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CVU Community, Letters to the Editor, Opinion & Review, Volume 12: Fall '21

First Semester Senior Year Off The Checklist 

Ava Bartlett

Time flies, huh? The countless amount of times I had been told to cherish high school while it lasted hadn’t become real to me until now. I’ve officially made it to the end of my last first semester of high school.

When I sat down to record my perspective on this somewhat-of-an-accomplishment, I froze. What was I about to reflect on? I left my desk and meandered around CVU, hoping to find inspiration in the halls I’ve spent most of my life in for the last four years… I then realized that was it. I have spent nearly 205 weeks (4,920 hours), (give or take a few days) in the halls, classrooms, and education centers of CVU each year for the past four years of my life. That excludes the time I’ve spent on my sports field and the sidelines of others. 

Every new grade year in high school felt like a different life and that has become clear as I reflect. The first day of my freshman year was hair-raising, then on the last day, I walked out of the building with a feeling of freedom and independence. And every year after that I walked in with new feelings and impressions and left that school year with another new feeling to bring with me in my next cherishable “life” at CVU. Along with these perspectives came the adventures, people, and memories that were the concrete attributes to my results of each year. Every year was a completely fresh experience and time to gain control, attentiveness, and compassion for myself and the new people and tasks I was taking on. No matter what I had pulled forward with me from my previous “life”, there were always new ingredients added to my plate and that is what gave my high school experience distinction. Each year was so distinctive, it felt like a new life. And now I am halfway through with my last life here at CVU. 

The basic aspects of life that people experience are placed in front of us in high school, providing students with the opportunity to grow and understand how we wish for them to play out in our lives. I was gifted the opportunity to create conversation, problem solve, collaborate, and learn leadership, along with a standard educational experience. It would be a typical senior statement to reflect on what I have learned in my classes here at CVU, and I don’t want to do that. I want to cherish the impact of every moment of my high school experience, small and large.

My most valuable moments of high school were the little intimate gestures I had with familiar and new faces. The simple hello’s in the hallway to my teachers and classmates turned into valuable friendships I have withheld to this day, and which have supported me and my decisions, allowing me to grow into who I am.

Every hand I’ve raised at CVU has deepened my thoughts and loudened my voice in my community, giving me the power to speak on my thoughts and interests with confidence. 

Each experience that I have taken with me these past years, I have utilized to be able to take on the biggest steps of my life so far, which I have taken in this past semester. This semester was filled with highs and lows as I began my transition into college. It may just be the beginning, but as I filled out and submitted applications, I was indeed using all of the small and large moments CVU gave me. 

I walked into this year with excitement knowing I only had one year till college, and now, with 21 weeks left till graduation, I am developing a feeling of disconnection. I know that soon I will have a slight disconnection from this place and these people once the memories from this school will no longer resonate in the building, and will only take place in my long-term memory. Time flies, huh?

ava

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CVU Community, Letters to the Editor, Opinion & Review, Volume 12: Fall '21

Semester one done

By Dau Dau

With the semester coming to an end and the new year starting I just wanted to share my experience with the public.

The first month of school was a little rough. I was trying to get used to the 5 days a week of school, but was exhausted by Wednesday. Although it was exhausting and very different from last year I would say it was definitely worth it. Being able to get help when I don’t understand a task or need is irreplaceable. Even though I don’t really ask the teachers for help that often it was still nice to have them around. I also was still getting back in the groove of things since last year we only had 2 days of school and heck of a lot of free time. I used to come home excited, enjoying my free time, thinking about all the things I was gonna do, was I gonna go outside and hoop, watch a movie on Netflix or workout in the backyard. Now I come home with my eyes heavy and my bed is the only thing on my mind, next thing I know it’s 8pm and I have spent my whole afternoon sleeping.

Other than the fatigue, school has been pretty good the past few months. They’ve gone by pretty fast, but it’s not really a bad thing though. Since the new semester is starting I finally get some new classes.

Another thing is sports. I cannot wait to watch some of the basketball games this year. It has felt like forever since I’ve watched a basketball game in person and generally excited to watch the games this year. That’s how the semesters have been this year for me. I’ll try to write another one by the end of semester two, but I cannot promise that I won’t forget.

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CVU Community, Our Natural World, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

Yates: The American Dreamee

By Mina Radivojevic

The summer season came to an end late this year, but I still can’t get over the fact that the dreamee season is over as well! And if you don’t know what a dreamee is, then you missed out on a lot this summer. Yates Family Orchard is just one of many orchards in Vermont. But it has a secret recipe (or two) that makes them stand out from the crowd. Dreamee – similar to creamer, just with an extra donut – is their secret to making people come back. 

Jessika Yates, co-owner of the orchard, has been running the orchard since the first day. The interview with Jessika made me closer to this family and their journey.

Jessika enthusiastically began the story of the history of the Yates Family Orchard: “My husband and I, we bought this property in 2008. We found this house with amazing views out to the Adirondacks and then south to the Bristol Valley and we thought: Wow, this is a really cool place. We didn’t know anything about apple trees. And we never really expected to run an orchard.” 

“At the time we bought this house, there were only two acres and about 110 trees. So for the first eight years, I guess you could call this more of a hobby orchard. It’s part of an orchard that’s been in existence for a very long time. Those were all planted in the late 1930s. So for the first eight years, we’ve always done a pick your own. We found a commercial cider press from the very get-go mainly because we needed a piece of that cider press and we could only buy the whole thing so we’ve been pressing cider, but literally our farmstand was just a table with some bags of apples. I’ve always made jams but there was pretty much just an honor box there. I did a completely different full-time job.”

With the full-time job on her hands, Jessika and her husband had to figure out another way to manage the apples. They did this by working with the organization called Salvation Farms. Volunteers were sent to the Yates orchard, and all the apples were donated throughout the state. This was a relief for the Yates, since they were then sure none of the apples ended up as a waste. 

“So that’s what we did for the first eight years,” Jessika continued. “The previous orchardist who still owned the surrounding acres passed away unexpectedly.”

This is how Yates acquired more of the current orchard, and it was their way of protecting the viewshed that surrounds it. Ultimately this quadrupled the number of trees, and that was just too much to donate, and so the business of the Yates Family Orchard took a swing. It officially got established as a business in 2017.

What the Yates Family is known for are dreamees. A dreamee is a creamee on top of a fresh apple cider donut. Like many of the best things in history, dreamees were an accident. We can thank Yates’ neighbors for the invention of the dreamee.

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“One night my neighbor came into our garage and we had just fired up the creamee machine and we were frying doughnuts and test tasting and then we put a dollop of creamee on a doughnut. And we’re saying donut, creamee… dreamee! And that’s how the dreamee was born! They tend to make people really happy,” Jessika sounded very proud saying this last part.

The Yates are happy to make others happy. They represent not only the good taste, but also nice views and tranquility. Besides this, they are also proud of the range they can offer.

“We have 28 Different kinds of apples. So I think sometimes people think I’m a crazy Apple lady. I get pretty excited because the first apples start ripening in July. And some of those early season apples that ripen before we open. We use them for the products that we make like our apple barbecue sauce and our apple chutneys. I think that no matter when you come, if you came every week, you would find different apples that are ripe and so that kind of makes it fun.”

After a little talk about apples, which are the main resource of the Yates Family Orchard, we had to go back to desserts. This year, the orchard took a new risk, which ended up being more than successful. 

 “Growing our business this season, I had someone come aboard to help with making donuts but also someone to make all of our pies in house. Our pie baker said: “Well, why don’t we put a little dollop of our apple pie filling and drizzle some caramel on top?” And that’s how the “supremee”  was born. And so we’re always kind of concocting and coming up with fun different things just to see what we can combine. And you know what? They taste good!”

It seems like the Yates family never fails to surprise it’s customers. From freshly picked apples and charming views to tasty homemade “supremees” and all sorts of delights, they offer a diversity of products. So, when the next summer comes, don’t miss a chance to indulge in this heaven on Earth.

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Opinion & Review, Sports, Volume 12: Fall '21

What should the Red Sox do this upcoming off-season?

by River Mitchell

The Boston Red Sox, who had a magical ride in 2021, finally saw their season come to an end as they lost by a final score of 5-0 to the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the 2021 ALCS. With the off-season coming up, with some big free agents hitting the market for the Red Sox, this is going to be a big off-season as they look to try to make it even further than last year. In this piece, I am going to go over what the Red Sox should do this off-season from who walks, who they re-sign, and who they snag from other teams. 

First thing they should do is let Garrett Richards and Martin Perez walk. Both were brought in one 1 year deals this off-season, to help improve the starting rotation which was abysmal the year before. While their numbers might not look great, they were big parts in getting the Red Sox to the postseason, improving that starting rotation and giving the Red Sox a chance to win each and every game. However, with Tanner Houck expected to have a big breakout year and Chris Sale returning from Tommy John surgery, both are looking to take spots in the rotation. Considering Richards and Perez were both moved to the bullpen to make space for Houck and Sale in the rotation, I don’t see a world where they are starters next season. These moves will probably save them about 15-16 Million dollars. 

Another big topic of conversation is whether the Red Sox should bring back the southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez. Eduardo had a bad year this season for the Sox, posting a 4.74 ERA (Earned Run Average), a 1.389 WHIP (Walks + Hits/Innings Pitched), and a 3.32 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) which is really the only stat that was good for him last year. He did have a few good starts in the postseason but the question still remains. He was really good in 2019 for the Red Sox, posting a 3.81 ERA in over 200 innings, but was sidelined in 2020 due to myocarditis which he contracted from having COVID. He also had a dead arm to start off the 2021 season, missing his first start. He provides value in the fact that he is gonna eat some innings in the back of the rotation, and knows what it’s like to win, being a part of the 2018 Red Sox won it all that year. Considering he had a down year that could’ve been affected by his health and a really good FIP, if given a full offseason to recover he could return to old form. If I’m the Red Sox, I would give him a 1 year prove it deal, for no more than 5-7 million. If he is commanding more than that, I would let him walk in free agency to go find a new team. He won’t have any troubles with that, as there will be teams that would love a guy like Eduardo Rodriguez. 

