Our Five Senses Costa Rican Visit

VOLUME 20
NUMBER 2
APRIL
2010
ESTABLISHED
IN 1990
&
Blue Gold
The
Now
available
on-line at
www.wsdvt
.org
Costa
Rican
Visit
ALLEN BROOK
SCHOOL
WILLISTON
CENTRAL SCHOOL
WILLISTON, VT
Girls on the Run
By Martha Stanley, Nathalie
Paquette, Hanna Swett
By Thea Weiss
Haven’t you always
dreamed of going to a
tropical place, sitting
on the beach, lying
in the sun, playing in
the water? And you
never understand why
anyone would ever
want to leave and visit
somewhere like chilly
Vermont?
Winter fun with our Costa Rican visitors!
Well, this past
winter, 5 teenagers
typical Vermont life, with the occasional dose
from Costa Rica did. They had been taking
of fluent Spanish.
English at their high schools, just like we
The Ticos stay here was such a phenomenal
have the option to take French and Spanish.
experience; I wouldn’t take it back for
Unfortunately, due to Costa Rica’s economy
anything. Each day they felt more and more
being low right now, only 5 people were able to
like family, as the bond between the host
afford the trip here.
families and the Ticos grew stronger and more
The Costa Ricans (they refer to themselves
solid. The day we all stood hugging in the
as “Ticos”) stayed with local Vermont families,
airport saying “adios” was an incredibly harsh
such as my own, so they could get a feel for what
one, indeed.
it really is like to live here. The bond they grew
But this experience helped me see and
with the families was incredibly strong, making it
understand how different life is in other
hard to say goodbye when the time came.
cultures. As they taught us, we taught them.
While they were here, they went to school
We will forever keep in touch, and never, ever
at CVU; they went sledding, ice skating, cross
forget that our friends, however far away, will
country skiing, and even went to New York
always be close in our hearts. And as they say
City for a weekend. It was very much like a
in Costa Rica,¡ Pura Vida!
What is “Toe
Cheese?”
How do you
Make It?
With Mrs. Wirsing
By Patrick Mellmann
In the Vista/Esprit
workshop in Mrs. Wirsing’s
class, we made “toe cheese,”
which is a combination of
Patrick investigates properties of a
Elmer’s glue and water mixed polymer made of Borax and glue.
with Borax, food coloring and
water.
When we mixed them up,
the water settled. We looked
inside the water and we found
this goopy stuff, which was
the “toe cheese.” We took a
popsicle stick and scooped
out the toe cheese, and once
it dried a little so that it didn’t
feel slimey, we started to
experiment with it. It started
as a liquid, and transformed
into a rubbery solid!
I rolled mine up into a
ball and wondered if it was
bouncy. I dropped it on the
table and it bounced. Lots of
kids say it looked like a brain.
In all, most kids liked making
toe cheese.
A bunch of girls in Pinnacle have signed
up for Girls on the Run. The days of the
meetings are Monday through Thursday. You
can sign up for Mondays and Wednesdays
or Tuesdays and Thursdays. It happens after
school and you run around and play running
games. Some of the games are relay races,
name games and stations where you do other
games like Treasure Hunt or stretching.
The meetings teach you how to keep
your body healthy. The ending celebration
is a run that is 5K (3.1 miles). Each person
gets a medal and a T-shirt. We interviewed
a number of girls who are doing Girls on the
Run to see how they felt about it.
Nathalie Paquette said: “I signed up for
Girls on the Run because I like to run and
play games and hang out with our friends.
When we do the 5K we can do it with friends
and family or with your cousins. The most
important thing about Girls on the Run is that
you learn about how you can keep yourself
healthy. I also like to run and get exercise
and have fun with other girls. I like to meet
new people and make new friends."
Hanna Swett said: “I signed up on
Mondays and Wednesdays. I decided to do it
because I look forward to doing the 5K race
at the end. When we run in our meets we
play games that teach us about life lessons.
My favorite part of Girls on the Run is that
for the last hour we run around the track and
each time we do a lap we get a wrist band."
Martha Stanley said: “I signed up on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is my first
time doing it because only 3rd and 4th
graders can be a part. I am excited to be a
part because a lot of my friends are doing it
and I like to run around a lot.”
Jillian Hebert said: “I want to be a
professional runner when I grow up.”
Leila Woel said: “I like to be active,
and I want to meet new friends.”
Eryn Erdman said: “This is my first
year doing it. I’m doing it on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. I want to do it because I like to
run. My sister did it and she loved it so I
want to do it.”
Rachel Howell said: “This is my second
year doing it. My favorite part is running on
the track.”
Girls on the Run starts this month and we
are really excited to start it and experience the
feeling of running.
OurByFive
Senses
Mrs. Read’s class
We have been learning about the 5 senses. One of the activities that we completed had
us gathering information about pickles using our senses. We had to guess the food in the
container using our sense of smell and hearing. First, we used our ears to hear the sound
of a pickle, but we had no idea what it was. It sounded like a rubber ball. However, once
we smelled it, we knew instantly that it was a pickle. Next, we used our sense of touch to
see what the pickle felt like. We decided it was bumpy, slimy, and sticky. Then, we each
tasted a pickle. Some of us loved the pickle and some of us didn’t. Many of us thought it tasted sour
and some of us even thought it tasted like a skunk! After, we used our sense of sight to
draw the pickle. Once the activity was completed, many of us wanted to eat the leftover
pickles. Yum!
In the picture from L to R: Braedon, Alexa, Peyton, Bridget,
Griffin, and Lucas
2 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Allen Brook School
K i n dergarten
Math Problems in
Ms. Dyer’s Kindergarten
By Myleigh and Demi
Eric Carle
Quinn Connolly,
Kahlyn Wilson,
Leigh Kerbaugh
and Ava White
Mrs. Macnee’s class
went to the Flynn Theatre to
watch 3 plays by Eric Carle.
These are the three plays:
Little Cloud, The Mixed Up
Chameleon and The Very
Hungry Caterpillar. There
was a silly part when the
chameleon was walking and
running. It was funny when
the chameleon looked at us. To make the
characters glow up on the stage they shine a
special light up to it to make it glow. We have
been reading lots of Eric Carle books in class
and it was fun to go to Burlington to watch
them with the class.
(Shown L to R above holding Allison’s seal problem.)
We made math problem solvers out of
paper. They were problems about whales and
sharks and seals. First we told the story out
loud of the problem we wanted to solve. Then
we made problems. We had lots of fun making
them. There was red and blue and yellow and
black construction paper. We picked to draw
whales, sharks, or seals to match our stories.
Jimmy even drew some penguins.
We drew the animals with pencil and then
traced over them with a black permanent
marker. We cut them out and glued them on to
white paper. Then we colored the background
with crayons and colored pencils.
The teacher typed the words and stapled
them to our papers. When they were finished,
we read them as a class and acted out some of
the problems! It was lots of fun! We loved it!
Here is an example of one of the problems:
There are 6 mother seals. Each mother has 1
baby seal. How many seals altogether?
&
Blue Gold
The
Volume 20
Mrs. Davison’s students shown L to R: Donald, Carmella, Abby, Jordyn, and Jake
Kindergarten Donates
Books to Burlington!
Ms. Davison’s Kindergarten Class donated
200 books to local organizations in Burlington!
We asked some of the students what they think
about giving back to the community.
Your friends,
Mrs. Spagnuolo’s Kindergarten
S tu dent P rofi le
Kindergarten students (L to R) Chloe, Catherine,
Tanner, Hayden and Katrina play “Spin and Write”
during math time.
A Letter from Mrs.
Spagnuolo’s Class
Administration:
Walter Nardelli, District Leader
Jacqueline Parks, WCS
John Terko, ABS
Carter Smith, Director of
Special Education
How does it make you feel to make a
difference?
“It makes you feel good!”
When we solve a math problem, we get a fish
sticker to put in our fish bowl! Do you like
math?
Number 2
April 2010
www.cssu.org
Faculty Advisors:
Richard Allen, Enrichment Teacher
Betty Poirot, Enrichment Teacher
Layout: Sue Storey Design & Illustration
A publication of the Enrichment
Program
Williston School District
Williston, Vermont
Why was it important to donate these
books?
Because some people didn’t have books.”
Dear Williston Friends and Families,
Math is awesome! We are learning to
count by fives and we are playing lots of penny
games. We play Count and Compare Pennies,
Beat You to Twenty Cents, and Race You to
Fifteen Cents. We are figuring out how to solve
math problems. We also have math journals
and we draw diagrams to show our thinking.
