Mssrs. George Lomas and Charlie Macfadyen
Category Archives: Volume 4, Issue 2
Grad Challenge provides self-designed experiences for Charlotters
Ms. Madison Hakey, with special permission from the Charlotte News
CVU has recently been named the 38th best high school in the country for many reasons, one major factor being Graduation Challenge. Graduation Challenge is a 22 year old project that all seniors must complete in order to walk across the stage at the end of their high school career. MaryAnne Gatos, the Graduation Challenge and Community Learning Coordinator, states that Graduation Challenge is, “a self designed course in anything you want.” Seniors are able to choose any topic they wish, as long as it is a new learning experience, to explore both through research and learning hours. Graduation Challenge is a way for students, faculty, and student’s families to ensure that the seniors leaving CVU know how to access information, meet with people, and present their learning. These are skills necessary for everyday life and help students to be successful as the enter college and the real world beyond.
Michaela Flore decided for her Graduation Challenge to further explore an area of art she has previously enjoyed. Having taken the ceramics course at CVU, Flore decided to continue with ceramics for her Graduation Challenge, but to make it new learning, she is using a different material. CVU uses stoneware for their ceramics, so Flore decided to use earthenware, which is extremely different in a lot of ways. To explain how different the material is, Flore states that there is a test she does to see whether something is stoneware or earthenware, “Stoneware isn’t porous while earthenware is. So, when you lick the earthenware, your tongue kind of sticks to the bottom. It doesn’t really stick, but it kind of kisses back and grabs your tongue a little.”
CVUHS Principal Adam Bunting Spits Fire During Benefit Concert
Mr. T. Eli Hark
HINESBURG– It is not every day you see a principal of a high school break out his rhyme game in the cafeteria. This Friday, CVU got a taste of what Adam Bunting is really about, via some intense freestyle rhymes.
Seniors Izacco Lozon, Rachel Unsworth, and Jack Dilley were playing a concert to support peace in the cafeteria Friday when out of nowhere Senior Warren Oulette opted for some impromptu freestyle bars. With Dilley laying down a smooth drum line, and Lozon serenading the audience with twanging electric guitar chords, Oulette began to spit.
It was not long after, that CVU’s very own Adam Bunting stepped into the ring to show off his lyrical talents, AND HE WAS FIRE!
Bunting spat multiple bars inspiring students of all ages to get excited for the final push for exams, with strums of the guitar ringing out behind his voice, and the smooth jazz-esque drum beats, CVU went bananas.
While it is unknown, it is assumed that nearly an hour of snapchat stories were made by different students attempting to capture their new principal throwing down to the beat.
Bunting will officially finish his first year as CVU principal at the graduation ceremony, Friday, June 10th.
Eli’s Teacher Reviews: Gina Gale
Mr. Elias Hark
All students at Champlain Valley Union High School must take 4 credits of English to graduate, Many of the English classes offered are semester long classes, so this raises the question: WHEN WILL YOU GET A CLASS WITH GALE?
Everybody has heard the rumors: Gale is an absolute savage who will stop at nothing to fail you. But wait, is that really true? Let’s take a look. Gale teaches some serious classes; you don’t take Creative Writing or AP English if you are looking for an easy A. (There are much better options, obviously). As Senior, Izacco Lozon said, “I had heard she was a tough woman because she grew up as a farmer.”
Speaking from personal experience, people are scared of Gale. She seems so nice, but all the talk is about how she’ll rip your throat out, fill it with ink, and use it like a quill to write the F on your transcript. But why? Why do people think Gale is scary?
What about Hindes? He likes history!
What about Duvernoy? There is nothing scarier than a man with a ponytail and beard, right?
What about Gitlin? She is probably a vegan! (Ew.)
But realistically speaking, every Junior takes some easy English classes to boost their GPA and then Senior year you are pretending you are still a student, while hoping your English teachers don’t call the admissions counselors at the college you just got into.You are most likely to get Gale Senior year, and if you do, this is a step by step guide to passing her classes.
Step 1: Don’t miss the first day.