 In terms of the Red Sox slugger Hunter Renfroe, I think they would be fools not to bring him back. They signed Hunter Renfroe this past offseason to a 1 year deal, worth about 3.1 Million dollars, which he more than lived up to. He had a phenomenal year for the Red Sox, hitting 31 home runs, while driving in 96 runs while posting a .816 OPS (On base % + Slugging %) with a 112 OPS+ and a wRC+ (weighted runs created) at 114. While his overall fielding metrics aren’t great, he has an absolute cannon of an arn, with 16 outfield assists on the season. Overall, this is a guy that drove in runs at a high clip and was very valuable to the Red Sox both with the bat and with his arm. He was a huge reason why they made it as far as they did last season.

Next player we are going to talk about is Red Sox reliever Atam Ottavino, who I would let walk. Adam Ottavino was acquired in a rare trade with the Yankees this past off-season, with the yankees needing the clear payroll and the Red Sox needing a reliever. Adam Ottavino overall put up decent numbers, but definitely struggled a little more during the 2nd half of the season. He finished the year with a 4.21 ERA, a 1.452 WHIP which is very high, and a 3.96 FIP. He did have a very solid FIP and a decent ERA, but was super inconsistent. Sometimes he was lights out, and other times he looked absolutely lost on the mound. I think if he is willing to come back on a 1 year 2-3 million dollar deal, then I would probably bring him back. But, I think he might be commanding more money and in that case I would let him walk to go find a new team.

Next thing I would do is pick up the club option on Christian Vazquez. Vazquez in 2021 was not good offensively, but he does provide value. He led the league in innings caught in 2021 and was also still very good defensively. He did have some big hits for the Red Sox however, including a walk off homer in Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS against the Rays. He showed a lot of promise offensively in 2019 and 2020 however, hitting 23 homers in 2019, and in 2020 posting a .801 OPS and a 115 wRC+. He was on the team for the 2018 WS, he’s always great defensively, and his club option is only 7 million dollars. He could also be a really good mentor for Connor Wong, who made his major league debut last season and is looking to spend more time with the big club than he did last year. He was a piece in the Mookie Betts trade, so the Red Sox definitely see him as a very solid player.

 Next up, the Red Sox should re-sign Travis Shaw and Jose Iglesias. Both were released by their teams in the middle of the season, and were brought in to help with the Red Sox depth off the bench and provide quality at bats and give them more options. Both players have played for the Red Sox before in years past, with Shaw playing with the team in 2015 & 16, and Iglesias playing with them from 2011-2013 before getting traded to the Tigers in 2013. Shaw gives the Red Sox depth, as a left handed bat off the bench that can pinch-hit if needed and also someone that can hit homers, which he had a lot of big ones in 2021 for the Red Sox. Iglesias also gives the Red Sox depth, and will probably end up splitting time at 2nd base with Christian Arroyo. He is a great contact hitter, hitting .356 with the club in 23 games and 59 AB’s. Both love playing for the Red Sox, and would not be very expensive to bring back for another year.

Austin Davis and Hansel Robles are both interesting cases. Both were brought in at the trade deadline this season, and were both decent with the club helping out that Red Sox bullpen. Davis was traded to the Red Sox in exchange for Michael Chavis, and Robles traded to the Red Sox for minor league pitcher Alex Scherff. I think that if the price is right, I would bring them both back on 1 year deals. But, I wouldn’t want to pay them much, no more than 1-3 million dollars. But with that being said, there is a lot of good free agent relief pitching on the market. I wouldn’t be mad if either of them came back, but they are both easily replaceable. 

Now this might be the biggest talk of the town for the Red Sox this off-season. What happens with JD Martinez and Kyle Schwarber. Kyle Schwarber is a free agent this off-season, and JD Martinez can OPT out of his contract, which for this season is about 19 million dollars. There is a very good chance that JD opts out of his contract, considering that he could probably make more money if he hits free agency. However, JD Martinez really likes playing in Boston so that makes this very interesting. I think that if JD ends up opting out and finds a new team, they should definitely bring Schwarber back. But, if JD opts into his contract, then I have a feeling that Schwarber will be finding a new team. But I have a good feeling that no matter what happens, one of those guys will be suiting up in a Red Sox uniform next season.

Now this brings up why they should sign. The Red Sox are definitely in need of a starting pitcher, and could really use several bullpen arms as well. I think if there is a way that the Red Sox could sign Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, that would be really good because they are both going to be highly sought after, arguably being the top 2 pitchers on the market this off-season. But, I don’t think that will happen because they will probably be commanding more money than the Red Sox are gonna be willing to pay them. I think 2 options for them that could be very realistic signings at more affordable costs, are Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman. Kevin Gausman will probably end up finishing top 5 in CY Young votes in the national league, while Stroman had a really good season posting a 3.02 ERA and a 1.145 WHIP in 179 innings. In terms of relievers, Raisel Iglesias and Kenley Jasen are both really good relievers that could give the Red Sox a lot of really high quality innings, considering they don’t have a closer at the moment. There are also some other good options, like Joe Kelly, Corey Knebel, Ryan Tepera, Kendall Graveman, Mark Melancon, and Aaron Loup. 

No matter what happens, the Red Sox are still going to be really good. Next year they are going to be looking to make it even further than they did last year, which is certainly achievable. But, they need to go out and make some moves and some trades if they want to make it as far or even further than they did last year. Because all the other teams are going to be getting better, and look to make a run at the chip as well. This also includes the highly competitive AL East, which had 4 teams with 90 with or more last season. 

 

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Opinion & Review, Sports, Volume 12: Fall '21

What are my rankings for the top 10 shortstops?

by River Mitchell

MLB rankings can be one of the most controversial things around sports. Every ranking for every position is always going to be different, which is what makes these conversations so fun and entertaining. But today, I am going to give you my opinion on who I think are the top 10 shortstops in the MLB. So for this ranking I am going to go from 10-1, starting at 10 and working my way down to 1. Let’s get into it.

Also before getting into this, I am going to be using some more advanced statistics in this article to evaluate the rankings and the value of the players, so here are what those mean.

wRC+ → weighted Runs Created plus

DRS → Defensive Runs Saved

OPS → On base % + Slugging %

HM: Trevor Story

Story came up in 2016 just a year after the Rockies had traded franchise player Troy Tulowitzki. Considering that Tulowitzki was the face of the Rockies for so long and was their franchise player, Story filled the gap very well. Story has been one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball for the last several seasons, but last year was a down year for the Rockies slugger. He had a literal bang on average season, posting a 100 wRC+ in 2021. His defense also did decline a bit, but I don’t think that he is this kind of player. He had almost no protection in that lineup besides maybe CJ Cron, and the Rockies were not competitive at any point in the season. I do expect him to leave the Rockies, and that could potentially hurt his offensive numbers playing outside of Coors. That’s why I’m leaving out of the top 10, but I still think he is going to be a very solid player wherever he goes this offseason. 

HM: Javier Baez

Javier Baez was one of the most beloved players on the Cubs when he was there, helping his team win a WS and being a very solid player for years to come. However, he has always had a massive flaw in his game which is his plate discipline. However, when he got traded to the Mets his plate discipline improved drastically in the 47 games with the club. He has always been a wizard with the glove and has a lot of power in that bat, so he does provide value. He recently just inked a massive deal with the Detroit Tigers, signing for 6 years, $140,000,000. If he can perform how he did on the Mets this past year for a full season, this could be the steal of the offseason. 

 

  1. Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson has been in the league since 2016, but to start his career was not that good especially with the bat. But since 2019, Tim Anderson has been a really good player for the White Sox. He has had a wRC+ above 120 the last 3 seasons, with him posting a 141 wRC+ in the shortened 2020 season. He also is a guy that consistently has a batting average over .300, and even won the batting title in 2019. He even has improved his defense a little bit, with a 2 DRS in 2020 and a 3 DRS in 2021. Overall Tim Anderson is a very solid player with no really big holes in his game, which puts him at number 10.

 

  1. Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette got called up in 2019 later on in the year, to at the time a struggling Toronto Blue Jays squad. As soon as Bichette came up to the MLB level, he started absolutely raking at the plate. He has had very similar offensive numbers to Tim Anderson, posting no lower than a 120 wRC+ in any of his 3 seasons. I’d maybe just give a slight edge to him defensively, but both very close. I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong if you put Bichette over Anderson, but I think that Bichette has a higher ceiling than Andeson, so I’ll put him at 9.

  1. Wander Franco

Wander Franco might be one of the greatest prospects that the game has ever seen. Before this year, Wander Franco was ranked as the #1 overall prospect in 2021, and got called up only a few months after the season started. He started off pretty slow, but as the season went on he started to show everyone why he’s the best prospect in baseball. He posted a 127 wRC+, had a .810 OPS, and is very good defensively. He can’t go up any further for me because he’s only played 70 career games, but the sky’s the limit for this guy and will be a stud for a long time to come.

 

  1. Brandon Crawford

Brandon Crawford has been a stalwart at shortstop for the Giants, coming up with them in 2011. He has been there for 2 World Series, and has always been a really good defensive shortstop. Towards the front part of his career was very good offensively, but the past few years his offense has declined quite a bit. But last year he had a renaissance to his career, posting a .895 OPS and a 139 wRC+. He also had a 6 DRS in 2021, being one of the best shortstops in baseball this season. He is going to be 35 next season so I’m not too sure if he will put up the same numbers, but he definitely deserves to be in the top 10 here at #7.

 

  1. Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor has had a very interesting season. He started off the season not good, having an abysmal first 2 or so months. But since then, his offense has vastly improved, being a really good player for the Mets. The thing with Lindor is that he is nasty defensively and when he was with the Indians was arguably the best offensive shortstop as well. In 2020 in the shortened season he had a 104 wRC+ and in 2021 had a 103 wRC+. Mix that with the fact that he has a career 42 DRS, this makes him the 6th best shortstop in baseball.