Name: Kieran Grade: 2
Teacher: Mrs. Dodge
House: Calliope
Interests, hobbies,
activities: soccer,
skateboarding,
snowboarding and
baseball
Favorite summer
activities: skateboarding
Favorite winter activities:
snowboarding
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Favorite movie/DVD: Harry Potter
Things I like to do with my friends: play soccer
Things I like to do alone: read, play video games
I am most proud of: knowing how to nollie. (a
skateboard trick)
I wish I could: go to the X Games.
When I am an adult I: will be in the X Games.
Other comments/information: I like math.
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
3
Allen Brook School
Vista and Esprit Explore Science Together
By Brianna Kolibas
Vista and Esprit third and fourth graders joined together to learn about science. When we
worked with the kids in Esprit, I liked meeting new students and teachers at the same time. We
learned about solids, liquids, and gasses. I felt like I was a scientist and I liked it. I might even want
to be a scientist when I grow up because it’s so much fun! Some experiments were messy and some
were clean. All of the teachers were nice and had fun experiments. I hope we can do more science
together in the future.
Esprit and Vista
students look on as
John experiments with
a balloon during the
workshop about gas.
Mary and Ellie make diagrams in their science journals
during Science Friday in Ms. Canfield’s Kindergarten
class.
What is Science Friday?
By Ms. Canfield’s Kindergartners
Science Friday is a time when we measure
things. We have a special Investigations
Journal and we make pictures in them. We
call the pictures diagrams and we label them.
We look at stuff from close up and we do stuff
like leaf rubbings. We measure leaves and we
measure pine cones. We boil water and look at
the steam. That’s called evaporation. We have
a song for that too.
We make playdough out of different things
like flour and water and oil and food coloring.
We experiment with water to see if things
float or sink. We see if we can turn water a
color with a magic marker. We looked at the
caterpillar in our classroom and drew it and we
also drew what a tree looks like. We always
put the date on our page because that’s what
scientists do. We put labels on a diagram of
a bee. We love Science Friday because it’s
a special time in school when we get to be
scientists and see what happens.
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Cameron
Grade: 3
Teacher: Mr. Bolger
House: Calliope
Interests, hobbies,
activities: play
hockey, golf, baseball,
Wii, soccer, fishing,
camping and playing
with my friends
Favorite summer
activities: golf
Favorite winter activities: hockey
Favorite book: Because of Winn Dixie
Favorite movie/DVD: Journey to the Center of the
Earth
Things I like to do with my friends: play sports
Things I like to do alone: play on the computer
I am most proud of: hockey.
When I am an adult I: want to play in the NHL.
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Emily
Grade: 2
Teacher: Mrs. Rodliff
House: Esprit
Interests, hobbies,
activities: Ski Club,
American Girl Dolls,
ice skating
Favorite summer
activities: swimming
Favorite winter activities:
skiing.
Favorite book: Me Too and Fancy Nancy
Favorite movie/DVD: Ice Age 2
Things I like to do with my friends: ride bikes
Things I like to do alone: read
I am most proud of: ice skating
I wish I could: go down the Colorado River
When I am an adult I: will be a teacher
Grade 3/4 Science
with Ms. Steele
By Tyler Brooks, Baxter Bishop,
Cooper Snipes, Jackson Guernsey,
Ali Bisaccia, Natalie Durieux,
Allison Selwah and Erin Watson
Do you think gas has weight? Yes or no?
Students from Esprit and Vista got together
to find out the answer. As a class we did an
experiment and found out that, YES gas does
have weight.
First, Miss Steele inflated two balloons.
Then we made a scale out of a hook, a
yardstick and some string. Next, we attached
the balloons to both sides of the scale. Our next
step was to pop one balloon with a tack. We
decided that if the balloon that wasn’t popped
went down then gas has weight. If the scale
stayed balanced then it would mean that gas
does not have weight. FINALLY we popped
the balloon….the balloon went d
o
w
n. This shows
that gas does have weight.
After the experiment was over we
wondered if carbon dioxide and helium have
the same weight or does one weigh more? We
thought the best part of this experiment was
popping the balloon and watching the scale
change. We most importantly learned that gas
has weight. Learning About Matter
with Mrs. Haas
By Danielle Urban and Lily Cote
Do you know what matter is? Matter is
everything that is anything! In Mrs. Haas’s
class Esprit and Vista’s third and fourth graders
did experiments, such as chocolate pretzels!
For chocolate pretzels the procedure went like
this:
1. Melt chocolate chips in a pan on a burner –
be careful not to burn the chocolate!
2. Pour the chocolate on the pretzels (the
solid chips changed into liquid chocolate)
3. Add m & m’s as a topping (solid)
4. Put them in the fridge to see what happens
5. The chocolate that was a liquid hardened
back to a solid
6. Eat and enjoy! What a lovely treat!
The next experiment was the water change.
What’s the water change, you might ask? It’s
when ice (solid) turns into water (liquid) and
the water turns into a gas and then the gas
condensed back into liquid.
1. Put a bowl of ice (solid) on the burner
2. Apply heat
3. Wait for the ice to melt into liquid
4. Put water into the teakettle, add heat
5. Wait and watch as the water boiled and
water evaporated as steam (gas)
6. Hold cat food can with ice in it over the
steam with tongs
7. The steam condensed and turned into water
droplets. It looked like it was raining!
In conclusion we learned that matter is
everywhere, even the kitchen! From the water
you drink, to the food you eat.
Liquid Experiments
with Mrs. Dusablon
By Ben Gramling and
Brianna Kolibas
In Mrs. Dusablon’s science workshops we
learned two facts about all liquids. Liquids
can be poured even if they are thick and also
liquids will take the shape of the container that
holds them.
One experiment we did was called
“Layering Liquids”. We organized six different
liquids according to thickness. We found out
that the liquids that are the densest [like honey]
go to the bottom and the liquids that are the
least dense [like rubbing alcohol] stay on top.
We used food coloring so we could identify
each liquid. The six liquids formed layers in
the glass tube. Everyone got a turn to be a
helper for one part of the demonstration.
Another experiment was called “Cut
and Connect Water Drops”. Using a toothpick
we each split drops and moved them around
on a piece of waxed paper. Then by blowing
through a straw, we put them back together
again. We observed that it’s easier to connect
drops than to cut them. All in all it was fun
experimenting with liquids in our science
workshops.
4 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Allen Brook School
V i sta
Presenting….. The One
and Only…Voicethread!
By Mrs. Bianchi’s Class
Click, talk, click, circle, talk, click… that’s
all you need to do to make a magnificent
Voicethread. Voicethread is a website that
we have been using to record our ideas and
comment on pictures. Voicethread is a great
place to show your thinking!
Our first Voicethread project was about
immigration. There was a photo of an
immigrant family. One at a time, we looked
at the picture, circled a part that we were
interested in, and talked about it. For our
second project, we read 100 word sections of
our favorite reading group books. The cover
of the book was also on each Voicethread.
This was a two-page Voicethread. The other
page was where we each talked about a
pattern in the series. Recently, we created a
Voicethread where we had a choice of two
more immigrant photos to comment on. One
photo was of people waiting in line to get
U.S. money and the other one was two men
asking questions to an immigrant waiting to
get into the United States to start a better life.
Voicethread can be used for many subject
areas. You can do lots of cool projects with
Voicethread!
Voicethread is such a great website for
many reasons. It’s cool because you can use a
microphone to record your own voice telling
what you think. One of the amazing things is
that you can circle things in pictures while you
are talking to show what you mean. We think
it’s awesome that you can also show a little
picture of yourself while you are talking. You
can even post your Voicethread on your blog.
We hope to do many more marvelous
Voicethread projects this year. We already
have some ideas for our independent research
projects. We love Voicethread so much! We
are hoping you will try Voicethread, too!
You can see our immigration Voicethread
on our class blog at
http://mrsbianchisclass.blogspot.com/
Journey to
Antarctica
In Ms. Rogers 1st
grade classroom we made
passports for our journey
to Antarctica. We made
passports and put our
height, birth date, names,
and a picture of ourselves.
We learned about different
penguins that live in
different places. Then we
started by reading stories
and poems about penguins
and learning facts about
them. We measured
yarn for how tall each
penguin is in inches and
we kept track of it on
our data sheets. We also kept track of how
much they weigh and the color of their beaks,
feet, front and back feathers. We have a large
chart where we keep all of our information
about penguins. After making our own tape
measures we measured how tall we are and
made a graph showing each of us and all the
different penguins. We play fun games called
Help, A Skua!, Journey to Antarctica, Old Orca
The Young Writers Project
By Katie Scheer and Olivia Pintair
Vista student Aidan reads to Sophie.
