CHS sophomore Alex Gardner accepts her award from CHS Spanish teacher Carrie Robinson

Colchester High School sophomore Alex Gardner was recently awarded top honors in the Vermont Foreign Language Association’s 2013 Poster Contest. Alex’s submission was judged on its visual impact and overall appeal, its relevance to the theme (which was “Foreign languages: They Nourish the Brain!”), neatness, originality, accuracy, and conforming to size requirements. She and her fellow winners from around the state will be honored at a reception at the Vermont State House in Montpelier in the spring.

CHS teacher Carrie Robinson offered flan and other Spanish-themed celebratory foods for the occasion

Alex Gardner with her award and prize

Why is the study for foreign languages important?

There a countless benefits associated with studying foreign languages. It can open up additional career opportunities, deepen cultural understanding and appreciation and acceptance of diversity, facilitate traveling, dramatically improve communication and listening skills, and much more. There are even numerous cognitive and neurological benefits associated with learning new languages.

For more information, please contact CHS at (802) 264-5700.

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Two Colchester High School students recently participated in the fifth-annual Vermont Brain Bee at the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine.

Junior Andrew Pike and sophomore Katie White represented CHS in the all-day event—the first time that CHS students have competed in this event—which was described as “part competition and part learning” for the twenty-three high school students from around Vermont who participated.

Students Katie White and Andrew Pike represented CHS at the fifth-annual Vermont Brain Bee at UVM’s College of Medicine on February 8

The competition consisted of written and practical tests followed by two rounds of oral questioning in front of the audience. Highlights of the day included several opportunities for the students to interact with UVM faculty and doctors in the neuroscience field through neurological disorder interactive case presentations and a keynote address about the latest research on the prefrontal cortex that included a live experiment on a student subject. To round out the day, students engaged in a question-and-answer session with a panel of undergraduate and graduate students of neuroscience who shared their experiences and reasons for entering their fields.

In preparation for the Vermont Brain Bee, Andrew and Katie received copies of Brain Facts, a text published by the Society for Neuroscience, in order to conduct relevant, independent reading.

The Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017 emphasizes the importance of high standards and expanded opportunities for our students along with innovative, flexible approaches with a commitment to excellence. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas and the Vermont Science Curriculum and Standards also emphasize the critical importance of up-to-date learning environments.

Well done, Katie and Andrew!

For more information, please contact CHS science educators Marijke Reilly (reillym@csdvt.org) or Andrea Boehmcke (boehmckea@csdvt.org) or call (802) 264-5700.

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A lot of us didn’t have access to opportunities like these when we were growing up.

We recently published a Spotlight article discussing Chromebooks and some of the ways in which they bolster educational opportunities for students in your schools. In that article, we discussed how CSD students in grades 6–8 have explored a wide variety of Google applications using Chromebooks, collaborating—in real time—on writing tasks with their classmates and even with virtual classmates from all around the world, conducting research for argumentative or informational essays, completing differentiated study in science, and completing skills assessments in mathematics.

Recently, seventh- and eighth-grade students developed book trailers—designed to hook potential readers—as part of their Language Arts coursework using Chromebooks and free Google account tools like MoveNote, WeVideo, YouTube, Powtoon, Google Slides, and Google Docs. Some students also linked Animoto clips to their book trailers’ introductions.

Please click here to watch CMS seventh grader Jackie Palaza’s book trailer about The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.

Please click here to watch CMS seventh grader Abby Palaza’s book trailer about The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Even Assistant Principal Dovid Yagoda got in on the movie trailer scene with the students; please click here to watch his book trailer about Jinx by Sage Blackwood.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B79Xgw7gCWIbM2VNc3NoQXUzVVE/edit?pli=1

These embedded technology practices in curriculum are taking place right now in your classrooms, providing educators with the opportunity to guide students in appropriate expectations as digital citizens—true real-world practice and preparation for college and career readiness.

Furthermore, such work fosters opportunities for students to connect their reading ideas and thoughts with readers beyond their classrooms’ walls … and differentiated choices allow students to create work that matches their book recommendations with a technology readiness level as they bring their text discussion to life with audio and video features.