 

  1. Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts got called up with the Red Sox in 2013, winning the World Series with the team and is currently the longest tenured member of the Red Sox. When he was first called up he struggled a little bit with the bat, but he really turned that around in 2016 and moved forward. Bogaerts might be one of the most well rounded hitters in all of baseball, as he has the unique ability to hit for power and contact at the same time. This is a guy that has 30 homerun power, can hit over .300, drive in 100 RBIs, and consistently hits for an wRC+ in the 130’s. His defense is far from perfect, as it is not very good. But when you hit like Bogaerts does, you are ok with the below average defense because his bat is just that good. 

 

  1. Corey Seager

Corey Seager came up with the Dodgers in 2015, and immediately put the league on notice with a really good run in 27 games that season. Ever since then he has continued to put up really good offensive numbers year in and year out. His average career wRC+ is 132, which is very high. He is a left handed bat that has pop, can hit for a decent average, and has had a lot of postseason success in his career. He is also ok defensively, as he is not elite but won’t cost you really any runs either. He has all the talent in the world, which is why the Rangers gave him a 10 year, $325,000,000 contract.

 

  1. Trea Turner

Trea Turner might be the most underrated player in baseball. Since coming up with the Nationals he has been a really good hitter, minus his 1st season in 2015. Trea Turner is not only phenomenal defensively, but he might be one of the best offensive shortstops as well. In the shortened season in 2020, he had a 158 wRC+ and a .982 OPS and a 142 wRC+ with a .911 OPS in 2021 split between the Nationals and Dodgers. He has always been good offensively but it wasn’t until just recently that he really took his game to the next level. He can also fly around the bases with 203 career stolen bases. He deserves a lot more credit than he gets, and is the 3rd best shortstop in baseball.

 

  1. Carlos Correa

Carlos Correa was drafted with the 1st overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft, drafting him with the expectations of being a super star. Well looking back at it now we can certainly confirm that the Astros made a phenomenal pick. Correa has been one of the most polarizing and controversial players for several years now, with the news breaking in 2019 about the Astros cheating scandal, which helped them win the 2017 World Series. However, any controversy around Correa has not been with his play. Whether you like him or don’t like him, he is one of the most talented players in baseball currently. His elite hitting abilities with his really good defense makes him one of the most intimidating players in baseball to pitch to. He’s so incredibly good, but there is 1 player better than him.

 

  1. Fernando Tatis Jr

If you are a die hard baseball fan like myself, it should be extremely obvious why Fernando Tatis Jr is the best shortstop in baseball. Since he made his MLB debut in 2019, he has been one of the most electrifying and outstanding players in all of the MLB. Tatis is a guy that can hit 40 home runs a year, have an OPS over 1.000, and has had a above 150 wRC+ in all of the seasons he has played. Those numbers are absolutely phenomenal. The only thing to improve for Tatis is that he did make a lot of throwing errors last season, but he was dealing with a not so great shoulder for the entire season. He is without a doubt the best shortstop in baseball, and he is one of the bright young stars of the game. Not to mention his glove is also phenomenal as well.

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Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

Covid Pets 

    By Olivia O’Rourke

Did your family adopt a pet during the pandemic?  According to the ASPCA, 23 Million Americans did! And the good news is that the majority of those families plan to keep them. That’s about 1 out of 5 homes in America that brought some sort of pet into their family during the pandemic.

What were some of the main reasons for all the ‘covid pets’?  “This incredibly stressful period motivated many people to foster and adopt animals, as well as further cherish the pets already in their lives, and our recent research shows no significant risk of animals being rehomed by their owners now or in the near future as a result of the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO.  Even as the quarantines are lifted, families are keeping the pets as part of their routine and their lifestyles. 

There were some concerns by the ASPCA that there would be a surge in returns once the quarantines were lifted and people started going back to work. But they offer a lot of resources and support to help pet owners who need it during the transition.  The good news is that in a recent survey, 87 percent of respondents shared that they are not considering rehoming their animal, suggesting that pet owners remain committed to caring for their cats and dogs.  

In such a stressful time it is great to see that people found a way to not only help animals in need, but to also find a way to help their own stress. I personally adopted a kitten and got a horse, so I am part of the statistics and I know both of these amazing animals helped me get through the pandemic. 

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CVU Community, Opinion & Review, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21

being an exchange student 

by Méline Palkovic

When my sister started talking about it, I knew right away that I would want to go, that I would want to be an exchange student. When I really think about it I’m not really sure why I decided to go; when people ask me even today I say that I wanted to discover a new country, a culture, sports, another language that I could speak fluently and also some change, something new that stands out from the everyday. But on the other side I just knew that this is what I wanted to do.

Before being able to leave, there are many steps: finding an association (unless you are leaving privately), creating your profile to find a host family, the documents to obtain the visa, the meetings preparation,… All of this requires preparation.  

Then, when the departure gets closer, we start to say goodbye to the people of our family until the real departure where in general we say goodbye to our parents. For me it was the hardest step before the trip. It’s something to say that you will not see your family again for almost a year. And also to leave his country for so long. I live in Switzerland, in Geneva, and I personally love the place where I live. Geneva is not too big a city, it’s not too crowded but there is a lot to do. There are the “rues basses” especially frequented for shopping, the different restaurants for all tastes, the jet d’eau, the old town and the numerous buildings and museums like for example the one of the red cross,… It’s my Home. 

Then, the departure, the trip, the arrival and the first meeting with our host family and our “new home”. I was excited to live in a new place and have a new bedroom. At the beginning I learned to know my “new family”, their habits, the activities during the weekends and the week… At first it’s a little “weird”. I remember when I arrived. My flights had been changed and I arrived at midnight. I was tired and a little lost, although Burlington airport is very small. And I saw them far away. They had made a sign with “Welcome Méline” written on it. We had two zoom before, but this was the first time I met them in real life. I was a bit stressed but it went really well. I was shy but after a time we got to know each other. At the beginning, literally you live with strangers but little by little they start to become a second family for you.

Many other exchange students told me that during the Christmas period it would be particularly difficult because for many people Christmas is an event that gathers all the family and where they spend time together. This is not my case. For me, so far it was very hard at the beginning, before starting school. Then, I started to do more things like going out with my host sister’s friends, going for walks, visiting my new city… ; now I am busy during most of the day with school and sports. It’s always hard at times, but it will get better.

One thing that helps me when it’s hard and I miss my family is to think about how lucky I am to be here and to be able to discover and do things that I’ve never done. I celebrated Thanksgiving, I’m going to spend Christmas in Arizona, skating on frozen lakes,… I also strongly advise new people in general to do sports. When you’re in a team it allows you to meet people easily. You integrate on the team, you make friends and it’s good for your health :)

I think being an exchange student is a unique experience. Everything you learn, whether it’s about the country you discover and the culture, the country, the language, the fact that you grow enormously in your autonomy, your way of thinking… I don’t hide from you that it’s hard (more or less depending on the person) and I think you have to admit it, it’s normal. But overcoming this difficulty makes you stronger. So if you’ve always wanted to go abroad for an exchange year but you’re not sure, you have doubts, you’re… Do it! 

Some pictures…

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Some pumpkins we made on Halloween. It was really fun to make. It took me about 3 1/2 hours to make it. Mine is on the small table, it’s two characters from a comic book. 

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Back in the summer, it had only been a few days since I arrived in the US and it was very hard. Tess (my host sister) suggested that I come to the lake to swim because one of her friends has a boat. It was so nice. In the picture from left to right there is Sophia, Sabina, Me and Tess. Today we all play on the same ice hockey team :)

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A few days during the Thanksgiving vacation we went to Maine. In the picture you can see the lighthouse overlooking the ocean. We visited and ate sushi, it was great!

 

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US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21, World News

Murder, journalism, and justice: everything you need to know about Jamal Khashoggi’s death

By Ian Dunkley

Journalism and freedom of press are integral to the foundation of the free world. As such it is vital to protect our freedom of speech and the right to report on the events of the world. Journalism has become so important to modern society that DC officials have renamed a street name in honor of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in protest against his murder on October 2nd, 2018. 

Jamal Khashoggi was a journalist, specifically known for his criticism of the Saudi Arabian government. Mr. Khashoggi was best known for his work covering the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of Osama Bin Laden, the late leader of al-Qaeda. He wasn’t always in opposition with the Saudi Arabian government, in fact, for years he worked as an advisor to the government. He was also close with the royal family, until his self-inflicted exile to the United States in 2017. 

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Once in the States, Mr. Khashoggi worked as a writer for the Washington Post. Through this platform, he began to voice his criticism of the Saudi government and the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salma. Although he frequently wrote about his fears of being arrested, he was forced to visit a Saudi consulate located in Istanbul, Turkey, to pick up divorce paperwork. He visited the consulate on September 28th, 2018, and he was instructed to return on October 2nd to receive the paperwork. He returned to the consulate with his finance Ms Cengiz and told her to wait for him. “He did not believe that something bad could happen on Turkish soil,” Ms Cengiz wrote. Mr. Khashoggi was last seen entering the building on CCTV footage.

Using this footage as evidence, the Saudi government denied any involvement in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance. Prince Mohammed of the royal family even went as far as to say that he had left the consulate. “after a few minutes or one hour [...] We have nothing to hide”. This official sequence of events was propagated for more than two weeks. Then on October 20th investigations revealed that Mr. Khashoggi had in fact died of an overdose. It was speculated that this occurred during a struggle where he was injected with a large dose of drugs. A local collaborator then was brought in to dispose of his corpse.

 

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 In the end, five people admitted to the murder while another 21 were arrested. Those involved denied the prince’s involvement with the murder, “[The crown prince] did not have any knowledge about it”. Five senior government officials were removed in response to the controversy. Punishment was harsh. Five people were sentenced to death and another 3 were given 24-year prison sentences. Only 3 of the accused were found to be innocent. These sentences have been controversial, with several arguments about the severity of the punishments, and others claiming the operation goes higher than a rogue group. 

Ms Callamard , a human rights advocate, said the trial represented “the antithesis of justice”, where the “masterminds” were never caught. Unfortunately, no definite answers can be provided as the case continues to evolve. 