Sophie the Therapy Dog
By Madison Hubbard
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Tegan
Grade: 3
Teacher: Mrs. Dusablon
House: Vista
Interests, hobbies,
activities: biking,
skateboarding and
playing with my friends
Favorite summer
activities:
skateboarding
Favorite winter activities:
snowboarding
Favorite book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Favorite movie/DVD: The Dukes of Hazzard
Things I like to do with my friends: make jumps
out of wood for bicycles.
Things I like to do alone: play video games.
I am most proud of: my art work: the red tail hawk
picture I drew.
I wish I could: fly
When I am an adult I: will work in the Humane
Society.
Other comments/information: I am very funny.
Subtraction, Spin to Win Bingo!, and Penguins
on Board Addition. We learn more about
Antarctica and math by playing these games.
It was really fun to learn about the ocean
water temperatures around the world. We used
warm water, cold water, and icy water to make
thermometers move up and down counting by
2’s.
It is so much fun to do math this way!
Sophie, the therapy dog, is Alison Kahn’s
pet dog who comes to our class every week.
One person at a time gets to read to her, but I
have not read to her yet. I really want to read
with Sophie and I know that I will get a turn.
Sophie is a really cute King Charles
spaniel. There are not a lot of people who get
to see her so we are lucky. I have not picked
out a book yet because I don’t know what book
Sophie would like. I will probably be very shy
if I ever get picked. Sophie is cute because she
is always wagging her tail. She has short hair,
long ears, her color is black, white, and brown,
and she loves to be around people.
I notice that when people go to read with
her she gets all excited and comes right up
to them. Eventually they might pick her up.
When Olivia went with Sophie, Sophie was as
happy as my brother when he got his air soft
gun. Sophie licked Olivia’s face. That happens
with me and my dog, too. It is really nice of
Alison to bring her dog to Vista. She is doing
this project for her Eighth Grade Challenge. I
think it is really good for the kids who don’t
have pets of their own.
Internets explore. Click, click. Young
Writers Project. Click. Mrs. Wirsing’s class
always logs on to the Young Writer’s Project.
This enjoyable web site allows us, and other
students all over Vermont, to post our writing
and comment on other works. Also, if we get a
chance, it is always fun to enter a silly phrase
into the shout box. It is where we can type
in a few words just for the fun of it! It adds
an interesting twist to the web site. Our class
looks forward to showing others our work.
We feel if we work on writing now, we could
become famous for it in the future. Click. Log
out. Click, click. This experience lets us, along
with other kids, get the feeling that we can be
great. We are. Last Vista Play Ever
By Molly Duncan
and Thomas Poodiack
Every year Vista performs a play and
presents it in front of the whole school. If you
wonder how we do it here are some of the
things we do: first we read over the script and
think about which parts we want. Then every
day we have a rehearsal where we practice the
script and sing the songs for the play.
Sadly though, this happens to be our last
play we’re doing because of the big grade
switch happening next year, and there will be
no Vista!
Here is a list of most of the plays we did:
• The Granny Awards
• Bebop and Aesop
• How Does Your Garden Grow
• A Whale of a Tale
• Project Rescue: Save the Planet
• A Small Part of the World
• Tall Tales and Heroes
• Kids Are Kids the Whole World Round
And so we’re all very sad that it’s our last
year doing it but a few plays are better than
none. We haven’t decided what the play is,
but whatever it is we all hope you enjoy and
remember it.
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
5
Allen Brook School
E sprit
Gas Experiments
By Cortney Roy, Frankie
Jarvis, Nate Littlefield, Grace
Hemmelgarn, Joe Barber, Ben
Klein, Katie Peck, Katie Berger,
Bryant Aldrich and Caleb Martin A Surprise Visit
By Alexa Kartschoke
Mail’s here! Or should I say Owney’s here!
In February the post office dog Owney (stuffed
animal) arrived at ABS library. Owney is the
main character from Mrs. Wentz’s Red Clover
book called Owney the Mail Pouch Pooch.
When Owney arrived he was wearing a blue
and red vest with tons of tags. He looked like
a real dog that worked at a post office. He was
very cute.
He has been going around the state since
June. Every time he comes to a school or
library they put a tag on him, just like the real
Owney. Now he has over 30 tags! He was here
for a week and brought smiles to many faces.
To bring my story to an end I will show
you a picture of my class with Owney. Can
you find Owney?
Kindergarten Buddies
By Morgan Roberts, Sophia Barton
and Delaney Ruggles
In Vista, the third and fourth graders in
Mrs.Wirsing’s class have been reading to their
kindergarten buddies with Mrs. Macnee’s
students. Kindergarten buddies means when
your class reads to the kindergarteners. Once
a week you go to the library and pick out two
books to read to your partner. Then you go
down on a certain day of the week with your
class to there’s and read the two books that you
got to your buddy.
Some of the books that have been read
so far are A Bird Outside, Cow Girl Kate and
Coco, There`s Ducks Outside, A North Star,
and Arthur Gets A New Dog. Sometimes
we split the two classes up that half is in
Mrs.Wirsing’s class, and half is in Mrs.
Macnee’s class, and at the end of the day the
Kindergarteners and third and fourth graders
go back to their normal classes.
Sometimes they read to us and we read
to them. Also if you are lucky you get to read
to your little brother or sister. For example
these are some kids in out class who read to
their little brother or sister: Eve and her sister
Kahliny, and Tommy and his brother Will.
Now those are some pretty lucky kids.
All and all Kindergarten buddies are
really fun to have because you have to be a
responsible and have respect for them because
they are much younger than you. Sometimes
they can learn from you and you can learn
from them. Do you know if gas takes up space? The
3rd and the 4th graders in Vista and Esprit
do. We did an experiment in Miss Steele’s
classroom to find out the answer. To do this
we used baking soda, a balloon, a soda bottle,
vinegar, a plastic spoon and a funnel.
First we made a gas by putting baking soda
into the balloon using the funnel. Then we put
vinegar into the soda bottle. Next, we released
the baking soda into the bottle which caused a
chemical reaction that made gas and caused the
balloon to expand. When we saw this happen
we knew that gas takes up space because it
took up the space in the bottle and the balloon.
After we did that experiment we tried
to see if we could make gas out of other
ingredients. We did the same experiment, but
exchanged vinegar with soda. It made gas but
not as much.
After the experiment was over we
wondered if we could make gas with other
ingredients such as salt, soap, and sugar. Some
kids still want to know if all types of gas take
up the same amount of space. All in all, we
learned that gas takes up space and that was
the very best part!
Sign Language
By Mrs. Rodliff’s
1st and 2nd graders
We have been studying sign language
all year. We are learning sign language to
communicate with other people. It’s like
talking with your hands. We have two teachers
helping us, Karen and Cynthia. We also have
our classmate, Boedy, helping us. We have
learned animal signs, colors, the alphabet and
some school signs. We practice every week
and we made two videos. Go to our class blog
to watch one of the videos. We love doing sign
language!
http://missdeforgesclass.blogspot.com/
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Lani
Grade: 2
Teacher: Ms. Crowley
House: Discovery
Interests, hobbies,
activities: swimming,
play with my friends.
Favorite summer
activities: swimming
Favorite winter activities:
making a snowman and
sledding.
Favorite book: Good Night Moon
Favorite movie/DVD: Sponge Bob
Things I like to do with my friends: have a sleepover
Things I like to do alone: play DS (video game).
I am most proud of: my Nana.
I wish I could: be at school longer.
When I am an adult I: want to sell glasses.
Other comments/information:
Forces and Motion
By Blaine Martin
and Jaden Padgett
Shown above L to R: Allie and Emily
We learned about forces and motion in
Miss Schwartz’s and Mrs. Rodliff’s classes.
We made rollercoaster simulations on the
computer. We made roller coasters move and
we watched a video on YouTube. In the video
when a person dropped a feather and a hammer
they hit the ground at the same time on the
moon. There is less gravity on the moon. We
learned that we push and pull things every day
to make them move. Some things we push and
pull everyday are: laces when we tie shoes,
the keys on the computer, clothes when we
put them on, shutting the car door, walking to
school our muscles push our legs, when we
ride our bikes, and when we push the button
on the water fountain. We also used a program
called Animation-ish to show what we learned.
We had a blast.
Writer’s Workshop
A “Handful” of New Topics
to Write About
By Aidan Johnson, Alexandra
Maklad, Evan Turner, Noah
Townley, Sydney Glickman and
Zanna Branicki
“What is she doing?” “I don’t know,
it looks like she is drawing a hand.” “Yep,
she is, she’s tracing her hand on the board!”
“But I thought this was Writer’s Workshop.
What’s happening?!” Above the hand Mrs.
Haas wrote, Things we have touched or held.
“Oh I get it! Maybe we have to write about
something we have touched or held.” “Like
when I touched a donkey,” or “when I touched
a sting ray.”