The FY 2015 budget includes funding to procure a Chromebook for each student in grades 7 and 8 and a laptop for each student in grade 9 to support academics in the core areas of science, social studies, and language arts.

Questions? Comments? Please contact Colchester Middle School at (802) 264-5800, or call our administrative offices at (802) 264-5999. We want to hear from you!

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With a time of 1:32.57, Colchester High School sophomore Abigail Harrington took second place in the slalom race in the March 7–9 Eastern High School Championships in Attitash, New Hampshire! The event amassed approximately 225 high school skiers from across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and the Southern Alpine Racing Association (SARA).

And CHS senior Ethan Thibault will compete in the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) Eastern High School Championships at the Mountaintop Inn and Resort in Chittenden, Vermont, on March 14–16. He is among the top twenty-four boys and girls from Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York who have qualified to participate in this highly competitive event.

CHS’s Ethan Thibault (BFA St. Albans hosted the race)

(Last fall, Ethan and fellow CHS classmate Nigel Sarrazin organized a community 5K event to support the Colchester Community Food Shelf—a highly successful venture raising $4,022 and received 228 pounds in food donations.)

And it isn’t just at CHS that students are garnering attention for their athletic prowess. In December, CMS student Myla Jacobs competed in the 2013 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in San Antonio, Texas.

For more information about your schools’ academic and/or extracurricular programming, please contact your schools at any time.

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Again this year, Colchester Middle School will send a team of creative culinary artists to the Jr. Iron Chef Vermont event at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction to compete with other middle school teams from across the state. The seventh-annual event will take place on March 22.

CMS’s Team TRRFCC—Makayla Benoit, Mikayla Groseclose, Adam William Henri Haglund, and Josh Porter—will compete in the March 22 Jr. Iron Chef Vermont competition. (For those unfamiliar with “Iron Chef,” the students are imitating the poses of the chefs in the internationally known program.)

Jr. Iron Chef Vermont, a statewide competition for students that is designed to provide hands-on experience preparing nutritious foods, is inspired by the original Iron Chef 料理の鉄人 Japanese television cooking show. It serves not only as a fun-filled and educational competition but also as a fundraiser for Vermont farm-to-school programs; all of its proceeds directly support VT FEED. It also empowers students to collaborate with teachers, food service professionals, and local farmers to address the challenges of procuring nutritious food for our schools while simultaneously promoting lifelong healthy eating habits.

Teams have only ninety minutes in which to prepare their creations and must comply with a very strict set of requirements and restrictions. The recipes, which must be submitted and approved in advance and cannot be modified before the competition, are judged on taste, presentation, creativity, best use of local ingredients, and level of appropriateness for replication in school cafeterias.

CMS’s Team TRRFCC (short for CMS’s character traits Trustworthy, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship—pronounced “terrific”) will compete in the first heat of the day, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., and the awards ceremony for winning teams will take place at 12:00 p.m.

CMS has participated in Jr. Iron Chef Vermont for a number of years. Last year, the Cougars’ submission—Vegetable Samosas with Beet Dip—was heralded by Chef Curtiss Hemm in his blog Pink Ribbon Cooking. Chef Hemm adapted the Cougars’ recipe for breast cancer patients. (How’s that for an accolade!) And in 2012, the CMS team appeared on WCAX’s “Across the Fence” program (click here to watch the program).

CMS’s involvement with Jr. Iron Chef Vermont is an important wellness initiative … and wellness is supported by our community in the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017.

Join us at the Champlain Valley Exposition to support our students! The day-long event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $3 per individual or $5 per family.

Good luck, Team TRRFCC!

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At the recent Vermont Debate and Forensic League’s State Forensics Tournament at the Vermont State House, Colchester High School junior Tom Condon took the top spot in the radio announcing competition.

It is Tom’s first year on the team, and he was among the top two competitors from among students representing sixteen schools around the state to advance to the final round in his category.