Starting off on a good foot with Gale is the difference between passing with a C- and getting your throat ripped out right?
Did You Know? current VT state Bird beat out blue jay and crow in 1941
Ms. Harley Malaney, CVC Ornithology Correspondent
Following some debate from our legislature, in 1941 Vermont’s state bird was chosen. The Hermit Thrush, Crow and Blue Jay were the top three, and in 1941, the Hermit Thrush had little chance of winning the title as the state bird.
Unlike the Crow and the Blue Jay, the Hermit Thrush is only present in Vermont in the warmer months; because of this many Vermonters argued that it wasn’t a good representation of the state. Considering half of the year in Vermont is spent in the snow, it didn’t seem fitting to have a bird that was so anti-snow.
During the warmer months, the Hermit Thrush can be found in Vermont. When looking for one it is suggested by bird enthusiast to look for them in the forest understories, especially around edges and openings. This is where they forage for their food.
CVU Senior Service Day is a Roaring Success
Ms. Lucretia Anderson
There are few places more pure, fresh, and wild than the green mountains in May, when the last resilient ice patches are giving up their holds and flowing down into the rocky streams. The dedicated group of employees and volunteers that maintain the trails cutting through the pines and fiddleheads ensure the area stays as untouched and undamaged by the human hand as possible, and on the steep sides of the peaks in Mad River it is easy to feel as if the nearest town is a million miles away.
On May 19th, fifty CVU seniors got to spend the fifth annual “Senior Service Day” hauling burlap sacks of mulch down precarious trails to overnight shelters that host through hikers on the long trail. It was a day of community and exploration for a group of teenagers used to spending all day sitting at desks, and everyone boarded the bus home with smiles on their faces. Similar situations were occurring in other parks and right at home at CVU as seniors began their day of community service.
Obergefell v. Hodges: One Year Later LGBT activists are still fighting
Mr. Alexander Goodman
All humans deserve equal rights, no matter the circumstances. The gay and lesbian rights movement has been fighting for decades to get equal rights throughout the world. The Stonewall riots in 1969 were some of the biggest historical events for LGBT history; it cemented our place in history and let opposers know we were serious about our rights. The riots were centered around anger towards the police on raids in gay bars in New York City. Rioters fought to acquire more rights and protections in the eyes of the law. The riots were to achieve equal opportunities and protections in housing, the workplace, and more. While activists have made progress towards LGBT rights, 50 years later pro-equality organizations are still fighting for full federal protections on LGBT protections, rather than leaving it to be the state’s decision.
It’s been almost a year since the Obergefell v. Hodges supreme court decision. In June 26, 2015 the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case voted 5-4 on a guarantee for marriage equality at a federal level. The case went to court on whether or not the ability for same-sex marriage is a right guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. The case ruled that all 50 states must allow same-sex marriage and all other bans against it are now invalid. This means that the LGBT rights movements have reached a huge milestone in civil rights. However, many people hold the ignorant belief that the fight for equality is now over.
Ten Second Horoscopes, by Gooda Lexman
No purple prose or beating around the bush, Gooda’s ‘Scopes get right to the point. So suck it up, and deal!
Aries – You are on fire right now. Not figuratively you actually are on fire. Call for help.
Taurus – Call your parents, it’s been awhile. They miss ya.
Gemini – Do not eat any fruit under any circumstances. This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind today. You don’t want to know what happens if you do.
Cancer – It’s been a stressful week. Sit down and relax with a tea and a good book.
Leo – Why even bother studying for the upcoming exams, you’re going to fail either way.
Virgo – Don’t even speak to any Capricorns; They are not to be trusted.
Libra – Start preparing for the upcoming Libra revolution. Down with the bourgeoisie.
Scorpio – Be careful at the zoo, you might fall into the shark exhibit.
Sagittarius – Any store you go to will definitely not have what you want. “Where’s my cheerios?” “You’re outta luck, buddy.” They’ll say.
Capricorn – You can trust Virgo with anything. Go ahead and give them any remaining spark of hope you might have.
