CVU Celebrations

Dear CVU Community,

As a former social studies teacher, I’ve always been intrigued by the holidays and aspects of life we choose to recognize. Every day of the year offers something to celebrate. Today, January 24th, is recognized by the United Nations as the International Day of Education. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this day before. However, I felt a bit better when I discovered it was only established in 2018.

The purpose of the day is to honor the role of education in fostering global peace and sustainable development—a lofty goal, but one that guided much of my career in the classroom. This year’s theme, “AI and Education: Human Agency in an Automated World,” is particularly relevant. According to the UN, “...the day encourages reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand, and influence technological advancement.”

At CVSD, we’re actively engaging with this concept. Sixty educators in our district are currently participating in a new course titled “AI Unpacked—Exploring Possibilities.” This initiative aims to prepare teachers to incorporate AI thoughtfully into education, ensuring our students are ready to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

Reflecting on this year’s theme, I am reminded of the profound, long-term impact educators have—not just on their students, but on society as a whole. Whether or not you celebrate International Education Day, I hope you’ll take a moment today to consider the transformative power of education in building a better, more inclusive world for all young people.

Our librarians Katie Mack and Peter Langella working with AI in Deb Newell-Robinson's Spanish class.

2/8 - Penguin Plunge and Winter Ball

2/13 - 8th Grade student, parent night 6:30-7:45

2/21 - Winter Carnival

2/24-2/28 - February Break

Happy Friday, Hawks! This is Ariel. This week, Student Council divided into four groups: an anti-bullying committee, an 8th grade family night planning committee, blood drive leadership, and a new Valentine’s Day crew. We are so excited about 8th Grade Family Night, which will take place on February 13 at 6 p.m. Student Council is looking forward to welcoming the class of 2029 to CVU and helping incoming freshmen and their families understand what it means to be a Redhawk. Additionally, the CVU Blood Drive is coming up in a few months on March 12th during the school day. This is such a rewarding experience, and all eligible students and faculty should consider donating. Keep your eyes peeled for more information, and sign up when this becomes available! Have a great weekend, CVU.

From Emily McLean: The McDuve Advisory held our annual Chill and Grill. This year did not disappoint with a surprise snow burst happening during our advisory gathering.

Snelling students learned poetry writing from local featured poet and CVU parent, Glenn Etter, today! Thanks for teaching us about 2 word poems, Glenn!

From Jess Lemieux: CVU Students Lydia Eshete, Malashie Tonoki and Ally Gutierrez were outstanding in their performance of Martin Luther King, Jr's “I Have a Dream” speech at Williston Central School on January 19th. Their performance was part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration organized by the Williston Rotary Club and the Williston Federated Church, which featured Keynote Speaker Reverend Arnold Thomas, pictured with the students below.

Several RoboHawks attended the FIRST Lego League VT State Championship this past Saturday, January 18th held at GlobalFoundries in Essex. RoboHawks members helped promote robotics and the FIRST programs in Vermont through presentations at their pit table and demonstrating their robot to kids and adults alike.

GlobalFoundries hosted the FLL Championship at their FabLab in Essex, as well as hosted nearly 50 government, business, and educational leaders at the event. This was a great opportunity for the RoboHawks to connect with professionals and community members. In addition to the outreach, members were either coaching, mentoring, or volunteering at the event.

RoboHawks James Haines and Clay Nicholson worked closely coaching the WCS WiredCats and preparing them for the competition. During the event, the FLL students had the opportunity to present their work to judges and demonstrate their final innovation projects. They also competed with other teams directly by running their robots code on the competition field and completing the game tasks. Students also spent time interacting with representatives from local industry leaders in technology, presenting the benefits of engineering and technology education in Vermont. Out of the 6 CVSD FLL teams that qualified for the event and were mentored by the RoboHawks, 4 of them won awards at the end of the event.

Motivate Award - Leggo My Eggo (SCS)

Innovation Project Award - The Acorn People (SCS)B

Breakthrough Award - Robonuggies (SCS)

Robot Design Award - Bioluminescent Turtles (HCS)

RoboHawks attend FTC Robotics Scrimmage at UVM:

On Saturday the 11th, the RoboHawks varsity teams attended an FTC scrimmage in UVM’s Innovation Hall hosted by the South Burlington High School teams. This was the last opportunity that the team was able to learn from other teams before the upcoming FTC State’s championship. The team took this opportunity to interact and learn from other teams in the state. Team member Griffin Hengelsberg took the opportunity to learn about scoring by scoring some of the matches. The RoboHawks also made progress on the bots during the event.

