2016-17: Week 26

A Solon Salute to the MHS Unified Sports Team. They competed this week in the U32/Harwood/MHS Snowshoe Hoedown. The Times Argus has provided a whole page of photos. Check them out! Athletes include: Curtis Hayden, Sophia Robins, Bob Powell, Sabrina Hicks, James Coy, Chandra Becker, Kat Pringles and guest snowshoe team member from the class of 2014 Shaniah Bartlett. Advisors include Matt McLane, Whitney Machnik, and Nancy Fitzpatrick.

Screenshot from Times Argus

A Solon Salute to Evie Caserta, Warren Cossett, Samantha Murray, and Navah Fried for serving as high school student ambassadors in answering 8th graders questions during an early orientation and Q & A for the class of 2021. You all did a great job, thank you! (and thanks to Levi Beavin and Amber Pagani for their readiness to volunteer as well!) 

A Solon Salute to all the MHS students for their attentive and thoughtful watching and processing of The Hungry Heart. While many students noted they had seen the film before-quality reflection on our community needs and what additional action steps might be taken were well appreciated. Special salute to Mary Ellen Solon for her superb leadership of this work and to 9th grader Miles Lauderville for launching the work and seeing it through with care and diligence. Additional student leaders include: Nadia Scoppettone, Emma Harter, Apollonia Tabacco, Riley Cook, and Rachel Sucher. Audio-Visual thanks to Adam Blair, Elizabeth Cossett, and Kaitlyn O'Reilly. Thanks also to guest speaker, Raina Launderville and the faculty members who offered to help lead small groups: Carrie Cook, Colleen Purcell, Tom Sabo, Stephanie DiLena, Sarah Squier, Josh Parker, Liz Bailey, and Joe Carroll.

A Solon Salute to all who participated in this year's Poetry Out Loud school final: Evie Caserta, Tale Duggan, Kayla Woodman, and Rachel Sucher. It was a very close contest, but Rachel Sucher is this year's MHS Poetry Out Loud winner. She will represent MHS at the Poetry Out Loud Vermont State Semi-Finals at the Barre Opera House on March 8th.

A Solon Salute to 12th grader Leah Sagan-Dworsky. Leah is currently in Italy completing a year abroad through our local Rotary Club. Click here to read a recent blog post from Leah that compares her educational experience in Italy to her time at MHS.  

A Solon Salute to our students in Teen Jazz who had a successful preview performance last Saturday, Izzy Banse, Brynn Bushey, Emily Corbett-Valade, Isabelle Francke, Evan Lewis, Samantha Murray, Kailea Silvers, and Erin Sullivan.

A Solon Salute to our startup Gymnastics team who successfully finished their season last week. Congrats team!

Montpelier High School Finishes Strong at Harvard Debate Tournament

Between debating rounds Montpelier juniors pose in front of Harvard University’s historic Memorial Hall. From left: Emily Sheftman, Omeed Fallahi, George Huang, and Jackson Markow. Photo credit: Jim Higgins, team coach

The Montpelier High School Debate Club brought two teams to Harvard University last week to compete in the annual international tournament hosted by the college. Approximately 250 teams of two debaters each competed in the three-day event. Both Montpelier teams performed well. The Solon team of juniors George Huang and Omeed Fallahi (last year’s Vermont state champions) won five out of its seven debate rounds, which earned them a spot in the round of 16 play-offs. The team of juniors Emily Sheftman and Jackson Markow also competed strong with a final record of 3-3. This year’s debate resolution was Resolved: The United States should lift the Cuban embargo. Going into each round teams flipped a coin to determine which side of the issue they would be arguing. The Debate Club's final tournament of the year is the Iroquois Districts in Rochester, NY. at the end of March. A strong finish there automatically qualifies the team for the National tournament. (write-up provided by teach coach-Jim Higgins)

Announcements:

• Sports Calendar & VPA Sports Pairings for Playoffs
  

• On March 15th, The Spring Sports' meeting will be held at 6pm in the MHS gym. For full details: Spring Sports Letter

• On March 15th, 7pm to 9pm, there will be a public forum held in the MHS cafeteria to discuss the Roxbury & Montpelier Public School merger study. All are welcome.

• May 6th, Color Run (register by 4/27, proceeds go to U-32's 8th grade class trip).

2016-17: Week 25

A Solon Salute to senior Richard Holt. Richard recently became a 2017 National Merit Scholar Finalist. This places Richard in a category shared by less than 1% of graduating seniors in the United States. To read more about this honor click here. Congratulations Richard, you make MHS proud!

A Solon Salute to the jazz students that perform as Red Clay. They performed at the senior center last Saturday. A good time had by all, we salute you!

A Solon Salute to science teacher Ms. Katy Chabot who was nominated as a VEHI Thriving Rockstar! VEHI did a very nice article on Katy. She provides a great example of healthy living, congrats Katy!