Aquarius – Bring tissues to work, you’ll be met with some bad news. What happened to her? Where did Auntie go wrong in life? Oh jeez.
Pisces – Absolutely just stay inside today. If you must go out, constantly listen to the audio from the movie Footloose (1984) for protection from bad vibes.
CVU girls lacrosse grabs a spot in the semi-finals after 11-7 quarterfinal win
Ms. Katie Mahoney
After eleven years of losing before the semi-finals, CVU will play Mount Anthony Tuesday in Bennington after defeating Burr and Burton eleven to seven at home Saturday.
“Saturday was no easy defeat,” commented Coach Tucker Pierson of CVU. “Burr and Burton was aggressive, and they definitely gave us a run for our money. We had to fight hard to get our spot in the semi’s.”
“In the beginning of the game, we were lagging to keep up with the aggression and speed of Burr and Burton’s game, but we picked things up and starting firing back,” noted Samantha Provost, a CVU senior attacker.
Pulling things together, CVU was up by two by the end of the first half. The Redhawks outscored Burr and Burton in the second half to come out on top with a four-point lead.
CVU now faces Mount Anthony Tuesday. According to the Vermont Principals’ Association, which controls rankings and playoffs, this Bennington team has defeated CVU’s chance at the championships twice in the last two years’ play down games.
“We are definitely nervous to be traveling back down to Bennington after losing to the Patriots in the playoffs two years in a row,” shared CVU senior attacker Natalie Benoit. “Even so, our team is strong this year, and if we play our best, we can come out on top.”
Tuesday’s game will be at 4:30pm at Mount Anthony Union High School.
Dance for Resilience helps the VT Ibutwa Initiative
Ms. Katie Mahoney
The air is filled with the sweet smell of traditional Congolese dishes. The group is a strange assortment of community members, college and high school students, dance teachers, and Congolese refugees. As they mill about the room, however, they greet each other happily, excited about their shared interest that brought them to the Old Lantern on a Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, May 15, the Vermont Ibutwa Initiative (VIBI) held the Dance for Resilience at the Old Lantern in Charlotte, Vermont. The goal of the event was to raise awareness and money for the local organization, which aids women who have been raped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the ongoing conflict in that country.
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VIBI focuses on rape specifically in the Congo because of the civil war and conflict that has sparked the widespread rape and sexual assault of women there. According to the World Fact Book, the current war in the Congo is primarily over resources. As a wealthy country the size of all of Western Europe, the Congo is replete with diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, zinc, and the three T’s: tin, tantalum, and tungsten. According to VIBI founder Cleophace Kyendamina, who is himself from the Congo, “Tantalum is the mineral that makes every cell phone in the world buzz. 90% of that mineral is found in the Congo. It makes sense why there is such conflict over this valuable resource, but that conflict is resulting in the rape of countless women and children.”
4th Block Video Team: Phones in School
Mr. Griffindor DiParlo et Msses. Megan Gannon, Emma Plociennik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGBB3zDCXSA
Recent outbreak of Senioritis: faux disease elicits faux concern
Ms. C. Nyor
As the school year is drawing to an end, many seniors are struggling to see the importance of school work as many have already committed to schools for next fall. The onset of senioritis have varies for individual students, but are mostly concentrated throughout the second semester of twelfth grade. It is a somewhat problematic concept for teachers and other facilitators who are trying to get through final tests and projects with their senior students.
Natalie Benoit feels like she has had senioritis since she took the AP tests. Since then, she feels as though the end of the school year has been marked. Luckily, Natalie has felt that teachers have been understanding of seniors’ lack of focus. Natalie reported that she hasn’t heard of people having homework for months and teachers also give more time to get homework done in class. She finds that it isn’t very difficult to focus during school, but out of class it is hard to commit to getting any homework done. At this point, Natalie says that she doesn’t even consider what homework she has on any given night.
Opinion: The “bathroom bill” needs to be flushed
Ms. Lexi Lewis
On March 23, a law referred to as HB2 was passed in North Carolina. The law prohibits individuals from using bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological gender. The passing of this law brought significant attention to the controversy and brought up the question of whether other states should follow in their footsteps or fight for the law to be diminished.
