October 2011 web.indd - U-32 High School

INSIDE: Bacon disappears
from the cafeteria
Vol. 40, No. 7
PAGE 2
Resignation
raises student
concerns
By Conner Winkeljohn
Jeneane Lunn, a long-time art
teacher, resigned at the end of last
year, leaving some students with questions
Ḟor an American Writers civil disobedience
assignment, senior Hayley
Hirt painted posters that expressed her
love for the arts and encouraged others
to ‘disobey civilly.’ Hirt constructed
her poster hoping not to offend but to
remind people that their old art teacher
was gone and that they should question
why. Hirt feels that the administration
had “underhandedly, and behind
everyone’s back, forced Jeneane to
resign.” When asked what message
she was trying to voice in the “We
Love Jeneane” poster, Hirt replied,
“I am very disappointed by how the
art department has been handled by
the administration’s tyrannical rule.”
Senior Brendan Shepard agreed with
Hirt, and added, “The school lost a
great part of its staff.”
Principal Keith Gerritt could
not comment on Lunn’s resignation,
though he repeatedly said she left on
her own.
Hirt said there wasn’t much of a
response to her posters other than the
“We Love Jeneane” poster was taken
down while the rest of her posters were
left up. Gerritt explained that the poster
made the administration “concerned
about the effect it might have on the
current art teacher,” not wanting to
make anyone feel unwelcome.
Previous students have also been
expressing suspicions about the administration’s
involvement in Lunn’s
resignation. Will Barstow, a previous
student, said, “What frustrates me is
how the administration had been stepping
on her feet and not letting the art
department, as a whole, do the fantastic
job they have been doing for so many
years.”
When asked what he thought
about Hirt’s opinion, Gerritt said, “I
think the administration and the board
tremendously support the arts. There
are five different art programs here.
How many other schools in Vermont
do you think have a jewelry studio?
You can probably count them on one
hand.”
Lunn was not available for comment.
Photo by Luke LaRosa
Chronicle
The U-32
Twenty-five cents
INSIDE: New teachers are
welcomed
930 Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier, VT 05602 Friday, October 7, 2011
McCraw and Taylor split student body duties
By Rose Wunrow and Nathaniel
Nichols-Fleming
This year, U-32 has adopted a new
administrative system in an effort to
equally redistribute responsibilities in
the administration.
The new system – adapted by
Principal Keith Gerritt from a school
where he worked previously – allows
administrators to work with the collective
student body, instead of dividing
the middle school from the high school.
In the old system, explained Assistant
Principal Stephanie Taylor, “the assistant
principal was assigned to students
by grade, and we had a middle school
principal and a high school principal.”
As of this year, the entire student body
is divided alphabetically between Taylor
and new Assistant Principal Rick
McCraw. Taylor is responsible for
students whose last names begin with
letters A-K, and McCraw is responsible
for those whose last names begin with
By Kasey Donna
Tropical storm Irene came through
Central Vermont on August 28, leaving
many in the U-32 community homeless
or with damaged property. Some
students and faculty have made efforts
to reach out and help.
Hurricane Irene first began in the
Caribbean, then headed up the United
States east coast and up to Atlantic
Canada. The storm left extensive flood
and wind damage along its path. When
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin spoke
about the storm’s effects on the state
he said, “It’s just devastating. Whole
communities under water, businesses,
homes, obviously roads and bridges,
rail transportation infrastructure. We’ve
lost farmers’ crops,” he said. “We’re
By Brooke Carrier
Seven students are setting off on
their own independent learning projects
within U-32’s new Pilot Program.
The Pilot Program was initially
started by the Branching Out Program,
where students get to study something
of interest to them and get credit for
their studies. The Pilot is a way for
students to arrange their schedule so
that they are getting credits that they
need for graduation ,but incorporating
their interests as a student into what they
are studying. Each of the six juniors in
the Pilot Program, Sierra Austin, Luke
Becker-Lowe, Liz Gilbert, Camille
Johnson, Zoe Myers, Rodney Noack and
sophomore Marcus Edson, are working
with advisors from the departments they
letters L-Z. According to Taylor, “We
decided this…would be a good time to
[make changes] because of the change
in the [administrative] personnel.” The
new system eliminates the position of
middle school principal, which was
recently vacated by Mark Mooney.
According to McCraw, “Each of
the three principals will have some
responsibilities in the middle school
throughout the year.”
Gerritt’s time will be divided between
an office in the middle school and
his office in the high school. He says
of the change, “It gives me a chance
to be with the middle school kids…so
far, I like it very much.”
Many of the responsibilities associated
with the alphabetical system
are disciplinary. Yet McCraw stated,
“I don’t want to be just a discipline
guy…I want to be a resource the kids
can work with.” Outside of discipline,
Taylor and McCraw provide support
tough folks up here but Irene…really
hit us hard.”