Forensics, more commonly known as “speech team,” involves competition in a wide variety of events. In the radio category, for example, participants create and deliver a radio broadcast about local or national news, weather, and sports and even include a thirty-second commercial with only thirty minutes of preparation. The impromptu category involves drawing a topic and delivering a two- to three-minute speech with only one minute of advanced preparation. Other categories include original oratory (which involves memorizing and presenting a speech on a controversial issue), extemporaneous (delivering a speech with only thirty minutes of advanced preparation), prose and poetry readings, and so on. There have been a number of state champions from Colchester High School in past years.

In addition to Tom Condon, CHS was represented at the February competition by senior Matt Lucier, who competed in the impromptu category, junior Rob Chase, who competed in the extemporaneous category, sophomore Alex Gardner, who competed in the prose category, and sophomore Peri Kate Navarro, who competed in the poetry category.

And in the March 10 Vermont 2014 Public Forum Debate State Tournament, CHS students Lauren Hutchings and Summer Colley qualified for the May 23–25 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament in Chicago, Illinois!

CHS students Lauren Hutchings and Summer Colley with Coach Bob Hall at the Vermont State House on March 10

The NCFL supports US and Canadian public, private, and parochial high school speech and debate activities. Lauren and Summer will compete in five preliminary rounds in front of three judges. The top entries in each event will advance to subsequent rounds until the final elimination round.

Last year, Lauren and Summer qualified for the National Forensics League’s National Speech and Debate Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama—the first time a CHS debate team had participated in the national event.

Fundraising efforts are under way to assist the Summer and Lauren with their participation in the competition; those interested in contributing may contact CHS’s Mark Ellingson at 264-5702.

Very well done, CHS!

For more information, please contact Bob Hall in CHS’s Guidance department.

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Last month, we wrote about Colchester High School’s upcoming first-ever Variety Night … and here is some evidence of the recent event!

Science teacher Chris Lang, student Tom Condon, and science teacher Dusty Scheuch served as MCs (Photo credit: Paul Lamontagne, http://www.vtsportsimages.com)

Freshmen Mario Houle and Alana Plumb with members of their class (Photo credit: Paul Lamontagne, http://www.vtsportsimages.com)

Sophomore Patrick LaCroix and members of his class (Photo credit: Paul Lamontagne, http://www.vtsportsimages.com)

About 130 students participated.

Juniors Alison Pilcher and Steven Sonntag (Photo credit: Paul Lamontagne, http://www.vtsportsimages.com)

Senior John Blake and members of his class (Photo credit: Paul Lamontagne, http://www.vtsportsimages.com)

Three judges scored the skits based on a number of criteria—including set, costumes, dance, music, organization, and so on—and scores were tallied to determined the overall winners. Individual awards were collaboratively decided by the judges.

Teacher and co-organizer Aimee deLaricheliere (Photo credit: Paul Lamontagne, http://www.vtsportsimages.com)

And the winners are …

1st Place Skit—Grade 11
2nd Place Skit—Grade 10
Best Actor—Ninth-grader Mario Houle
Best Dance—Grade 11′s “The Numa Numa Dance”
Best Set—Grade 12
Best Participation—Grade 12
Judges’ Choice Award—Ninth-grader Katie Pierson
Judges’ Choice Award—Tenth-grader Nate Hoffmann

Thanks to everyone who participated, and thanks to all of the community members who attended the performances!

And if you haven’t seen the video of the 2012 CHS faculty flash mob (which has been seen nearly 19,000 times!), it’s worth a look; please click here to watch it. As we’ve discussed before, working hard to improve school climates has important, far-reaching implications for entire communities.

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Student leaders from both Malletts Bay School and Colchester Middle School addressed the Rotary Club of Colchester-Milton on March 20 at the Hampton Inn.

To watch a short video highlighting the event, please click here.

Students leaders from MBS and CMS, along with their principals, following their presentations to the Rotary Club of Colchester-Milton

Each of the students spoke about why they were motivated to organize a student leadership community service project, what they learned from organizing the project, and how they envision themselves using those skills in the future.