The law is controversial because the world has only just recently started acknowledge transgenders, and as we know from history, society doesn’t do well with people who are different. Before the 1990’s, the word transgender wasn’t even coined, and although it is highly likely that there were people unsure about their gender identity before then, essentially it has only been gaining acceptability and attention among society for the past decade.
People feel hesitant to go along with the idea of gender neutral bathrooms out of fear. In the optimistic generation we live in today, there are many who take advantage of the freedom. True transgender people are born believing that they were born the wrong gender and therefore aren’t a threat to public bathrooms, because they just want to be like any other normal person of the gender they identify with. The problem comes when people who are not transgender pretend to be so that they can enter the opposite gender’s bathroom, which could possibly result in crime.
The New War Has Already Started: Russia’s recent aggressions
Mr. Michael Regan, CVC Foreign Affairs Correspondent
From 1947 to 1991 America was fully engaged in a series of events known as the Cold War. During this period the only thing that kept the US and USSR from starting a nuclear apocalypse was a theory called MAD. MAD stands for mutually assured destruction and it essentially means that if one side launches a nuclear weapon, the other side will also launch a nuclear weapon of mass destruction. Even though proxy wars such as Vietnam were the result of the Cold War, perhaps the most memorable part of the conflict for Americans was the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Missile Crisis the USSR had “long range” missiles stationed in Cuba, 90 miles away from the US. This terrified the American population and sent the nation into a state of preparing for war. Today, the people of Russia are preparing for a war against the US and other NATO alliance countries.
Mikhail Gorbachev, former Head of State of the Soviet Union, said, “The world, it appears, is on the brink of the (second) cold war.” Many Russians feel as though the war between Russia and NATO states has already begun.
After the cold war NATO stayed intact while the USSR fell apart. Since then NATO countries have surrounded Russia. In reaction to this, Russia used an old tactic from the cold war called containment. Containment is an approach to global security in which controlling the spread of boarders controls the spread of influence. When Russia annexed a peninsula that was previously part of Ukraine, they were containing the spread of NATO ideology. President Putin agreed that the Ukraine was a “buffer state”, and nothing but “a pawn in a containment strategy”.
Global wealth: it trickles up
Mr. John Thrailkill
Global wealth has recently hit a new high of $241 Trillion which when distributed among our 7.2 billion citizens comes out to around $33,500 per person. Currently the world’s top 1% owns more than 50% of the globe’s total wealth. Wealth inequality has become a huge talking point over the past decade with more understanding the seriousness and not neglecting to follow the facts and trends. Ever since the early 70s, the bottom 80% of American wages has remained stagnant. In comparison, the top 1% have seen increases of nearly three times that amount.
Being equal within a society has always been seen as unrealistic and unachievable, but this doesn’t mean that extreme wealth inequality is the solution. Our economy works best when serving our communities and individuals equally. Unequal societies have low stability figures and have shown to induce slower growth according to the International Monetary Fund.
Goodman’s Goodvibes: Childish Gambino, a catalog review
Mr. Alexander Goodman
Childish Gambino, sometimes more known as Donald Glover, is blasting through the world of hip hop with a sound that is almost completely new to the scene. He constantly innovates in his music, creating a pendulum between his works, swinging from a more traditional hard rap style to a softer, quieter, and smoother genre. Not only is he incredibly flexible in his style, as the years have gone on, he has greatly improved.
In his first album, Sick Boi, Gambino starts off creating his persona as a rapper. Previously, Donald Glover has been known as an actor specializing in more goofy roles in comedy shows and movies, which shines through into his earlier albums.
In his first five songs of the album, “Easy (Intro)”, “Fire”, “I’m A Winner ft. Amber Petty”, “Tru Dudes ft. MC Chris”, and “Red Alert”, Gambino starts of with a blander sort of style that reflects that of Kanye West’s earlier music. While the songs are good overall, they don’t create anything new or particularly interesting.
