CVU Celebrations

Dear Community,

I am so thankful that today’s rain held off last Friday for the kickoff to our Spirit Weekend! As you can see in the photo above, our ninth graders enjoyed perfect weather to play, connect, and share a meal together. Saturday brought more sunshine and wonderfully fall-friendly temperatures.

It was a fun-filled weekend with plenty of wins, a few losses, tons of school spirit, and a wonderfully festive atmosphere. A huge thank you to Friends of CVU for bringing the Redhawk swag and food trucks to campus for Spirit Day. Your support helped make the day extra special for our students and our entire school community!

The 2026 Homecoming Dance was a great success! Thank you to the Class of 2029 Class Council for sponsoring this, especially Chrystal, Alina, Alissa, and Adelle for helping decorate! And a HUGE thank you to our chaperones who helped make this possible: Leanne Morton, Henry Lang, Mark Pogact, John Shea, Andrew Scott, Amanda Dickerson, Katherine Riley, Amy Wardwell, and Ry Hoffman.

On Saturday, Set. 26, CVU Chorus sang the National Anthem at the JV Boys Volleyball game and choir member, Chloe Shepardson, sang the anthem as a soloist at the Varsity Girls Volleyball game.

Sue Pasco Opening Tournament

CVU Scholars Bowl sent 2 teams to the Sue Pasco Opening Tournament at Essex High School on Saturday, 9/26. CVU A finished in 4th place and CVU B finished in 9th place, narrowly missing out on 8th.

Participating players at this tournament were seniors Elle Gardner, Saffron Chang, Jesse Kim, Anthony Lamb, JD Kogut, Ben Gordon, Zephyr Haines, Kathryn Lewis and Sydney Hoehl.

On Saturday, Sept 27th, the CVU Rowing club has our first race of the season. Despite the threat of Nor'Easter winds, we were able to hold the race on Lake Champlain out of Perkins Pier. CVU ROW-HAWKS dug deep to after their sprint heat to decisively out row all other boats in the distance heat resulting in a combined time 1st place finish. We are so proud of how they were able to work together, deftly maneuvering through choppy waters and a stiff northerly wind to win the race. Congratulations to: Addie Childs, Laela Desjadon, Ruby Gage, Ada Glasscoe, JD Kogut, Eliza Tappen, Gavin Terry and Kyla Waldron.

The Intro to Design Thinking class is working on their trebuchet prototypes. They are nearly ready to start testing them and making adjustments.

This is the Project Academy class making homopolar motors which are simple electric motors created with a battery, copper wire, and neodymium magnets. You can't see it in the pictures but the copper wires are rotating around the battery.

On Spirit Day, the talented cast of CVU's Theater program was busy rehearsing our Fall Musical.... SPAMALOT! This hilarious, irreverent, TONY award winning musical will be presented November 13 - 15th at CVU. Stay tuned for more info about tickets. Or visit our website to find out more about the cast, crew & how to support CVU's vibrant theater program....https://sites.google.com/cvsdvt.org/cvutheater/home?authuser=0

Several CVU students attended the Workforce in Motion Summit at Champlain Valley Expo on Tuesday.

Compass science students celebrated the end of their first environmental science unit making tie-dye with colors extracted from vegetables, flowers, and insects.

CCV Biology students made sense of complex cellular processes

by acting out GPCR and RTK signal transduction pathways.

From Henry Lang: Students visited Northern Stage to see John Proctor is the Villain, a play about rural Georgia high schoolers who are studying The Crucible. The cathartic story takes place shortly after a viral hashtag introduced Tarana Burke's Me Too movement to a global audience. We were fortunate to attend a talkback with HBO and Broadway actors, as well as WISE professionals who support folks affected by relationship violence. We will continue to examine how storytelling promotes accountability and shapes institutional behavior... but for now, we are dancing to Lorde's "Green Light" on repeat!

Students designing and fabricating their own designs in the new Beading and Bracelet Making C3.

9th Grade BBQ and Spirit Day Pep Band

The RoboHawks exhibited at the Workforce in Motion summit on Tuesday (9/29), one of the state’s largest technical jobs fairs! The RoboHawks presented their learning and work alongside some of our state’s largest local companies and agencies who are looking for the next generation of talented workers and leaders looking to build the future!

RoboHawks meeting with students as well as a visit by CVU's Susie Moakley!

At the summit, the RoboHawks presented to hundreds of middle and high school students from around the state. Communicating to students the valuable transferable skills RoboHawk members learn and practice through our program. Along with the technical engineering skills, RoboHawks meet several graduation standards such as clear and effective communication, creative and practical problem solving, and self direction in alternative, non-classroom ways.