“Ok, boys and girls, please get out your
Writer’s Notebooks, trace your hand, think
about things that you’ve touched or held in
your hands and jot those ideas down.” That
was fun!!!!
6 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Allen Brook School
C alliope
Chef but you feel great when you do it. Do you
wish you could be a Top Chef?
3rd and 4th Grade
Research Projects
in Calliope
Teacher note: Writer/author Melissa
Pasanen, co-author of Cooking with Shelburne
Farms visited Donna Powers classroom. The
students invited her as our guest top chef.
Melissa came in and shared a terrific slideshow
showing several different cooking and writing
projects that she has worked on. Melissa
prepared a special Deviled Ham and Cheddar
spread from her cookbook. The kids loved it.
Her recipe will be in a recipe book the students
are putting together
by Cameron LaBounty
and Bennett Cheer
Katelyn and Olivia show off their Vermont map.
Vermont Maps
By Dominic Greco & Ian Parent
Have you ever wondered about Vermont?
Kids in grades 3 and 4 in Calliope did.
We made 3D maps of Vermont out of salt
dough. We showed the locations Brattleboro,
Williston, Stowe, St. Albans, Burlington,
South Burlington, The Green Mountains,
Rutland, Barre, St. Johnsbury, Montpelier, and
Bennington. When we were finished we had a
test on our memory. We had to study our maps
and then we had to draw a map of Vermont
on a blank piece of paper by ourselves. We
compared our old maps to our new maps to see
how much we learned.
The Calliope 3rd and 4th graders in Mr.
Bolger’s Class and Ms. Schoolcraft’s class
have been doing research on topics that
interest them. We all thought about questions
we wanted to answer, and then we looked for
the answers to those questions on computer
websites or in books. Some of the topics
included Yu-Gi-Oh, the funny bone, and the
lava lamp. We had to take notes, write good
paragraphs, and then make good introductions
and conclusions. We helped each other out.
Our research papers ended up being
about one page or two pages long. Then, we
presented them in the kiva. We dressed up and
we brought props so we could teach people
better. We had about two minutes to present,
and then we had about two minutes to answer
questions. People asked good questions. We
ended up by making a Calliope Yellow Pages
and wrote everyone’s name and topic on it
so that we can get more information from the
experts if we want to.
Students from Mrs. Dodge’s class stand in front of the
map with the Flat Stanley each has received through
the mail. Shown L to R: (Front) Halie, Madison, James
(Back) Tyler, Grant, Jagger and Ashley
Flat Stanley
by Mrs. Dodge’s class
Mrs. Dodge’s class at ABS read the book
Flat Stanley. Stanley got flattened by a
bulletin board. He soon learned that he could
do many things his brother couldn’t do. He
could go under doors, be rolled up and carried
around, and he could be a kite. He could
also be mailed to his friend in California. So
we each made a Flat Stanley and mailed it to
somebody we know in another state. We asked
them to take pictures and send us a souvenir.
Amanda’s Stanley went to the White
House. James’ went to a family camp in New
York. Jagger’s went to a hockey game in
Michigan, Ahsley’s went to the space museum
in Florida, Grant’s went on a cruise, and
Tyler’s gathered maple syrup in Vermont.
It was a great project. It was fantastic! We
recommend the book!
An Interview with
Mrs. Trasciatti-Holmberg
By Claire Gugerty
and Megan Watson
Did they all wear concert attire?
Mrs. T-H: Yes.
Who was the conductor and piano player in
the concert?
Mrs. T-H: I was the conductor and Mrs.
Wirsing played the piano.
Did the concert turn out the way you wanted it
to be?
Mrs. T-H: Even better!
Did you have a good time?
Mrs. T-H: Absolutely!
Were there any songs you thought the chorus
sang best?
Mrs. T-H: One Little Candle.
Are you looking forward to the next concert?
Mrs. T-H: YES!
Top Chef Sedira is shown holding one of the cookies
she brought for the class.
Top Chef
By Jacob Allaire and Max Pasley
In Mrs. Powers’s class we have something
called Top Chef. One person gets to be Top
Chef on Friday. When you are Top Chef, you
wear a chef’s hat and an apron. You show
everybody pictures of yourself and your
family. People ask questions about the pictures.
We have a mystery box. The chef puts a small
item in it that s/he brought from home. People
can shake it and try to guess what’s in the box.
Sometimes people guess it. They ask questions
like, “Does it have wheels?” or “Is it some
kind of animal?” When Jacob was Top Chef,
he had a race car in the mystery box and Max
had a foam monkey!
The chef brings in food and we all get to
try it. Sometimes it’s all ready and sometimes
the chef makes it. When Joe was Top Chef,
everyone got to help make smoothies. Jacob
brought chocolate chip cookies that he made at
home with his Mom and sister. Max brought in
everything to make ice cream sundaes.
You feel nervous and excited to be Top
Hanna SWETT
We interviewed Mrs. T-H, (the Allen Brook
music teacher) about the 3-4 chorus concert.
Here are the questions we asked her:
How many songs did the chorus kids sing?
Mrs. T-H: Seven
How do you think the chorus kids sang in the
show?
Mrs. T-H: They did amazing.
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
7
Allen Brook School
can press the flip button. Then it plays your
flip book. We use Animation-ish for spelling
because you write the word in different
syllables or you can write the word in different
ways and flip it. To make it flip you have to
write the word three times, so that is why it is
good for spelling. We use a Wiki to keep track of our Type
to Learn 4 missions and to keep track of how
often we see the ABS hawk. Ms. Ward’s
and Ms. Crowley’s classes sometimes blog
together. Two kids share a computer and
write their answers. We use Grains of Rice
to practice math facts while we donate rice to
the U.N. However, our favorite programs are
Glogster and Animation-ish. Now that you
know how to get to these cool and educational
web sites, hop on the computer and have fun!
D i scovery
Africa Workshops in
Ms. Munt’s Class
By Maeve Nolan
We learned about Africa. To learn about
Africa, we did workshops about it. Ms.
Crowley taught us about the animals. Ms.
Munt taught us about people. Ms. Stewart
taught us about land, and Ms. Ward taught us
about water. We were in groups. We ate food
in Ms. Munt’s workshop. The foods were
couscous, and some kind of chocolate. The
chocolate was very good. Animal Research
By Grace Koutras
listed. Discovery time is thirty minutes long. It starts at 1:40 and goes to 2:10. At Discovery
time sometimes we play with animals and
marbles. We usually have Discovery time on
Monday, Thursday, and Friday before kiva sing
or share. On the computer you could play math
games. At blocks you get to build structures
like Star Wars. At Legos you get to build
Lego stuff. At games you get to play any of
the board games we have. If you choose to
do something else, you can play with bears or
other things we have in the classroom. When
Discovery time is over we all clean up.
The Iditarod
By Nicholas Ravaschiere,
Alex Leonard and
Riley VanBenthuysen
Vermont
We had Africa Workshops that were about
land, animals, people, and water. Adding to
animals, we wrote facts from books and we
typed it up on the computer. Then when we
were finished we showed our parents and it is
about the animals from the Africa workshops. We sang songs and told parents about our
work. It was a great time. My animal was
giraffes. One fact that I learned was that a
female giraffe is 18 feet, but male giraffes
are taller. Maeve and I both did giraffes. We
printed a picture of two giraffes, cut them out,
and made a pop-up diagram. Why I wrote about giraffes is because I
think that their necks are cool since they can
reach up to trees, and maybe they can hide
from enemies behind trees. I am done writing
about giraffes and when you see one you can
remember what I told you. The Iditarod is a great dog race. The
Iditarod has 27 check points. The Iditarod is
1, 152 miles. It starts in Anchorage and ends
in Nome. Each team has 16 dogs to start with
and must end with at least 5 dogs. In our class,
the Iditarod reading race is about reading
books and trying to get points. There is a map
with pegs with everyone’s names on them. Each time you get a point you move the peg. You have your own peg. When you move
the pegs you try to get to the top of the map. Whoever gets to the top of the map first wins
the Iditarod race. If you read a lot of books
you can be the first one to the top. Every time
you read a book you fill out a paper and put it
in a folder. You need to fill out a lot of paper
to win and get to the top of the map first. The
paper you fill out is a reading response. There
are 27 check points so you need to read 27
books.
By Morgan Blaine
Soon, Discovery House will be learning
about Vermont. Hopefully we will learn lots
of things about it like the weather and the
land. We get lots of snow in the winter which
is great for skiing and sledding. Vermont is
known for maple syrup. It is really tasty and
it gets collected in the spring. Vermont is
also known for the red clover which is found
around summer time. I wonder about the size
of Vermont.
We just finished learning about Africa.
