Archive 2023-2024

Lucy Fox - Story #5: Choice

As the weather gets warmer and students spend more time outside, our reporter Lucy wonders: Why don't we have a play structure?

WUMS Math Team Takes On Cookies and Problems in NH

BY ALYSSA

On Thursday May 23rd, there was a math meet at the Enfield Community Center that 5 of the students from the 7th and 8th grades attended.

Before the meet, Ms. Whitehead and team were interviewed about how they felt about it. Ms. Whitehead told us that the meet would be hosted by the Indian River School. There would be 5 categories that all students participate in, each lasting 10 minutes each with a short break in between them. There would also be lunch and an awards ceremony at the end, making it last around 2 hours.

Each category had 3 questions, the first was an easier one for 2 points, the next was moderate difficulty for 3 points, and the last was fairly difficult, scoring 5 points for a correct answer.

As the team competed, Ms Whitehead was in another area proctoring another group of math team students from different rooms. Basically meaning that she would make sure it was fair and no one cheated. It was also her job to hand out and collect papers at the beginning and end.

The team includes Astrid McFarland, Ferris Al Fahim, Nat Holland, Alyssa Charbonneau, and David Randall. The team had varying ideas about success, but did well. When asked what they were excited about, the one thing said was the free food and cookies… and skipping school. At least some of them were sad about missing certain classes.

These five did well in the meet, and according to some, it was fairly difficult. Good job to all.

Koose Koose, or Kash

BY LUCY and WILLOW

Kaisa Sluka is an amazing athlete, friend and student. Kasia is one of four siblings; she has two sisters, one younger and one older as well as her older brother.

She has been playing sports since she was a kid and found a love for lacrosse. Kasia started in first grade but wasn't that into it but kept playing on ,”I had to stop in third grade because of Covid, I have been playing for five years."

She does three sports and loves them all with her saying the hardest physical for her is Nordic Skiing. She started in fifth grade with help from her friend Isla who taught her how to ski and got her into the sport and Kasia has thrived ever since. But she says,“I also want to try track because, I love running and I love running races, but I love lacrosse because of the team, and it's the fastest team sport, I also run then too.”

Kasia is a very good athlete and loves to try new things and we are all excited to see what she will do next.

Calvin Without The Hobbes

KASIA

Seventh grade student Calvin sadly does not know Hobbes, but one thing he does have, is a passion for mountain biking.

When asked if mountain or gravel biking was better, he responded “Is that even a question? Mountain biking is obviously better.” People describe him as athletic, funny, compassionate, and determined. Not only does Calvin bike, but he also skis! He says skiing is “really good because you get to be outside.” Since Calvin was little, he has had the passion to draw ski trail maps. Even though he loves biking, he doesn’t draw bike trails since “it’s hard to draw bike trails because they are in the trees.”

Once you get to know Calvin, you will see that he is very compassionate, funny, and positive.

The Year Is Almost Coming to An End

BY KASIA

As the weather’s getting warmer, and people are getting older, the 2023-24 school year is coming to an end.

Two more weeks! Some of the students are sad, but some are feeling happy. One student, Lucy Fox, mentions, “I’m sad for the year to end. This has been one of my best years because I really like my teachers and I have become closer with different friends. It was also just really fun.”

For many staff and students, this year has been a really fun year. “My favorite memory from this school year is taking care of you guys. It’s like being a mom figure when you guys are away from home,” one staff member notes.

So many m memories were made this year from events including the Winter Carnivals, all school assemblies, and camping trips! Chloe Costello really enjoyed the beginning of school camping trip “because it was fun to get out of school to meet everyone. The bus rides and swimming were my favorite.” 8th grader Alyssa Charbonneau says she is excited for the end of the year “because I’m excited to go back home to visit family.”

Although many kids enjoy having a fun time during the summer, they still love to come back to school and interact with different people.

Doomed to Dance ... Or Sing

BY WILLOW

A crowd gathers, music starts, some familiar faces know what's happening, but others don’t. You're faced with the decision: do you sing or dance?

In my opinion the only way to go is to dance. Imagine you’re singing and your voice cracks and becomes high pitched and squeaky, HOW EMBARRASSING! But if you dance it's harder to embarrass yourself because so many people now do TikTok dances in public. Maybe if you're lucky people won’t think much of it and just walk by, but it's pretty hard to ignore singing, especially when the person is not a professional.

Bellamy Ferris says, “I would dance because it's more embarrassing to sing in public especially when you’re bad at it.”

Lucy Fox says, “I think I would rather dance because singing they judge you harder for your voice.”

Counterpoint: Why Land Rovers Are Better Than Toyotas

BY HUGH

“The Truth always prevails,” most would say. But in this case Nolan Alberty’s story about the best off-road trucks is in no way close to that quote.

In Nolan’s words, “Land Rovers are worse than Toyotas.” This is just a shocking story and opinion due to all the inaccuracies. He says a Toyota goes for around 30k, but in Reality it's 40-70K for an up-to-date base Toyota.

Yes, Range Rovers are around 60k, but that's with all your attachments. Plus a Land Rover 110 from 1990 is only 10k for an amazingly reliable vehicle that you can easily get parts for.

Nolan says Land Rovers’ gas mileages are near 10.5, which is nowhere near true. A LR4 can get 20-23 miles per gallon, while others can also be in the high teens to twenties. Nolan also said Toyotas are much more supreme in mileage, when they are about the same.

Yes some Early Land Rovers are slow, yet so are Toyotas, and Land and Range Rovers have gone far above a Toyota’s maximum speed. Anyone who has driven would know how they are the same yet very different and are more in favor of Land Rovers.

Wellness Is A Great Class

BY ISLA

Until 7th grade, Wellness, Gym, P.E., (whatever you want to call it) was never my favorite class. The sports I enjoy weren’t reflected in our gym class well and the skill of a sport was sort of skipped over sometimes or just not explained well. Sometimes I liked it, but never a lot. However, since getting into 7th grade, I’ve been really enjoying Wellness. It’s great for a few reasons. Firstly, Mr. McCormick is such an awesome teacher. He gets to know the students, and he often talks to us to see what we want to do and what we’re curious about. He’s really good at incorporating our advice into his class. When I’m not doing anything in Self-Direction, he’ll ask my opionion on things such as “How much should we talk about the mental health aspects of social media?” Nextly, he tries to vary what we do, so that even if you don’t like everything, most people like something that we do. He blends his own extremely creative and interesting games (such as Caddis Flies and Trout: so creative) with the actual game that we work towards, and we often get to participate in a tournament. Another thing that’s great about Wellness is that we get to be doing gym things half the time and classroom work the other half. The classroom half is full of interesting philosophical debates and crazy information you never would have thought of, such as what is the most important deciding factor for what food you should buy? I hope next years Wellness is half as good as this year's.

You Better B-lieve it!