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Recently, yet another suspect has been apprehended in Paris. The suspect’s name is Khaled Aedh Alotaibi and he was a member of the Royal Guard. The reason for his arrest came from his proximity to the location of Mr. Khashoggi’s murder. Mr. Khaled arrived at the consulate on October 2nd and was staying in the consulate’s general residential area. The importance of his arrest was that he may have answers to questions that the other convicted offenders do not. Being a member of the Royal Guard puts the suspect in connection with higher government officials. As the story is still evolving, perhaps this breakthrough will finally solve the level of involvement of the Saudi Arabian government.

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Arts and Sciences, CVU Community, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21

CVU Chamber Choir & Madrigal singers participate in Holiday Events

By Mazzy Ricklefs

The CVU Chamber Choir & Madrigal singers participated in two holiday events on Friday, December 10th. They attended the Madrigal Festival at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Burlington and then joined other high school choirs at the top of Church Street for a group performance by the giant Christmas tree. They then performed their own choral repertoire including Carol of the Bells and Deck the Halls for people passing by further down Church Street.

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On Saturday, they performed outdoors at “Winterfest”, an event hosted by the Vermont Children Trust Foundation. They performed a twenty minute set, three times, enjoyed by many families passing through Maple Street Park in Essex. Catherine Case and her family braved the chilly weather to listen to the performers. “It’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations and reminds me that the season is really about joy,” she said. Wylie Ricklefs, a bass singer with the Madrigals, said,” It feels good to finally be able to perform for people after all the hard work we’ve put into this.”  These performances were a great kick off to the holiday season!   

These performances embodied the relief both students and community were feeling after a long period of Covid induced isolation. Not having public performances for so long, including the lack of live holiday musical programming in 2020 was hard on musicians and audiences across the board. The overall sentiment of both the performers and the audience was that they need each other and this happens best with in-person music. 

When asked about the impact these live holiday performances had on both students and their audience, CVU Choral Director Cameron Brownell responded, “Choral music is all about community, so it was very special to come together as a CVU community and as a Vermont community with other high school choirs from around the state. It was a powerful experience to gather around the tree on Church Street and join our voices together for the first time in 2 years! Although we’re still not back to pre-COVID concerts and events, everyone involved has been so grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to hear live music in the air. Singing prepares our hearts to connect with others and I know my students are happier and healthier because they sing together!“

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US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

CONGRESS PUTS BREAKS ON DUI

By Asa Roberts

Drunk driving is the number one cause of automobile fatalities. On average, 29 Americans die every day due to alcohol-related crashes. Since 2000, an average of 10,000 deaths have been reported each year. As a result, Congress has passed a multitude of laws in an attempt to reduce fatalities; the latest of these laws, passed on November ninth , requires automobile companies to implement technology to reduce drunk driving rates.

New technology could potentially find it’s way into new vehicles by 2026. This law comes as part of a new 1 trillion dollar infrastructure package, in an attempt to improve auto safety and quell the increase in road deaths. According to the U.S. department of transportation in a 2020 survey, road deaths are up 18.4% from 2020. The United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an October press release, “Today we are announcing that we will produce the Department’s first ever National Roadway Safety Strategy to identify action steps for everyone working to save lives on the road.” The package was approved by Congress on Friday, and is expected to be signed by president Biden soon. 

How will this affect you?

The truth, at least for now, is that it won’t. Automakers aren’t being pressured to implement these technologies until at earliest 2026. However, this mandate is a big step in the fight against drunk driving. As president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Alex Otte said in  a recent interview about the new mandates, “It’s monumental,” it marks “the beginning of the end of drunk driving.” 

Many students and teachers support these new safety precautions as a form of protection for themselves and their loved ones. According to a CVU student driver’s parent, “technology for preventing drunk driving is a necessity, not only for the drunk drivers themselves, but for the drivers around them as well.” While this new mandate isn’t expected to start making changes in the auto industry for at least another four years, you can expect this to be the first of many steps towards trying to end drunk driving.

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CVU Community, US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21

New Nightmare Emerges for Christmas Shoppers: Sony Cuts Back Production of PlayStation 5 even more due to Chip Shortages.

By: Harrison Young-Glatz

Sony’s PlayStation 5 is now the fastest selling console in history, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down yet. According to the NPD Group (a market research company) and Sony, the PS5 is the best selling console in terms of money and units sold. There have been 13.4 million consoles sold since its release on November 12th, 2020, and no hard numbers on money released by either company.

As the console’s first year is coming to an end, it is still selling out immediately every restock at retail, and it doesn’t look like things are going to change for Sony any time soon. The units sold in its first year rivals that of the Nintendo Wii, one of the most sold consoles of all time. What makes the PS5 so special is that it is still in such high, high demand after a full year of release, and things aren’t getting any easier either.

As of November 11th, 2021, Sony has declared that they are going to cut production of the PS5s even more due to shortages of essential parts like power management chips. Toshiba Corp., the biggest producers of these chips stated that things are unlikely to normalize even in 2022. 

These shortages will make Sony’s sales goals of 16 million units by March, and 23 million by 2023 very hard, but will make Christmas the next couple of years even harder.

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US Headlines, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21

Scam Call or Spam Call?

By Ian Dunkley

HINESBURG, VT – Spam calls are an unfortunately common annoyance for many Vermonters. Most of us simply write them off as just that, an annoyance, but the truth surrounding these calls is much more sinister. 

Vermont has an unusually high amount of spam calls, especially when taking into account the population being only 625,000 people. When analyzing the results from a spam call blocking app called Truecaller in 2021, it was revealed that approximately 1.1 million spam calls were directed towards Vermonters. While this number is already staggering, it becomes even more interesting when considering the total number of spam calls recorded by the app being 11 million between March and September. Despite Vermont’s relatively small population size, it received approximately 10% of all total spam calls.

https://www.pxfuel.com/en/search?q=contact
https://www.pxfuel.com/en/search?q=contact

While these numbers are quite high, they don’t show the true danger spam calls pose to Vermont as a whole. Data collected during 2020 by the Vermont Attorney General’s office showed that a total of 249 Vermonters were scammed as a result of these calls. The amount of money that was taken from these people was estimated to be 1.5 million dollars in total. That’s over 6 thousand dollars per person. In comparison with the 30 million dollars stolen nationwide, Vermont holds a large portion relative to its total population.

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As it turns out these numbers are unusual. A company called Strategic IT Partner was routing thousands of foreign scam calls directly to Vermont. This Florida-based company now faces fines of up to 67 thousand dollars if they do not screen the legitimacy of the calls they reroute. Although this company has been penalized, this doesn’t spell the end for scam calls in Vermont. In light of this, please be aware of the calls you receive as well as the information you disclose over the phone.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/05/how-to-stop-spam-robocalls-with-stir-shaken.ht

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CVU Community, CVU Sports, Sports, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

Cross country costume race

By Mina Radivojevic

FAIRFAX, VT- From Tree (Oliver King), to Lumberjack (Owen Deale), to Trash (Charli Geravelli)…

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…to Tinkerbells (Josie Sayre and Eliza Amsbery)…

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…to Mom (Nico Cuneo) and Pregnant Santa (Mario Robinson)…

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…to Princess (Evie Schumann) and Winnie the Phoo (Lindley Pickard)…

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…to The Lorax duo (Thomas Geravelli and Logan Pickard)…

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…to the whole Despicable me crew (Ava Rohrbaugh, Mia Marino and Jameson)…

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…and of course, Bananas (Eliza McLean and Matt Lollis)…

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All of them raced on October 5th in the Fairfax Costume race, which was more than dazzling. CVU, as always, was very successful. Besides original costumes that won awards for their creativity…

…like The Death Combo (Segoleine Johnson and Annalise Wood)

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And The Magic Eight Balls (Phoebe Denniso, Maddie Haydock, Mina Radivojevic, Olivia StPeter, Chloe Stidsen and Anna Van Buren),

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CVU also took the top three awards for speed. Third place went for Business Men (Ben Mcauliffe and Greg Seraus, respectively).

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Second place went to Accountants (Jack Crum and Kody Guiterman).

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And the first place went to the Minions duo (Brandon Milatello and Jameson McEnaney).

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Our Natural World, Sports, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Weather, Wellness

What will covid restrictions look like for top VT ski resorts this winter?

By Mazzy Ricklefs

Ski season is right around the corner and many are curious what it will require to be out on the slopes safely this year. How will it compare to last year? According to CVU students and the Burlington Free Press, these are the top resorts in Vermont and some of the requirements needed to enjoy your time. 

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Sugarbush Resort 

 Sugarbush is definitely a favorite of many in and out of state skiers. According to the Burlington Free Press, Spokesman John Bleh says Sugarbush plans on not having any restrictions outdoors, but if things drastically change the resort will follow local guidelines. “If the town of Warren decided to reinstate masks, we would as well,” Bleh said. As far as being indoors, masks are recommended and required for unvaccinated staff. Sugarbush’s owner, Alterra Mountain Company, is considering more aggressive measures but hasn’t made any final decisions. 

 

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Smuggler’s Notch Resort 

Smugg’s will be similar to Sugarbush this year, in the sense that the ski area will be pretty open and flexible. As far as indoors, masks will be required rather than just recommended, even if you are vaccinated. “Now that we’re going into the ski season, it’s an outdoor sport so naturally people are wearing goggles and masks,” Spokeswoman Stephanie Gorin said. “We’re not requiring masks on the lifts, but most people wear them.”

 

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Jay Peak Resort 

Jay Peak plans to follow any mandate the State of Vermont issues concerning masking and distancing. Jay Peak will not be limiting the number of tickets sold, according to Toland. Spokesman J.J. Toland states that, “One of the advantages we have up here is that we are so far up here,we don’t see the crowds that some of the southern resorts get and those that do make the trip (to Jay Peak) take comfort in that fact. The short of it, we expect to have a great winter.”

