburg Community School and the Williston schools with the state of the art technology through the rapidly changing eras of iPads and Chromebooks. She inspires students and adults to explore new ideas including video production, live-streaming school events, computer animation, coding and more.

Each year, she inspires teachers and their students to participate in the Doodle for Google contest. As a result, an Allen Brook School first grader was last year's Vermont winner.

She is enthusiastic and passionate about digital learning and how digital tools support and enhance learning. Jessica works with everyone in the Williston schools, supporting all efforts that pertain to educational technology. She also serves on Williston’s wellness and safety committees.

Greg Marino, lead principal for the Williston schools, had this to share, 

"The Williston Schools are so grateful for the years of dedicated and expert support of our Digital Learning Leader, Jessica Wilson. Jess is constantly stepping up and stepping in to whatever it takes to advance student learning, especially in areas of transformative and responsible use of digital-age tools in teaching and learning. She serves as a role model to students and adults - not just for what it means to be a good digital citizen, but also a good human being."

We are truly appreciative of all that Jessica does for Williston, CVSD, and others in Vermont.

Congratulations, Jessica!

Celebrating CVSD Leaders

We are excited to honor and recognize seven Champlain Valley School District educators who completed the Snelling Center for Government's Vermont School Leadership Project (VSLP) this past weekend. CVSD has a long history of encouraging leaders to participate in this 17-month professional development experience and the district and its schools has benefited as a result of engagement in this program.

The 2022 cohort includes 22 Vermont educators, seven of whom are leaders in CVSD.

Clockwise in the above image, from the top left:

• Courtney Krahn, assistant principal, Charlotte Central School
• Jensa Bushey, CVSD district literacy leader
• Angela Filion, principal, Allen Brook School
• Sarah Crum, CVSD director of learning and innovation
• Caitlin Bianchi, math coordinator, Williston Schools
• Arthur Chiaravalli, Fairbanks house director, Champlain Valley Union High School
• Jennifer Roth, principal, Charlotte Central School

Our district is fortunate to have motivated leaders who strive to learn, enhance their skills, and challenge themselves in order to best support our students.

Thank you and congratulations!

Abenaki Guest Speaker at WCS

This guest post was provided by Brie Healy, Williston Central School educator. 

On Friday, October 14, 2022, Clover and Summit House students welcomed Michael Descoteaux, a member of the Abenaki tribe, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. 

In reflecting on the presentation, Summit 8th grader Reed Claro, shared, 

“Michael opened up a whole new world in our history. In his amazing presentation, we learned so much about the origins of many of the words we speak, as well as the uses and origins for our food. The Abenaki culture and language is a vital part of our history and cannot be taken away from us. Michael and so many others are working to restore and keep the language and culture alive, and by giving him an hour of our time, we can do the same.” 

In addition, Summit 8th grader, Kendall Batdorf shared, 

“I enjoyed hearing about how they built their houses, fought and defended themselves, caught their food, built their gardens, and preserved their food. Some people got grossed out about how they used all parts of the animal and didn’t waste almost anything, but I found it interesting and caring. It was important to the Abenaki to not waste anything that they killed, but to get the most use out of it. This makes so much sense! Nowadays we are killing whole sharks just for their fins!” 

What a valuable learning experience, thank you Michael!

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.

Lauren Goracy Named Williston’s Director of Special Education

 

Photo of Lauren thanks to AMV Photography

Lauren Goracy has been appointed Director of Special Education for the Williston Schools, which includes Allen Brook School and Williston Central School. Ms. Goracy will begin her leadership duties on July 1, 2022.

Williston’s Lead Principal, Greg Marino, shared this about Lauren joining the community, “The Williston Schools Leadership team is excited to welcome Lauren to our learning community. Lauren's knowledge of CVSD’s MTSS systems, structures, and current focus areas will help to power ongoing positive momentum. Her fresh and current leadership outlook will be an asset in our quest for continued growth and innovation in the service of student learning.”

Ms. Goracy graduated from the University of Vermont (UVM) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. She holds a Master of Special Education degree, also from UVM. She is projected to complete a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Leadership from Saint Michael’s College in the near future.

Lauren joins the Williston schools after working most recently as a special educator at the Shelburne Community School, also a part of the Champlain Valley School District. In that role, she has supported the summer school program and was a co-director of the Early Childhood Summer Program. Lauren was an intern in the Williston schools when she was working on her degrees.

CVSD’s Director of Student Support Services, Meagan Roy, shared, "Lauren has been a member of the CVSD special education community for several years. Her dedication to our system and her more recent leadership coursework made her a clear choice for the interview committee. We are excited to welcome her to this new role!"

Lauren shared this message with us, “It feels special coming back to Williston Schools where I learned so much from the staff and students. CVSD has always been my home and it is an honor to continue to be part of this amazing community. I look forward to working with students, staff, and parents; it is a privilege to be a part of this innovative teaching team again!”

We look forward to working with Lauren in this role beginning on July 1.

Allen Brook School Student Chosen as the Vermont Winner in Doodle for Google Student Contest

 

A talented Williston, Vermont, student could soon have his art on the Google homepage for hundreds of millions to see. This week, Google announced the 54 State and Territory winners in its 14th annual Doodle for Google competition, a contest where K-12 students across the United States have the opportunity to create their own version of the Google logo inspired by the prompt “I care for myself by....”.

Kyle Adams, a 1st grader from the Allen Brook School in Williston, Vermont, is one of the 54 US State and Territory Winners with his Doodle, “Mind Over Monsters”. Kyle’s Doodle was selected from thousands of entries received this year. Students at the Allen Brook School helped Kyle celebrate during a surprise assembly on May 25.

When Kyle submitted his design, he wrote, “Meditation is a powerful way to manage hard feelings, troubling thoughts, and lets our mind take a needed rest.”

At the celebration, Kyle was presented with a backpack full of goodies including a t-shirt with his design on it, and he received a Google Pixel tablet. The school was presented with a very large replica of Kyle’s design. 

Jessica Wilson

Every year, Williston’s Digital Learning Leader, Jessica Wilson, has encouraged teachers and their students to participate in Google's Doodle contest. Jessica was recognized at the event as well.

To help their favorites succeed, everyone across the USA can vote for their favorite Doodle from the 54 State and Territory Winners. Voting will be open soon on this site: https://doodles.google.com/d4g/. The public vote will determine the Five National Finalists (one in each grade group). Google will announce these five National Finalists in June, one of which will have their Doodle featured on the Google homepage for a day.

The National Winner will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and their school will receive a $50,000 tech package towards the establishment or improvement of a computer lab or technology program.

Voting is open through July 12! Vote for Kyle's design. https://doodles.google.com/d4g/  Be sure to spread the word!

The Adams family

ABS students and staff at the surprise celebration

Kyle with ABS Principal, Angela Filion, and Williston Lead Principal, Greg Marino

Credit for many of these photos goes to Kyle's mom, Jennifer Adams @Studio 2N Photography. Thank you!