We had workshops in each classroom that
had something to do with Africa. In one of
the workshops we made masks because that
workshop was about the people and how
they dressed. We also got to try some food
that the people would eat. We tried things
like couscous and chocolate. When we were
learning about Africa we made projects such as
posters and PowerPoint presentations. I hope
we can get to make projects like that again
when we study Vermont.
Ms. Crowley’s Class
Discovery time has five choices. You can
play with blocks, legos, computer, games, or
you can choose to do something else that isn’t
Madison and Lani are shown blogging together.
Fun Resources
What’s a Wiki? Glogster? Blogging? Animation-ish? Grains of Rice? These are
funny names, but all are very helpful web sites. You probably should know what they are. In
this article you will learn how to use these web
sites. Start reading! Glogster is a good website for sharing
reports. All the classes in Discovery are
using Glogster. The password for Glogster is
really hard to remember. Your teacher should
give you a card with the password on it. On
Glogster you can record your voice, pick wall
paper design, and choose all kinds of fancy
text boxes. To get to Glogster you go to the
URL address box and type edu.glogster.com. You might have read the books Dot and
Ish. If you liked those books, then you’ll like
Animation-ish made by Peter Renolds. In
Discovery we use Animation-ish for spelling. It is called Animation-ish because it is kind of
like a flip book except on the computer. First
you draw something and then go to the next
page. After you draw on the last page you
july, GABBY RIBEIRO
Juliana Marino and Jad Kasti dustin desany
Discovery Time
By James Eustace, Jacob Boliba,
Casey Lawrence, and GJ Visioni
8 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
WCS Them
Celebrating Wo
Mardi
Gras
Parade
Theme
Week
Workshops
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
me Week:
orld Cultures
Theme
Week
Assembly
9
10 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Williston Central School
P i n nacle
Flynn Theatre
Shelburne Farms Visit
This month our class went to the Flynn
Theatre to see the book Frindle.
The Flynn Theatre is a very old theater; it
is where people perform, not a movie theater.
Although it is old I think it is one of the highest
quality theaters in Vermont. It also has some of
the most highest quality dancers in Vermont,
too. It is also famous for other performances
too. People come from all over the world to
perform there.
I personally loved the performance. One
of the kids in my class, Cameron, said she
liked the performance, but she liked the book
better. There were a lot of differences in the
book from the play, such as in the book Nick
had red curly hair, in the play the kid who
played as Nick had brown straight hair, In the
play Nick got a letter from Mrs. Granger while
sitting on a bench with his friend. In the book
he got the letter when he was in his apartment.
I liked the play:
1) Because it was shorter.
2) Because there was a lot of action.
3) There was music that sort of told what was
going to happen next.
4) There was a lot of yelling.
5) It was at the Flynn Theatre, and I love all of
their performances.
By Sierra Polley
By Geneva Cote
Marybeth`s class went to Shelburne
farms on the Monday before break. We saw
a woodworker named Travis cut down a big
ash tree. It made a loud sound when it hit the
ground. We learned how they cut down trees and
that they have to have at least two escape
routes. Afterward, they showed us how the
wood was sanded
and shaped
into lumber to
be made into
furniture for the
furniture shop.
We also had
time to go up to
the bell tower. We
counted the steps
all of the way up
so we would not
get bored. The
kids playing on
the ground looked
like ants!
We also got
to sand our own
cutting boards. When we got back, we finished
sanding them and sprayed coconut oil on them.
The coconut oil felt weird! It smelled nice and
our cutting boards smelled nice, too.
A kid in my class, Sierra, said she liked the
field trip. I liked it too because they had it all
Marybeth’s students learn how wood is shaped into
lumber for the furniture shop at Shelburne Farms.
Marybeth’s class and the men who cut down the ash
tree at Shelburne Farms.
planned out and it was really focused on trees
and wood.
Allen Brook
Nature Trail Visits
By Eliza Fehrs
Every month our class goes on our town’s
nature trail, the Allen Brook Nature Trail.
When we went out on the nature trail the first
time we got to pick a tree. The tree that we
picked would be the tree that we take pictures
of every time we go out.
After we come back in from the nature trail
we draw and write about how our tree and the
whole nature trail changes .We go out on the
trail because we are studying
trees and on the trail there are
a lot of trees.
Once when we went on
the trail we saw a tree in the
middle of the path. When we
got back to the classroom we
did some research and found
that the most useful person to
tell about the tree would be
the director of the Recreation
Department.
The next month we saw
that the tree was cut up and
taken off the trail. Then we
looked up and saw where the
tree came from and it ended
up that the tree was actually a
branch. Another time we went on the trail and we
saw a woodpecker and it stayed there for a
while. Then it flew away when my teacher took
a picture of it.
I like the nature trail because you can walk
without bushwhacking and you can see animals'
natural habitats.
A student in my class, Cameron, said, “I
The sign at the entrance to the Allen Brook Nature
Trail.
The third and fourth graders from Marybeth
Morrissey’s class on their February visit to the nature
trail.
like the nature trail because we get to pick out
our own tree.”
Another student in my class, Bryce, said he
likes the trail because it is adventurous.
Interview with Our
Smartboard
By Kiley McClure and Kyle Sargent
Kiley and Kyle:
Hello Smartboard how are you today?
Smartboard:
I am good.
Kiley and Kyle:
Do you like it here in Ms. Peterson’s
classroom?
Smartboard:
Yes.
Kiley and Kyle:
What is your favorite thing about being in our
class?
Smartboard:
Having all of our class songs written on me so
that the class can sing with me.
Kiley and Kyle:
Do you like being a Smartboard?
Smartboard:
Yes.
Kiley and Kyle:
What do you like best about being a
Smartboard?
Smartboard:
Being part of math class, and having kids come
up and move things around on me.
Kiley and Kyle:
Do you like the class?
Smartboard:
Yes.
Kiley and Kyle:
What is your favorite thing to be used for?
Smartboard:
Fundations and the interactive number grid.
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
11
Williston Central School
Mrs. Thyng’s Class Learns About Maple Sugaring
1. Native Americans first discovered how to make maple sugar.
2. If you’re going to maple sugar it has to be cold
nights and warm days.
3. Sap looks like water. It tastes like sweet water. It
flows in trees.
4. You can make sugar on snow with maple syrup. You can also put it on pancakes and waffles. Another way you use
maple syrup is to make maple candy with it. You can also put it on ice cream.
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Chiara
Grade: 4
Teacher: Mr. Bouchard
House: Lighthouse
Interests, hobbies,
activities: gymnastics.
Favorite summer activity:
swimming.
Favorite winter activity:
building a snow fort.
Favorite book: BFG
Favorite movie/video:
Sponge Bob: Truth or
Square
Things I like to do with my friends: chase my dog.
Things I like to do alone: read a book.
I am most proud of my new instrument for the
school band.
I wish I could be old enough to drive a car.
I love to figure skate.
Lucien, Logan, Griffin and Alex from Mr. Willis’s class are getting ready to check on their plants. The
students were able to choose from lettuce, basil, cilantro and dill seeds. Each day we will check the
plant’s height and record one observation about its growth. The goal is to grow food for planting in the
garden at WCS and for lunches in the cafeteria.
12 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Williston Central School
L ig hthou s e
Lighthouse Friday
Workshops
By Piper Nixon
At school don’t you work and rarely have
a break? Well Lighthouse does have a break
every Friday afternoon. It’s called Friday
workshops.
Every Friday we have a team meeting
before workshops where we sing songs,
birthday songs, and share information about
classroom work. Sometimes teachers read a
book and act it out. Then we get dismissed to
Friday workshops. Skiers are gone before the
workshops.
If you get your work done by the end of
Friday, you pick a workshop like Cooking,
Choice Room, Going Outside, and Arts and
Crafts.
They’re very fun workshops. Each
Lighthouse teacher and para offers a different
choice. If your work is not done, you work
with a teacher in study hall.
Here are some things people think of
Friday Workshops. Shayla Lawrence said, “It’s
cool how you sign yourself up.”
Zachary Hark said, “I like workshops
because there is a reason/treat to do your
work.”
Makenzie Detch said, “I like it because
sometimes you can do things for other people.”
Sometimes we can make Valentines or
friendship bracelets.
It is a great way to start off the weekend.
Lighthouse at the
Flynn Theatre
By Jared Avery and Kayla Wieck
On March 15th Lighthouse rode busses to
the Flynn Theatre to see the Peking Chinese
Acrobats.
Kayla’s favorite part was when people all
dressed in white got on one bike all at once.
They opened green and white fans; it looked
like a peacock. Judah said that was his favorite
too.
We talked to some other people and asked
them what their favorite act was.
