CVU Celebrations

Dear CVU Community,

Let me start by saying that I truly love my job. Being part of a team of educators dedicated to creating the best learning environment for the teens in our community is both fulfilling and purposeful. It’s work we do every day—but some days, we feel its impact more deeply than others. Today is one of those days.

This morning, our juniors took the SATs—a significant and valuable milestone. But what stood out even more was sitting down with our senior advisees for their Exit Experience interviews. We asked them to reflect on who they were four years ago, how they’ve grown, and who they aspire to become. We also invited them to share the people who have influenced, inspired, and challenged them along the way.

I firmly believe that our advisory program is the heart of our community, and today’s conversations only reinforced that belief. The discussions I had were vulnerable, authentic, humorous, and deeply inspiring.

Thank you, Seniors.

3/31 - No school

4/4-4/6 - Spring One-Act Plays

4/21-4/25 - Spring Break, No School

Hello CVU! This is Mira. This week in Student Council, we broke into our usual groups. Our first one was preparing for the upcoming elections for student body co-president, committee reps, and grade representatives. Our other groups were planning teacher appreciation week, planning spring rally, and lastly planning for senior sunset. At this point in the year, we have done all of our annual events and are getting excited to wrap up the year with reflection and a few last special community bonding events. Additionally, we can’t wait to welcome the new student council members for the 2025-2026 school year. Let’s end the year strong! Have a great long weekend, Hawks!

JUST A REMINDER THAT SOPHOMORES SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING TO CVU AND PARKING IN THE SENIOR OR JUNIOR LOT. REPEAT OFFENDERS MAY BE TOWED AND DISQUALIFIED FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE JUNIOR LOT PARKING LOTTERY IN MAY.

From Heather Morley: Field & Forest students were busy last week learning about fishery biology at the Ed Weed Fish Hatchery and goat husbandry at the Francis farm.

From Casey Ogden: Last week Kayla Kruk CRUSHED it skiing down her longest, baddest run of the season- Inverness!

From Amy Wardwell: On Friday, March 21, a small but mighty team participated in the annual Spectrum SleepOut. This event raises funds to support the work that Spectrum Youth and Family services does in Chittenden and Franklin counties. There is still time to donate in order to help us meet our fundraising goal! Please use this link if you would like to support the work of this worthy nonprofit.

Good work Luke Daniels, Harper Doris, Kathryn Lewis, Miranda Stewart, Katelyn Whittier, Cassie York and our team leader Jackie Whittier for pulling it all together and braving a chilly night outside!

From John Bennett: CVU's Scholars Bowl won the Vermont NEA Scholars Bowl league championship on Saturday, March 22, 2025 - its second consecutive championship and the 3rd in the last 4th seasons. In matches held at Montpelier HS, CVU defeated teams from Rice, Montpelier, Essex and South Burlington by decisive margins to win the 4th league championship in team history. We are now only the fourth school in the 41 year history of the league to win four championships. CVU's JV team just missed out on a championship itself with a narrow loss in its final against South Burlington.

This capped out another outstanding season in the Vermont league for CVU. Our varsity has a 36-5 overall record and has not lost a match to a Vermont located school in over 2 years. The high level of the success is a tribute to the hard work put in over many months by team members, and also of course due to the excellent education they receive in their classes at CVU.

Our varsity team will be traveling on to play in the national championship playoffs in Atlanta, GA over Memorial Day weekend. This will be the 5th time in the past 6 years that we will represent CVU in national championship competition.

Playing superlatively for CVU on Saturday included the following team members - Varsity - Jacob Graham, Zoe Mui, Leah Rauch, Charlie Redmond, Wylie Ricklefs, Grace Warrington.

JV- Dylan Elder, Leo Elder, Meredith Golek, James Haines, Alyssa Hill, Clay Nicholson.

Many thanks to Kiran MacCormick for his usual outstanding assistance this season, and thanks again to all of you for your support of CVU academic excellence.

A huge shout out and thank you to Zoe Epstein for her extraordinary engagement in legislative discussions and fantastic testimony today in my committee, the House Committee on Education. I connected her with student school board reps from SBHS and Harwood who I also knew were closely following the legislature's work on "education transformation" and she ran with it! They provided fantastic testimony about the power of student representatives on school boards and the importance of student voice in the discussion and decisions around any large education policy changes in Vermont. Check it out here!

https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Workgroups/House%20Education/Bills/H.454/Witness%20Documents/H.454~Zoe%20Epstein~School%20Board%20Student%20Representatives,%20Written%20Testimony~3-21-2025.pdf

My favorite part of Zoe's testimony:

When I first read the governor's original proposal and the H.454 bill, I was shocked by the profound lack of student voice in the decision-making process. These policies would directly impact students' educational experiences, yet the perspectives of those most affected were entirely absent. It was a stark reminder of how often young people are left out of conversations about their own education.

The changes my fellow students and I have been able to make through the platform I have on the school board wouldn’t have been possible without the existence of the student representative role. Serving in this capacity has given me the opportunity to advocate for my peers, ensuring their concerns and insights are heard by district leaders. It's a role that has empowered me to bridge the gap between students and policymakers — something I now recognize as essential for creating meaningful and equitable change. This experience has shown me the immense value of having student voices represented at the decision-making table. Student representatives offer a firsthand perspective on how policies and budgets impact learning environments, extracurricular opportunities, and overall school culture. Without that insight, boards risk making decisions that fail to address the actual needs of students.