BY WILLOW

Bellamy (B) Ferris started basketball in sixth grade. The Woodstock team was pretty small and full of a lot of beginners or people who were still learning the basics of basketball, but B got the hang of it pretty quickly and in seventh grade decided to join an AAU team.

B said she joined because of the competitiveness and to get better. “I like that I’m learning so much more than in rec and making more friends,” B added.

Since she does both, rec and AAU, she talked about her experience on rec saying, “At the beginning of rec season I was super nervous because it was my first year and I was super scared that I was going to embarrass myself. But after a couple practices I was starting to get the hang of it. I had already made my way up to back up point guard or starting shooting guard.”

But aside from her being nervous compared to AAU B says, “I like that it's a lot calmer and not as much stress and there were more beginners on the team, which meant more playing time.”

B talked about how in AAU she likes that they got to play more challenging teams which seemed to push her but because of this more competitive environment. B says, “I feel like I've been playing worse because I have been feeling the pressure of not messing up and in rec I get more playing time which boosts my confidence”

But B loves playing for AAU. She got to make more friends and learned a ton of new things, but there were a couple things that she would recommend for someone starting AAU: “I would recommend to play AAU if you are someone who has played [basketball] for a while but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner because you might not get played a lot but you will learn a lot, you might also be out matched in games and practices.”

When asked which she likes better, rec season or AAU season, B says,

“That's a toughy, I like them both for their different qualities.”

When Should Kids Get Phones?

BY LUCY

People all over the world have debated when their kids should get a phone.

I think that kids should get a phone at 14 because you're going into 8th grade or are in 8th grade, and you are starting to communicate more, as well as go places with friends that are planned over text.Sometimes plans can change and you can not see them.

Some people say kids should get phones when they're older, some say younger.Kasia says, “Probably when I'm 15 or 14.`The stuff in wellness that we are learning, like how phones can affect your mental health, is not good, and I don't want to get addicted to it,and I can always borrow someone's phone if I need to.

When you're in 7th grade it gets a little harder to communicate with parents after school or if you're going on a trip, which makes some people say kids need phones earlier. “I was 11,” says Charlie B. “I think it was good because I was switching between parents' houses and I needed to communicate.”

A lot of kids say they needed to get a phone to communicate, but Mr.McCormick says otherwise When asked at what age kids should get a phone, he replied, “Never.” He went on, “What do my kids need a phone for? I see a lot of people looking at their phones all the time. I don’t know if it’s true that people are addicted or not, but I know it’s not healthy and I don't know how to teach them responsibility with phones.”

Kids need phones for different reasons and it depends, but I think 14 is the perfect age because you can regulate it yourself and communicate.

Favorite Footwear

Hive reporter Kasia interviewed WUMS students and staff about their favorite kicks for all sports.

Favorite Sporty Shoes

Mrs. Lessard Profile

BY ISLA

Mrs. Lessard is the seventh grade Humanities teacher at WUMS, and she’s been teaching for nearly 30 years (you’re not that old, Mrs. Lessard). She started teaching at Hartland around 30 years ago when her friend and former swimming coach who lived in Vermont called her, saying that there had been an unexpected job opening a few weeks into the school year. She packed up her car and drove to Vermont, and 30 years later, she’s still here.

She was inspired to be a teacher by her college history professor, who took time out of their busy semester to teach art history. She admired his passion and learned a lot from his class. She also wanted to teach differently than she had been taught, explaining, “I also chose to be a teacher to change the school experience.” She’s mainly taught middle school, and she “just finds that {middle schoolers} are enthusiastic about learning, funny, and understand her sense of humor.” Mrs. Lessard also enjoys how important this period is in kids’ lives. Current 7th grader Kasia Sluka loves Mrs. Lessard because she’s “fun, funny, and helpful.”

Outside of school, Mrs. Lessard loves to travel, even within our borders, saying she “doesn’t need to travel far to enjoy new culture.” She also loves music, Broadway, and needs to do something active every day.

Mrs. Lessard is a dedicated teacher but also finds joy and importance in our envrionment and a variety of experiences. She always has something interesting to say, and a conversation with her is often interesting.

Tornadoes Hit Midwest

BY HUGH

On April 26th a long track wedge tornado hit the towns of Elkhorn, and many smaller towns in Nebraska. It was rated EF3 (Enhanced Fujita Scale) with winds of 165 mph. The Long track EF3 would spark a tornado emergency, the highest rated tornado warning. Another Tornado rated EF3, with160 mph winds in Iowa, also sparked two more tornado emergencies and injured six. No deaths happened on April 26th. Multiple weaker tornadoes would happen around the Oklahoma-Nebraska-Kansas area with damage to homes from these weaker tornadoes.

On April 27th, 2024, multiple long track violent tornadoes would devastate the communities of Sulphur Springs OK, Marietta, OK, Holdenville, OK, and Norman, OK. Marietta was hit by an Intense EF4 with winds of 175mph, causing damage to most of the west side of town homes. Several homes were destroyed with 1 dead. Holdenville, OK, would be scrapped by a strong EF3 With winds of 160 mph but likely much stronger. An infant child and one other were killed when their homes got hit by the mile wide tornado. The EF3 tornado would track north of town then fizzle out about 12 miles north of town, claiming two lives before dissipating north of town.

Sulphur Springs would be hit by an EF3 with winds around 165 mph killing 1 in their home when it collapsed and damaging a large bit of town. Two more EF1 tornadoes would hinder rescue as they just missed town only hitting a few homes on the outskirts of town. In Norman, OK, a tornado aka a spin up tornado would cause EF2 damage to homes in Norman injuring 2 with no deaths.

On April 28th 2 EF1 tornadoes touched down in Arkansas doing little damage the main threat was winds and hail that hit the state hard and flash flooding. Some water rescues had to be shut as waters rose from the non-stop storms. This was a relatively normal outbreak for this time of year in the midwest.

Students' Favorite Books

BY ALYSSA

Many students have a favorite book to read or listen to, and some students occasionally read, so here’s what some people think about books.

This story would like to introduce you to a variety of books, some things a book should be like or have, and a few good ways to successfully choose books to read.

Our list of books most loved by students include, Thanks A Lot Universe by Chad Lucas, The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan, The School of Good and Evil, Inheritance games, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Song of Achillies, Suicide Notes, Harry Potter, and more that were not said.

The genres of these books range from Fiction (fantasy and realistic) to Nonfiction and Romance.

“When you read a book you want it to make you feel something, you want it to make you emphasize with the character, and you should be able to, that’s the mark of a good book.”

Students say that they want a book to be about or have kids our age, heartfelt books, happy endings, interesting vocabulary, strong writing, treat readers intelligently, a complex plot, a deep meaning, certain types of characters and relationships, and relatability.

Some people read to learn about interests, learn about some history, or find characters like them. Many people fall into one of two categories, those who want books to make them cry, or books that make them happy.