MBS students chosen to address the rotary club were as follows:

Tyler Roberge, speaking about his Pop for a Cure project
Isabella Seissen, speaking about the Big Change Roundup
Basma Yahya, speaking about the Pint-Sized Heroes project

CMS students chosen to discuss student engagement and leadership at CMS were as follows:

• Johnny Barden, Cougar News (formerly Cougar Mews)
• Grace Carroll, Cougar Chronicle
• Dan Morton, Student Council
• Cydney and Cierra Viens, Caring Cougars
• Adam Haglund, Community Club

The Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017 speaks to, among other pursuits, High Standards, Expectations, and Individual Engagement for All Learners; Learning Outside Our Four Walls; and Parent, Community, and School Partnerships Among Lifelong Learners.

For more information about the MBS and/or CMS students’ projects, please call MBS at (802) 264-5900 or CMS at (802) 264-5800.

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Per its mission statement, Colchester Middle School’s Infinity Team regularly engages in community volunteerism in ways that align with the students’ curriculum and personal goals. Over the years, Infinity Team has actively engaged with such organizations as Colchester Community Food Shelf, the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, the Town of Colchester’s Parks and Recreation department, and Lucy’s House, as well as others. They have also done volunteer work for citizens in our community, such as raking leaves for senior citizens.

Most recently, the Infinity Team prepared dinner for approximately twenty-five temporary residents of the Burlington Emergency Shelter. The students researched the recipes and compiled a list of ingredients necessary for the complete dinner, and then CMS faculty and staff members contributed significantly to the effort by donating the majority of the supplies. The Infinity Team worked together to prepare the meal at CMS, and a social worker and one of the students later delivered and served it to the guests of the emergency shelter.

An Infinity Team student helping to prepare dinner for guests of Burlington Emergency Shelter

Earlier this year, the Infinity Team also assisted the Burlington Emergency Shelter in cleaning, organizing, and preparing rooms for guests moving in.

Members of the Infinity Team volunteering at Burlington Emergency Shelter

This community service aligns with the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017′s pathways A: High Standards, Expectations, and Individual Engagement for All Learners; C: Learning Outside Our Four Walls; and E: Parent, Community, and School Partnerships Among Lifelong Learners.

There is a diverse and plentiful assortment of benefits associated with volunteerism, particularly among young people, and incorporating it into curriculum is a powerful way to introduce it in a way that allows students to see how their efforts can make a difference in their communities. Volunteer service can also be a positive and productive use of students’ leisure time. Coordinating volunteer opportunities for our students as part of their cumulative academic experience also connects their curriculum with preparation for their futures. Volunteer service provides students with the ability to gain valuable work experience that enhances resumes and college applications while simultaneously allowing them to explore their interests and discover new passions. It also helps foster the development of leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, all of which are highly relevant in the job market. Real-life applications of experiences gained as the result of volunteer opportunities can include social work, counseling, government and policy making, fundraising and corporate giving, public relations, and community organizing and activism just to name a few.

For questions about Infinity Team or about its students’ efforts in community service, please contact Julie Tanguay, or call (802) 264-5800.

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2014 CSD Annual Art Show Announcement

We are pleased to announce that the 2014 Colchester School District Annual Art Show will begin Tuesday, April 15 and run through Friday, April 18 in the Colchester High School gymnasium from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

And on the evening of Thursday, April 17, we invite the community to join us at CHS for the Artist Reception event from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The reception is for students, family members, and the community, and it provides an opportunity for the artists to discuss their work. Refreshments will be served.

(Please note that the show is approximately three weeks earlier than usual this year because of the construction schedule for CHS’s revitalized science labs and classrooms.)

The CSD Art Show features works of art from every grade level in the district. More than 500 works of art are expected to be showcased by Colchester High School students alone, covering Art 1 and 2-D Art, Photography (film and digital), Pottery 1 and 2, and 3-D Art. In addition, all CHS art students will write an artist statement reflecting upon their work and the creative process, which not only hones their writing skills but also helps the viewers to understand the specialized artistic techniques the students learned through the art program.

For more information about the art show, please e-mail CHS art teacher Anne Cummings or call (802) 264-5700. Please join us for this free community event!

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Two Colchester students have recently returned from a trip to Washington DC, having participated in the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) as recipients of the William Randolph Hearst Youth Senate Scholarship. They were among the 104 delegates from around the nation—two from each state, two from the District of Columbia, and two additional students associated with the US Department of Defense—who were selected as outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service.