Olivia, 2nd grade, said, “The giant bike
stunt.”
Andrew, 2nd grade, said, “The kids doing
the back flips.”
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Lucien
Grade: 4
Teacher: Mr. Willis
House: Pinnacle
Interests, hobbies,
activities: soccer, iPods,
skateboarding, cats,
snowboarding, fishing,
playing the saxophone.
Favorite summer activity:
going to the ocean and
vacation.
Favorite winter activity:
my birthday.
Favorite book: Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy
Kid.
Favorite movie/video: Harry Potter, James Bond.
Things I like to do with my friends: play on the
computer and outside.
Things I like to do alone: read.
I am most proud of playing the sax.
I wish I could get better at the sax.
When I am an adult I want to make peace on earth
and be an environmentalist.
Angela, 3rd grade, said, “The dragons.”
Mr. Bouchard agreed with Angela.
The teachers take us to shows like this
“because it’s a good cultural experience,” said
Mr. Bouchard.
We think it is a good way to see what
Chinese culture is like.
Three Presidents by
Lighthouse 2nd Graders
Thomas Jefferson
By Kylie Pierce
Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd president of
the United States. He was born on April 13,
1743 in Virginia. Did you know that he was the
first president to live in the White House?
His wife was named Martha. Jefferson
went to college when he was 16. He worked
very hard and became a lawyer. He also loved
to read. He loved to hike and learn about
nature too. He also played the violin.
In 1796 the U.S voted for its next
president. Jefferson ran against his friend John
Adams. Adams won by three votes.
Four years later, Jefferson ran for president
again. This time he won. I chose Thomas
Jefferson because he was an inventor.
Theodore Roosevelt
By Daniel Hibbeler
I am studying about Theodore Roosevelt.
He was the 26th president of the United States
from 1901-1909. Also, he had a nickname, it
was Teddy. The Teddy Bears were named after
him. He was named Teddy because he would
not shoot a bear.
He was born in 1858. He was also Vice
President. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize for
his efforts. He was assistant to the secretary of
the navy.
I picked him because I liked him.
Barack Obama
By Eric Lackey
I am writing about Barack Obama because
he is my favorite president. He is our president
now.
Barack Obama’s dad died in a car accident
in 1982. In 1992 he got married to Michelle
Robinson.
He made history because he is our first
black president!
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Shea
Grade: 3
Teacher: Ms. Medved
House: Lighthouse
Interests, hobbies,
activities: playing
with my cousin, riding
horses.
Favorite summer
activities: swimming
and climbing trees.
Favorite winter activities:
climbing up snowy
mountains with my cousin Shane.
Favorite book: Nancy Drew
Favorite movie/video: Charlotte’s Web
Things I like to do with my friends: ride bikes,
skate, catch bugs.
Things I like to do alone: read, write, and draw.
I am most proud of my level of reading.
I wish I could swim with whales and dolphins.
When I am an adult I am going to be a vet.
I love any kind of animal.
U pper H ou s es
Windjammer Restaurant
Review
By Hayden Smith
There are few things that can turn around
a bad day for me and make it a day that I
end with a sincere smile and a happy mood.
One of those special activities is a visit to the
Windjammer Restaurant and Upper Deck Pub.
Even as the dining in the rather rural
region of Vermont does not have the diversity
of Manhattan or even Massachusetts, The
Windjammer could be a hit and extremely
popular even if it resided in Times Square
instead of South Burlington, Vermont.
The menu has something for everyone,
from the tender and sweet salmon filets to
my personal favorite, the petite sirloin steak.
It cuts like butter and melts in the mouth
like a perfectly cooked cloud. Spending the
extra dollar for the tangy and mouth watering
teriyaki glaze is a dollar well spent. The soupy
and rather sticky sauce coats each bite in a
flavor that compliments the steak perfectly.
But before I can even think about an
entree, my sights are always set first on the
famous and revered salad bar that has attracted
patrons for years. Always crisp and clean
with a spritz of fresh water, the vegetables
are complimented with piles of fresh cottage
cheese, beets and warm bread.
I always pile my plate with generous
portions of the top grade vegetables with
the incredible must have house dressing, a
homemade dill ranch with a more smooth
and creamy finish and tarter flavor then
the dressings we know that we buy at the
supermarkets.
It is very hard for me to not fill my stomach
with salad before I get the delicious entree at
my seat in the downstairs restaurant. But if you
want to watch the game and have some great
food at the same time, the Upper Deck Pub is
the place to be.
The spacious room is filled with double
and triple seating tables. The seating can be
tough if you’re coming with a large crowd, but
a small guys night out is perfect for the Upper
Deck Pub.
Even though the menu is drastically
smaller than the main restaurant, they have the
basics like the burgers and some of the steaks
that the men want to eat. The televisions are
always set to the latest sporting event and the
walls are graced with jerseys and photos of the
UVM Catamounts. (The Windjammer is their
official restaurant, FYI.)
The atmosphere is gracious and the staff is
patient and kind which makes the whole dining
experience better.
The Windjammer has something for
everyone, even if you are a sports nut or a wine
connoisseur, heaven awaits at the Windjammer
Restaurant and the first bite will have you
coming back for more.
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
13
Williston Central School
VKAT members spoke to Governor Douglas, Lt
Governor Dubie and state representatives at the
Vermont State House.
C.K. Coin, deejay for WOKO radio, (left) and Kyla
Sternlieb, Director of Special Events and Stewardship
at Fletcher Allen Health Care came to Williston Central
on February 10 to fire up the leadership groups for the
Big Change Round Up fund raiser.
Vermont Kids
Against Tobacco Students
Spoke at State House
Thomas, Student Council rep from Voyager, helped collect money
for the Big Change Round Up before the start of the Faculty-Student
basketball game on February 19. The upper house leadership groups
raised $323.55 for the Vermont Children’s Hospital.
By Sadie Casale
and Lymarie Deida
In January we joined 250 VKAT students
from all over the state to participate in the
biannual State House Rally in Montpelier.
We spoke to legislators, the Governor and
the Lt. Governor from the State House floor.
Our presentation focused on the grant our
VKAT group received from the Department
of Education to have students analyze the data
from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
We are the first middle school to ever receive
this grant. We presented our findings to
parents at Dialogue Night, March 25th.
Sadie –“I really enjoyed going to
Montpelier and meeting all the other people
from VKAT. Plus I accomplished 2 goals in
1 day!! I met Governor Jim Douglas and Lt.
Governor Brian Dubie.”
Lymarie –“I had the time of my life.
Speaking on the State House floor made me
feel listened to. I really felt that everyone
was there for a common purpose, not just to
skip school. Everyone has a reason to quit
smoking. Go VKAT!!”
We think peers teaching peers about the
dangers of smoking, drugs and alcohol has
been successful. Locally, ZERO percent of our
7th graders reported smoking in the past year
according to the 2009 Swisher survey. Parents
play a role in this success. According to the
2009 YRBS data, 95% of WCS 8th graders felt
that their parents thought it is “wrong or very
wrong” for them to smoke cigarettes.
Thousands of youth have taken part in
VKAT since it began in 1995 and WCS has
had an active group since 2000. VKAT has
grown from 10 to 51 schools over the past
15 years. Overall smoking rates for Vermont
youth have been cut in half during the past
decade.
Odyssey of
the Mind Team
Our Division II
Odyssey of the Mind
team from Williston
Central School competed
on March 6th, 2010 in
a problem called ‘Food
Court’. For this problem,
the team had to create
an 8-minute “humorous”
performance about food.
Every character had to be
a food item, and one food
item had to accuse another
of being unhealthy or ‘bad’
to eat. In our performance,
the ‘egg’ was accusing the ‘blood orange’ of
giving people a disease called polycythemia (a
disease when you have too much blood) when
they ate her. Our food court battle included
a rap that we wrote about shoo-fly pie being
made of actual shoes and flies. In the end, the
orange was sentenced to donate blood every
The WCS Odyssey of the Mind team: (left to right)
Brigitte, as an egg; Ella, banana; Abby, pineapple;
Hannah, breakfast wrap; and Rebecca, blood orange.
Saturday for the rest of her life. We tied for 3rd
place for our performance of ‘Food Court’ with
another Division II team.
S tu dent P rofi le
S tu dent P rofi le
Name: Katelyn
Grade: 4
Teacher: Mr. Bouchard
House: Lighthouse
Interests, hobbies,
activities: listening to
music.
Favorite summer activity:
swimming.
Favorite winter activity:
sledding.
Favorite book: Glass
Slipper, Gold Sandal
Things I like to do with my friends: just talk.
Things I like to do alone: listen to music.
I am most proud of getting my first bowling
trophy.
I wish I could learn faster.
When I am an adult I want to have a dog.
