Academic Planning
Our mission at Spaulding High School is to prepare students for success in an ever changing world.
In the following months, students will have the opportunity to plan out their coursework for the 2019-2020 school year with their school counselors. In response to this, we encourage students to maximize their learning experiences and spend time with their parents/guardians by examining the Program of Studies to determine which courses and/or programs best support their college/career pathway.
Parents are welcomed to join in that discussion and schedule a meeting with their son's/daughter's school counselor by calling the School Counseling Office at 476-6411.
For more information, click on this link to access the Program of Studies:
As of now, the following is the schedule of when school counselors will be meeting with students:
Class of 2020 - Starting the week of February 13th
Class of 2021 - Starting the week of March 6th
Class of 2022 - Starting the week of March 18th
Class of 2023 - Barre Town scheduled for March 25th & 26th /Barre City - March 27th and 28th
Email: rhoffshs@u61.net
Website: http://shsu61.org/joomla/
Location: 155 Ayers Street, Barre, VT, USA
Phone: 802-476-6411
Wrestling is Life
Ever since junior, Carter Dickinson was recruited as a freshman to join the wrestling team, his life has never quite been the same.
Wrestling, a brutally hard sport that merges brains, stamina, and strength into a solo performance, has delivered to Carter a life of constantly striving to be better, a life of reaching one goal only to set another that’s a tad harder to reach.
For example, Carter’s 27-5 record is impressive, but not nearly as meaningful to him as winning the States would be, and after that, he says, “being competitive” in the New England tournament.
“In States it really shows how much training you’ve been putting in. Most guys at States have been wrestling for six years, I’m just over two years. So there’s a lot still to be done.”
It’s one thing, Carter says, to take a “hard loss and come back stronger, or come to the wrestling room and train when there’s no one there. That’s a different kind of strength and those are big things.”
But the aforementioned striving to be better involves even more, he adds. There academics, there’s diet and nutrition, there’s trying to find time to do some of the fun things other kids are doing.
On the academics piece Carter has long since forgotten his “rough year” in 8th grade. “Sports pushes you to do better in school,” he said. “Once you learn about striving to be better and reaching certain goals in sports, it carries over to academics.” He’s now a solid B student.
One class in particular helped him sort out some of his questions about sports and life. It was a Psychology class with Mr. (John) Lewis. “He asked us to write a paper about a particular career, and I picked sports psychology. From that paper I learned a great deal.”
On the diet and nutrition piece it’s typically for wrestlers about “making weight.” So for Carter it’s all about carbohydrates and keeping a close eye on what goes into his body. “That’s where most of the problems with kids who don’t make weight come from.”
On the “fun stuff,” Carter said that’s one of the “weaknesses” of his driven lifestyle. “It would be nice to have enough time to do some of the fun things that the rest of the kids are doing and still fit it in all four years.”
That’s not to say Carter’s life is bereft of good times. In fact, he’s connected with many fellow athletes over the years in many different sports, including lacrosse, which Carter has played throughout high school. “I’ve made a lot of friends through sports. I think they’ll be true friends. It’s a bonding thing.”-Jim Higgins
Getting What You Want
Taylor Winter was born decades after rocker Joe Jackson spun the following lyrics, but the senior is sure channeling Jackson’s advice.
“To get what you want,
You need to know what you want.”
Taylor’s plan next year is simple: she intends to find out what it is she wants. So the honors student is taking a gap year before heading off to a college that best meets her need to know what it is she wants.
Taylor’s high school career was part of the problem. It was filled with so many interesting and varied activities that it’s understandable she wants to narrow her focus just a tad.
“I need to figure out what I want and where I want to go,” she said, “and hopefully save some money. I held off applying to college because I didn’t want to make any decisions I might regret.”
One recent decision she came not to regret was entering the school talent show to sing a song she wrote. The original plan was a duet but at the last minute it became a solo, in which she also played the guitar, an instrument she just picked up two years ago.