Toyota Trucks vs. Land Rovers

BY NOLAN

The best truck is Toyota. They are the most reliable truck in my opinion. But Toyotas are expensive to buy. A brand new TRD Toyota truck can set you back at least $44,000. For those of you who don’t know what TRD means, it’s “Toyota Racing Development.” That means it’s a super truck with more power, engine upgrades and the truck to use for off roading. There’s so much more to consider when deciding if a Toyota is for you.

They save gas compared to other trucks. They are also so much money, but don't let the money stop you from buying one. When you look at Toyotas, look at the gas mileage and the color of the seats. If you like how comfortable the inside is and the back seats are, buy the truck or car.

Toyotas are also super fast. To get to places they are also good vehicles to drive. Some of Toyota’s trucks are meant for racing and off-roading. Toyotas are one of the best vehicles according to my dad.

Hugh Chace disagreed, and claimed that Land Rovers are better. “They are fast and somewhat reliable,” he said. “Somewhat reliable”? Not really. Hugh says that Land Rovers can do the best off road with a “proper set up and good driver,” but with a Toyota, you don’t need to set it up. All you need to do is put it in four wheel drive and you’re good to go. Or two wheel drive. In conclusion, Toyotas are better.

Teachers Going Insane

PHOTOS BY WILLOW and ISLA

Meg's Leaving

BY JORDYN

If you walked into Meg’s advisory this year, you would see a bunch of laughing, which is really helpful for kids. You would see all of us just talking and laughing. Our advisory is really close and fun.

Sadly, Meg is leaving at the end of the year. It sucks. It’s going to be hard for a new person to come in, because we are very close with Meg.

She’s always there for you when you need advice. She’s a very understanding person, and advisory is very fun with her.

Some students think Meg should not leave. Lexi J said, “I think Meg should stay because she's an awesome teacher and she's so kind. There is no other teacher in this world like Meg. She helps people with their work and she actually knows how to help with kids and she understands them.”

Meg is leaving because she wants to be closer to her son. He lives in San Diego, California. She says she will miss “The kids and my colleagues” and “all the fun in 206 and the smiles.”

Lexi J said, “Meg has helped me with so much this school year. She's helped me with my personal issues and she understands things and she’s a very awesome person in general.” We all will miss Meg.

The Wonderful World of Ms. Smith

BY KASIA

Mrs. Smith is the Social Emotional Learning teacher (SEL) at the WUHSMS. She has been teaching here for three years and can still keep up the great spirits!

For some teachers and even students, it is sometimes hard to talk about the tough topics of managing stress, having empathy, and even working on our values and strengths. For her, these are her favorites. “I really enjoy working with students on self-awareness. I also really enjoy discussing hard but meaningful topics.”

She is not only a great teacher, but a great friend. From the start she is always so kind to everyone. Checking in on everybody to make sure they are okay, sharing stories, and even jokes. Even if her job is sometimes tough, she still loves to come back everyday. She mentioned, “it feels like a privilege to be with students as they try to reflect, repair, and learn to do the right thing.” She is a very important part of our school community.

The things that she teaches and talks about are not normally talked about outside of school. She is not afraid to step up to groups and make a hard topic feel more comfortable. Recently, we had a check in about the changes made to a lock down drill. 7th grade student Charlie B said, “I feel like she did a very good job explaining a hard topic in a careful way.”

First impressions are really important and most people think that she is so kind and aware and loves to make sure everyone is okay and following rules to keep others safe.

Take some time to get to know her and get ready to hop into the wonderful world of Mrs. Smith.

Bye Bye People, Hello Music

Why Students Should Be Allowed to Wear Headphones

BY JORDYN

Have you ever been in class, and there are two people who just talk so loud that you can’t focus? Music blurs out everything. You put your headphones in, and everything just goes away, And bam. You can focus.

I think students should be able to listen to music during classes with a headphone in. One headphone is reasonable. Sometimes music helps people focus, and when they’re stressed out music helps them calm down.

Nolan A says, “for me, I work better with music on. It just helps me concentrate. In some classes, people are yelling and it gets so noisy, but when I get music on I can just concentrate and I get work done really fast.”

Laiquen agreed, saying, music “helps people concentrate on work, especially with headphones so it doesn’t blast out of your phone.”

Music is more helpful in some classes than others. For example, you probably wouldn’t have headphones on in the gym so they don’t get damaged. But students said headphones would help with reading, writing, math, and science. “It’s like typing with music,” Nolan said. “When I listen to my favorite song, words just pop in my head.”

B said headphones make it “easier for me to focus, especially when people are talking around me. If I’m not listening to music I won’t focus and I’ll just listen to what they’re talking about.”

Nurse Rachel wasn’t sure, but I convinced her. She said headphones would probably be OK, “just when the teacher is done doing the instructions, and I only think one is appropriate.”

Profile of Ms. Hanrahan

BY ALYSSA

This week, I interviewed W.U.M.S.H.S. teacher Ms. Hanrahan to tell us about her and who she is.

Ms Hanrahan is an 8th grade English Language Arts and Journalism teacher who says her job here is “herding cats”. She deals with a variety of crazy students, - I can say this from my experience in her classes - me included.

I asked her what her favorite class to teach is, and she said, “Journalism. One time when I was teaching in Alaska I got to teach a joint US History and Literature.” They called that class American Studies, but it was different from the eighth grade class here.

Ms. Hanrahan said that the best part of being a teacher at this time was that with all this technology in the world it helps students to be connected to the world, know more, and have more opportunities to share their voice, and that the technology of this new era is so different from when she was in school, because they used a whole lot more paper. She had one computer in third grade that was shared by the whole class, the students could play a single game on it called Oregon Trail, a choose your own adventure game, supposedly textbooks were also more popular at then.

It is difficult being a teacher at times as most know, Ms. Hanrahan says the mornings can be crazy, to start the day at school there is normally advisory, class, class, class, a teacher meeting, and class planning. She says it gets easier each time you teach a certain subject again, like the reading of the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.

Did you know that Ms. Hanrahan lived and taught in Alaska for 5 years? It’s true, she lived in Fairbanks Alaska, and taught at Monroe Catholic School. One time on a camping trip in Denali, her group spotted a grizzly that then charged at them! No one moved a muscle, but the bear took an abrupt left away from them. They packed up and moved to a new spot soon after. That was not the only of her bear encounters though, she has met many over the years. “A big fat bear, with ripples of fat that ran towards me and I closed my eyes.” she said.

“There's not many teachers that I can say have truly changed my life, however Mrs. Hanrahan certainly is. She's such a fun, energetic teacher who has made learning so enjoyable. After giving up on poetry, she gave me the motivation to start it up again. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher, she's one that I will never forget.” says Lexi Gabardi.

School Under The Trees

BY ISLA

Especially since Covid, there’s been a lot of emphasis on different methods of learning, outside of a brick and mortar classroom. One of these is learning outside, which can be done in different forms. I was curious what people thought about learning outside and if it would be better or worse.