Many students, faculty, and families
in the U-32 community were affected by
the storm. Some had homes that were
damaged, many knew others who did,
and some have chosen to reach out and
help victims in need. Sophomore Chris
Perry has a grandmother who lived
in Waterbury at the time of the flood,
and the flooding of a river destroyed
her house. Perry said, “I helped clean
out my grandmother’s house. We had
to gut it out.” Perry went on to add, “I
helped out ‘cause it’s my grandmother’s
house, so it’s the nice thing to do.”
When junior Emily Delano was
asked if she helped out after the flood,
she answered, “My mother and I donated
need graduation credits from, helping
them to structure their plans for the
year and to meet Vermont’s Standards
of Education. English teacher Chris
Blackburn is the overall advisor for
the Pilot students. The advisors working
with the students are Community
-Based Learning teacher George Cook,
science teacher Aanika DeVries, math
teacher Julie Kiefer, art teacher Amy
Koenigbauer and social studies teacher
Nicolle Schaeffer.
Branching Out Coordinator Deb
Bogart said that the Pilot Program is
“preparing students to be lifelong learners
and self directed with their learning.”
She said, “It’s a nice change because
for most of our school years we’re not
given many opportunities to co-create
to students who are struggling academically.
Another major responsibility
shared by the assistant principals is that
they are both “equity coordinators,”
meaning that they are the designated
employees who receive bullying and
harassment complaints. However, these
complaints aren’t handled according
to the alphabetical system, which Mc-
Craw says is used for “routine kinds
of things.” According to McCraw, “If
students have harassment or bullying
issues, they can go to the administrator
they’re more comfortable going to.”
In addition to the change in student
management, the distribution of
other administrative responsibilities
has also been modified. The three
principals have responsibilities on different
committees, and each assistant
principal has a group of teachers to
supervise (divided by department and
not alphabetically). Specifically, Gerritt
supervises new teachers and the budget
some clothing and nonperishable food
items for those in need.” When she was
asked why she chose to help she added,
“Because I would want someone else
to do the same for me if I was in that
situation.”
Morgan St. John, a junior, has been
living with her grandparents since the
storm, while her house is being fixed
due to severe water damage. “We have
to get all new carpets and furniture, and
the walls have to be re-insulated,” St.
John said. When asked how she and
her family have received help since
the storm, she answered, “People volunteered
to help clean mud and throw
away damaged items”…U-32 offered
free lunches to my sister and me for
our curriculum…It’s good stuff.” Bogart
believes that the students are becoming
structured and independent students.
When junior Camille Johnson was
asked what she thought of the program
she said, “I think it’s an incredible opportunity,
taking a positive step towards
reforming society’s idea of education.
Instead of learning from a text book
we have the ability to get out into the
community and cultivate the skills to
become intuitive learners.” Outside of
school Johnson is studying alternative
medicinal practices. She is working
with an herbalist and learning about
eastern philosophy connected to medicine.
“I am studying how homeopathic
medicine is finding its way back into
western culture,” said Johnson
PAGE 3
committee, McCraw oversees the math
department and the food service, and
Taylor is responsible for the science
department and the bus service.
All three of the principals feel that
the redistribution of administrative
responsibilities is a positive change,
particularly with the alphabetical system.
According to McCraw, “We see some
real advantages…It breaks the student
body exactly in half…[which] allows us
to develop a relationship with students
and families that will last through all
six years.” Taylor stated, “I think it’s
been really effective. It’s allowed me
to help orient Rick…and allowed us to
develop parallel procedures for dealing
with kids…I think it allows for more
consistency and allows us to cover
each other more effectively than in the
past.”
Gerritt agreed, “I like it, I like it
very much…it’ll work fine because we
all work well as a team.”
Raiders reach out to hurricane victims
Students “Pilot” interests for credit
the rest of the year.” St. John and her
family are uncertain when they will be
able to move back in to their home.
There is still work to be done, and
chances to help those in need of flood
relief. Senior Theresa Kehne and the
cross country running team have volunteered
to help out in any relief efforts
they can. They have discussed helping
out the Dog River Farm in Berlin, where
many plants were lost and topsoil was
destroyed. When asked why she wanted
to help out, Kehne emphasized that “it’s
really important for awareness to be
created and revisited,” and she’d like
to “promote awareness so relief efforts
don’t stop. People are still in trouble
from the flood damage.”
Photo by Lynne McConnell

The U-32 Chronicle
OPINIONS
Friday, December 17, 2010 • Opinions Editors: Phoebe Cook, Rose Wunrow • Page 2
Concussions plague fall athletics
By Liz Gilbert
“Back-to-school” is always full
of confusion, chaos, and uncertainty.