RoboHawks also got to rub elbows with many of the large companies based in Vermont that are looking for talented technically workers that have effective transferable skills. Some companies at the Expo included BETA Technologies, Green Mountain Power, Global Foundries, Simmonds Precision, VTrans (Vermont Agency of Transportation), and the Vermont National Guard. The RoboHawks connected with dozens of these companies and organizations, expanding their presence and reputation as top notch CVU education!

Juniper Wildey and Iona Turnbull working on a Demonstration Robot specifically designed for the WorkForce in Motion Summit Expo to show autonomous robot pathing!

RoboHawks Team hamming it up in the photobooth at the Workforce in Motion Expo with teacher and Coach Olaf Verdonk

Interested in joining?

This year, we have two entry level teams, our DEVO team and our brand new all-girls team, the Valkyries! Develop the most in-demand skills in STEM right here at CVU!

RoboHawks Valkyries:

WEDNESDAYS during C3

THURSDAYS after school 3:30 - 5:30 Room 154

RoboHawks DEVO:

TUESDAYS during C3

TUESDAYS after school 3:30 - 5:30 Room 154

Dear Students, Families, and Community Members,

We are excited to roll out a refreshed RISE Independent Learning Experience (ILE) for 11th and 12th-grade students looking to extend their learning beyond standard, faculty-led RISE courses.

This year, in line with our Identity, Connection, Proficiency, Direction district framework (ICPD), ILEs are designed to help students prepare for post-secondary life and give back to our surrounding area through three primary focus pathways:

• Career Exploration & Internships: Gain real-world experience alongside local professionals.

• Community Service & Giving Back: Design and execute impactful local service projects.

• Combined Pathways: Blend career growth and service for a custom experience.

What’s New This Year? To ensure every student has strong support, real-world feedback, and daily structure:

• Local Community Focus: All placements take place within our local community to build strong local networks.

• Daily Site Supervision: Students work on-site daily under the direct supervision and mentorship of a professional in the field.

Who Can Apply & Next Steps: The ILE is open to self-directed juniors and seniors. Interested students should begin brainstorming ideas and plan to attend an upcoming information session where you will gain access to the application .

• Info Sessions: October 7 & October 9 during C3 (sign up through your House Office).

• Application Deadline: November 20, 2026 by 3pm and will be available on the ILE Google Classroom starting October 7.

• Contact: Reach out to Troy Paradee with questions.

Interested in providing a placement for a student? If you are a local business owner, professional, or community member interested in hosting an intern or supervising a service project, we would love to partner with you! Please either complete this short Google Form or contact Troy Paradee at tparadee@cvsdvt.org to let us know you’re interested in becoming a host site.

We look forward to seeing the innovative projects and partnerships our upperclassmen build this year!

Warmly,

RISE Team

Amy Wardwell, Troy Paradee, Hannah Carey

NEWS:

• Lost & Found: Items will be on display in the Main Office on Monday & Tuesday next week. Unclaimed items will be available to the community on Wednesday.
• If you are a junior or senior interested in an ILE for RISE this year, you should attend an info session during C3 on either Wednesday, October 7 or Friday, October 9 in Room 140-142. Please sign-up through your House Office.
• Clothes Swap: Cleaning out your closet for fall? Bring in your gently used men's and women's fashions and donate them to the CVU Clothing Swap. You can drop off clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry and outerwear in Room 120 from now through October 14th. No children's clothing, please! Shop the Swap on Thursday, October 15th from 8:30am-2:30pm in Room 115. Questions? Reach out to Amina Kanaan or Sarah Stein.
• Seniors: Please order your cap and gown here. Be sure to use your name and email address when ordering and not a parent or caregiver’s. The deadline to order is October 30. Payment is due in June.
• Senior Privileges: Forms are available in the Main Office. Your form must be signed by a parent or caregiver and returned *before* you can use your privileges and leave campus.
• Late Buses are available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Buses depart at 5:30pm from the canopy.

DIRECTION CENTER:

*The United States Senate Youth Program will be held in person in Washington, D.C. in March 2027. Application processes are underway. The deadline this year for Vermont high school juniors and seniors is October 19th. Applications go through the VPA at USSYP applications. Click here for scholarship information.

*College Visits: Virtual visits are held on Tuesdays during C3 at the Direction Center. Students must sign up in SCOIR in order to get the link to the virtual meeting. In-person visits are offered on Wednesdays & Thursdays in Four Corners during lunch. Click here to see a list of upcoming visits.