US Senator Patrick Leahy talks with CHS’s Chris Prado and Colchester resident Katrina Derderian in Washington DC. Photo by Jakub Mosur.

Colchester High School senior Chris Prado received one of the scholarships, which not only funded the Washington experience but also includes $5,000 to facilitate undergraduate studies. He is a recent inductee into the National Honor Society, and in 2011, he spearheaded a school-wide, grant-funded sustainability project called Net Impact High School. “The USSYP an amazing program and a wonderful opportunity not only because of the scholarship but also but because of the incredible experiences that it makes possible,” he said.

Colchester resident Katrina Derderian, who is an honor student and the president of the student council at Rice Memorial High School, also won the scholarship.

“To have Colchester represented by two such outstanding young people is terrific,” said Mari Miller, who has served on the William Randolph Hearst Youth Senate Scholarship Committee for the Vermont Principals’ Association for the last nine years.

The highly competitive opportunity to visit Washington DC as part of this program, which was established in 1962, included visits to the US National Archives and Records Administration, Arlington National Cemetery, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, and a visit to NASA Headquarters to hear NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, Jr. speak. And as a special surprise, the delegates enjoyed a question-and-answer session with astronauts aboard the International Space Station via live video! (Did you know that a 1988 Colchester High School graduate is a flight controller for the ISS? Please click here to read that story.)

The delegates also visited the Supreme Court of the United States and heard Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who advocates for originalism in constitutional interpretation. They spent time at the US Department of State to hear Macon Phillips, the coordinator for the Bureau of International Information Programs, attended a discussion led by Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, visited the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, and attended a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

And that isn’t all. Prado and Derderian heard policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials of various executive departments, and others, met with President Obama, and enjoyed a dinner reception that included the opportunity to meet nearly seventy-five of the one hundred United States senators. “We spoke with Senator Levin of Michigan, Senator Corker of Tennessee, and Senator Tester of Montana, as well as Congressman Gardner of Colorado,” Prado said.

“Quite honestly, Washington week was the best week of my life,” said Derderian. “I think it was because I was with like-minded people who were just as interested in public service and this nation as I am.”

To access a Colchester Sun article about these two outstanding students and to read more about their accomplishments, please click here.

This is not the first time that students from Colchester have made their way to Washington DC to engage with the political process. In 2012, CHS student Hanna Orselet represented Vermont at the Girls Nation event and met with President Obama.

So what were some poignant takeaways from Vermont’s delegation in this extraordinary opportunity?

“One of the main things that a lot of the speakers stressed was to not be cynical and not get jaded by our political system,” Prado said. “The media often promotes the idea that there’s no bipartisanship in government, but the leaders with whom we spoke encouraged us to do what we could do and to remain positive. Even President Obama’s main takeaway was ‘Don’t be cynical, and keep an open mind and a good outlook on the way things are going.’ That is a powerful message,” he said.

“It was so refreshing to see how passionate a group of seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds could be, and it was truly inspiring,” said Derderian. “I am convinced that one day I will turn on the TV and see at least one of my fellow USSYP delegates on C-SPAN or CNN.”

This outstanding scholarship opportunity is open to Vermont high school students in their junior and senior years. Interested in applying for the 2015 event? Please contact Ken Page, the executive director of the Vermont Principals’ Association, at kpage@vpaonline.org, or click here to learn more.

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Among the musicians performing in the recent New England Music Festival—the eighty-seventh year for this prestigious event!—were CHS band students Chris Triplett, Matt Waters, and Connor Zwonik.

Senior Matt Waters, senior Chris Triplett, and freshman Connor Zwonik at the eighty-seventh-annual New England Music Festival in Bennington

All three musicians auditioned in December for this highly selective ensemble featuring the best high school musicians from all over New England. Senior Chris Triplett was selected for euphonium, and senior Matt Waters and freshman Connor Zwonik were selected for percussion. They performed under the renowned Dr. Peter Boonshaft, a professor of music and director of bands at Hofstra University, director of the graduate wind conducting program, and conductor of the Hofstra University Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band.