Students had mixed feelings about learning outside and the general battle seemed to be between enjoyment and being comfortable versus distractions, which was a feeling teachers seemed to share.

Nolan A. explains, “{Being} inside is better because it’s quiet”, but Lucy F. says she thinks “that if we changed our learning style it would help {her}.”

Kasia S. proposes a compromise, saying “I feel like if we had some classes outside and some classes inside…it would be helpful because sometimes we would go outside because the nice weather boosts my energy.”

Teachers are similarly conflicted. “I believe in the power of nature and being outside, but I think that students would have to learn to overcome the distractions so they can enjoy the benefits of being outside.” teacher Monica D. tells me. Ms. Hanrahan talks about learning outside during Covid, but says that sometimes it’s cold or students are uncomfortable outside. She proposes another compromise, similar to Kasia’s: going outside sometimes but not all of the time.

In general, it seems that the agreement is we need more outside time but school should be inside sometimes, too.

4-Wheeler Season Revs Up

BY HUGH

It’s the time of year when the old class 4s of Vermont wake up. As May 15th is only days away, people get their trucks/rigs ready to off-road the Vermont trails again.

Every May 15th Vermont opens up its roads all the way to November 15th. There are several events such as The Pilgrimage Vermont, Rover Revival and the North east excursion.

Many of these are selling out fast. Old riders of the trails are using more action after the floods of July and December.

Lucy Fox says, “I don't like it because our roads are already ruined and people won't drive safely, mostly the ATV crowd.”

Isla Segal says, “during the winter some jeeps or ATVS ruined the landscape.”

Meanwhile, Wyatt Young says he "can't wait to be back on the trails and be back in nature.”

There are many mixed opinions, some happy about this time of year or some not so happy about it but most people are excited for it. But in all regards this year should be a great season for the Class 4s.

Proctorsville Jr. Firefighters Train for Speed

BY NOLAN

The Proctorsville fire department has a junior firefighter program. On Tuesday, May 7, we did a one minute drill outside in front of the garage. A one minute drill is when you are timed to get in your fire gear.

When I first got there, the door was locked. Seth Perry came and unlocked the door and we went inside and chilled out until our training began.

During a 1 minute drill you are timed to get in your gear. You put on your boots and pants first. Then your nomex hood, then your jacket, then your helmet, then your gloves and clap your hands really loud so the fireman knows you are done.

Then you take your gear off in the same order. You do it three times. Finally we did a midnight drill where we started lying down and did two sit ups and then put our gear on.

That one was hard. But it is important to practice doing a warm up drill so then you’re ready for a real call.

8th Grade Fundraiser Bake Sale

BY LUCY

The 8th grade is going to Bethany Birches for a sleep away trip, and they need to raise money for the trip. They will be holding a bake sale Wednesday May 22 from 11-1 in the lobby.

This is the third year the 8th grade is going, it started as making up for lost trips during Covid.

The majority of the kids are excited but some are not. Alyssa says, ”I'm not that excited because I have never been camping and I'm not good in big groups of people camping”.

On the other hand the teachers seem excited. Ms. Hanrahan says, “ I am excited! I love this trip, it's so fun! I'm especially excited about the water trampoline." The trip sounds pretty sweet.

Student Art Shines at Art Show

STORY BY ALYSSA | PHOTOS BY ISLA

From Thursday May 2nd to this Sunday May 5th, there is an art show being held in the ping pong or VR room, organized by the WUHSMS art teachers. It includes about a semester's amount of art made by students and 2 or 3 interactive events.

I was able to talk to one of the three art teachers, Ms Piana, and she said that it took half a day to set up the panels and cover the tables, three teachers, and five brave students.

The art comes from Ms Piana, Ms Jimerson, and Ms Gravel’s classes, and a few of the art pieces were submitted by students who are not currently in art. Ms Piana and Ms Jimerson teach most of hands- on art, each accounting for about 40% of the art, while Ms Gravel, who teaches more photography and computer art classes, accounts for about 20% of the art.

“I’m happy,” says Ms Piana, “When we get to put all this student work together it is a celebration. I love it when the teachers come in and see their students' artwork, who they might not have known were artists, and they learn about their students.”

The Art Show is an excellent opportunity for the school to show off their students talents, and a way to better connect with the community. Great job to all who had art in there!

The Silverware Saga

BY ISLA

In the cafeteria at WUHSMS, we currently use mainly plastic utensils, with a few items of silverware available. I was interested in how people felt about the available eating implements, and what the best eating tool to use would be.

I began by interviewing students and teachers about what they would choose between silverware, plastic utensils, and biodegradable utensils, and why. All of the students said they would prefer biodegradable utensils to plastic or silverware, and only one teacher said that he would prefer silverware. Seventh graders Hannah and Andrew agree on silverware, explaining that they “don’t like knowing someone’s used it before.” Tigger adds, also on silverware, that “sometimes it’s nasty.” Everyone agreed that plastic should be avoided because of its wastefulness, and decided biodegradable utensils were the best.

I then interviewed Kat Robbins, who works at WUHSMS as the place-based learning coordinator, and who also advises the Earth Beat club, an environmental club in the high school. She explained to me the long and winding history of using silverware in the cafeteria. “The cafeteria staff would use metal,” she explains, “Earth Beat has done several silverware drives where families can donate silverware, and we then put that silverware in the cafeteria.” What happens then, she tells me, is that the silverware gets thrown away or lost when students bring it to other rooms to eat their lunch. They know how much trash has been thrown away because of doing trash audits. After the metal is lost, the cafeteria staff then has to replace the silverware with plastic. Kat also explains that biodegradable utensils are tough to actually compost or deal with correctly, because the temperature and other environmental aspects have to be very specific. Kat says that she would like for the kitchen/cafeteria to use metal silverware, but that it’s going to be tough to make it work.

In the end, it comes down to how many students are willing to work on it. There are still things we could try, but not all students have been the most cooperative. “We could do another silverware drive, and there are metal bands you can put in trash cans to attract thrown away silverware.” Kat tells me, “We can keep trying things, and keep doing things,” Kat adds, but she tells me that we need more student cooperation, and it won’t happen if everyone can’t cooperate. In the meantime, she says she encourages students to use metal silverware.

High School Band Heads to Six Flags Festival

BY LUCY

The Woodstock Union High School band is going on a trip to Six Flags, where they will participate in a competition. This is their second year going. They won last year and are excited to play.

The trip starts with a festival/ competition with different high school bands, who perform in front of judges who are professional musicians. They then get critiques and then are placed against the other bands.

The band is playing one piece called “ The Call Of The Wild.” Band teacher Mr.Trudeau says,'' A lot of people shine in this piece.” It's an exciting song with a fast pace. Another song they will play is “Elements.” Graham, a band member, says “Elements is a harder song because it is longer and more complex.”