“That was very scary,” she said, “I never performed solo before. And somehow I won it.”
Less scary has been her 12 years of dance classes and the many requisite performances. She’s also played the alto sax since fifth grade and performs in the school’s jazz band.
Taylor has performed in school plays all four years. “I liked them all,” she said, “but what’s coming up is special.” It’s a one-act festival in March featuring actors from many area schools. In her play, written by dramatist David Campton, she is a bird stuck in a cage with seven others. “I’m the lead and I play the part of the “Wild One” that aims to convince the other birds to rebel.”
The community-oriented side of Taylor is well honed after four years of action is Student Council and Key Club. “Maybe that kind of work is not a career for me, but I love getting out there and giving back,” she said. “It’s probably always something I’ll do.”
Bowling is another favorite activity. She bowls in a league and sports a 151 average and high game of 223. That’s her only sport, she says, but she’ll confess, “I’m a huge fan of watching our school games.”
Her academic life taught her at least one important life lesson. “I always strived to be an AP and all-honors student, but I quickly realized I was going to overdue it if I strove for ALL-honors. So I focused on doing what I could, and that was to focus solely on Honors English.”
That focus soon evolved into a budding potential career interest – journalism. “I’ve always enjoyed writing,” she said, “and this semester I’ll be writing for the school paper. I’ll be doing features and profiles.”
Her advice to incoming students is this: “Find out what works for you, what you’re comfortable with, what you like. Find people who will support you in that. Then school should be a fairly easy ride.”
This she says, is what she did, and “it was all part of my journey of kind of finding myself.”-JH
Flipping his Priorities
Freshman Noah Touchette got lucky on the often rocky transition from middle school to Spaulding.
Turns out he spent many years at both Barre City and Barre Town schools where his friendship network extended beyond his grade level peers to older kids as well.
Needless to say, Noah’s transition to high school went well.
But the bigger surprise for Noah was in academics. “Last year in 8th grade I did not due well at all,” he recalls. “This year I’m doing ten times better.”
He blames the improvement on his new coaches and his father.
“My father told me flat out, “If you’re not proficient is school work, you’re not doing sports.”
“My golf and wrestling coaches told me the same thing: ‘Put school over sports or you’re not going to play sports.”
The message came through loud and clear. He flipped his priorities.
“It feels great to be a decent student,” he said. “It feels great to be on top of things.”
But before the golf and wrestling seasons even began, he encountered a book in Ms. Dewey’s English class. It was
“Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.”
From that book and the class discussions, Noah learned just about all he needed to know to change his academic life around: “I learned how to prioritize and get things done on time.”
After academics rose to the top of his priority list, sports fell into their appropriate place.
First came golf. “My whole family golfs and I have golfed before so I thought I could compete.”
How’d he do? “Well I played in one match and I did OK. My teammates and coach (Nick Ross) helped me out a lot. Let’s just say I learned a lot this year, like I have to get better at chipping, putting, and driving.”
Noah’s best 9-hole score at the Barre Country Club was 57. His goal is to pare that down to a 45. “I’m definitely going to try to become a member of BCC and get out more this summer.”
Noah also started wrestling for the first time this year, thanks to a recruiting prod from a buddy. Once again he got the message from the coach (Darren O’Meara): Do well in school, or don’t wrestle. By then, however, that was no longer a problem.
“I went 2-0 this year,” Noah said. “I learned a lot and it started to feel more like a family.”
With sports and academics pretty much under control, Noah can afford to dream a little. He says he’s interested in becoming an engineer, maybe a mix of carpentry and engineering.
“I like putting things together,” he said.
So far so good. -JH
Recipient of Vermont’s 2019 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)
According to the Vermont Principal's Association, "two students from each state are selected for a $10,000 scholarship and an all expenses paid week long trip to Washington D.C. While in D.C. students learn about the innerworkings of the federal government."
In turn, how fortunate for members of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Administration to be graced by the amazing and diplomatic, Lia Rubel.