CSD’s student musicians have long commanded attention regionally and nationally. A number of CSD students perform with the Vermont Youth Philharmonia (VYP) Orchestra (please click here to watch a short video of the VYP’s recent performance at Colchester Middle School). In 2012, former CHS student Lauren Zwonik was the only Vermont student to participate in the Macy’s Great American Marching Band. In 2013, the National Association for Music Educators selected a composition written by former CHS student Jacob Morton-Black for a prestigious honor.

Alan Greenspan, Condoleezza Rice, Paula Zahn, Woody Allen, and a host of others credit their musical education for their notable professional successes. (Please click here to read more about that.)

To learn a bit more about CHS’s music program and about some of the many benefits of music education, please click here.

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A Colchester champion is ready to take on fellow champions from around the nation in Kansas City, Missouri, at the end of June!

CHS student Raymond Donnelly, Jr., a Colchester High School senior who is enrolled in courses at Burlington Technical Center (BTC), won a bronze medal for collision repair and a gold medal for auto refinishing at the March 29 SkillsUSA competition. Donnelly competed against fifteen other talented students from all around the state and made an impressive showing, earning him the right to compete against other gold medalists from all across the country later this year.

Colchester’s Raymond Donnelly, Jr. at Burlington Technical Center following his receipt of gold and bronze medals in the March 29 SkillsUSA competition

The annual SkillsUSA event required a great deal of support from area organizations, including Direct Auto Body, Shearer Chevrolet, Rotunda’s Auto Body, Progressive Insurance, State Farm Insurance, and Enterprise, all of which contributed funding, volunteers, and/or event space. SkillsUSA, founded in 1965, focuses on excellence in job training and in citizenship. Ed Companion, an auto body instructor with BTC, said of Donnelly, “He’s a great kid—very deserving. He’s an excellent student; I can’t say enough good about him.”

Donnelly was not the only Colchester student to achieve recognition in the event. CHS senior and second-year BTC welding student Jordan Darrt participated in the SkillsUSA welding competition against seventeen other competitors from around the state and won the bronze medal. The all-day event was held at the Advanced Welding Institute (AWI) in South Burlington.

CHS senior and second-year BTC welding student Jordan Darrt won a bronze medal in the welding competition

And 2013 CHS graduate Nicholas Scibek, a post-secondary aviation student at BTC, earned a gold medal in the post-secondary aviation maintenance technology competition.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, arguably, one of the main purposes of education is to prepare students for life beyond the classroom—the component of daily living that involves supporting one’s self by means of employment. Certainly, the skills developed through the study of varied subject matters and disciplines plays a significant role in that. There are a number of programs and initiatives in place at CSD that are geared specifically toward assisting students with the nuts and bolts of planning for their future careers. From College and Career Week at CMS to facilitating exposure to a number of growing sustainability-focused employment fields and from providing interactive, work-related experiences in our community to championing career preparedness through extracurricular offerings, a lot of work is being done in these efforts.

At the Center for Technology—Essex (CTE) in 2012, a group of female students from Colchester Middle School got to roll up their sleeves and try out educational programs that are considered by the US Department of Labor to be “nontraditional” for females (which it defines as occupations “in which women comprise 25 percent or less of total employment”). The event—dubbed “Girls Can Too!”—was designed to encourage young women to consider the vast educational and career opportunities available to them in areas they might not otherwise necessarily even know about. The students had an opportunity to participate in hands-on activities pertaining to careers in engineering and architectural design, computer sciences, building technologies, computer animation and web design, automotive technologies, natural resources, and agri-science technologies.

Chainsaws! Heavy equipment! Pneumatic impact wrenches! Circular saws! It was a pretty exciting day.

Click here to see a video clip of the students in action.

To read our primer about college and career readiness planning at CSD, please click here.

The Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017′s pathways include High Standards, Expectations, and Individual Engagement for All Learners; Learning Outside Our Four Walls; and Parent, Community, and School Partnerships Among Lifelong Learners. Skills training opportunities such as these well complement the vision and strategic plan.

For more information about career planning at CSD, please contact any of your schools, or call our administrative offices at (802) 264-5999.