A huge thanks to Dan Gleason for letting Mitchell and Jake tour and learn about all the jobs at Hazelett.

From Emily McLean: BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is pleased to announce that 157 young artists and writers from across Vermont have been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for their exceptional artistic and literary talent.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is a prestigious national recognition program for aspiring visual artists and writers. Each year, students in grades 7-12 are invited to submit art and writing in dozens of categories, including ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry, science fiction, personal essay/memoir, and more. Submissions are judged on a statewide level, with the top award winners considered for national awards, including college scholarships, museum exhibitions, and publication opportunities.

Myrrh Pitkin, an 11th grader at Champlain Valley Union High School, has the distinction of being the only applicant to win Gold Keys in both art and writing. Pitkin won Gold Keys in novel writing, painting, and science fiction/fantasy writing.

Clark Clark, a 12th grader at Champlain Valley Union High School, won a gold key and a silver key for individual drawing and illustration pieces as well an honorable mention for their drawing and illustration portfolio.

A list of all Vermont award winners appears on the BMAC website at brattleboromuseum.org. National awards will be announced in June.

Dear CVU Parents and Guardians,

We invite you to join us at CVU for an informational meeting about our upcoming Habitat for Humanity Spring Break 2025 trip!

When: Monday, February 3rd @ 6:00 PM.

If your student will be 16 or older by April 21, 2025, they are eligible to participate in this rewarding volunteer opportunity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during April vacation. This trip is part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program, and CVU has proudly sponsored similar service trips for over 16 years. This year, we will travel from Saturday, April 19 – Sunday, April 27, with additional time spent in Washington, D.C. on both legs of the journey.

APPLICATION – Applications are due February 15 and will be accepted on a first-come basis.

Please plan to attend the meeting to learn more about this incredible experience! Completed applications should be submitted to Carol Fox in the main office.

We look forward to seeing you there!

CVU will be offering the SAT to interested Junior students on March 28, 2025. If your child wants to take the test, our district will purchase one. Nothing further needs to be done and you can disregard this form.

Please use this form only to OPT out of this test. Deadline to OPT out is Friday February 21st, 2025 but the sooner we know, the better.

If you have any questions, please contact your child's school counselor.

https://forms.gle/7dnorGdRhMbTEL8L6

One in three young people will grow up without a trusted mentor to turn to for support outside of their immediate family. CVSD’s Connecting Youth Mentoring exists to close that gap. This year, Connecting Youth celebrates 25 years of serving our community youth through meaningful and trusted relationships. Consistently, research has shown that youth with mentors are more likely to graduate, pursue higher education, and become active, engaged citizens in their communities. Mentoring also benefits the mentor - growing their empathy for what it’s like to live as a young person today and feeling connected to their community.

For a real life peek into what it’s like to mentor, check out WCAX’s coverage here on Connecting Youth, featuring a mentor/mentee pair from Shelburne Community School.

For more information about mentoring opportunities contact a CVSD Mentor Coordinator:

Hinesburg Community School, Livy Bulger, lbulger@cvsdvt.org / 802-482-6248
Charlotte Central School, Kate Rooney, krooney@cvsdvt.org / 802-425-6682
Shelburne Community School, Alice Brown, abrown@cvsdvt.org / 802-734-9845
Williston Central School, Becky Martell, rmartell@cvsdvt.org / 802-871-6046

Champlain Valley Union, Alison Duback, aduback@cvsdvt.org / 802-482-8921

College & Career Pathways Event

On Thursday, March 20, we will be bringing 11th grade students to VSAC’s College & Career Pathways event at Saint Michael’s College. Students will attend the event from 9am-2pm and participate in three workshops of their choosing.

There is no cost to attend, and lunch is included. Workshops will include how to choose, apply to, and pay for college and career training programs, and pathways to skilled trades and great careers that don’t require a degree.

If a student is interested in participating, they should go to the Direction Center to pick up a permission form. The event is on a first come-first served basis and permission forms should be returned to the Direction Center no later than Monday, March 3rd.

Students and their parents/guardians are also invited to attend the free event for families on Saturday, March 8, with options to participate in-person at UVM or online via Zoom. You can find more information and additional college and career planning resources for families at vsac.org/ccp.