As far as places like Killington Resort and Bolton Valley Resort, they are still deciding what their COVID-19 protocols will be for this year. Last year, Bolton followed all guidance from the State of Vermont, CDC and OSHA so it is assumed that will most likely be the case this year as well. 

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Our Natural World, US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21, Weather, World News

COP 26 Leads the Climate Concern Conversation

by Vivie Babbott

Are you concerned about our climate? Starting on October 31st and continuing through November 12th, over 100 world leaders are attending the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 26. This year the conference is being held at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The purpose of this assembly is to assess the world’s progress towards the 2015 Paris Agreement, and for world leaders to agree upon coordinated action to combat climate change.

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(Photo courtesy of Reuters.com)

Though most countries will be represented in one way or another, Chinese president Xi Jinping, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, and Russian president Vladmir Putin will not be attending the conference. Along with these three key absences, presidents of  Mexico, South Africa, and Iran will also be missing COP 26. Queen Elizabeth of Britain, who was originally attending, has pulled out of the meeting due to doctor’s orders to rest. She will continue to participate virtually.

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(Photo courtesy of The Washington Post)

COP 26 has already seen the start of climate successes so far. The European Commission President announced around 100 nations have signed a global pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% (as of 2020 levels) by 2030, which is expected to immediately slow climate change. In addition to this, the US, France, UK, Germany, and European Union have agreed to fund South Africa´s shift away from coal. This could pave the way for other developing countries, who contribute largely to pollution. The pledge to end deforestation by 2030 turned into solid budget commitments including the European Union, US, and UK. Their budgets are, respectively, $1.1 billion, $9 billion, and $2 billion (all in USD).

The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) is a group which brings together the top 48 countries most at risk from climate change. CVF held a meeting at COP 26 on Tuesday, calling upon rich countries to assist in their transition to green economies. Ghana is one of the countries in CVF, and Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo stated ¨The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows Africa is warming faster than any continent in the world even though we are the least emitters.¨ One of the CVF´s request was 500 billion in climate finance between 2020 and 2024. Half of this for mitigation through reducing carbon emissions, and half for adapting to climate impacts.

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(Photo courtesy of https://panafricanvisions.com/)

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CVU Community, CVU Sports, Sports, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Weather, Wellness

What’s up with winter sports?

By Asa Roberts

As fall sports come to a close, it’s time to start looking at the upcoming winter season. This year has a plethora of opportunities to get active! From hitting the slopes with the alpine ski team to trying out the all new girls wrestling team, there’s something for everyone! 

Cross Country skiing: 

Are you looking for a great way to get outside and stay in shape this winter? Take a look at cross country skiing! No experience necessary, skiers of all levels and competitiveness are welcome to join. Nordic skiing practices every day after school at the local ski center Sleepy Hollow (once there’s snow). Sleepy Hollow is a Great place for skiers of all abilities, and passes work all year round for skiing, snowshoeing, hiking and biking. If you enjoy being outside and staying fit, you are in luck. Coach Sara Strack will be heading the CVU team this year once again, and will surely make this season amazing. Cross country skiing had its first meeting last Thursday the 28th. Missed it? No worries! You can learn more about nordic by visiting CVU nordics website here, or by emailing coach Strack.

Alpine skiing:

More into going down the hills? Check out the Alpine ski team. The ski team starts their season before the snow falls with workouts and practices in the mini gym. Ski team is open for new racers, as well as veterans, so no matter what your level of experience, you are sure to fit in. Alpine racing practices at Cochrans during the week, and heads up to Sugarbush on Saturdays for training on the big hill. If you are interested in picking up racing, or have any questions regarding the season, be sure to reach out to assistant coach Lee Morse laxcoach.vt@myfairpoint.net. Alpine  skiing starts soon so be sure to check it out!

Indoor track:

If you are interested in staying fit, or preparing for track and field this spring, check out indoor track club. Indoor track is a great option if you are looking for a low commitment sport, or if you are wanting to practice every day. Indoor track practices at parisi on mondays and tuesdays, with plenty of opportunities for carpooling, so don’t let rides deter you. Meets are on Saturdays at the indoor track at UVM, and are optional. Looking for a way to practice field events?Indoor tracks got that too! Both track and most field events are available. If you are interested, or want to learn more, email coach Elise Seraus at cvuindoortrack@gmail.com.

Basketball:

Both boys and girls basketball are back in full swing this year! With the girls season being tragically cut short right before the championship game two years ago, and no fans being allowed at games last year, both teams are more excited than ever to lace up and play. Boys Basketball will once again be having a varsity, JVA, and JVB team this year, and the all star coaching staff will be returning. Coach Osborne, who brought last year’s team to the quarterfinals is returning this year to make another run. CVU’s very own Seth Emerson will be coaching JVA, and Pat Keogh will be the JVB coach. If you are interested in trying out for the basketball team, email Coach Osborne or talk to CVU’s Seth Emerson.  

Girls Basketball is excited to be back on the court! The girls will be having three teams as well this year, and will be head coached by Ute Otley once Again. The girls will surely be dominant once again this year, so even if you aren’t a player, be sure to go watch and support. The girls host open gyms during preseason. To learn more, email coach Otley.

Wrestling:

CVU is excited to offer wrestling opportunities for both boys and girls this year! Wrestling is an awesome opportunity to get fit and build self confidence for everyone. Gunnar Olson will be coaching the wrestling team this year, and the team is open to wrestlers of all experiences and abilities, contact coach Olson at olsonsitedesign@myfairpoint.net. Ladies, if you are interested, contact CVU student Cassidy Flemming  at 469-773-1889 for more information or any questions. Be sure to check out CVU wrestling’s website here.

Gymnastics:

With floor, beam and bar events, CVU gymnastics has something for everyone. Following an amazing 2020 season where they took home gold, gymnastics had a modified season during 2021, and are looking forward to getting back to normal for the 2021 season. Coach Madison Bordeau is back again to lead the team. Practices are held at Green Mountain Training Center in Williston, and are every day. If you are looking into gymnastics this year, contact Dan Shepardson.

Hockey:

CVU’s hockey teams are starting up soon, so lace up your skates and get out on the ice. The girls once again are teaming up with MMU to form the Cougarhawks. The girls head coach Scott Bushweller will be returning along with his stellar coaching squad, and are officially taking over the program from MMU, but will keep the name Cougarhawks. Boys hockey is looking forward to a great season this year, with head coach J.P. Benoit returning. Both girls and boys hockey hold open ice sessions throughout the year, and the season is starting up soon. Contact Dan Sheperdson for more information.

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Sports, US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21

MLB free agency is here. Who will sign where?

by River Mitchell

The 2021 MLB season has come to an end, so that means that it’s time for pending free agents to sign new contracts and find new teams. There are a lot of really big free agent names on the market this offseason, a lot of them very likely to change teams and find a new home. So today I’m going to go over who I think is going to go where, and what kind of contract they will probably get.

The first one is probably the biggest free agent we will talk about, and that’s Carlos Correa. Correa has been a premier shortstop in the MLB for the last several years, and one of most well rounded players in the MLB. Really good defensively, good arm, can run a little bit, and is a beast at the plate. He is always going to have the 2017 Astros cheating scandal over his head, but there is no doubt that this guy is one of the top players in the MLB. He finished the year with 25 homers, 96 RBI’s, and a 134 wRC+ and a .851 OPS. With all this being said, I think the Astros will let go of Correa. He was given a qualifying offer which I can’t imagine he accepts, and he was also recently given a contract offer from the Astros. 5 years, 160 million dollars. I don’t believe he is going to accept that either, because he wants a long term deal, somewhere between 8-10 years. He is only 27, and is in the prime of his career right now. I think when it’s all said and done, he will go to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have AJ Hinch at the helm, who is his former manager and was the manager for the 2017 world series when they won it all. They have a young and up and coming team, surprising a lot of people last season playing better than expected. They are going to have a really good rotation in Casey Mize, Tarik Scubal, Matt Manning, and Spencer Turnbull. They also have Spencer Torkelson who should come up, and potentially Riley Greene as well. I think that if Detroit offers him a 8 year 250 million dollar contract, he will more than likely accept. 

Next, let’s talk about Corey Seager.  Seager has been a really good shortstop for the last several years, especially with the bat. People have always called Seager to be a top 10 shortstop in the MLB, and has been a stalwart for the Dodgers. Last season he did deal with some injuries, but when he was on the field he was really good, with a .915 OPS and a 147 wRC+.  However, they did acquire Trea Turner at the trade deadline while Seager was injured. That put the writing of the wall for him to be gone this offseason. I think that he will end up going to the New York Yankees. They have a need at the shortstop position that they need to fill, and Seager would be the perfect guy to fill that position. His swing would work perfectly for Yankee stadium, and is a good quality left handed bat that provides a lot of value. His defense isn’t great, but it doesn’t matter as much when you hit as good as Corey Seager. I think that they will probably give him a 3 year deal, worth about 75 million dollars over the 3 years. The Yankees do have Anthony Volpe in the minors, who should be up in a few years. They just need a guy that can be a bridge shortstop for a few years before Volpe comes up. 

Another shortstop that will be finding a new home in 2022 is Trevor Story. Story got called up to the majors in 2016 with the Colorado Rockies, and immediately had a huge impact. Since Story has been in the league throughout his career, he has been one of best offensive shortstops in baseball, while having a very good glove. He wasn’t great in 2017 and had a down year in 2021, but it was still an above average season with a bang on 100 wRC+ and 24 homers. He also had an .800 OPS and 103 OPS+. He will not be returning to the Rockies next season, due to the simple fact that the Rockies are quite bad. He wants to play with a competitive team, which the Rockies aren’t. I could definitely see him going to the St Louis Cardinals. Paul Dejong is nothing more than a bench player, and Edmundo Sosa isn’t the long term answer. Story would be able to reunite with old teammate Nolan Arenado, and would have more protection around him in the lineup. I could see the Cardinals giving him a 3 or 4 year deal, worth about 20-25 million per year. I think it would be a perfect fit for him in St Louis, and he still is a very good player, just had a down year last year.