Maintaining student representation on school boards is not just beneficial — it’s essential for building an education system that genuinely serves its students. Moreover, it’s crucial that school boards remain balanced and collaborative, rather than becoming hyper-politicized or dominated by a few powerful voices. When boards are small or politically driven, the risk of student perspectives being disregarded grows even higher. Student representation brings accountability and reminds board members of the human impact behind every decision.

The divisions in Montpelier are stark these days and this testimony was such a hopeful reminder of why we all do what we do!

Happy Friday,

Erin Brady (Ranking Member, House Committee on Education)

From Katie Mack: CVU's Model UN Club attended the Vermont Commons Model UN on Saturday, March 22nd. Students took part in a historical crisis committee that simulated the 1960 presidential election.

Pictured are delegates Willcox Elliott, Megan Garrison, Elle McAvey, Ava Nnochiri, Nathan Boddie, and Gracie Sanchez. Willcox Elliott won Best Delegate for the Democratic Committee and Gracie Sanchez won best position paper for the Republican Committee.

Brown and Lemieux Integrated Bio students had the option to explore brain anatomy during a C3 this week through a sheep brain dissection activity.

From Susie Moakley: Congratulations to Boden Moreau, one of two students from CTE - Essex, to be selected for the Heritage Automotive Challenge. This was an exam based selection process and only the top students from technical programs across Vermont were invited to participate.

Brown and Lemieux Integrated Bio students had the option to explore brain anatomy during a C3 this week through a sheep brain dissection activity.

French 2 students in Lianna Reed's class are in their art unit and this week learned about Henri Matisse. Inspired by his cut out and collage art, students took to paper and scissors to create their own!

From Naomi Williams: Pancakes, lawn games, and chalk art in NAOC!

From Cari Causey: Lynn Romagnoli and Amy Bailey came and spoke to a group of students about the Phlebotomy Apprenticeship program at UVM.

From Hannah Carey: Nexus classes took a field trip on Thursday to UVM for the Personalized Learning Summit, where high schools from around Vermont bring students in Independent & Interest Based Learning programs similar to Nexus to demonstrate their individual projects and learning. A big shout out to Josie Ziter, Clay Nicholson, Gavin Blackburn, and James Haines for volunteering to run a group session and engage others in their projects.

From Arthur Chiaravalli: Yesterday's CVU Inspirations ceremony celebrated some of the incredible faculty and staff members who make our CVU community so special. Like the student ceremony of the same name, this tradition recognizes outstanding teachers and staff members for their dedication, positive impact, and commitment to the well-being of others at CVU. Teachers and staff shared stories of support, collaboration, and going above and beyond for students and the community. The ceremony also included a special "roast" by TJ Mead of Anthony Spagnolo, Nichols House Director, celebrating his years of service to CVU as he departs to join UVM's Athletic Department. Thank you to everyone who attended, and congratulations once again to our CVU Inspirations! Click here for pics.

STUDENT DIRECTED ONE ACT PLAYS

3 PLAYS - ONE GLORIOUS WEEKEND

APRIL 4TH - 6TH

Buy tickets today at www.ticketsource.us/cvutheater

Importance of Being Earnest - 4/5 & 4/6

a delightful British Satire, of romance and mistaken identities.

Game Night: Humans Only - 4/4 & 4/5

a sci-fi teen drama, jocks versus nerds in an apocalyptic world where climate change has upended normal life completely

Hurry Up And Wait - 4/4 & 4/6

Do you ever feel like life vacillates between a manic pace and torturous waiting around? Then you'll relate to this comical look at everyday life.

Welcome to CVUHS's 2nd Annual Empty Bowls Dinner Fundraiser!

Empty Bowls is a global grassroots movement that rallies communities around combating food insecurity. Community members are invited to participate in a soup dinner to raise money for a local food shelf. CVU Senior, Teryn Hytten, started Empty Bowls at CVU last year, and in collaboration with the ACCESS CVU program, it has become an annual CVU event. This year's recipient will be the Hinesburg Food Shelf.

We invite you to come and share an evening of food, discussions, and community action. With only 300 tickets available, this event sells out quickly so please reserve your tickets today!

When: Thursday, April 10th

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

Where: CVU High School, 369 CVU Road, Hinesburg, VT

Tickets: $20 per adult, $10 per child (<12 years). PURCHASE DINNER TICKETS HERE.

Dinner: Every ticket gets to choose a beautiful handmade ceramic bowl made by volunteer potters from our community. Enjoy a dinner of artisan bread donated from local bakeries, a variety of soups from local restaurants, and scooped ice-cream for dessert donated by Sisters of Anarchy.

*Silent Auction: We will host a silent auction for donated products from local businesses, more pottery bowls, as well as beautiful wooden cutting boards crafted and donated by the CVU woodworking students. *If you own a business and would like to donate a product or service, please respond to this email.

Donations: Not able to make the dinner? Please consider a tax deductible donation to the Hinesburg Community Resource Center Food Shelf: DONATE HERE.

*Sponsors: Thank you to our community sponsors and contributors for your generous donations to this event. We couldn't have done it without you!

DeePT, August First Bakery, Barkeaters, Rocky Ridge Golf Club, Kwiniaska, Lunaroma, Vermont Tortilla Company. Pet Advantage, Sisters of Anarchy, Red Wagon Plants, The National Bank of Middlebury, Red Hen Baking CO, Pet Food Warehouse, Dumb Luck Pub and Grill, Healthy Living Market and Cafe, NRG Systems, Union Bank, Hinesburg Public House, A Little Something, Chefs Corners, Papa Nicks, Lantman's. *If you own a business and would like to be added to the list of sponsors please respond to this email.

We look forward to welcoming you and your families to this popular event!