Underage Drinking: Safety Before Justice
Mr. Gregory D. Levine, CVC Sr. Editorial Writer
New York City accountant James Walsh lost his son to underage drinking. His deceased son’s friends, some in tears, confessed that they had not called emergency services in fear of legal consequences. “My son meant everything to me. Yes, he made mistakes, and picking up the bottle was one of them. We all make mistakes. Sure, there needs to be an incentive to not partake in it, but not at the expense of safety, the very thing these laws aim to preserve.”
Recent events have brought light to the dangers of underage drinking, and the consequences that follow. Numerous underage drinking parties occur every year at almost every high school. It’s sad to wonder how many underage drinkers could saved themselves or others if they were to have called for help, but were in fear of being prosecuted or arrested. James Walsh’s son may have been saved had friend’s not feared the consequences.
Train Wrecks, not just a metaphor
Mr. Dillon Hamrell
With our modern day technology and the advanced communication systems in our world today train wrecks still happen too often. This is a problem in not only America but all over the world, with all sorts of trains and tracks.
This issue has been worse now because of the high speeds of the trains and the amount of people on the tracks. Trains aren’t used as much now because of other sorts of transportation but subway systems are as popular as ever.
In Philadelphia on May 12, 2015 there was an accident with a train and a back hoe. This was due to lack of following procedures on the rail workers part and on the train’s end. The rail work had forgotten a backhoe in the middle of the rail a train came around a turn and his it dead on. There were two deaths and 37 injuries.
4th Block Video Team: Spring Sports Post-preview
Mssrs. Griffin DiParlo, Mike Regan, and Max Rieley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUJ2JoveByI
imad ibroke my iphone
Mr. Mike Regan
It started with our parents, next was our older siblings and tech savvy people who had some extra spending money. Now every metal-mouthed middle schooler and over-sugared elementary schooler has been swallowed by the epidemic that is the iPhone.
We all see it, at least a couple of time a day. A table of kids all texting on their iPhone’s, or a classmate playing Angry Birds. It seems as if almost everybody has an iPhone. In May of 2015, a study study released by CNET, an online new forum, claimed that there were over 94 Million iPhones being used in the US. The US has a population of 318 million, which means that about one third of Americans had a functioning iPhone in May of 2015, and the popularity of the iPhone is only increasing.
Most people who have had an iPhone, have also had a broken iPhone. In fact 100% of CVUHS students interviewed said that they have previously broken an iPhone. Given the incredibly high pricetag, what keeps consumers coming back for more, and why are people willing to pay so much?
Merge Surge: CVU Sending Towns Vote on School Board Merger June 7th
Mr. Jackson Kahn
With five towns, six schools, over 4,000 students, almost 900 employees and a total budget of 70 million dollars, the Chittenden South Supervisory Union is one of the largest supervisory unions in Vermont. So naturally it was big news when it was announced that on June 7th citizens of the CSSU district will vote to merge the current seven school boards into one. This potential merge would create significant changes in education and for the taxpayers.
The boards in the district have a history of sharing centralized functions. Current concentrated services include transportation, professional development, special education, human resources, IT support, policy, financial services and curriculum development. Supporters of the merger believe that a consolidation of the school boards wouldn’t be be a radical shift, but rather a more streamlined and efficient approach to the current system. Additionally, a study committee, that met 35 times over the past nine months, found that there would be greater operational efficiency and more flexibility for creating educational opportunities.
Public Schools and S.T.E.M. Education: Preparing Children for High-Paying Jobs
Mr. Gregory D. Levine
Like breathing, eating, or sleeping, going to school is second nature and a routine occurrence for many children. Of those children who attend primary and secondary school, the vast majority of their schedules consist of pure liberal arts subjects such as mathematics, natural sciences, social studies, and languages. However, in today’s economy, it can be observed that the career fields with the highest average incomes are either related to practical science, technology, engineering, or applied mathematics.
The problem is, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an educational initiative in the United States for K–12 students, details what they should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade, but only those subjects. There is no mandate or regulation that specifically deals with S.T.E.M. subjects or requires classes in said subjects.
