Colchester High School’s faculty and staff Zach Kramer, Morgan Samler, Sean MacArdle, Steve Fiske, Beth Albright, Maureen Gillard, Chris Lang, Andrea Boehmcke, and Danielle Grise at the Vermont Corporate Cup race in Montpelier on May 16.
Colchester School District takes wellness efforts seriously. Our vision and strategic plan speaks to it, and we are responding in kind both in and out of the classroom. We are committed to health and wellness for our students and community members every day. Please join us!
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CHS sophomores Kiera Mulcahy, Alex Richard, Mikayla Racine, Miranda Scorsome, and Annie Meadows
Students in the CHS American Experience class—which combines the study of US history and American literature in three historical periods—participate in the annual Shelburne Museum visits as a way to gain a hands-on perspective of what they learn in the classroom.
Roz Calderon Paige Shepard, Jenn McNall, Hannah Echo, Anna Senft-Miller, and Haley Mock at Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum’s vast collection boasts an impressive assortment of primary-source documents and interesting artifacts that directly relate to the historical and literary topics the students study as part of the class. Making real-world connections to abstract classroom learning is important because doing so often piques student engagement and attention—thus encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and enhancing learning.
Sophomores Dakota Loring, Alex Corrigan, and Tony Spillane
Field trips often serve to strengthen students’ observational skills and allow them to become more actively engaged in their learning, providing additional sensory activities and expanding their curiosity.
Steven Sonntag, Zoe Ladensack, Morgan Bayko, and Sophie Joyce
Allison Davis, Tim Lewis, Maggie McNeil, Megan Severance, and Sarah Campbell
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The In Shape and In Season program—a proud health and wellness initiative we strategized that was generously funded through a $11,760 grant from Fletcher Allen Health Care’s Community Benefit Fund—has drawn to a close, and it was a hugely successful venture.
In Shape and In Season was designed to make steps toward reducing childhood malnutrition and childhood obesity. It was strategically developed to serve as a collaborative, family-based, multidisciplinary approach to nutrition and wellness that incorporated:
access to nutritious foods emphasizing seasonal produce
hands-on, interactive education in wholesome food preparation
engaging education about healthy physical activity, and
information about a variety of services available through area organizations.
The foundation of the program was the idea that, through fostering understanding about the benefits of good nutrition and exercise, malnutrition and obesity may be reduced over time. Research has shown that young people are more likely to make healthier food choices if they are already familiar with healthy food, and they are also more likely to regularly exercise if they are encouraged to do so—resulting in a lifelong impact on their health and well-being. Furthermore, nutrition has been shown to be a critical component of optimal child development and academic performance … and that education about and access to nutritious food choices is an integral part of best positioning students for healthy and successful lives.
The program was comprehensive, consisting of a summer series and follow-up sessions in fall, winter, and spring. (To view a short video from the first session, which took place on July 23, click here.)
It provided nutritious ingredients for preparation at home and informational take-home recipe booklets to the participants, incorporated child-friendly recipes in order to encourage child participation, offered education about ways in which entire families can be physically active together, provided on-site child care to facilitate parent participation, hosted family-style dinners with the participants immediately following the cooking classes, provided additional professional training for CSD’s food service professionals—which in turn benefited the school district’s meal offerings for the entire school community—and more.
As part of the grant-funded program, participants received a gift of a professional sauce pan, measuring spoons, a chef knife, measuring cups, a meat thermometer, and a knife sharpener.
We are very proud of the work that was done throughout the program and for all of its successes! Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed!
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The Caring Cougars, a group that aligns closely with CHS Cares at Colchester High School, are students who work hard to make a difference in our community. The group’s overall philosophy is akin to the concept of paying it forward, whereby good deeds are repaid by passing them along to others who need them.
Under CMS faculty advisor Patty Ward, the Caring Cougars do a considerable amount of community service and volunteerism, regularly meeting to brainstorm ideas for how to make a positive impact in our community—everything from raising funds to support the Toys for Kids initiative to coordinating food drives to support the Colchester Community Food Shelf.
Most recently, the group got together after school to make a meal for the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington. On the menu? Homemade lasagna using a tasty spaghetti sauce made from scratch, as well as freshly baked cookies and cupcakes for dessert.
Parent, Community, and School Partnerships Among Lifelong Learners is one of the pathways in the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017, and the school community works hard to that end. If you would like to learn about just some of the many other examples of our students serving our community, please click here (spoiler alert: our students step up and make a positive impact again and again!).
There is a lot of good that goes on in our community. This is a great place to be!
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Asked why he was willing to offer himself up for possible dunking, UMS Principal Antonicci good-naturedly replied, “I love baseball, and I know the kids will have a lot of fun with it. There’s no way I could say no!”
UMS Principal Antonicci gets dunked by a student
“I’ve seen my kids throw a ball, and I’m pretty confident they’ll be able to sink me!” MBS Principal Benay said before the event. “I know Colchester’s many volunteers work hard to provide kids with plenty of healthy options for recreation, sports, and exercise. At the high school level, parent ‘boosters’ raise tens of thousands of dollars to support athletics; research tells us that students who are involved in extracurricular activities tend to stay in school, learn to manage their time, and succeed in school. I’m happy to do my small part to help out!”
MBS Principal Julie Benay perches above the dunk tank while a student takes aim
Way to go, principals! Excellent show of community spirit and good sportsmanship. Well done!
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Per the below press release, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office is warning the public about a scam targeting area businesses; the scammers are selling advertisements and claiming that the advertising costs will support the local school’s drug prevention program or other support program. This is not supported by schools!
Already, businesses in the Morrisville area, Middlebury, and Montpelier have recently been targeted. Please be aware of this advertising scam.
