MUHS Community Newsletter

Dear MUHS Students and Families,

We loved celebrating graduation with the Class of 2026 last weekend. You can find many photos linked below!

Though students' last day was yesterday, teachers are wrapping up their school year over the next few days. Final grades are due Monday morning, and report cards will be mailed shortly thereafter. Students who did not yet earn credit in a course may be eligible for proficiency recovery this summer. This opportunity is scheduled for the weeks of July 13 and July 20, and teachers will contact families as needed.

As you look ahead to next year, we encourage you to learn more about our "Raising the Bar" initiative, which will launch this fall. Over the past year, MUHS teachers and leaders have been working to strengthen our proficiency-based system by pairing high expectations with strong support. Most students heard about these changes from their teachers this spring. We invite families to read more below and talk about it together at home. There will be additional opportunities to learn more and share feedback in the fall.

For now, we hope you enjoy the start of summer. Wishing you all time to rest, recharge, and find a little adventure along the way. Thank you for a wonderful year.

Warmly,

Caitlin Steele, Principal

Ben Weir, Assistant Principal

Sean Farrell, Activities Director

Julie Pettis, Student Response Coordinator

Big thanks to Val Calzini and Kayla Evans for capturing these wonderful photos of our year-end celebration:

https://valeriecalziniphotography.zenfoliosite.com/graduation-2026-1

https://www.keyimagingphoto.com/muhs-graduation-2026

Ms. Bailey’s Spanish 3 class ended their cooking unit with a fun day in the kitchen. Some of the recipes made were papusas, flan, crema catalana, tacos, Carlota de Limón, and esquites. Thank you, Keith Collins, for generously sharing the kitchen!

The 2026 spring sports season has come to a close, and several MUHS teams enjoyed successful seasons while providing many memorable moments for Tiger fans.

Both the Boys' and Girls' Ultimate teams qualified for the VPA Tournament, entering as the #11 and #8 seeds, respectively. Each team faced the challenge of opening tournament play on the road against higher-seeded opponents. While neither team advanced, both finished the season strong and showed significant improvement throughout the spring.

The Boys' Ultimate team also had an individual postseason honor, as Callan was selected to the Vermont Boys' Ultimate All-State Second Team. Congratulations to Callan on this well-deserved honor and to both Ultimate teams on a successful season.

The Softball team earned the #10 seed and traveled to face #7 U-32 in the opening round of the VPA Tournament. The Tigers competed hard and gave the Raiders a strong challenge before their season came to an end.

A few members of the team also received postseason recognition for their outstanding performances. Senior Skyler Choiniere was named Lake Division Second Team at first base, while sophomore Lillian Paquette earned Lake Division First Team honors in the outfield and was also selected as a Second Team pitcher.

Congratulations to Skyler, Lillian, and the entire softball program on a successful season.

The Girls' Lacrosse team entered the tournament as the #2 seed and hosted a much-improved CVU squad in the quarterfinals. Playing the Tigers for the third time this season, CVU capitalized on its familiarity and pulled off a 10-8 upset, ending an otherwise outstanding season for Middlebury.

Several members of the team also received postseason recognition for their exceptional play. Kenyon and Isabel were both selected to the Vermont First Team All-State Team, while Quinn and Louisa earned Vermont Second Team All-State honors.

Congratulations to these athletes and the entire Girls' Lacrosse program on a successful season and for representing MUHS with pride throughout the spring.

Baseball entered postseason play as the #6 seed and opened with a home victory over Springfield. The Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals at Otter Valley, where they ran into a formidable opponent and concluded their season.

The Girls' Tennis team, seeded fourth, opened the tournament with a home victory over #5 Montpelier. Their season ended in the semifinals after traveling to face top-seeded Harwood.

The Boys' Lacrosse team earned the #5 seed and traveled to #4 Woodstock for a quarterfinal matchup. The teams had split their regular-season meetings, but this time Woodstock came away with the victory to end the Tigers' season.

Several members of the team also received postseason recognition for their outstanding performances. Senior Logan was named First Team All-Metro, First Team All-State, an All-American, and was selected to the Vermont/New Hampshire Twin State All-Star Game. Fellow senior Marshall earned First Team All-Metro and First Team All-State honors and was also selected to represent Vermont in the Vermont/New Hampshire Twin State All-Star Game.

Congratulations to Logan, Marshall, and the entire Boys' Lacrosse program on a successful season. Their leadership and contributions helped make this a memorable year for the Tigers.

The Boys' Tennis team continued one of the deepest tournament runs of the spring. The #4-seeded Tigers defeated Colchester and Brattleboro in home matches before traveling to # 1-seeded Burr & Burton Academy for the semifinals. Middlebury delivered an impressive 5-2 victory over the host Bulldogs to advance to the Division I State Championship match against the #2-seeded Burlington Seahorses.