The rest of the day they go to Six Flags to celebrate and have fun.

Weather: Sunny days with 70s on the way

BY HUGH

To start off. our weather is going to be amazing. with the temperatures only going up. We'll see upper 50s on Friday than 64 on Saturday with a huge surge in temperatures with mid 70s Sunday and into Wednesday.

Tuesday could see a system with rain and wind. While no flooding is expected, it's something to watch.

Now in the Midwest, we are looking at the next 4-6 days of severe weather with tornadoes,wind, and hail. The main risk Friday and into Sunday appears to be tornadoes and hail. Otherwise our severe weather risk is low.

Celebrating Earth Day

BY ISLA

On Monday, April 22, the Woodstock Union Middle School (WUMS) students participated in various activities around the campus and surrounding area to celebrate Earth Day.

After shortened classes all morning, the students’ activities began at 1:00. The seventh graders took a hike up King Farm meadow, and the eighth graders participated in activities led and created by the high school Earth Beat club.

About having shortened classes, 7th grader Charlie B. comments, “I liked our shortened classes because it made time go by faster and I definitely think the hike was worth it.”

Teacher Ms. Hanrahan says that usually shortened classes are worth it, but it was a bit more difficult than usual to have this disruption directly following a week of testing.

The students interviewed enjoined the hike, but, 7th grader Chloe adds, “I think at the top of the hike we should have done something more constructive. I felt like we kind of just sat there and I wanted to play a game. I also felt like we were very separated into our different groups.”

Students didn’t take much away from the Climate Change aspect of Earth day, but they did enjoy the activities we did.

Forest Fire Advice from Tom Emery

BY NOLAN

Forest fires can start at this time of year. There is dry grass, and it’s windy. We all can learn about how to avoid forest fires. For starters, keep the fire in the fireplace so that it doesn't spread to make a forest fire. To learn more,I talked to Tom Emery, who is a Woodstock firefighter.

Nolan: How many forest fires have Woodstock firefighters been called to?

Tom Emery: We’ve been called to many forest fires over the years. Usually, they’re small, like less than an acre, but some have been much larger, like over 10 acres.

Nolan: How do forest fires start?

Tom Emery: Forest fires usually start by carelessness. Sometimes it is a homeowner who is burning something during a time when they shouldn’t. For example, the current conditions where there is a lot of fuel available, such as dried grass and leaves from last growing season, combined with low humidity, and strong winds can lead to a fire growing out of control. Towns will ban burning when these conditions exist. Here is a link to the present conditions in Vermont. As you can see by the map, conditions are high right now.

Nolan: How long do forest fires take to put out?

Tom Emery: Forest fires can take anywhere from an hour to put out to many days. For example, your average fire around a homeowner’s house may just take an hour to put out. Sometimes in these situations firefighters will walk around grass that is burning and apply some water from a backpack tank. However, other times a fire may burn for a couple days to weeks because of its location. A couple years ago there was a fire up in Killington. The location was more than a mile from the road with no easy access because of the very steep mountainside, so it was really difficult to get resources to the fire such as personnel, water, and other equipment

Live Your Life Week

BY ALYSSA

From April 1st through 5th the Woodstock middle school QSA hosted a Live your Life week full of activities for all middle schoolers.

They had questions, a card game, a presentation, and a step over the line game planned for this week.

They wanted to show that everyone is another person outside of this community, and that you should not judge one based on what they present to the world, but that most have some sort of darkness lurking behind them, a wall of (private) negative past experiences.

Over two months, they had worked to get the script and permission needed to host this week.

In an informal interview with Lexi and Libby, the President and Vice-President of QSA, they said that making this work was difficult, and that there was this sense of impending doom or “What if this doesn’t work?!?” In that vein, they also said that group motivation and cooperation were difficult to maintain.

7th grade student Isla said that she enjoyed the presentation and flower poem, and that she was able to get a pin or flower if she wanted. “The step over the line thing was revealing.”

“It was powerful, you had to be patient, and it made you reflect.” Isla said, answering the question of ‘Overall Opinion?’

“Everyone is equal, and all deserve the same. Treat people with kindness.”

Upcoming Musical: Newsies!

BY B

This Saturday from 6-7 p.m., our YOH theater program is performing the musical Newsies at the WUHSMS auditorium.

According to Ms. Bender, who teaches theater, the play is about "When powerful newspaper publishers raise prices at the newsboys' expense, the charismatic Jack Kelly rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions. Together, the newsies learn that they are stronger united and create a movement to fight for what's right."

Some members of the cast were asked about the play and what their experience has been like. Hannah McComb said, “It was kind of hectic, But really enjoyable.” Grace Foley said it was "Fun and stressful.” Charlie Davis also said, “It’s definitely been a roller coaster.”

They all said it was fun and they are glad they get the leading roles this time. Usually those are left to the Woodstock Union High schoolers. They said the audience can expect good times,comedy, “a lot of running and music.”

The Robot King: Mr. Smith

BY NOLAN

When I walked into Mr. Smith's room on Tuesday afternoon, it felt like a party. High school students were playing a quiz game and there were lights. Looking around, you could also tell there were lots of things in his room that a typical classroom might not have: There were lots of 3-D printers

Andy Smith is a robotics teacher down in the high school by other classrooms. He is short and funny. On top of robots he also teaches 3 other classes, including classes on coding and building robots.

Other teachers like Meg Siddiqui say that Mr. Smith is “patient.”

Here are some questions I asked Mr. Smith, and his answers. I asked him how he got interested in robotics, and he told me that his kids were on a Robot team. He also told me that robotics has changed a lot since he first started working with robots. Back then, robots were too much money. Now they are more affordable, and they can do things besides fighting, like racing, picking up soccer balls, throwing, and more. Mr. Smith said he cannot predict the future, but he said it will be a long time before self-driving cars become real.

In his free time, Mr. Smith likes to read, play with his dog, and watch sci-fi movies and shows.

In conclusion, Mr Smith is the robot king and the king of his classroom.

Steve Lanoza Q&A

BY NOAH

Meet Steve Lanoza. He’s the friendly, cap-wearing, smiling man who works in the lunchroom at the end of the salad bar. I interviewed him about his work, asking some questions and here they are.

Question: What is it like to serve lunch to over 350 kids every day?

Answer: Challenging. There’s a lot of different food options but a lot of kids know what they're getting.

Question: Do you have a favorite lunch?

Answer: Yes, my favorite lunch is orange chicken and we enjoy making it.

Question: What do you like about your job and what do you not like about your job?

Answer: One thing I like about my job is that I get to interact with a lot of kids. I don’t like the early morning hours.

Question: What do you do before and after work?

Answer: Wake up. My routine is to make sure the family is ready to go. Afterwards I spend time with my kids and wife and spend time outside.

Question: Is there anything hard about your job?