Next up is another shortstop, this one being Javier Baez. Javier Baez is a very interesting player. He strikes out a lot, recording a whopping 184 strikeouts in 2021. But, he did hit 31 homers and finished the year with a .813 OPS and a 116 wRC+. He is a wizard defensively however, being one of the best overall defensive players in baseball. Baez was traded to the Mets at the trade deadline, and actually ended up playing a lot better with the Mets than he did with the Cubs. He cut way down on the strikeouts, started walking more, had an insanely high on base which he did not give while on the cubs. Overall he is a borderline top 10 shortstop, and does provide value. He isn’t a bad player by any means, but I wouldn’t give him the same money as Correa, Seager, and maybe even Story. I think he will probably go back to the Mets, on a 2 year deal for maybe 30-40 million dollars over those 2 years. They do already have Lindor at short, but Baez could fit in very nicely at 2nd base, which he did once getting traded to the Mets. 

Nex player we will talk about is not a shortstop, but a first baseman. Freddie Freeman, who has been one of the best offensive and defensive first baseman for this past decade, is now a free agent. Freeman since 2011 has always been a guy that can hit homers, drive in runs, and doesn’t strikeout much while walking at a decent clip. This past season he had a really good year, hitting 32 homers and driving in 120 RBI’s. He also had a wRC+ at 135 and a .896 OPS. I think that the chances of him returning to the Braves are very high, as he has been a stalwart at first base for the past decade for the Braves with no signs of slowing down. If for some crazy reason he doesn’t return to the Braves, I could see the Yankees being a landing spot for him. His swing would work really well in Yankee Stadium, and he would definitely be an upgrade over Voit or Rizzo. Neither of those players are bad by any means, but they aren’t anywhere close to as good as Freeman. 

MLB free agency is a crazy time of year. A really busy part of the year where people are looking to find new teams, and MLB executives are making moves to improve their teams. Of course, anything can happen when it comes to players’ new landing spots. But these are my best predictions on what I think will happen. I will be making part 2, so keep your eyes out for that!

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Our Natural World, US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21

Why Are Horses Dying In The West?

 By Olivia O’Rourke -

Where there once was a natural pond, there is now barely a trickle of water surrounded by the carcasses of horses decomposing on the cracked dry earth. The drought in the western United States is the worst it’s been in 100’s of years. As a result, wild horses are suffering major casualties. To stop these deaths, saving these horses is not only the right thing to do, it is also a law and the Bureau of Land Management is doing what they can to save these horses. 

 According to Climate.gov, the drought in Arizona is the worst since the 1200’s. Other western states such as Nevada and Utah are also seeing record drought.In an interview with NPR radio, Lisa Reid from the Bureau of Land Management said she is working on finding homes for more than 6000 wild horses that are living in the desert and will soon die if they are not rehomed. To make sure these horses are sent to good homes and not just to be slaughtered, there is a $1000 incentive given one year after the adoption.

 People like Lisa Reid and Suzanne Roy are doing what they can to save these horses, but for every one saved there are more that are dying. They continue to work to save more horses. Their hope is that the majority end up at small stables in other parts of the country and avoid being slaughtered.

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Our Natural World, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

The Sweet Story of Maple Syrup

by Méline Palkovic

Shelburne, VT – You may know that Vermont is famous for its maple syrup, but do you know how it is made ? With what ? How long does it take ? How many trees are used ? As someone who has only lived in Vermont for a short time and is interested in the subject, I have been looking into the matter and have done some research. I live in Shelburne, so I decided to start my investigation locally. 

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The Palmer’s Sugarhouse has been maple sugaring for over 50 years. It started with their grandmother who ran out of sugar to cook with during the World War ll. She decided to tap a tree and get some sap and then she became the first woman maple-maker in Vermont to be inducted into the Maple Hall of Fame. 

At first it was a necessity, then it became a hobby, then it gradually grew and now there are snow parties where you can find all the maple and sugar served on snow. 

In the United States, Vermont is the state that produces the most maple syrup, in 2020 more than 2 million gallons of syrup was produced(about 50% of the country’s production). There are about 1,500 sugar shacks in Vermont.

The maple syrup production process begins in February. First, the trees must be tapped, which involves inserting a spout into the tree with a hammer or drill. Then, when the weather becomes warm enough(above freezing [32 Fahrenheit, 0 Celsius] during the day and below freezing in the evening), usually between March and April, the sap begins to flow. Afterwards, the sap is transported by tubing or collected in buckets to the sugar factory and arrives in tanks.   

Type of spout:

 

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Tanks:

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Then the sap is boiled using an evaporator. The sap is mostly water(about 95% of water), it is clear when it comes out of the tree and once it is boiled, that is where the inverted sugars are obtained. One tap yields about 10 gallons of sap and it takes 50 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup. This is why maple syrup is very expensive because most of the sap has to be boiled down to water and the rest is sugar and it takes hours and hours to boil the sap into maple syrup.

At the beginning of the season, the sap is at first the lightest, which is called delicate flavor, then it gradually becomes darker, until it becomes robust, which is the more flavorful. These changes are due to the gradual warming during the spring. As the temperature rises, the sap becomes darker(this evolution is produced by a chemical change in the composition of sugars and other elements).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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-Golden, delicate taste                                                                    

-Amber, rich taste

-Dark, robust taste

-Very dark, strong taste   

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Maple syrup candy:

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What’s really useful about maple syrup is that you change the temperature when you cook it at and you get a lot of different products without adding anything. Like maple cream that goes on donuts, cookies and toast, candy (“caramel”) and maple sugar that is good on granola and coffee. All of these can be achieved just by changing the cooking temperature.                                                                    

Maple syrup is also good because it has a low glycemic level, which is better for people who have problems with sugars like diabetes. It’s versatile, you can cook with it instead of cane sugar, you can put it in a balsamic maple sauce for a salad, you can use it on salmon as a marinade; there are many things you can do with it.

The maples are trees of the family Sapindaceae. They can grow from 10 to 45 meters in height. There are more than a hundred different maple trees in the world. The three main trees used to produce maple syrup are the sugar maple, the black maple and the red maple. To produce maple syrup, it is necessary to wait until the maple tree is generally 30 years old and 12 inches in diameter. A sugar maple can live about 400 years. Maple syrup producers use trees in the wild but some plant their own trees. 

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This maple is 5 years old. We have to wait another 25 years before we can tap it. 

Finally, if no one in your family is a sugar maker but you want to become one (whether it’s for hobby, for you and your family, or if you want to start a business), just go to any hardware store for the supplies you don’t have and if you don’t know how to do it ask some sugar maker friends or look on the internet. Many hobbyists are tapping their own trees in their backyard. Anyone can really become a sugar maker!

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CVU Community, Our Natural World, Sports, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Weather, Wellness

Ski Mountains around VT: Where are YOU skiing this year?

By- Mia Kenney

Looking for a place to ski and snowboard?  Vermont has a lot of mountains to choose from. Here is a list of 5 more popular ski resorts and some facts about each, including cost, how many lifts, kinds of lifts, and some of the things that draw people to these mountains. Hopefully this helps you and your family decide where you might want to go skiing or snowboarding this season! 

Cochran’s

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https://skimap.org/data/207/66/1453225164.jpg 

Cochran’s is a non-profit organization. That is one of the reasons people are so drawn to it even though it is a small mountain with only 1 t-bar, a rope tow and a “mighty-mite” A season pass there is about $206.70. Cochran’s has about 8 trails with all different levels. Cochran’s is not a resort so there is no staying there but they do have a lodge where you can take breaks and warm up. Cochran’s is all about family so they love doing things like Friday night dinners, not I’m not sure if they are doing it this year because of Covid, but this is something that they have been doing for years. 

Smugglers’ Notch

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https://www.smuggs.com/pages/winter/skiride/trail-map.php 

A season pass at Smuggs is about $419. Something that draws people to Smuggs is that they technically have 3 mountains. Smuggs also has the fun zone which is an indoor play area with bouncy houses and games. Smuggs is a resort, so they have condos that people can rent. There are 8 chair lifts with about 78 trails. Their hours are different for different lifts, most lifts open at 9am but some open at 8:30. 

Jay Peak

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https://jaypeakresort.com/skiing-riding/snow-report-maps/trail-map 

A season pass at Jay Peak is about $669. Their hours are 9am till 4pm. Opening day is estimated to be November 24th. Something that draws people there is that the Jay Peak water park along with the hotel is at the bottom of the ski mountain, so people can finish skiing and go to the water park. There are 9 chair lifts and about 78 trails. The trails are all different, some with moguls, some glades, and some groomed. They also have a variety of trail levels, for example they have easier trails for less advanced skiers and they have harder trails for people that are more advanced. 

Bolton Valley

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https://www.boltonvalley.com/winter/trail-maps-snow-reports/trail-maps/ 

A season pass for one adult at Bolton is about $846.94. Bolton has both Backcountry skiing and Nordic skiing, and they also are very accepting of snowboarders. Bolton currently has six lifts and 64 trails that can be accessed by the lifts. Bolton does have a ski lodge; it is a little on the smaller side and because of covid, you can’t be in the lodge for very long… but at least there is a lodge! Bolton is also a resort, so they have a hotel which draws a lot of people there. Bolton’s lifts are chair lifts so they are easy to get on and off of and they are accessible to everyone. Bolton’s hours are 9am till 10pm. Opening day is November 26th.

Stowe

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https://www.stowe.com/-/media/stowe/files/maps/stowe_winter2122_map.ashx 

A season pass at Stowe is about $1024.00 but they do have sales, so they can be a little cheaper. It also depends on when you want to buy them; if you buy them super in advance they will be cheaper than if you buy them in November or even October. Stowe is also a resort, so they have hotels you can stay in. Stowe has 12 lifts and 116 trails. Their opening day is November 19th. Their hours are 8am till 4pm. Stowe also has both chair lifts and they have gondolas.

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US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21, World News

Most Popular Social Media Platform, Facebook, to Rebrand

By: Harrison Young-Glatz

UPDATE: As of October 28th, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook stated that Facebook’s corporate name will be changed to “meta”. This is similar to how Google’s corporate name is “Alphabet Inc.”