Seniors offer advice on applying to college
Ms. Lucy Anderson
As April draws to an end and May begins, there are many changes. The days grow warmer, students start participating in spring sports, and everyone looks towards the promise of summer. However, the greatest change for many CVU seniors is the knowledge of where they will be attending school next year. After months of hard work writing essays, gathering recommendations, filling out applications, and finally receiving admissions decisions, the members of the class of 2016 who have chosen to attend a college or university know what school they will next year call home.
The process of selecting a college is arduous and in most cases, extremely stressful. As the long ordeal draws to a close, many seniors want to share their wisdom with juniors and underclassmen. In order to do so, CVC caught up with Lucy Pappas, CVU vice president and future Middlebury student. Pappas applied to Middlebury early decision, which means that she sent in her application early with the condition that if she got accepted, she was binded to that school. Pappas recommended early decision for any student that has “truly fallen in love with a school, because knowing where you’re going so early is really nice. However, if you’re not completely sure, there’s nothing wrong with applying everywhere regular decision or early action. When I went on the Middlebury tour, I had that ‘ah-ha!’ moment.”
Tanzanian Transplant: Faibe Achinda talks culture
The immigrant population makes up 13% of the United State’s total population, making 42.1 million immigrants able to call the United States their home. Faibe Achinda and her 8 siblings are 9 of those 42.1 million people who have come to the United States.
Faibe came to the United States when she was only 15. She was dropped into a culture she had never experienced nor heard of before, one that was also nearly 8,000 miles away from her home. Coming from Tanzania, she swapped her yearlong summer weather with a climate that experienced winter like conditions for more than half the year. Having never seen snow before she took a quick liking, but soon her feelings toward it changed as she realized it was a package deal with subzero temperatures.
However, Faibe says the climate was the least of her problems. “When I first came here, the only thing I knew how to say in English was ‘Hi.'” She came to the United states already knowing French and Swahili, but says learning English was one of the hardest things she’s had to learn thus far. When she was enrolled into Champlain Valley Union High School, she felt embarrassed and alone because she didn’t know how to make friends with people she couldn’t say more than hello to. She couldn’t talk to her teachers, she couldn’t talk to her peers, she said the only place she felt at ease was her French class, but even there the teacher spoke primarily English, to appeal to the majority of the students. “Everything I said I felt like people responded with ‘what?’ because they couldn’t understand me, and then I would just say never mind because I didn’t want to repeat myself so many times.”
4th Block Video Team: Favorite CVU Hangout Spots
Mssrs Griffin DiParlo & Mike Regan, featuring Ms. Megan Gannon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCv86nH9FB4
NEXUS Charts a PATH for STUDENT-DRIVEN LEARNING
Ms. Katie Mahoney
The second hand of the clock moves at the pace of a snail as the teacher yammers on about the new pointless unit that the class will focus on for the next six weeks. In the back of the classroom, students stare out the window and text on their phones, completely disinterested in the teacher’s endless lecture. Minutes go by. More valuable time that could be spent on passionate learning is lost.
To tackle this wasted learning and disinterest of some students in the traditional learning style, CVU plans to implement the Nexus Path next fall, an alternative program through which students still receive the education necessary to graduate, but will do so through a learning environment that they create and run. According to Troy Paradee, the current Snelling health teacher who will be one of three teachers working in the Nexus Path program next fall, “the idea is for students to design their own learning based off of their interests rather than simply following a curriculum that teachers and adults provide for them.”
CVU began to consider incorporating such a program into the CVU learning setting several years ago. In 2013, the Vermont legislature passed the Flexible Pathways Initiative (Act 77), which required secondary schools like CVU to offer alternative ways for students to reach graduation requirements outside the traditional classroom environment. The goal of the initiative was to increase graduation rates and offer a diversity of learning pathways for students who would like learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom setting. Although CVU does have other alternative learning methods, such as dual enrollment and tech schools, the administration felt that more could be done to accomplish the goal of Act 77. According to Paradee, “when Principal Adam Bunting arrived back at CVU this fall, he brought with him the idea for the Nexus Path, which he modeled after the SOAR program at Montpelier,” and this alternative learning path was born.