Answer: To me, no. To someone who’s never done it before, yes. Working well with other people.

Question: Is there anything easy about your job?

Answer: Most of it, because I get into a routine. It's easy because it has order.

Mr. McCormick Profile

BY BOWIE

Most days, when you enter the middle school gym, you will hear laughter and shouting. You will see kids running around and chasing after each other. And on most occasions, you will also spot Mr. McCormick, the 7th grade gym teacher, in on the action. Mr. McCormick has made the switch to teaching Wellness just this year, for the first time ever.

“Some good days, some less good days,” Mr.McCormick stated, when asked about how his first year is going. “I mean honestly, it's not that different from before, but the gym has added some new challenges. But also some new fun.”

Later, when asked about whether he preferred class Wellness or gym Wellness, he replied, “I dunno if I have a preference. It's just different things I'm comfortable with.” He then explained that his favorite gym game was dodgeball. “It encourages a lot of participation.”

Mr. McCormick used to live in Alaska, where he went to university. He has spent ten years (and counting) teaching here in Woodstock. He was born in New Hampshire, and his favorite fast food restaurant is Wendys, even though he doesn’t normally eat fast food.

He also has a thing for giving wisdom-filled quotes with his students. “When your soul is looking for you, light a candle in its path,” He said, thoughtfully, interrupting Mr. Kent’s H block self-direction to share the quote.

You never know what to expect from Mr. McCormick.

Question of the Week: Who Is Your Favorite Character in Animal Farm?

BY NAT

The question has certainly raised a little attention, but has never been done officially. Because of the sad cancellation of the poetry out loud essays, (see story below for details) I decided to interview 43 people to get an answer.

Unvoted: Starting off with the most unliked, forgotten characters, we have Minimus, Moses, Jessie, Pincher, The black Cockerel, and all the rest of the humans. Though a few students expressed love for Moses, unfortunately, none wanted to give him their vote.

One votes: These characters, just managing to get 1 vote each, all together only total 6% of the votes. These include Bluebell, Mollie, and Pinkeye, a long forgotten character that just scraped up a vote by David Solitaire, Simply stating “he's cool.”

8th & 7th: Tying for eighth, we have Clover and Benjamin, both with 3 and a half votes. (one student insisted on splitting their vote between the two.) Some reasons included Benjaman being “pragmatic” by Ms. Hanrahan and Clover being “motherly” by Kasia.

6th & 5th: In another tie for 6th, we’ve got the scheming Squealer and free-spirited The cat. I, like many others, was quite confused to see this feline so high on the list, gaining 4 solid followers, just as many as Squealer. Mrs. Lessard herself confessed a secret love for this round piglet. “I don’t like what he's doing, but I like how hard he's trying to do it.” she says.

4th: Coming in for fourth, we have the trusted, loved old boar, Old Major, with 5 votes. Despite no one giving a reason as to why they loved this old pig, it is clear that his overall wisdom and charisma secured him high on the board.

3rd and 2nd: And tied neck and neck, we have the two biggest rivals. Snowball and Napoleon, tying in with 7 votes each, and 28% of the entire voting pool. Though neither ended out on top, both have proved themselves as some of the most loved characters in all of Animal Farm.

1st: And coming in first, with an overwhelming 13 votes, or over ¼ of the votes, is Boxer, the hard working horse who led the labor on Animal Farm. “He carried.” “He's hard working.” “He’s loyal.” Everyone had something to say about this steadfast and lovable stallion.

Boston Bruins

BY NOLAN

The place is TD Garden. Outside, you’ve got the statue of Bobby Orr flying. And then you walk inside and they can probably sit 19,600 people. It is pretty loud. The Jumbotron is yelling and playing music.

It’s the Bruins versus Tampa Bay Lightning, on Tuesday, February 13th. It was my first time at a Bruins game

Many people may not know about the Boston Bruins. Here are some names of some Bruins players: The Captain is now Brad Marchand and in right wing we have David Pastrnak. Also the Boston Bruins have won six Stanley Cups.

The Boston Bruins have had many great seasons and they lose some and win some. Also they are still around from when my uncle played for them, and Brad Marchand had his one thousandth game in the NHL. He has been in many fist fights and somehow wins them all.

I was looking forward to eating Boston Bruins popcorn and chicken nuggets on Tuesday. Sadly to all the Boston Bruins fans out there, Boston lost to Tampa Bay Lighting in a shoot out.

Students relax after Valentine's Day

PHOTOS BY BOWIE 😀

Junior Firefighting

BY NOLAN

Many people may not know about the Proctorsville Fire Department’s junior firefighter program. There are about ten juniors and 24 or 25 firefighters involved. For a small town that is pretty big.

The junior firefighter program is for kids who want to be a firefighter. It meets from 6:00 to 7:30 every Tuesday at the Proctorsville fire department. You have to be 12 years old to participate. At first you don't get to do training, you get to sit and watch and learn what is happening or what is going on.

After the first training, you can do the trainings and some trainings you get to smash cars and get gear on for an obstacle course, and sometimes you get to do a fire hose training with the the trucks.

Bob Glidden is the Deputy Chief in Proctorsville. Also Bob Glidden was also a junior when he started. “While they don’t always go into the fire service, it prepares them for life, too,” Glidden said in an interview with WCAX.

Proctorsville fire department is not the only fire department doing a junior program. Did you know that many fire departments work with other fire departments, too? There is a program called Mutual Aid where departments like the Woodstock fire department work together.

According to Tom Emery, “Woodstock Fire Department works with many different departments through what is called mutual aid. If we have an incident, such as a large structure fire, we will ask for other departments to come and help us out, and we will do the same for them. Some of the towns close by who we often help and ask for their help are Bridgewater, Pomfret, Reading, and Hartford.”

Tom Emery is an officer for the Woodstock Fire Department. He says that trainings for the whole department happen on the first Monday of every month. “We also have other training periodically through the year, like ice rescue. Training is a very important component of fire service,” he says.

Marshall Hendricks, who comes from a family of firefighters in southern New Jersey, spoke with me about the importance of junior programs. His father is the chief of their local volunteer company in Stockton, New Jersey where they have attempted to attract young people to their company. Despite these efforts, their junior program never really took off. Due to this lack of youth involvement, the company will stop existing in its current form in the near future as they are having to merge with another local company. This is a clear example of the importance of junior firefighter programs.

Food Unit Draws Drama

BY BOWIE

For the last couple months, seventh graders have been researching food in Wellness. Students have been reading the book The Omnivore's Dilemma, watching videos about how industrial food is made, and researching certain foods to learn more about the foods that people eat daily. However, on many occasions, it has led to disruptions in diets and even mindsets.

“I started seeing illusions of the chickens that I had eaten,” Nat, a seventh grader, explains when asked about how he has been impacted by the unit. “Eating Cheetos in a carefree manner. Illusions.” Nat is now questioning everything he once thought was true. Later he explains his sadness of the loss of gigabits, once mass produced by Google. “Two plus two may or may not equal four,” He stated, sadly.

