CVU Celebrations

Dear Community,

This week, we placed special emphasis on thanking the educators who lead the way in taking care of this place. Expressions of gratitude came from across our community. Both the School Board and the Friends of CVU honored educators with plants and a fun raffle, while students showed their appreciation through educator superlative crowns and a pancake breakfast.

We concluded Educator Appreciation Week by celebrating one another during this morning’s CVU Inspirations, which featured faculty and staff. It was a moving display of warmth, collegiality, genuine respect, and care.

Fairbanks House Director Arthur Chiaravalli opened the celebration by recognizing our outstanding Café staff, sharing that their work “...reflects their deep commitment to our community,” and thanking them “...for all you do to nourish us, expand our horizons, and inspire us.” Art teacher Tim Duvernoy spoke about how Behavior Specialist Courtney Begins inspires him, describing her as “...an incredible colleague who makes the learning environment better for everyone.” Social Studies teacher Brad Miller honored Spanish teacher Seth Jensen as “...a calm, welcoming presence for all of his students, which is essential given the inherent vulnerability of learning and practicing a new language.”

Thank you to all of our educators who make CVU not only a great place to learn, but also a truly exceptional place to work.

Hi Redhawks,

We are excited to announce that the yearbook team has just over 60 copies of the CVU yearbook available for purchase for the 2025-2026 school year. Once these copies are sold out, we will not be ordering any additional copies, so be sure to secure yours while you can! Here is a sneak peek of this year's yearbook cover.

Thank you!

To purchase a yearbook, please visit Jostens Yearbook.

• You can call 1-877-767-5217 to verify if you have purchased a yearbook. You can also place a yearbook order over the phone.
• You may also check online to see if you have ordered a yearbook. Click this link: Check My Order.

Have A Question About The Yearbook? Just Email It To Me At Gavinterry@cvsdvt.org

#CVUYearbook #Redhawks

The following students will be inducted into BTC's National Technical Honor Society chapter next Thursday, May 14th. NTHS recognizes students who have excelled in their technical program, exhibit overall academic strength, and display great character and motivation to excel in their chosen career field.

The induction ceremony will be held in the auditorium of the McCarthy Arts Center at St. Michael's College at 6 PM on the 14th.

• Zoie Aguillon
• Lila Bushey
• Owen Christman
• Koko Dando-Plasha
• Anderson Howard
• Andy LeBlanc
• Audrey Levin
• Faye Monaghan
• Gigi Provost
• Riley Scruggs
• Jonah Wayman
• Jakob Weisner

We had the pleasure of welcoming Congresswoman Becca Balint into our school this past Thursday, May 7th, for a discussion with the Gender & Sexuality Alliance club in response to their incredibly successful letter-writing campaign for transgender rights. Congresswoman Balint said she was very moved by the students' passion, activism, empathy, and wisdom beyond their years. What a unique and exciting learning opportunity to wrap up the school year for this club!

Thank you Congresswoman Balint for joining us yesterday afternoon for a thoughtful roundtable discussion on male loneliness. We enjoyed hosting you and your staff and appreciate the attention you're giving to this important topic.

On April 29th, the Symphonic Winds traveled to Hinesburg Community School, Shelburne Community School and Charlotte Central school to perform a series of children's concerts for students in kindergarten-fourth grade. The program featured: Flying Away by Yukiko Nishimura, Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, arranged by Jay Bocook, and Symphonic Highlights from Disney's Frozen by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, arranged by Stephen Bulla. Student audience members had a chance to ask questions about the music, instruments, and musicians, as well as share ways that the music sparked their imagination. The bass drum lion's roar was a big hit!

Members of the Symphonic Winds who performed were:

Piccolo & Flute

Maya DeLuca
Flute
Anna Dauerman
Violin
Quinn Tyler
Clarinet
Lu Hackerman
Emma Main
Bass Clarinet
Nadia Kono

Alto Saxophone
Cecilia Marino

Baritone Saxophone
Finn Cray-Budington
Trumpet
Abby Girard
Samuel Kafferlin
Carl Lesure
French Horn
Molly Kelly
Dylan Lutters
Trombone
Saffron Chang
Euphonium
Nicholas Gordon
String Bass
Phineas Shrake
Percussion
Stephanie Miskavage
Izzy Schwendler
Fiona Sherman

4 years, 4 binders. Deacon Brown consolidates materials from 5 courses (2 AP classes!) into these overworked three rings…will he continue the tradition in college? We. Will. See.

Yvonne Miceler starred in the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association final concert this Sunday May 3rd as the senior soloist on the flute! Yvonne said she chose this piece "because of how it shows so many different dimensions of what the flute cna sound like. There's a lot of contrast between dramatic entrances, softer lyrical melodies, and of the staccatos. I don't think I've ever played a piece that demonstrates so many different moods and qualities of the flute, and I love that about Fantasie." Yvonne was also awarded the Hermance Prize - an annual award presented to a senior in the VYO who has performed as a soloist and celebrates excellence in musical performance. Congratulations Yvonne!