I just moved to Williston and it is pretty cool.
Name: Taylor
Grade: 3
Teacher: Mr. Willis
House: Pinnacle
Interests, hobbies,
activities: gymnastics, I
am interested in soccer.
Favorite summer activity:
going to the ocean.
Favorite winter activity:
snowball fights.
Favorite book: Magic
Tree House.
Favorite movie/video: Ghostbusters.
Things I like to do with my friends: have a
snowball fight and go swimming.
Things I like to do alone: sleep on my couch, and
read.
I am most proud of my best friend.
I wish I could do everything.
When I am an adult I want to be a vet.
My Nana and Grampa own Adam’s Apple
Orchard.
14 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Williston Central School
Opinion
U pper H ou s es
Why You Should Read
The Bloody Wedding Dress
Opening Debate Speech
about Nuclear Energy
in Vermont
By Abigail Keim
The Bloody Wedding Dress, by Kaitlyn
McSalis, is a classic yet engaging mystery. The
author of the story did a good job of creating a
plot and characters. She created a very intense
feel for the story that lets you know right from
the start that something is about to happen.
Without directly saying who the murderer is,
she gently suggests a few characters.
One element of The Bloody Wedding
Dress that I really liked was the impressive
plot. The first thing that is written lets the
reader know the scene of the crime and
the suspects. Without giving away who the
murderer is, the author adds some key clues.
The clues are: a cigarette, a bloody knife, a
stained tuxedo, torn pant cuffs, muddy shoes
and a blister on the groom’s hand. All of these
clues are seen in most classic mysteries, except
in this story they are used in a different way.
This author uses red herrings to throw the
reader off course. In this story the reader must
guess which clues matter and which clues
don’t.
The characters in this story are also very
well created. Once the author introduces a
character it seems as though you’ve known
them your whole life. Also in this story the
author does an amazing job of making each
character play its part and contribute to the
mystery. No character is left without a purpose
in this story. Every single character is used in
the story and none are there just to be there.
The author makes each character add to the
story in some way or not exist at all.
I also enjoyed all of the detail that this
story holds. It mentions everything from
the wind to lipstick. No questions are left
unanswered by this mystery. Any little thing,
important or not, is added into this story. I
think this might have had the most detail in it
that I’ve ever read in one story. Not only that
though, the author makes you read between the
lines.
The Bloody Wedding Dress is a classic
mystery with a very intense plot and well used
characters. I hope others will read and enjoy
this mystery as much as I have. I suggest this
story to anyone in search of a classic mystery
and a quick read. By Wesley Keane
As you’ve probably heard, the decision
on whether or not to extend the license on
Vermont Yankee by twenty years was voted
on. The decision was clear and simple, do
not extend the license. This is also what
my argument happens to be, which in some
ways can make it easier and harder for me to
compete against the proposition in this debate.
Now that I have declared my side in this
argument, I will begin. Vermont Yankee is
currently 38 years old; the plant’s license
originally expires in 2012. The plant already
had a cooling tower collapse in 2007, which is
a clear statement that the plant should close as
scheduled.
Traces of tritium, a radioactive isotope of
hydrogen that has been proven to cause cancer,
have been found in groundwater. Greenpeace,
an environmental activist group, has helped
launch a criminal inspection on the plant.
The plant has also been called to a hearing
by the Public Service Board. In the hearing the
plant’s representative testified under oath there
are no underground pipes that could’ve caused
leaking of the plant’s waste. Underground
pipes were found shortly after that hearing.
In defense the plant’s owner, Entergy, said
that the plant was “not in the context” when
they testified about it. Therefore, the company
Entergy lied; they lied plus they are leaking
tritium into our groundwater, which can come
and bite us in the back later. This is a serious
criminal act, and the consequences might be
fatal.
Emi (left) and Mary tied for first in the middle school
division of 2009-2010 Vermont Foreign Language
Association poster contest. In back, their teachers,
Madame Choiniere (left) and Madame Laskarzewski,
pose with the girls in the Vermont State House on
March 23. Lt. Governor Brian Dubie presented the
girls with their awards: $25.00 and some note cards
made from their posters.
Maureen PORTER
Pinnacle Students
Report on Visit from
Governor Douglas
Eliza Fehrs: “Governor Douglas of
Vermont came to WCS talking about how to be
safe on the internet. There were video cameras
everywhere. It looked like Governor Douglas
had bodyguards.”
Ananth Malladi: “The governor’s visit
was for online safety. The Vermont’s first lady,
Mrs. Douglas, read a book to us about internet
safety. The vice-president of Comcast was also
there.”
Kevin Veronneau: “The big orange cat was
Mr. Willis.”
CJ Antonioli: “Some kids got interviewed
by WCAX news, and some kids got high fives
from the governor.”
Jillian Hebert: “I learned that to tell my
parents what
I see on the
computer
and to be
safe on the
computer.” Griffin
McDermott:
“It was fun
seeing the
governor.
He taught
us about
internet
safety and
how to
not go on the computer that much and to go
outside more.” The internet safety program is called
Ikeepsafe, full information can be found on
their web site www.ikeepsafe.org.
The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
15
Williston Central School
Girls A Basketball Team
By Thea Weiss
and Amanda Daniels
This year the Girls A school basketball
team accomplished so much. It was
surprising how quickly everyone bonded.
By the end of the season we were all just
like sisters.
Coach Kohlasch even said, “This was
a terrific team to coach. They were hard
working and so much fun to be around. We
improved as a team and had some amazing
and memorable highlights.”
Our two wonderful captains this year
were Hannah Durkee and Kaelyn Kohlasch.
We asked them what their favorite part
of the season was and what the most
memorable moment was. Hannah Durkee
replied, “My favorite part of the season
was the humongous bond between the
players on the team. It wasn’t always about
basketball, but the people around us. What
helped us play well was how close we all
were.”
Kaelyn told us, “My favorite part of
the season was the buzzer beater at the
championship game against Shelburne,
because it was a really exciting end to
the season. It was fun to celebrate with
the team because we had grown so close
throughout the season.”
Another eighth grader, Jenna Brassard,
was thrilled to be able to play on a team
with such wonderful girls. She said, “This
year was so much fun because everybody
was so welcoming and really fun to
hangout with. We all have so many good
memories from this year.”
Winning the end of the season
tournament hosted by Shelburne and Charlotte,
with wins over Christ the King and Vergennes
were definitely our most memorable games.
We defeated Shelburne in the championship
game of that tournament with a “buzzer
beater” shot with 2.6 seconds left in the game!
(This game had Shelburne winning 12-5 after
the first quarter.) WCS played hard and kept
the game close at the end.
Amanda Beatty worked hard inside and
scored a basket to put WCS up 26-25. A
Shelburne player came down and banked a
three pointer to take the lead 28-26. On the
next possession Hannah Durkee was fouled
and converted one free throw to bring the game
to 28-27.
With 2.6 seconds left Shelburne turned the
ball over. Coach Kohlasch called a timeout
and set up the play. Amanda Beatty inbounded
the ball to Kaelyn Kohlasch who got free off a
pick from Sydney Lalancette. Kaelyn caught
the ball and swished a three right as the buzzer
sounded.
Our assistant coach this year was a CVU
senior, Maddy Waxler. It is very easy to get
annoyed and a little impatient with a bunch
of young teenage girls. But not Maddy. She
always treated us as an equal and always took
the time to explain to us what we needed to
improve on. Maddy was so generous to donate
her time to help Ms. Kohlasch coach us this
season. Even though this was just a Grad
Challenge, Maddy put so much extra work and
effort into helping us. We all felt like we could
talk to Maddy about anything. Whether it was
basketball related or about school and boys.
Maddy was always there and she wanted to
listen and help.
Our record this season 11-6 and we
were the champions of two tournaments. We
Sports
Girls A Basketball Team
Girls B Gold Basketball Team
outscored our opponents 480-402. Something
that made this year so special was that
every player on our team scored and made
contributions throughout the season. Our top
scorers of the season were Kaelyn Kohlasch
with a whopping 154 points and Hannah
Durkee scored an amazing 112 points, many of
which were 3-pointers.
The starters for this year were Sydney
Lalancette, Amanda Beatty, Jenna Brassard,
Kaelyn Kohlasch, and Hannah Durkee. These
people were only five of the nine eighth
graders on our team. The other eighth graders
were Taylor Fontaine, Abby Colbeth, Sarah
Long, and Thea Weiss. But those weren’t the
only people that contributed to our amazing
season. Sarah Bergkvist, Laura Durkee,
Amanda Daniels, and Amari Boyd also played
an important part in this year’s turnout.
This was one year we will never forget.