When asked if certain views of food have changed since the unit began, seventh grader Noah said that it hasn’t changed much about the way he looked at food. However, he did say, “When I think of farming, I [used to] think of a red barn, but after seeing this, they are just sitting for hours in a day in their own c***.”

In an interview, Mr. McCormick, the 7th grade Wellness teacher, stated, “7th graders are at the age where they are starting to make decisions for themselves. We have more control over the world than we think,” and, “I really enjoy serving students crickets, I feel great.”

Woodstock 2 Bus Woes

BY B AND BRIANNA

There have been problems on the Woodstock 2 bus; one incident even had the police involved. But right now the most current issue is that the bus driver of Woodstock 2 is not driving the bus anymore, so several students from WUSHMS and other schools now don’t have a ride to school.

Teachers said that they are hoping to have a new bus driver by next Monday. The old bus driver was referred to as “Pops.”

A month ago an incident happened with the police and it all started when the bus was turning towards the South Woodstock Country Store and unnamed high schoolers were “Tossing paper balls out the window”, according to eye witnesses.

When local police officers called the radio that was on the bus, the Woodstock 2 bus driver, “Pops,” had to pull over at the beginning of Church Hill Road to write up the students' names.

Mr. TanCreti was interviewed and he said that “We’ve taken steps to help with situations on the bus.” And “There will always be incidents on the bus but there has been different levels of severity.”

The Pilgrimage : Annual Off-Roading Event Delivers

BY HUGH

The sound of revving motors in cars and the sound of winching a car out of mud. The feel of driving into a mud pool, or the warmth of a campfire. The rushing of water. Foliage during the first week of fall, with cold weather and sunny skies.

It's the first week of October and the overlanding and off-roading is coming to an end. But it's not going out without a great event!

The Pilgrimage is an off-roading event on October 6th through 8th in South Royalton with a 250 vehicle max.

It is inclusive for all kids, adults and pets. There are activities all around, including pumpkin carving and mini games for kids, with a river to cool off in. There is pizza, tacos, ice cream and many more foods, plus Worthy Burger just down the road.

During the day you can go out and drive up a river or you can cruise the dirt roads in the 80+ towns included in the event's course.

There are also guide services to go fishing, cruising fast class four roads, or adventuring in rivers and all the land in-between.

The event is run by Derek Chace and this is its 3rd year. Even after the flooding of July 11th, the event sold out in 2023, with 250 vehicles participating.

“The east slopes of the mountains have more damage with only a few exceptions," Chace said. "There are points where there are 7-foot deep trenches in the road but room to drive on the side."

This event is once a year and has many smaller tours and camping trips all around Vermont. One of the tours is all about plane crashes in Vermont.

To end off, the Pilgrimage is not just an event, it's your event. You can make it into anything you want it to be. It might just be cruising class fours, or it might be going up rivers -- it’s your choice.

Video BY YANNI

"I made this multi-media piece for journalism class, taught by Ms. Hanrahan, and based it on what I was learning about values from reading The Outsiders with Mr. McCormick. I felt like this piece would be an opportunity to learn more about what I value, and what others value too."

--Yanni Amos, 7th Grade

Class Profiles_Values (1).mp4

Hyped for Halloween

BY HUNTER

With Halloween just around the corner, everyone’s going crazy for candy! And jack - o -lanterns, costumes, and overall fun.

But what's happening across the school? What are people’s opinions on Halloween? Are they excited for the holiday?

Mrs. Whitehead says that maybe each class will have a costume competition to see who has the best costume.

Here are some comments from Kasia Sluka: “I'm excited for Halloween this year because of the trick or treating and I'm going to be a hippie.”

Willow Carey says, “I think I’m going to be a hippie with Kasia and I’m most excited for Halloween in general because I missed out last year because of Covid so I'm excited for this year.”

Hugh Chase says, “I’m going to be a tank commander from Desert Storm for Halloween and I’m the most excited for just hanging out with my friends.”

Get ready for the spooky month it’s almost here!

Who Is Tydus Percy?

BY OLIVER and DECLAN

We had first seen Tydus in the hallway of school, not knowing if he was a student or a teacher.

After a few questions, we figured out that he had just graduated from high school, and that he is now our school’s IT Specialist.

We wanted to interview him about his unique job, and his young age. Our interview started in the library, with a first question,

“How did you become the I.T specialist?” we started.

His response was, “I just applied for it, and it also helped a good amount that I was qualified for it.”

We also asked him, “What do you like about being in the tech department?”

“I like it because it's pretty relaxing and I like taking apart computers, so it’s pretty cool.”

Our next question was, “Why did you want to be in the tech department?”

“I am a local guy, I've lived in Vermont and I'm into the tech field.”

We also asked him, “Do you plan on going to college?”

“Yeah I do,I'm attending CCV online, and hoping to go to Castleton,” he responded.

Our last question of the interview was, “What was the hardest job you’ve faced?”

“Probably taking apart some printers, simply because there is so much inside of it and is pretty complex.”

Spirit Week

BY KASIA AND WILLOW

During the week of October 2, 2023, WUHS had spirit week!

Usually, spirit week is the week of the homecoming dance but this year it was two weeks early. Some kids were confuse on why this was but it turns out the sports schedule and other activities caused the student council to have it early.

We interviewed Maya Sluka who mentions: “My favorite day was probably western day. It was really fun to plan out and wear. If I would add a day to Spirit Week, it would be costume day because it is getting into the spooky season.” The hardest outfit for her was Jersey day because, “It’s hard to go above and beyond in making your whole outfit dedicated to jerseys or teams.”

Sadly this year there were no winners but each day the Woodstock Instagram posted pictures of some of the favorite outfits. This year had a fantastic spirit week and students are excited for next year!

Here are the different themes for each day of the week:

Monday: Sports Jersey Day

Tuesday: Barbie vs. Oppenheimer

Wednesday: Western Wednesday

Thursday: Color Wars

Seniors: PINK/RED
Juniors: GREEN
Sophomores: BLUE
Freshman: PURPLE

Friday: PJ day

Middle School Band Doubles in Size

BY LUCY

This year at the Woodstock Union High School and Middle School the middle school band has doubled in size, going from last year having roughly fifteen kids and now having thirty. The new seventh grade has made the band size go up from two flutes to six and one clarinet to four, with Mr.Trudeau leading the band into the new year.

With the eighteen kids from seventh grade they all seem pretty excited for being a part of the band. So far the band has started with the sheet music Arrowhead and Beauty and the Beast.“I think it's going to be so fun and I think I'm going to learn a lot” says Chloe Costello, who plays the flute.

“Yeah, it’s very exciting with a funny,new teacher and also I am with all of my friends,'' Yanni Amos claims.