You can hear more about Yvonne here on Vermont Public!

The Dance of Colors, hosted by the GSA, was a smashing success! And, of course, the GSA mascot Steggy made an iconic appearance (pictured with Lena Smith, Club Vice-President, and Lena Kirillova, faculty advisor).

We asked the students to challenge themselves and give their presentation in English. I was incredibly impressed by how they stepped out of their comfort zone to tackle such a challenging situation. We can see how much they have grown in confidence over senior year.

The Harkness Leadership Club hosted its annual capstone event, The Socrates Cafe. Over 50 members of our community (!) attended to discuss the following timeless and timely question: What does it mean to pursue success in a society driven by achievement?

It was wonderful to see CVU 10th graders participate in and lead thoughtful discussions with participants ranging from 9th graders to septuagenarians. They did us all proud.

We hope to offer a Socrates Cafe each semester next year, and if you haven't been, I can't recommend attending enough. It's a night that feels nutritious in all the best ways.

Snelling Core competed in the 23rd annual Crackerbat Relay this week. Teams battled it out through rounds of flag design, snelling love song/poem writing, relay races, and trivia. Competition was tough but in the end, team 5 - The Kraken - came out on top (Marlon Sunderland, Kinsey Reynolds, Ryan Kelley, and Ty Niebur. Missing from photo: Dash Bufano, Seven Pincus, Reid McAvey). Congratulations to all!

Maggie Kennedy set a world record for women's bench press 15 to 19 year olds at her latest powerlifting comp. She is 15 year old. 176 lbs is the new world record.

(The Robhawks and JV Robohawks at States)

(Gavin, Griffin and Adian at New England Regionals)

For the first time, both the RoboHawks and the JV RoboHawks competed in a New England regional competition held in Springfield, Massachusetts. After an extremely successful state championship from both teams, where RoboHawks won the robot competition, and JV RoboHawks finished as runners-up, they both secured a spot in this regional competition. After a hard and well-fought tournament competing against teams from all across New England and beyond, the Robohawks took 23rd place and the Reach Award for high volumes of quality outreach into local and international technical communities.

The RoboHawks are already preparing for next season through fundraising. They are also planning a summer scrimmage at the Champlain Valley Fair with teams from across Vermont, and they encourage you to attend!

Check out the RoboHawk website for more information about our team and club

activities. https://www.robohawks5741.com/

Are you interested in robotics, engineering, or coding? Or maybe you are interested in applying photography and videography to document and present a big project? Talk to Olaf Verdonk (overdonk@cvsdvt.org) to learn more about the RoboHawk Robotics Program and how you can join!

Thank you to The Jiffy for celebrating our educators with delicious muffins!

Lee enjoying morning rainbows.

CVU Juniors and Seniors! We are thrilled to celebrate this year's Prom at the historic Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms! To ensure a smooth and magical evening for everyone, please click the link to review the following details regarding our venue and arrival procedures. Contact Mark Pogact at mpogact@cvsdvt.org for questions.

NEWS:

• 9th & 10th Grade Students: This is your last day to purchase Spring Fling tickets! Tickets can be purchased in your House Office until 3pm TODAY! They will not be sold at the door.
• Lost & Found: Items will be on display in the Main Office on Monday & Tuesday. Unclaimed items will be available to the community on Wednesday.
• Fall Musical Reveal: Join us Tuesday, May 12th in the Theater during C3 for the big reveal!

• Rising Juniors: Applications for the Junior Lot lottery are available in the Main Office. These are due on or before Friday, May 15th at 3:30pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
• Junior & Senior Prom is Saturday, May 23rd at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn from 7-10pm. Join us for an unforgettable night of music, dance and celebration! Tickets are $30 and available in House Offices. Cash or checks are accepted.
• Join CVU Girls Flag Football! This is our first year and we’ll be learning together, so no experience is required. We’ll have a relaxed schedule with 2 practices a week. Join us during PM Connect on Thursday, May 14th in Room 003. Please feel free to reach out with any questions to Sunny Haines, J.P. Benoit or Renee Breault.
• Summer Academy: This summer we will offer a few learning opportunities in July. Click here to see what is available! These courses will only run if enrollment is adequate. The abbreviated summer schedule means you must attend all class meetings to earn credit for the course. You can register for summer courses using this link. Registration is open through Friday, May 8.
• The first annual CVU Senior Art Show is now on display at the Pierson Library in Shelburne. There are 13 student artists showing drawings, paintings, digital works and photography. The show runs through the first week of June. Stop by and check it out!