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook revealed, in an interview to The Verge that took place July, 2021, that he was planning to rebrand Facebook to “play into the metaverse more.”

In the interview, Zuckerberg stated that, over the next few years, “we will effectively transition from people seeing us [facebook] as primarily a social media company to being a metaverse company.” 

Now what is metaverse? Mark Zuckerberg plans to morph facebook into a metaverse company, but what does this mean? 

The metaverse is a concept that digitally combines ingredients of social media, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality. It’s essentially a new world that you can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel.

If the new Facebook rebrand goes best-case, this could be the future of technology as we see it today. The implications and possibilities are endless. It could use something like google’s experimental new holographic glasses, or even facebook’s own Oculus brand that makes Virtual Reality headsets.

See related story on Vox:

https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/11/17/22787191/facebook-meta-haptic-glove-metaverse

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/18279541619
CVU Community, Our Natural World, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

Not as organic as you think

By Ethan Cook

Small farmers in Vermont have taken a hit during the COVID pandemic, and they are about to be hit even more. In August of 2022, Horizon Organic is ending contracts with nearly 90 farms based out of the Northeast. This is because factory farms, which have been manipulating their “organic” label, are taking lots of business from them. However, New York senator Charles Schumer hopes to give them an edge against the bigger farming corporations.

Factory farms have gotten away with swapping animals in and out of organic environments, giving them the “organic” label on their products, and creating more of an appeal among the public. This strongly benefits the owners of these large scale farming companies, but we aren’t always getting exactly what we pay for.

A page on Jane’s Healthy Kitchen notes the prerequisites for a farm’s product to be considered organic. “Organic foods are required to ensure cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Livestock must have regular access to pasture without routine antibiotics or growth hormones. Products must follow strict production, handling and labeling standards, and go through a certification process. The standards look at many other factors such as soil quality, animal raising, pests and weed control. Synthetic fertilizers, human sewage sludge, irradiation, and GMO ingredients are not allowed.”

The problem is that the products we are buying from the grocery store are not always as “organic” as we think they are. Schumer says that these big farms are able to rotate their livestock in and out of organic management while keeping the “organic” label because of technicalities in the laws regarding organic dairy farming. This creates a disconnect between the general public and the people bringing them their food.

A press release stated several New England Senators, including Schumer, created a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, requesting him to approve the Origin of Livestock rule. This law would close the loophole for factory farms, and hopefully make family owned farms a much better looking alternative for local grocery stores to get their dairy, meat, and other farm products from.

From an article by Isabella Colello, “New York’s dairy farmers are the lifeblood of the Upstate economy and after years of being wrung dry by a system that disadvantages them, they’re now at the edge of an economic precipice,” Senator Schumer said in a press release. “For an industry that has razor-thin margins as it is and saw historic losses during the COVID crisis, for many family-owned organic dairy farms, losing their contracts with Horizon Organics will be the final pull on the rug under them.”

An article on Valley News says that “the number of dairy farms in Vermont has decreased by 37% in the past 10 years and by 69% in the past 24 years.” Farming, an industry that used to be a major source of income for Vermont and its people, has more than halved in the 21st century, showing the urbanization of both our land and our jobs of choice. Cancelling the contracts with small farmers only influences the decisions of our younger generations, and makes the lives of current farmers that much harder.

Vermont’s small farms have become much more of a novelty and less of a provider for food, animal products, and income in the last few years. Much of these are produced by large farms owned by corporations, and these are pushing the picturesque Vermont farmers out of business.

To pour salt on the wound, factory farms, which are thriving off of the deals they have with food distributors, aren’t being completely honest about the way they take care of their animals. The farmers that are dominating the profession, or rather, majority shareholding corporations, are lying about the state of their livestock, yet they continue to stay on top. Hopefully, Schumer and other senators will be able to take this option away from them and benefit small farmers substantially.

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Arts and Sciences, US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21, World News

Cryptocurrency Rug Pull Scam Makes Owner Big Bucks

By: Harrison Young-Glatz

Recently, a cryptocurrency coin called “Squid Coin ” took a one-of-a-kind journey from 40$ a coin to 2,850$ a coin in 4 hours, then 5 minutes after its peak, plummeted to 0.0008$. But how did this happen?

On October 20th, 2021, a crypto coin SQUID, which was pitched as a pay-to-earn crypto coin for an upcoming Squid Game online game (inspired by Squid Game, a Netflix show released September 17th, 2021), Climbed 310,000% in its first 10 days from investors and crypto traders going all in. 

5 minutes after SQUID’s peak of $2,856.64 USD, it sank all the way down to $0.0007926 USD. As Charlie Bilello, CEO of Capital Advisors, and an avid investor, pointed out in a tweet published on November 1st, 2021:

“Squid Game Crypto Coin Today…

1:35am: $38.19

2:35am: $89.91

3:35am: $93.64

4:35am: $434.70

5:35am: $2,856.64

5:40am: $0.0007926”

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Why did nobody sell earlier? There were supposedly many red flags to deter people from buying into the coin in the first place, like the website for SQUID being filled with typos and spelling errors. CoinMarketCap, the world’s most referenced price tracking site for cryptocurrencies warned before the scandal that SQUID was a scam, and not to invest in it; yet the biggest red flag was the fact that you could never sell the token. You could only ever buy in, but never sell.

People invested regardless of all of these warning signs in hopes of earning profit from the game they were investing in, but because the founder and creator of SQUID coin set it up so that only they could sell, they banked out an estimated $2,100,000 USD on the backs of crypto investors.

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CVU Community, Opinion & Review, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Volume 6, Issue 2

Vermont Fall Activities

By Vivienne Babbott

The end to summer in Vermont is always bittersweet. Yet as the leaves shift to their signature red, many Vermonters look forward to Halloween and the classic fall activities that accompany it, especially after a year in lockdown with few celebrations.

If you´re looking for a sweet treat, Shelburne Sugarworks offers delicious pure maple syrup, maple candies, and a variety of handcrafted maple ice creams. This includes a seasonal favorite, maple pumpkin cheesecake flavor.

Whitcomb’s land of pumpkins is known for their usual assortment of pumpkins and gourds, however their pumpkins are sold out for this year. However there is still an impressive 4 acre corn maze, which is open to the public from 10-5 on the weekends. To complete the maze, you will come across checkpoints, and learn about the pumpkin-growing process along the way. How fast do you think you can do it? 

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Photo courtesy of Whitcomb´s 

Though most orchards are closed for the season, Yates Family Orchard is one of the few apple orchards still selling fresh fruit! Stop by their stand in Monkton to get your apples, cider donuts, pies, Dreamees, and treats while they last! Yates Orchard is open from 9:30-5:30 every day, up until October 31st! Get your apples while they last!

Speaking of October 31st, if you wanted to get spooky this Halloween, Nightmare Vermont was the place to be! This year they offered a scare-maze with actors & animatronics, as well as a narrative walk through performance, with vendors and live entertainment in the lobby. Nightmare Vermont also focuses on charity work, and donated $32,000 this year alone. All the more reason to go next year!

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Photo Courtesy of Nightmare Vermont

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CVU Community, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

CVU’s New Stomach Ache: School Lunchtime

By Harrison Young-Glatz

At Champlain Valley Union High School, lunchtime is becoming a hot topic due to the number of unmasked kids in close proximity to one another. Many kids end up sitting outside to cram fewer into the cafeteria, but with COVID cases still high in Vermont, some students are starting to worry that during the colder months, when kids stop eating outside, that the cafeteria will become a field day for the COVID-19 virus. Alex, an 11th grader at CVU, mentioned, “Man, It was crazy (on the first day of school); half the kids were outside.” He continued, “Like what’s gonna happen when it’s too cold to sit out there? Admin’s gonna have to do something about it.”

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The head director of the cafeteria, Leo LaForce, stated, “The school runs off of CDC guidelines. If the CDC ever deems masking or distancing no longer necessary, then lunchtime will be a lot more manageable.” 

Dr. Alex Huffman, an aerosol and bioaerosol specialist at the University of Denver, said on twitter, “Indoor lunches are high risk b/c: COVID is largely airborne, Masks are off, Kids are often packed closely, Many kids in one room, Kids are louder at lunch (so more aerosol is released).”

In response to this, LaForce had to say, “Yeah, I’m concerned about the kids who go home every day to immuno-compromised or younger/older family members. I know that most of the kids in our cafeteria are vaccinated, and symptoms aren’t likely as bad for vaccinated people, but then that kid could go home bringing the virus to their family members who aren’t as fortunate.” 

 If indoor lunches are deemed too risky by the CDC, CVU may have to revert back to 2020-21’s school year lunchtime model. A dozen or less kids in different rooms throughout the building, and the cafeteria would deliver bagged lunches to kids in those rooms. When questioned about this, LaForce replied, “I really hope it doesn’t go back to delivered lunch. I just want kids to have a normal lunch again.”

Administration could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

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Sports, US Headlines, Volume 12: Fall '21

NFL Week 7 Recap

By River Mitchell

The Broncos played the Browns in Cleveland on Thursday, October 21st, 2021. The Browns came up with a big win, winning by a final score of 17-14. Case Keenum got the start in this game with Baker Mayfield being sidelined due to a MCL sprain in his left shoulder. Keenum had himself a very nice game going 21/33 with 199 yards and a touchdown. Considering that Keenum has been a backup for a lot of his career and he was going up against a great Broncos defense, I’m sure Cleveland fans are very happy with the performance.

The Tennessee Titans absolutely walloped the chiefs On Sunday, October 24th, winning by a final score of 27-3. Ryan Tannehill had a very good game going 21/27 with 270 yards, a TD, and a pick. After going out in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Titans look really good and look to make it further than they did last year. Patrick Mahomes did not have the best of days, going 20/35 for 206 yards, no TD’s, and a pick. Considering the Chiefs won SB 54 and made it to the SB last season, it might be time to hit the panic button as they are sitting at 3-4, and tied for 3rd in the AFC West. 