The band has their first concert in the winter and the school is excited to hear them play!

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Arrives

BY HUNTER

Recently Starbucks made a new latte for fall! The components to this delightful drink consist of Milk, Milk foam, Pumpkin Sauce Pumps, Pumpkin Spice Topping, and Water. According to Starbucks “it has a subtle taste of cinnamon that isn’t very overpowering.”

Now let's hear some quotes from some students from our school. Willow Roberts says that “I don’t like coffee so I don’t really care.” That's sad. Andrew Murphy says, “I think I will like it because I like pumpkin spice and on a scale of 1 to 10 pumpkin spice is a 7,” Lastly, Hugh Chase says “I'm not going to try it because I don’t want to spend my valued money.” He also says since it’s Starbucks, “I don’t think I will try it,” but he does say that “on a scale of 1-10 it’s an 8,”referring to the flavor of pumpkin spice. It seems that there isn’t as much hype for Starbucks Pumpkin spice latte.

Flood in Libya Leads to 11,000 Deaths

BY FARIS

Libya, a country next to egypt, had a flood recently and over 11,000 People died. Libya is having trouble rebuilding because of the damage.

Cars turned into boats and boats sank.

A high school girl in the library said ‘’That’s sad.” “Yes, that is sad,” said another student. Nolan Leonard said, “ didn’t know about that.” It is sad that nobody in our school knows about the flood.

Mr. McCormick

BY YANNI and KASIA

This year Mr. McCormick took a change in jobs. He switched from Social Studies to Wellness after Mr. Gladding switched his job as well.

We interviewed Mr. McCormick about his new job and our first question was if teaching wellness was hard. He didn't know how to answer but he did say that it was a different type of difficult and he gave examples such as the way you help the kids isn’t the same and there is new type of equipment to manage.

During the interview Mr. McCormick mentioned that one of the main reasons he changed subjects was because he had been teaching social studies for 12 years, “I wanted to try something new and I love games so it seemed a perfect opportunity.”

The 7th graders wanted to know what topics he would be covering this year in Wellness and Mr. McCormick explains, “Volleyball we might do the next unit and I am a big racket fan so maybe pickleball. We also have an ice skating rink across from us so it would be nice to teach you guys how to skate and play hockey.” Then he asked the students their opinions about dodgeball and they all responded very enthusiastically.

Multiple students are excited about volleyball and we asked Liam Crowl if he preferred the gym or the classroom. He responded by saying, “I would say classroom because we can’t appreciate Mr.McCormick’s ME time. He is not so talkative and funny in the gym and that is what I like most about him.”

Ms. Hanrahan brought up his fashion changes from a tie everyday to a T-shirt and shorts most days. So we wanted to know Mr.McCormick's point of view toward his new outfit changes so we asked him about it. “Trying to Mr.Rogers it. It’s nice to have a change and I am so used to this armor. But it’s more important to look good than to feel good. Sometimes you just gotta do it,” he firmly states.

Now everybody has had a wellness class the 7th graders are very excited to continue playing games and learning in the classroom with Mr. McCormick!

Mr. T

BY BRI and B

Most of us know him from W.E.S, as the funny and always happy gym teacher. Students now know him as an assistant principal, but others know him as both. Mr. T has been a great role model and we know he will continue to be. We interviewed him about why he stopped being a gym teacher and here is what he said: “I am very grateful for it, But I felt like I would make more of an impact on people in a different role.” He enjoys his new job, He loves his colleagues, and loves the challenge of changing up his day. He also mentioned: I come in with a plan and before lunch time I’m finding myself ripping it up and throwing it away. A colleague in the office said Mr. T has made a positive impact on our school, saying, “There's greater communication. students have stronger relationships and feel like their assistant principal is an ally." Mr.T added that there's a sense of belonging. “The fact that I've taught most of you has given me a head start in being an assistant principal and caring about the students and feeling like they can trust me." He also talked about his experience at W.E.S compared to being at WUHSMS. “Being a younger administrator I have had to work harder to earn trust and now being an assistant principal I have to think about how my actions affect everyone." Joel Carey, a colleague of Mr. T's, talked about the energy and impact he brings to every place and or situation. “Cody is an extremely mature person beyond his years ... I think his vision for community involvement is inspiring ... His energy is contagious with the students and teachers, and that helps change the culture in the school in a positive manner.”

He added, “Cody takes a real genuine interest in students' lives and who they are as people and tries to be somebody they can rely on, look up to and be able to go to for whatever they need."

Mr. T brings positive and happy energy wherever he goes bringing smiles and laughs to every room he walks through. The WUHSMS is so lucky to have him as our assistant principal.

PHOTOS BY YANNI and BRI CARTOON BY HUNTER

Vaping Issues Improving at WUHSMS

BY LUCY

In the new year comes new hopes to have less vaping problems. Last year at the Woodstock union high school and middle school had a problem. Kids were vaping in the bathrooms. The problem became serious, so the school decided to install detectors that go off to alert the school's vice principal Mr. TanCreti.

The alarms would go off eight to ten times a week, and two to three times a day last year, Mr. TanCreti said. This year they have gone down significantly to one to two times a week.

Nicoteen is the primary ingredient in vapes and is therefore extremely addictive. The result of nicotine being so addictive is it can affect your health. Nicotine can cause lung damage, organ damage and more. When kids need help to quit or want a lollipop they can go to Ms. Annie Luke.

Ms. Luke is the school's SAP (Student Assistance Profesional). She helps kids develop healthy coping skills and helps kids avoid addictive substances. She also is an advisor of VKAT (Vermont Kids Against Tobacco). Students have gone to Ms.Luke and asked for help around quitting vaping.

One result of kids vaping more often is that the administration has made middle school only bathrooms. This year is the first year to have the middle school wing and the middle school only bathrooms. This was done so the middle schoolers can be comfortable in the bathrooms, even though it's not just high schoolers that are vaping.

This year has hopes to be better, with help from vape detectors and Ms.Luke. But vaping is a nationwide epidemic. As Mr. TanCreti says, “Kids are genuinely addicted to these things.''

7th Graders Take to the Woods

BY B

On Thursday September 7th, the 7th grade class went on a camp out at Emerald Lake State Park. It was the second field trip of the school year and only the second week!

There were some kinks to work out, such as the rain. One more bump in the road was the food. Some 7th grade students said the burgers were good, but one anonymous student said,“I think our whole tent got food poisoning.” Others said the burgers were undercooked.

The day of the camping trip some folks said that they were nervous about their tent mates, but there was a lot of excitement about fishing. Lots of people shared excitement to hang out with friends.

Overall, Everyone had fun. Most people said the bus ride was very fun. Another one of the highs of the trip was swimming in the lake. Some kids formed teams of boys against girls in a swim relay race (the girls won!). Some lows that 7th graders mentioned were the rain and the lack of sleep at night.

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