Review: Beyoncé’s Lemonade Serves it both Sweet and Sour
Ms. Alexa Uline
Better call Becky with the good hair because Beyoncé is not messing around. Filled with anger, sadness, and forgiveness, Beyoncé’s newest album, “Lemonade”, serves new tones and attitude that hasn’t been seen since Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé has always been open to her fans, but in this album she really opens up about something personal. As many know, Jay-Z cheated on “Yoncé,” but it was a surprise to hear how open and explicit she was about the whole situation. Her visual albumT (also called Lemonade) went through various stages of how she dealt with the affair.
The visual album starts off with the song, “Pray You Catch Me”, a somber song about how Beyoncé is hoping to get some clarity from Jay-Z as their crumbling relationship is now public. There are a variety of visual metaphors in the hour long HBO special. In “Pray You Catch Me”, Beyoncé is standing in a field of dead flowers, representing the health of the relationship. Later in the song, she is seen kneeling on a stage, symbolizing the publicity of the situation and their scrutiny. Her lack of movement was another way of showing the dullness inside of her. It was shocking to see the Queen B so powerless and halfhearted.
Hablemos el idioma!
Ms. Emily Pierson
CVU’s Spanish 5 classes are experiencing a different type of final exam than the rest of their classes: an all day immersion with their teacher and peers. Many classes at CVU are trying a different approach to the classic final test that students are used to. The Spanish 5 class’ immersion is just one example of how CVU is changing the way you think about testing knowledge.
Instead of a sit down exam, Spanish 5 teacher Carolina Rodriguez decided to evaluate her students by having a full day of activities planned by the kids, where they speak spanish the entire day. Activities ranged from dodgeball and Simon says, to word games and coloring. Students were challenged in a way that a test couldn’t by having them communicate with others all day in the language that they had studied.
CVU Senior and Spanish 5 student Claire Kellner said, “I much preferred the immersion day over a test. Not only do I dislike tests but it’s a great way to actually test my knowledge of the Spanish language. Finding new ways of testing has been a common theme in recent years since many feel that regular sit down tests just aren’t truly representative of one’s ability and knowledge of a subject.”
Seth Jensen: The most interesting man in the world (languages dept.)
Ms. Alexa Uline
At first glance, one might not think that Seth Jensen is out and about traveling the world. Jensen can be seen walking around the halls, working in the Language office, or teaching one of his Spanish classes. Many students, whether current or previous, enjoy his classes and state that he’s a great teacher. But do CVU students know how interesting Jensen really is?
Jensen is not just a Spanish teacher at CVU, but he is also a very intriguing individual. Jensen is a smiley, kind person who enjoys building connections with students. He is very helpful and believes in giving the students a good experience. “Students don’t remember the content [from school], they remember the interactions they had.” It comes as no surprise to his students that Jensen recently won the National Honor Society’s Teacher of the Year award. “A student I had the previous year mentioned me in his speech a little bit.”
You Do the Math: Carter equals excellence
Ms. Eleanor Moody
Throughout the past 20 years, Monica Carter has taught all of the math courses that CVU has to offer except AP Calculus. Among these, her favorite classes to teach are AP Statistics and Algebra 2 because she loves the application that comes along with the curriculum of these courses.
Ever since late high school, Monica knew that teaching was what she wanted to do. Originally, she wanted to teach art to elementary students. Carter majored in elementary education in college at Johnson State in Vermont. This idea came to an end when she realized how difficult it is to get a job as an art teacher. There was a much higher demand for math teachers. Further research about job availability led her to major in math. She now has a bachelor’s degree in both elementary education and math.
Carter’s favorite aspect of teaching is working with kids and young adults. She loves to watch young people change and the enthusiasm that they have in class. In addition to teaching, she is an instructional coach at CVU, working with learning teachers to improve and introduce productive instructional and assessment strategies. She is an instructional coach because similarly to her interest in teaching kids, she loves to see the change that occurs over periods of time.