A Solon Salute to senior Levi Beavin who on his way to school this week, stopped and helped a fellow driver get unstuck from the snow. Thanks Levi! (From Mr. Gallagher)

A Solon Salute to Morgan Glines, Emma Murray-Clasen, and Emily Corbett-Valade for their leadership in planning the dance this weekend. All proceeds from the dance will go towards Project Grad.

Photo by Ms. Sue Abrams

A Solon Salute and thank you to Brynn Bushey and interact for leading the Interact Club in putting on the first annual Variety Show for charity. We are very grateful to MC Liam Mears, Siiri Pombar, and Adam Blair for donating their Friday night to make the show possible. Thank you to the incredibly talented performers for such a fun show. Red Clay gave a professional-caliber jazz band performance and Remi Savard awed us with his piano skills. Helen Cerutti and Amber Pagani sang so beautifully together. Matt Koucky, Erin Sullivan, and Cierra Loomis (Northfield) inspired us with poetry, dancing, and a clarinet piece. The biggest surprise of the night was the amazingly skilled and fun performance of Chase Ruel, Machlan Pettersen, and Ericson Scott's jam band. You won't want to miss their next performance. The MHS community raised nearly $500 for the Flint Child Health and Development Fund. Thank you. And a Solon Salute to Ms. Heather McLane for helping to organize the event! 

Announcements:

• Statement from MPS Administration on Immigration Federal Executive Order 13769 

• On February 21st (next Tuesday) and March 9th, community member and frequent MHS volunteer, Tom Yefchak, has offered to help any MHS students that may need assistance in filing their taxes. If you would like to learn how to file you taxes, stop by the library after school on either of those dates. 

• Due February 22nd, for students/families interested in the lottery exchange program, now is the time to review the Winooski Valley Public School Exchange Program Explanation Letter and 2017-18 Registration Form. 

• On February 24th, MHS will be screening The Hungry Heart. Follow up discussions will be led by a committee of student leaders who opted into leading these discussions. Here is the modified schedule for the day.

• Winter Break: February 25th to March 7th. Return to school, Wednesday-March 8th.

• On March 15th, The Spring Sports' meeting will be held at 6pm in the MHS gym. For full details: Spring Sports Letter

2016-17: Week 24

A Solon Salute to math teacher, Kassie Reid. Kassie recently crafted a couple of videos to go along with her rational exponent lessons. The videos are very well done, and serve as a great resource for students, we salute you! (Video 1 & Video 2)

A Solon Salute to senior, Mikayla Flynn. As part of her CBL this year, Mikayla Flynn has raised over $700.00 for a children's orphanage in Lesotho, Africa. Mikyala Flynn has a GoFundMe fundraising goal of raising $1000.00 by March 1st. Why is Mikayla Flynn raising money for Grandma's House Orphanage in the country of Lesotho? Mikayla cares deeply about making a difference in the lives of children and she wanted to involve herself in making a difference in an international context. So what did Mikayla do? - she took action!! Congratulations to Mikayla for identifying an important international partner in Grandma's House Orphanage and for working with them to identify the many needs of their orphanage and for organizing a fundraising campaign to help address those needs. The below pictures show the new shoes that have been purchased with some of the money raised by Mikayla. These pictures were sent to Mikayla this past week by the orphanage director, Mampe Moeletsi. 

 

A Solon Salute to our start-up MHS gymnastics team. Led by senior Nikki Rosado, Judith Witke-Mele, Jenna Krussman, Sarah Kieny, Khylear Imbeau, and Kali Kahn have been the Little Engine That Could team. The team has been practicing four nights a week in Waterbury and competing in events around the state against much larger and more established teams. Your commitment, dedication, and willingness to overcome challenges inspires us. We salute you! 

A Solon Salute to the following MHS students who helped out with this year's Family Fun Night at Main Street Middle School: Niina Abu-Aziz, Brynn Bushey, Katie Gibson-Davis, Josie Gingold, Anja Samsom, Emily Sheftman, and Sean Sullivan. Thanks for supporting the fifth graders' fundraiser for their trip to Boston and for helping to create a super fun evening for all involved. (From Katrina Phillips and Sarah Loveless)

A Solon Salute to senior Conor Barrett for his 100 point milestone!

A Solon Salute to Athletic Director, Matt Link. Matt puts in particularly long hours in the winter to make sure our athletics program is well cared for. The below image from the boys' basketball game this past week is great picture of the fans  that come out to enjoy the hard work put in by Matt, the coaches, and of course the players. Thank you Matt, we salute you! 

A most genuine Solon Salute goes out to all MHS faculty and staff for the flexibility that you afford CBL students and the CBL faculty team as we work to navigate the often times competing schedules of the "outside world" and the MHS schedule. Faculty and staff's willingness to go "above and beyond" - professionally and personally, to accommodate students' schedules and interests is greatly appreciated by CBL students, the CBL team and by the many community partners who offer to share time and talent with MHS students each semester. Thank you!!!- Sarah, Katrina, Bill and Matt

Did you know that Montpelier High School has more than 100 students enrolled in flexible pathway opportunities this semester? Click on our Flexible Pathways Map to see some of the possible pathways.