Our two wonderful coaches helped us become
the remarkable basketball players we are
today. They helped us pull off two competitive
tournament wins and eleven regular season
games. The two captains were so outstanding
and we couldn’t have asked for better leaders.
We will miss all of the eighth graders but
we’ll try to follow in their footsteps and try
to continue to have every basketball season
as memorable as this year was. We would
just like to thank all of our fans, parents, and
friends that supported us this season, as well
as our coaches and Ms. Oakes for organizing
everything.
Girls B Gold
Basketball Team
By Katrina Garrant
We all came out onto the court on the very
first practice, as the 11 new members of the
WCS gold basketball team, 11 people. Mikala
Clark, Becca O’Brien, Amy Conn, Aliza
Anderson, Alexis Bussiere, Hannah Williams,
Sarah Gelin, Emily Pierson, Tashia PashbyRockwood, Jordan Pellerin, and Katrina
Garrant. Some of us knew each other, and
some of us didn’t.
The first practice was awkward. Some
seemed nervous, some confident. Our coach,
Ms. Porter, came out and had us get into a
circle. The getting-to-know-everyone-circle
seemed to help people get used to each other.
After the first few practices, we became more
comfortable with each other; we made jokes
and helped each other out. Our first game,
well, we lost, but it showed us what we needed
to work on.
One of the highlights of the season was
one of our games where in the first half we
were getting beaten, and then something
seemed to overcome everyone. We all
started to be more aggressive. Of course,
Ms. Porter definitely yelled at us enough.
So did Ms. Oakes. But it helped.
As Ms. Porter said, or yelled might
be a better word in this case, “That’s the
fire I’ve been looking for all season long!
That’s it!” It was repeated many times. It
was one of the moments when everyone
was proud of themselves, whether or not
they made a basket.
Our overall record may not have been
the greatest. We may not have won any of
our games, but the more important thing,
was that we got better. We became more
aggressive. Our team changed. The beginning
and end of the season were like day and night.
We went from nervous and less aggressive to a
strong, hardworking team.
You know how they say there’s no I in
team? Well, there definitely was no I in this
team. Everyone worked together, and we all
trusted our teammates. Throughout the whole
season, we bonded as we got to know the game
of basketball. Our tournament went well and
we all learned from our mistakes.
Ms. Porter said: “This was such a nice
group of people to work with. We had lots of
laughs and tremendous heart and spirit. I wish
for the team we could have won a game but
they never quit and that made me proud every
game.” Some performances in games and practices
could be considered outstanding, but everyone
had a good moment, either when they learned
to do a lay up or made a basket they were
proud of. Tashia made the first basket of the
season. Emily made a basket no one expected.
One thing that should be mentioned here is
that Mikala was always open. Always ready to
receive that ball. And finally, it paid off. She
made a basket. It just goes to prove that if you
work hard at something, you’re going to get
it. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
That’s what our team did. We continued trying.
And it paid off. Our team got better and better.
No wins, but the numbers on the scoreboard
didn’t matter. What matters is that we won the
game of teamwork. We worked together, made
mistakes, and learned from them. That’s all
that matters.
16 The Blue & Gold • APRIL 2010
Boys A Basketball Team
By Caleb Geffken
The Boys A basketball team, coached
by Justin Clough, was made up of 4
seventh graders and 9 eighth graders. Our
four 7th graders were Caleb Geffken,
Christopher Reiss, Deagan Poland, and
Dustin Peters.
Our 8th graders included Erik
Bergkvist, Hayden Smith, Matthew
Howell, Max Whitcomb, Patrick Sheedy,
Peter Scrimgeour, Ryan Schneiderman,
and Brendan Gannon. Our captains were
Ryan Schneiderman, Brendan Gannon,
and Max Whitcomb.
One of the team’s most memorable
games was when we played the Charlotte
Central School A team in the WCS
tournament finals. Unfortunately, we did
not win but it was a close, exciting game. Both
teams were equally skilled. This game was
back to back scoring through out. Every
time we scored a basket they would come
back and match our score.
In the 4th quarter our team was playing
our hearts out. In the last 20 seconds our
team was down by 1 point, the score was 21
– 22, we had the ball. We moved down the
court with sharp passes and executing our
play with precision. With 10 seconds left on
the clock, we passed to Ryan and he went in
for a clean lay-up, 23 – 22!
The game was not over yet, with 8
seconds left CCS threw a long pass to their
point guards which passed down to the
low post. One of the forwards for the CCS
team scored by doing a pump fake and getting
around his man. The final score of this game
was 24 – 23 CCS won by 1 point. Although we
lost it was a great game!
Another memorable game was the finals
of the CSSU tournament. We were against
Christ the King School of South Burlington.
The Christ the King team and our WCS A team
were almost perfectly matched. This game
was another close scoring game. No matter
how many times we scored they matched our
score. To beat this team we would need to
get the good shots and to have strong defense
because of their biggest most skilled player,
Matt Maynard. Maynard had a hot hand in the
first half, shooting and making everything he
took. To stop Maynard from scoring we had
to keep tight defense on him and make sure to
box him out when he took a shot. By the 3rd
quarter Maynard’s hot shot had stopped; still
their team would stay with us through most of
the game. In the 4th quarter we pulled ahead
by a couple of baskets at times but the Christ
the King team would battle right back. We won
the game by making the last shot and finishing
the game 34 – 32. This time it was our time to
cheer!
Everybody on our team was especially
good at something. Ryan our best all around
player, contributed great offense, defense,
solid rebounds, and great drives. Max was
an all round great shooter scoring points left
and right, he also added speed to the court.
Brendan contributed being fast on his feet,
having sharp passes and awesome defense.
Caleb Geffken contributed great passing,
rebounds, sharp shooting and positive
sportsmanship. Chris was aggressive on
defense jumping for the loose balls, while
having great offense shooting and also being
fast on his feet. Deagan was a very reliable
player who was great at dribbling through
tough defense, driving in for a basket and
getting the other team in foul trouble.
Dustin contributed a lot on defense; he
moved fast, trapping the ball easily, jumping
high and getting rebounds. Erik was great
on defense being super aggressive, getting
Sports
team. I also enjoyed how much fun our team
was!”
Peter Scrimgeour exclaimed, “I liked our
coach he was a good basketball coach and
helped us improve our skills. We shared
some great stories!”
Chris Reiss one of our top point guards
said, “I will remember the Charlotte
tournament the most, and we did super
awesome. I also enjoyed getting to know
everyone’s personal thoughts and secrets. I
love our team!”
Boys B Blue
Basketball Team
Boys A Basketball Team
Boys B Blue Basketball Team
a lot of the steals in the games. Erik really
improved on his fast breaks and making the
lay-ups. Peter was great on defense, getting the
rebounds but was also good at shooting the 3’s.
Peter also kept everyone laughing and having a
good time during practices.
Hayden Smith added excellent shooting
from the elbows and also from the 15 foot
range. Hayden kept the ball moving on the
court but took the good shots when needed.
Matthew contributed great offense on the
play; he could move the ball around fast but
was better at taking the shots making lots of
the 3-pointers. Patrick was fierce on defense,
added rebounds and steals to our games.
The entire season was a success for our
team with an outcome of 7 wins and 9 losses.
Captain Ryan Schneiderman said, “The
thing that I enjoyed most was how our team
had great chemistry and we played well as a
StudentFaculty
Basketball
Game
The Williston Boys B Blue Team
enjoyed an excellent season. The team
consisted of Scott Edwards, Tanner Smith,
Craig Sampson, Qunitin Cardinal, Alex
Kaplan, Jake Dawson, Kyle Burns, Jacob
Russo, Jeremy Fuller, Michael Howell, and
Anthoni Wathugi.
Every game was hard fought as the
team showed their hustle and spirit in every
game. The season highlights included a third
place trophy in the district tournament, and
a game where every player scored at least
one basket.
The following are quotes from some of
the players:
Craig- “Our team has learned to work
together and run plays smoothly. Even
though we do not win all of our games, we
have a good time together.”
Tanner- “Our team has had many ups
and downs in the season including many
injuries; but we still have fun together and
played our hardest.”
Kyle- “Our team has had a great season
and I have had a lot of fun. Even though we’re
not the best team I still think we are a great
team with a lot of great players.”
Jacob- “This season I’ve had a great time.
I am glad to be part of this team; overall we
learned a lot about being good team players.”
Scott- “This season has been fun. We have
great players and I am happy to be here.”
Quintin- “Our team has had its ups and
downs when it comes to games. I myself
am not a good basketball player. Before the
school team I didn’t even know how to play
basketball, but through all the practices and
games I have become a better player.”
Jeremy- “I think we have had a normal
season. We have played very well in our
winning games and we played badly in our
losing games.”