Competing in scorching temperatures during Thursday's championship match, the Tigers battled hard but were unable to overcome Burlington. Their season came to an end as the 2026 Vermont Division I Boys' Tennis State Finalists. The team's postseason run and runner-up finish capped off an outstanding season and is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience shown by the players and coaches throughout the spring.

Track & Field concluded its season at the Division II State Championships at Burlington High School. Eleven Tigers represented MUHS and produced numerous personal-best performances.

Highlights included:

• Judah set personal bests in both the long jump (18'10") and the 100 meters (12.38).

• Jonathan qualified for the 100-meter finals and finished 7th with a personal-best time of 11.89.

• Raine earned a podium finish in 5th place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.85.

• Vivian placed 3rd in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 15'2", improving her previous best by 10 inches.

• Jo captured the Division II State Championship in the 1500 meters with a personal-best time of 4:55.73, nearly 10 seconds faster than her previous best.

Congratulations to all 11 athletes who represented Middlebury at the state championships.

As we close the spring season, we are encouraged by the growth and development shown across all of our programs. New leaders will emerge, new ninth graders will join our teams, and we are excited about the future of MUHS athletics.

Thank you to all of our athletes, coaches, families, officials, and supporters for making this a memorable season despite the challenging weather throughout the spring.

Go Tigers!

Middlebury Union High School is seeking enthusiastic and dedicated coaches to join our athletic programs for the upcoming school year.

We are currently accepting applications for the following positions. Applicants can find these openings on the ACSD website https://www.acsdvt.org/work-with-us/jobs. If you are interested or know someone who may be a great fit, questions can be directed to the MUHS Activities Department.

Boys' Soccer

• Varsity Head Coach

• Varsity Assistant Coach

• JV Head Coach

Girls' Ice Hockey

• Varsity Head Coach

• Varsity Assistant Coach

A reminder that all students interested in the Southwest Science trip should sign up no later than June 19th if they wish to join. If you sign up by 6/12 then you can get a $200 discount. Email Ms. Manley at lmanley@acsdvt.org with questions.

In Vermont, students earn a high school diploma by demonstrating proficiency in both academic content and transferable skills. Each school determines what “proficient” means for its students.

At MUHS, proficiency is measured using IB-style rubrics. Currently, courses are assessed using four criteria, each scored on a scale of 0–8. Students earn credit for a course when they achieve a Criterion Level Total (CLT) of at least 12 points, with no individual criterion score below a 3.

We see three important reasons to raise our expectations:

• Students who earn a score close to 12 sometimes struggle in the next course in a sequence. For example, students who narrowly pass Algebra 1 may find the next math course significantly more challenging.

• A score of 12 does not provide strong evidence that a student is fully prepared for success after high school.

• We believe our students are capable of deeper learning when we combine high expectations with strong support.

Under the current system, students pass a course with:

• A CLT of 12 out of 32

• No criterion score below a 3

Beginning next year, students will pass a course with:

• A CLT of 18 out of 40

• No criterion score below a 3

• No more than two scores of 3

This means a passing score could look like: 4 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 3 = 18.

While we are raising the expectation from 12 to 18, we are also adding a fifth criterion designed to help students succeed.

Starting next year, students will be assessed on a new area called Criterion E: Active Learning Skills.

Students will demonstrate their ability to:

• Complete classwork and assessments on time

• Use classroom and school resources effectively, including technology and source materials

• Participate respectfully and contribute positively to the classroom community

• Demonstrate responsibility for learning through self-advocacy, initiative, perseverance, and punctuality

Criterion E recognizes the habits and skills that help students succeed not only in school, but also in college, careers, and life. It also gives every student an additional opportunity to demonstrate engagement and commitment to learning.

On the updated CLT Conversion Chart, which will appear on report cards next year, a CLT of 18 is equivalent to approximately a C- or a 2.0 GPA.

More importantly, a score of 18 represents work that:

• Demonstrates a solid understanding of most concepts and skills

• Shows growing critical and creative thinking

• Applies learning successfully in familiar situations

• Reflects active engagement and responsibility for learning

MUHS teachers and leaders have spent considerable time discussing both what we want students to learn and how we can best support them in meeting these expectations.

We know this change will require:

• Clear communication

• Strong academic and personal support when students struggle

• Ongoing feedback from students, families, and staff as we move forward together

We are excited about this change because we believe it will strengthen student learning, encourage deeper engagement, and continue building a strong academic culture at MUHS.

August 25 - 9th Grade Orientation

August 26 - First day of school!

Check out the MUHS Events Calendar online here.