The Packers, who have been red hot this season winning their last 6 in a row, beat the Washington Football Team 24-10 on Sunday, October 24th. Aaron Rodgers, who has been money for the Packers, went 27/35 for 274 yards, 3 TD’s, and 0 picks.  With the Packers trying to make it to the SB after losing in the NFC championship game for the last 2 seasons, they are proving to the entire country why they are still one of the elite teams in the NFC. 

The Bengals, who have been a huge surprise team this season, get a surprise win against the Baltimore Ravens, winning 41-17 on Sunday, October 24th. Joe Burrow had a monster game, going 23/38 with a whopping 416 yards, 3 TDs, and a pick. While a lot of credit for that win goes to Joe Burrow, you got to give some credit to Rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who is also the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Chase went for 201 receiving yards on 8 receptions, also breaking out a 82 yards touchdown pass from Joe Burrow. While I still have faith in the Ravens and they are still a very good team, this was a brutal loss for them. 

The struggling Giants hosted the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and beat them convincingly, winning by a score of 25-3 on Sunday, October 24th. The Giants defense really carried most of the load, by allowing an opening drive field goal and then nothing after that. Daniel Jones wasn’t spectacular but was good enough, going 23/33 or 203 yards and a TD, with an unbelievable 1 handed helmet catch thrown by Dante Pettis.

The Falcons beat the dolphins in a thriller in Miami on Sunday, October 24th, beating them by a final score of 30-28. Matt Ryan had a really good game for Atlanta, going 25/40 for 336 yards, 2 TDs, and a pick. This game wasn’t put on ice until the final seconds, when the Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo hit a game winning field goal, with 3 seconds left in regulation. With the Dolphins coming into the season with their sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and high expectations, they sit at a measly 1-6.

The Patriots absolutely romped the New York Jets on Sunday, October 24, winning by a final score of 54-13. Mac Jones had by far the best start of his career, going 24/36 for 307 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 picks. That was a big win for the Patriots with all the struggles they have had this season, and the Jets continue to fall to the basement of the NFL once again. But that’s not the biggest headline to come out of this game. Rookie QB Zach Wilson was injured on a play by the Patriots star outside linebacker Matt Judon. The official diagnosis was a PCL injury, which gave Mike White the opportunity to appear in his first ever NFL game, including his first career touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Davis. The Jets ended up later trading with the Eagles for veteran QB and SB 47 MVP, Joe Flacco. Flacco played for the Jets last in 2020, getting occasional starts here and there. 

The raiders get a big win against the Eagles in Las Vegas, by a score of 33-22 on Sunday, October 24th. Derek Carr had another really good performance, going 31/34 for 323 yards, 2 TDs, and a pick. With the Raiders now at 5-2 and 1st in the AFC West, this has got to feel good after coming up short last season finishing at 8-8. 

The Rams got yet another win against the Bears on Sunday, October 24th, beating the 0-7 Lions by a score of 28-19. Matt Stafford went off against his former team, going 28/41 with 334 yards, and 3 TDs with 0 picks. After acquiring Matt Stafford, the Rams have taken their game to a whole new level, while the Lions are struggling out on the field after losing their former franchise quarterback. 

The Bucs walloped the Bears in Tampa on Sunday, October 24th, winning 38-3. Tom Brady is still defying the odds at 44 years old, putting up phenomenal stats year after year. This game, he went 20/36 with 211 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 picks. While the defense was nails for the bucs today and has been the last 2 years, Justin Fields has not been good. With another disappointing outing going 22/32 for 184 yards, 0 TD’s and a whopping 3 interceptions. With the Bears sending a lot of draft capital to the Giants for trading up in the 2021 NFL draft to snag Justin Fields, they have to be somewhat concerned about the future of their planned franchise quarterback.

The Cardinals romp the Houston Texans by a final score of 31-5 on Sunday, October 24th. Kyler Murray had another great outing, going 20/28 for 261 yards, 3 TDs, and a pick. With the Texans most weeks struggling to generate any offense and with their defense being absolutely awful, it’s going to be a long season for Houston. 

The Colts get a big win against the 49ers on Sunday night football on Sunday, October 24th, winning by a final score of 30-18. With the Colts before this game sitting at 2-4, this was a big win for  a team who has been really struggling this year. Carson Wentz was ok, going 17/26 for 150 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 picks. But, Jonathan Taylor was a key factor in this win for the Colts, rushing for 107 yards on 18 carries and a TD. With the 49ers now at 2-4, this looks to be the 2nd straight year not in the playoffs after making it to SB 54. 

The Saints got the win on Monday, October 25th, winning in a close matchup, with a score of 13-10. While only making 19 completions on 35 attempts for James Winston, he did manage to throw for 222 yards and a touchdown with 0 picks. Running back Alvin Kamara had a big game through the air, with 10 receptions for 128 yards yards and a TD, while also rushing for 51 yards on 20 carries. With the Seahawks now at 2-5 with Russell Wilson still being sidelined, this could be a challenging year for Seattle. 

 

 

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CVU Community, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21

Halloween Events Coming up in VT

By Mazzy Ricklefs

The end of October is just around the corner and one of the most exciting holidays in the year will be here on October 30th…Halloween! Vermont goes crazy with many different fun events for all ages and here are a few favorites.

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            Nightmare Vermont 

Essex Junction during the month of October Hosts ” Nightmare Vermont” Thursday’s, Friday’s, and Saturday’s at the Champlain Valley Exposition, sponsored by the South Burlington Rotary. Nightmare Vermont doesn’t open until 7pm so that people can get the full night time spooky experience. Tickets range from $13-$15 dollars. Go to https://nightmarevermont.org/ to find more info. 

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Burlington ‘Halloween Howl’ Haunted Hayrides

   Burlington is having their haunted hayrides this saturday, october 23rd from 2-6pm at north beach campground.  The family-friendly hayride event features “spectacular spooks, creeps, and fun scenes,” according to Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront. Visit https://enjoyburlington.com/event/halloween-howl/

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Scarefest Vergennes

  Last but not least, Vergennes is having their “Scarefest” Friday October, 29th, and Saturday, October 30th from 7-11pm. Prices will range from $10-50 a ticket. Enjoy a weekend of horror films, dancing and costume contests. Looking up “Scarefest Vergennes” will bring you to more information.

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CVU Community, US Headlines, Volume 11: Sp '21

Will you take the PSATS/ SATS next year?

By Mazzy Ricklefs       

The PSATS were Wednesday, October 13th for all junior CVU students. The weekend before that, Saturday, October 9th, seniors had their first round of SATS, which will continue through October and can be taken in the winter as well. Many juniors take the SATS, too, which will become available this winter/ spring, although most retake it senior year. “I’m taking the SATS later this year, that way I can retake them next year in case I don’t do too well.” says Lucas, an 11th grader at CVU.

Lucas wasn’t really nervous or worried about taking the PSATS and planned to take advantage of the practice it will give him for SATS. The PSAT is just a practice test for the actual SAT. Though it doesn’t count for anything, sometimes people submit the scores received on it to colleges, to see. The SAT is the test that actually matters to most people and can be taken up to 2 times. The SAT is a standardized test for getting into college but not every school requires you to submit your score.

There are 3 parts to the PSAT test: Reading ( 47 multiple choice questions), Writing and Language (44 multiple choice questions), and math ( 40 multiple choice questions and 8 student produced response questions).

As far as the SATS, they are just a more complicated and longer version of the PSATS. Gabby, a senior who took the PSATS last year, states that she, “Didn’t want to go because it seemed slightly stressful but it ended up being pretty easy, just very long.” Megan, a junior that took the practice test this past Wednesday, seems to have a similar thought. “It was very consuming and I couldn’t get through all the questions in the amount of time required, so that was a little disappointing.” As far as what the process of taking the test was like, she says that ” The PSATS were very formal and we only got 5 minute breaks… weren’t allowed to leave the classroom.”

So are taking the PSATS or SATS worth it? This year 10 students opted out of taking the PSATS and it is unclear if they opted out due to the fact that both formal tests are optional this year because many colleges are not requiring them. “By going test-optional, institutions are making a definitive statement that they will not need test scores to make admission decisions this year,” the National Association for College Admission Counseling said earlier this year. For students with low-income families, however, opting out of testing is not an option because scholarships tied to test scores are only more in demand due to the pandemic effect on our economy.     

Photo by: Rick Cote
CVU Community, Sports, Vermont, Volume 12: Fall '21, Wellness

Williston Edge Closed

By: Emma Richling

WILLISTON VT. – The Williston Edge, home to swimmers, athletes, and loyal members of the community, officially closed down on September 30th, 2021. How big of an effect did this have on members of the CVU community?  What will change for CVU swimmers and athletes? 

Amelia Worth, a senior at CVU who swam for the Williston Edge Swim Team before the closing, shared her thoughts on the transition to a different center. “The Williston Edge has been my second home since I was five years old and I’ve basically been in that pool everyday since then. My drive to swim practice is gonna be longer and that’s going to affect basically the amount of things I can do in a day. I was really lucky that swim practice used to be really close to my house because that meant I could fill up my schedule after school with a lot more things like after school clubs and still be able to make it to swim practice.”

CVU swimmers now have to commute to the South Burlington Edge location for practice making other activities like clubs harder or impossible to attend. 

Elizabeth Parent, a 10th grader at CVU and a former staff member at the Williston Edge mentioned, “What I do at the Williston Edge I can do at any center, I’m going to the Essex location now. A lot of other kids go to the Williston Edge and could probably transition to another location pretty easily but most of them won’t because it’s a change”. Although the Essex and South Burlington Edges are only 15-20 minutes away from the former Williston location, the change to a whole new space and building might feel like too much for some people. 

All of the programs and services the Williston Edge offered (including Swim Team) were transitioned to one of the other centers in Essex or South Burlington on October 4th, 2021. No information has been released in regards to what the building is going to be used for, all we know is that it was sold to a company that has different plans for its use. As the closing approaches, concerns arise for the change that will come to many members and users of the facility. Worth said, “It’s something I thought was going to be eternal that isn’t anymore”.