Under Vermont law, the Champlain Valley Superintendents—part of the Vermont Superintendents Association (VSA)—are responsible for establishing a uniform school calendar for the region. The organization wishes all community members to share their opinions about the proposed revised school calendar, School Calendar 2.0, that is intended to better support students and their learning. For a slideshow about School Calendar 2.0 and to see a .pdf of what the proposed calendar looks like, please click here.

Essentially, the revised calendar would mean that students would return to school a week earlier in August, leave a school a week later in June, and have additional vacation time—with optional remedial instruction—scheduled throughout the year. The driving idea behind the proposed calendar is to minimize learning regression over a long summer recess while also allowing for additional time throughout the year for students and teachers to rejuvenate.

At this time, Colchester School District does not have a formal position on School Calendar 2.0.

To read a Burlington Free Press article that also discusses the proposed calendar, please click here. For a brief article about it from WPTZ News Channel 5, please click here.

Opportunities to provide feedback and input about Calendar 2.0—which are expected to range from community forums to online surveys—will be available on the School Calendar 2.0 website as they become available.

For more information, or to share your thoughts about School Calendar 2.0 with our administrators, please contact our administrative offices at (802) 264-5999, or e-mail Superintendent Larry Waters at watersl@csdvt.org.

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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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Mark Houle, Audry Houle, Molly Dickin, Jordyn Thayer, Ashley O’Kane, and Hannah Spence in front of the Ticonderoga at the Shelburne Museum

Colchester High School tenth-grade students recently made a pilgrimage to Shelburne Museum as part of their American Experience classwork.

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.

Cady Dubuque and Gabrielle Rancoud-Guillon

They also create an extension of the classroom—and that speaks directly to Pathway C of the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017, which states:

“We wish to ensure an academic environment in which real-world relevancy meets the classroom. This environment must:

• be experiential;
• provide internships and community service within the building and the community;
• complement and enrich classroom learning; and
• move beyond physical and structural confines.”

Lori Brunelle and Jennifer Butler with sophomores Sam Brunelle, Mychaela White, and Brooke Walton

For more information about the American Experience curriculum, please contact Colchester High School at (802) 264-5700, or e-mail CHS teacher Katie Lenox (lenoxk@csdvt.org).

Steven Sonntag, Zoe Ladensack, Morgan Bayko, and Sophie Joyce

Allison Davis, Tim Lewis, Maggie McNeil, Megan Severance, and Sarah Campbell

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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.

When designing the program, Porters Point School Principal Jim Marshall amassed a dynamic team of respected professionals to ensure its success; experts in nutrition (registered dietitian and professional chef Deana Novembrino) and childhood obesity (the University of Vermont’s Dr. Connie Tompkins) as well as Hunger Free Vermont’s “the Learning Kitchen” all contributed to the program. In addition, a team of UVM master of nutrition and food sciences students helped to educate the program’s participants about the important long-term benefits of healthy eating, and exercise and movement science students worked with participants to explore a variety of family-friendly physical activities in order to encourage regular exercise in everyday life.

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.

The program also aligned beautifully with a number of the pathways described in the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017.

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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CMS Caring Cougars at the Ronald McDonald House

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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UMS Principal Chris Antonicci with students at the Little League hit-a-thon event at Airport Park on May 11

On May 11, Porters Point School’s Principal Jim Marshall, Union Memorial School’s Principal Chris Antonicci, and Malletts Bay School’s Julie Benay suited up and dutifully took their turns in the dunk tank at a little league hit-a-thon event at Airport Park on Colchester Point Road.

PPS Principal Jim Marshall plunges into the water

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

Our students are heavily involved in community outreach and volunteerism, as well; click here to learn more about just a few examples of our student community activists.

Way to go, principals! Excellent show of community spirit and good sportsmanship. Well done!

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Already, businesses in the Morrisville area, Middlebury, and Montpelier have recently been targeted. Please be aware of this advertising scam.

Please click here to read the Vermont Attorney General’s Office’s press release about this matter.

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.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

At the April 4 fifth-annual VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD) 2013 Vermont EPSCoR Student Research Symposium in South Burlington, a panel of post-doctorate judges deemed the CHS team as having created and presented the best scientific poster! (To view the poster, please click here.)

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.

Congratulations, Denir, Grace, and Andrew!

For more information, please call CHS at (802) 264-5700, or e-mail CHS science teacher Kara Lenorovitz (lenorovitzk@csdvt.org).

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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.

Nick is accumulating an impressive collection of accolades and awards for his artistic abilities. His submission to the Junior Duck Stamp Contest won him honors last year, as well, and his logo design was selected by the Vermont Agency of Education’s Green Mountain Star program last summer. His work is also currently on exhibit through May 13 at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier as part of the Thirty-Second-Annual Congressional Art Competition, which celebrates artistic talent in every congressional district in the nation. (Winning entries selected at the district level are displayed at the US Capitol Building for one year!)

“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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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.

Colchester Middle School’s band and chorus ensembles will present their final musical performances for the school year on the following dates:

• 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!

Malletts Bay School’s upcoming musical performances are as follows:

• 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.”)

The concerts are free and open to the community! For more information, please visit the Friends of Colchester Music’s website, or contact your schools.

Remember that Colchester School District posts a district-wide calendar of events, as well!

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