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As we’d mentioned in our April 8 Spotlight article, the annual CSD Art Show was held April 15–18 with an artists’ reception event on April 17.

If you didn’t get a chance to see it, here are just a few of the many beautiful examples of artwork created by students from every school in your district!

For more information about the art show, please e-mail CHS art teacher Anne Cummings or call (802) 264-5700.

When we’re all informed, we make a stronger community! Please encourage your friends and family to subscribe to the Spotlight.

We are pleased to announce the formal launch of Colchester School District’s YouTube channel.

Please click here to access it—there are already nearly fifty videos spanning several years!

We have a wide variety of communications avenues, and video is an important component in our outreach efforts.

Here are some favorites from the current video collection:

The MBS 2013 walk-to-school event

Union Memorial School 2013 teamwork with Tuberville

A particularly inviting physical education class

The 2013 Malletts Bay School and Colchester Middle School Back-to-School BBQ

A lesson in water conservation at Porters Point School

What makes Colchester proud?

Circle of Courage visits Malletts Bay School

The Colchester High School Hour of Code event

Colchester Middle School’s partnership with the Vermont Children’s Hospital

Colchester School District is working hard to enhance frequent and meaningful communications with the community. We invite you to have an inside peek into your community’s schools and the opportunities offered to Colchester’s young people within them. And we encourage you to share the videos with your friends and neighbors!

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Malletts Bay School fifth-grader Shea Barber has been selected as the Fuel Up To Play 60 (FUTP60) 2014/15 Vermont State Ambassador and will represent Vermont at the Student Ambassador Summit in Arlington, Texas, in July!

MBS fifth-grader Shea Barber will represent Vermont at the Texas event in July

Jaycie Puttlitz, CSD’s wellness coordinator, has worked closely with a group of fifth graders at to create a Fuel Up To Play 60 team in order to engage students in augmenting our schools’ wellness-related activities.

MBS’s Fuel Up to Play 60 Wellness Committee with CSD’s wellness coordinator Jaycie Puttlitz on May 9

Shea, who was selected to represent Vermont in Texas based largely on his diligent work in these efforts, will receive leadership training with other FUTP60 ambassadors at the Texas event. The district’s program adviser will also learn more about what we can do to support student wellness in the schools.

FUTP60 programming has funded a wide variety of wellness-related initiatives in your schools, including a breakfast-in-the-classroom program, a smoothie bar, an NFL alum’s visit to Colchester Middle School, and more.

On May 9, MBS hosted a field day in part to celebrate this success. Please click here for a video of a day in the life of Colchester School District, which includes footage of the field day.

Wellness is a major component of the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017. Would you like to know more about what your schools are doing to promote and facilitate wellness? To date, we have nearly ninety Spotlight articles relating to wellness in our Wellness category, and we also have our Wellness at CSD blog. Please take a moment to check them out!

For more information, please e-mail CSD’s wellness coordinator, Jaycie Puttlitz, at puttlitzj@csdvt.org.

When we’re all informed, we make a stronger community! Please encourage your friends and family to subscribe to the Spotlight.

Twelve Colchester High School students in Jim Price’s International Politics/UN class journeyed to the University of Southern Maine’s Gorham campus to participate in the Maine Model United Nations Conference 2014 (MeMUNC) May 13–15.

CHS’s 2014 delegates to the Maine Model United Nations Conference with teacher Jim Price

The following students represented CHS at the event:

The Model UN at the University of Southern Maine is the largest of its kind in New England, supporting approximately six hundred students from more than twenty-five different schools. The event is developed and organized by International Studies scholars at the University of Southern Maine as part of their final projects. This was CHS’s eleventh year of participation in this MeMUNC event. The students in the International Politics/UN class acquire significant knowledge about twentieth-century wars as well as the wars’ resulting complexities, which is helpful for their involvement with MeMUNC.

Preparing for all aspects of the event required a great deal of work; students researched not only the current issues of their assigned countries but also those countries’ positions on those issues. They also learned conflict resolution skills, debating rules and procedures, how to write resolutions, how to write position papers, proper parliamentary procedure, and much more. At the conference, delegates were divided up and dispersed into different committees across the campus representing their assigned countries’ interests and debating relevant issues. Lauren Hutchings, representing Turkey in the UN Special Session on Sport, earned a “Distinguished Diplomat” award at the conference.