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office asks that anyone targeted by this scam please file a complaint with the Consumer Assistance Program; a written complaint can be sent to the following address:
Consumer Assistance Program
146 University Place
103 Morrill Hall
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
(There is also an online complaint form that is currently disabled; the Vermont Attorney General’s Office has been notified about it and is working to correct it. The form, when corrected, will be found here.)
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CHS students Denir Djozic, Grace Yasewicz, and Andrew Pike and teacher Kara Lenorovitz at the 2013 symposium
As a result of the warming global climate, scientists anticipate that Vermont will experience more frequent and more intense storm events, potentially resulting in increased phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain.
The CHS RACC team—CHS seniors Denir Djozic and Grace Yasewicz and sophomore Andrew Pike—focused their efforts on understanding how storm events impact phosphorus levels in streams in various areas of different land uses. Under the tutelage of science teacher Kara Lenorovitz, the student team worked with EPSCoR—a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded collaborative research effort between university researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and high school teams throughout New England, New York, and Puerto Rico—beginning in July 2012 to better understand how climate change will impact the Lake Champlain Basin. Specifically, the researchers hoped to better understand the impact of global climate change upon Vermont and how we can best prepare for it.
CHS has been involved with the EPSCoR RACC and Streams projects for more than five years. Next year, Andrew Pike and rising juniors Hannah Rogers and Maddy Powell will continue in the RACC research effort.
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US Fish & Wildlife Service’s David Frisque, CHS art teacher Vito Cannizzaro, Nick Bezio, and CHS art teacher Anne Cummings
CHS senior Nick Bezio won the Vermont 2013 Best of Show award for his submission to the Junior Duck Stamp Contest
The contest, an important educational program sponsored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, presents the “Best of Show” submissions from state/territory competitions around the country to the annual national competition, the winner of which becomes the image for the next Junior Duck Stamp. The stamps are then sold by various organizations in order to fund environmental and conservation programs.
Nick Bezio’s 2013 submission took weeks to complete.
“I am both happy and sad that this is my last year to participate in this contest,” Nick said. He plans to pursue higher education in wildlife biology and art beginning this fall.
Please join us in congratulating Nick and in wishing him well in all of his future endeavors!
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It’s hard to believe that we’re already starting to approach the point at which we wind down the school year and gear up for summer. And what better way to do that than with music?
There are a number of upcoming musical events to which you are cordially invited. More than 450 Colchester School District students district-wide include band and choral curriculum in their studies, providing them with a well-rounded educational experience and offering them a host of benefits associated with music education.
Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m.—the CMS sixth-grade chorus, seventh- and eighth-grade chorus, and select choir will perform a TV/pop/movie-theme concert (think “Count on Me,” “Scarborough Fair,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “Celebration,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Rhythm of Love,” and “The Muppets”) in the community theater at Colchester High School.
Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m.—the CMS sixth-grade band, seventh- and eighth-grade band, and the jazz band will perform in the CMS gymnasium. In addition to many other pieces, this spring concert features the seventh- and eighth-grade clarinet section with a beautiful arrangement of the Irish folk song, “Loch Lomond,” and a brand-new Hunger Games piece will be played by the seventh- and eighth-grade band. The sixth-grade band will perform a band favorite, “Bryce Canyon Overture,” and the jazz band will play a steady and driving arrangement of “Seven Nation Army” and the ever-so-sneaky “Pink Panther.”
And on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m., all chorus and band members and their families are invited to attend the second-annual CMS Solo Night in the CMS cafeteria. Twenty-five acts will perform for three judges, and prizes will be awarded for the best acts in three categories. Join us for light refreshments and to enjoy the performances by various solo singers, instrumentalists, and group performances from the middle school level. CMS has talent!
On Tuesday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m., the third-grade spring concert will take place in the MBS gymnasium, followed immediately by the fourth-grade recorder concert beginning at 7:00 p.m.
On Wednesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m., the fifth-grade spring band and chorus concert will take place in the community theater at Colchester High School.
And at Colchester High School …
On Tuesday, May 28 beginning at 7:00 p.m., Colchester High School will hold its pops concert at CHS. This is the event during which CHS recognizes seniors and exceptional students, complimented by fun music that many people recognize. This year’s pops concert will include a Star Wars medley, classic jazz funk/pop from the 1970s, and more.
On Friday, May 31 beginning at 7:30 p.m., the Performing Arts concert will be held at Colchester High School as part of Colchester’s 250th celebration. The event will feature a historical skit performed by the Colchester Theatre Company, a performance by the Colchester Community Chorus, a performance by the CHS band and Colchester Community Band, and a performance by the CHS chorus. (The choruses and bands will also perform combined music pieces featuring a musical composition by Jacob Morton-Black, written specifically for this occasion entitled “Toward Familiar Shores.”)
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And nearly 80 percent of the students—and twenty-six adults—walked during their May 1 lunch break as part of the effort!
Both Oscar the Osprey and Champ made an appearance, and the MBS band welcomed the participants arriving at MBS with a song.
Porters Point School also recently partnered with Vermont Safe Routes to School, and on May 3, 188 PPS students (approximately 75 percent of the student population) and 60 staff members and parents participated in a walk-to-school event.
PPS Principal Marshall with a group of students at the May 3 walk-to-school event
PPS kindergarten teacher Diane Trombley leads a group of students
To see more photographs from the PPS event, please visit the PPS’s PBIS blog here.
And finally, Colchester Middle School also got in on the walk-to-school action. On May 9, each house participated in its own individually determined walk route and time, and virtually every student in the school participated!
The Partnership for a Walkable America created Walk to School Day in 1997 in order to build awareness about the need for walkable communities, and it has since grown to involve participants all over the world. MBS, PPS, and CMS were enthusiastic to take part.
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