Announcements:

• Reminder: The new Community Based Learning website has regularly updated volunteer, work, and extended learning opportunities. Several new listings were posted this week.  

• On Friday, February 17th at 7PM, the Interact Club will host a Variety Show to benefit the children affected by the Flint water crisis. We are still looking for performers and hope that parents and community members will attend the show. The suggested minimum donation is $3 for students and $6 for adults. (If you are interested in performing, please contact Brynn Bushey or Heather McLane.)

• On February 18th, students from the Project Grad Committee will be hosting a dance at MHS. The theme is "We Love the 90s, Blackout Dance".

• February 18th, 7pm Teen Jazz is doing a Preview Performance at the Contemporary Dance and Fitness Center. Proceeds of the bake sale and the suggested donations for the performance go toward the Teen Jazz NYC Trip in May. It will be an amazing night of dance. MHS students who are in Teen Jazz include: Izzy Banse, Brynn Bushey, Emily Corbett-Valade, Isabelle Francke, Evan Lewis Samantha Murray, Kailea Silvers, and Erin Sullivan. 

• On February 21st (next Tuesday) and March 9th, community member and frequent MHS volunteer, Tom Yefchak, has offered to help any MHS students that may need assistance in filing their taxes. If you would like to learn how to file you taxes, stop by the library after school on either of those dates. 

• Due February 22nd, for students/families interested in the lottery exchange program, now is the time to review the Winooski Valley Public School Exchange Program Explanation Letter and 2017-18 Registration Form. 

• On February 24th, MHS will be screening The Hungry Heart. Follow up discussions will led by a committee of student leaders who opted into leading these discussions. Here is the modified schedule for the day.

2016-17: Week 23

A Solon Salute to Roger Medina Ruiz. Roger is on exchange to Montpelier High School from Mexico this year. He is featured in a recent information video that was developed by his CIEE exchange program. There are several shots of Montpelier High School. Great job Roger, we salute you! 

A Solon Salute to Graham Jansen for being selected as one of the 20 finalists (out of 650 applicants) in the Senator Bernie Sanders State of the Union Essay Contest. Graham had the chance to participate in a round-table discussion led by Senator Sanders this weekend. His essay will be entered into the official permanent Congressional Record. Congratulations Graham! To view more details click here.

 

Creative and communication props to Damon Cadwell Dunham for hosting the "opening" of his textile design exhibit on Thursday afternoon. This was the culminating event to cap off a successful and engaging first semester CBL experience. Thanks to all who attended the opening and a special thank you to community member and professional artist, Sam Talbot-Kelly, for her mentorship of Damon this past semester. Thanks, Sam! Well done, Damon! (From Mr. McLane)

A Solon Salute to the student leaders of "The Conversation" this past week. Sarah Rose, Emily Corbett-Valade, Theresa Noonan, Emma Murray-Clasen, Miles Rapaport, Meredith Stetter, and Grace Valentine, and to the faculty leaders, Mary Ellen Solon and Lissa Knauss. We salute you and your leadership! And thank you to board member Jim Murphy for attending.

A Solon Salute to our girls' basketball teams. They will hosting the coaches vs. cancer fundraiser during their upcoming Friday evening games. Please come out and support the cause and our teams. (Friday, Feb. 10th, 6pm & 7:30pm).  

A Solon Salute to our indoor track athletes who participated in this weekend's state championship tournament. Avery Paul, Theresa Noonan, and Holly Gordon were ribbon winners. Click here for complete results.

Did you know that almost 80% of MHS students participate in at least one extra-curricular activity? And did you know that MHS currently has nearly 40 different extra-curricular offerings?!

 

Announcements:

• On February 17th at 7PM, the Interact Club will host a Variety Show to benefit the children affected by the Flint water crisis. We are still looking for performers and hope that parents and community members will attend the show. The suggested minimum donation is $3 for students and $6 for adults. (If you are interested in performing, please contact Brynn Bushey or Heather McLane.)
  

• On February 18th, students from the Project Grad Committee will be hosting a dance at MHS. The theme is "We Love the 90s, Blackout Dance".

• On February 21st and March 9th, community member and frequent MHS volunteer, Tom Yefchak, has offered to help any MHS students that may need assistance in filing their taxes. If you would like to learn how to file you taxes, stop by the library after school on either of those dates. 

• Due February 22nd, for students/families interested in the lottery exchange program, now is the time to review the Winooski Valley Public School Exchange Program Explanation Letter and 2017-18 Registration Form. 

• On February 24th, MHS will be screening The Hungry Heart. Follow up discussions will led by a committee of student leaders who opted into leading these discussions. Here is the modified schedule for the day.