In an effort to promote ecological sustainability, the University of Southern Maine powered the conference—including the electricity required for the dorms, dining facilities, and meeting spaces—with wind power generated on a Maine farm. They also purchased energy credits in order to offset the carbon used by students traveling to attend the conference.

“We were also honored this year with a $1,000 dollar donation from the local Rotary Club of Colchester-Milton. CHS Student Government contributed $500, and we also raised an additional $330 from our coin drop. We appreciate all the generous support from the Colchester community,” Jim Price said.

For more information about CHS’s involvement in Model UN, please contact Jim Price at (802) 264-5700 or by e-mail at pricej@csdvt.org.

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Colchester High School recently applauded twenty-eight top-honors students at a celebratory banquet in South Burlington, continuing a long and proud tradition honoring students who have maintained academic excellence throughout their high school careers.

Julia Meadows, Jackie Nagle, Kiley Baillargeon, and Kristi Chapman

The students, celebrated for graduating magna and summa cum laude, were distinguished guests for the special evening, celebrating with a sit-down dinner. Melanie Laquerre, the Vermont health teacher of the year, was the honors banquet keynote speaker. Each honored student was recognized for his or her accomplishments, and all received honor cords to wear during their upcoming graduation ceremony.

Brady Doud and Alana Feeley with teacher Tara Sharkey

The students honored at the special event for their outstanding academic achievements are as follows:

Jeremy Barton, Sam Pakulski, Justin Miller, Ethan Thibault, and Ethan Miller

CHS teachers Jim Price, Aimee deLaricheliere, and Pat Schiller coordinated the event. Many members of the Colchester School District contributed financially in order to make the event possible, along with many generous members of the community who also sponsored students in honor of academic excellence. To view the program and to see the list of sponsors who funded this event, please click here.

Congratulations, honors scholars!

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New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) recently awarded Colchester High School with a $500 grant to support a new technology-focused club.

CHS’s Bob Hall, junior Josh Wallis, and Principal Amy Minor with the $500 grant from NEFCU to support the Maker Club

CHS junior Josh Wallis and guidance counselor Bob Hall approached NEFCU about funding to support the launching of a Maker Club at the school in an effort to encourage students’ interest in technology.

What is the maker movement?

Those interested in the maker movement engage in such engineering-related pursuits as robotics and electronics as well as other creative pursuits in which inventing and prototyping are encouraged. At it essence, the maker movement is about learning practical skills and applying them in creative ways. It focuses upon informal, shared learning that encourages fun.

Why is this new program important?

Increasing technology in our schools is a priority affirmed by the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017. At CHS’s Hour of Code event in December (please click here to read more about it and to watch a video featuring our students), students spent one hour in math and science classes writing their own simple computer programs, the impact of which was an increased desire to learn more about coding and to have more access to computer technology. Consequently, CHS saw an immediate upsurge in student interest in taking more computer science classes. The Maker Club aims to further support student interest in technology by utilizing a variety of open-source platforms to create their own projects—from simple computers to advanced electronics projects like micro drones.

For more information, please call CHS at (802) 264-5700.

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Colchester Middle School has five young 6th grade chefs competing in the upcoming Jr. Iron Chef Competition at the Expo in Essex on Saturday, March 21.  They have been practicing different dishes like sandwiches, salads, and breakfast each week and have adapted a recipe for Colchester Cougar Corn Chowder served with Parmesan Crisps and Garlic Herb Crostini.  The group has sourced local products whenever possible.  The team has learned basic food safety, preparation, and teamwork over the course of the year.  They are excited about the upcoming competition.  Their chowder will also be served at the upcoming CMS family/community night on March 27, 2015.

From left to right: Tyler Roberge, Max Grenier, Colby Fane-Cushing, Carson Corrigan, Abby Blin.

Join us at the Champlain Valley Exposition to support our students! The day-long event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $3 per individual or $5 per family.

Good luck Cougars!

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