Especially when U-Band is now
known as “the Drop-In Class” to make
us like it better, the football team can’t
win a game, and the freshmen still can’t
understand the hallway
traffic rule of walking
on the right side of the
hallway.
However, the words
“confusion, chaos, and
uncertainty” are a gross
understatement when
describing junior Ryan
Belliveau’s back-toschool
experience.
Belliveau plays as a
starting lineman on the
varsity football team.
After being hit head-on
during a game vs. North
Country, only two weeks into the
season, Belliveau received a major
concussion. Twenty-four hours after his
injury, Belliveau found himself driving
down the highway with a car full
By Lynne McConnell
On August 30, students walked
into the cafeteria to see a sign that read
“no more bacon,” which was a surprise
and a disappointment to many.
Some in the student body are upset
by the loss of bacon in the cafeteria.
Senior Bonnie Currie said in regards to
the issue, “I used to like buying bacon
in the cafeteria, but that was before the
dark ages.” Many students have similar
feelings and some have begun to ask
why bacon was eliminated from the
cafeteria.
There are several different stories
circulating the school about why bacon
is gone, and all of the rumors agree
upon one element: it was because of
the requirements dictated to us by the
By Ryan May
Jeff Arey, an administrator and
head of the technology department, and
others in the tech department have big
changes planned for the school’s computer
system, changing the way we get
assignments and turn in homework.
For years, some teachers have
been promoting the use of Google
docs and the Google emails set up by
the school. In middle school there is
almost a constant use of the system,
but in the high school widespread use
is almost non-existent. Many teachers
have turned to other programs like Web
of friends. He slowly began to realize
that his friends were screaming at him
as he merged onto I-89 on the Berlin
ramp. As Belliveau continued driving,
he slowly realized that the words of
his friends were of warning and caution.
Shortly after, Belliveau finally
comprehended that he had
entered the highway via
the exit ramp, and that he
was travelling at 70 miles
per hour. He was going
the wrong way.
But Belliveau’s story
is just one of many coming
to light at U-32.
Junior Zeb Bolduc
(also a starter on the varsity
football team), has also
suffered from this brain
injury this season. He
cannot say for sure what
he attributes the football
team’s frequent concussions to, but
Bolduc says he notes a similar pattern
of symptoms in himself and in other
concussed players.
“Some of it (the concussion in-
state. Rick Hungerford, Director of Food
Services, stated, “as a public school
we have to meet certain requirements
given to us by the state, and one of those
requirements is that every meal needs
a protein, and bacon doesn’t qualify
as one of those proteins.” Bacon is
considered to be mostly saturated fat
and doesn’t contain enough protein
to be an acceptable protein source in
a meal. Hungerford, describing the
food pyramid to explain the amount
of saturated fat in bacon, stated, “At
the top are the fruits and vegetables,
we try to eat a lot of those, and at the
bottom are the fattier foods. Bacon is
at the dead bottom.”
Since bacon is not a protein, according
to the state, it cannot be in a
sandwich or a meal as if it was the main
Assign, but the use of many different
homework tracking websites can be a
problem for students with limited access
to internet in or outside of school.
The tech department is working to
change that and have a system set up
so that everyone will be able to view
homework, turn in assignments, check
schedules, and see when there are
tests and other special events planned.
People have complained that Google
docs can be slow and inefficient, but
that’s only because the school is still
in the experimental stage of using it.
Students and teachers who have been
having problems with the computers
at school have been walking up to the
tech department when very few people
need to do so.There is an icon on the
desktop screen of every computer in
the school labeled “computer problem
reporting” that the tech department
juries) just happens because of bad
form tackling, and some of it’s just
bad luck. When it first started, the first
week, I couldn’t concentrate in class,
couldn’t play video games which was
a normal routine, couldn’t watch TV;
watching films in class, I couldn’t go
through it without getting headaches.
I was just mentally foggy. I couldn’t
really concentrate on anything. I could
tell I was acting unnormal, and a little
funny. I couldn’t remember anything
from that game. I was told I was stripping
in front of the team, and when I
thought I was looking for someone in
the parking lot I was actually yelling
for my mom. I was throwing my equipment
everywhere, thinking that I was
putting it in the right spot.”
Bolduc’s strange behavior and
forgetfulness is not uncommon for athletes
with concussions. The Center for
Disease Control is calling concussions
“an epidemic” and identifies common
symptoms as the following: difficulty
thinking clearly, feeling slowed down,
nausea or vomiting, headache, sadness,
irritability, sleeping more than usual,,
Continued on page 4
Bacon quandary angers hungry students
protein, which raises the question why
bacon cannot be included in addition
to the main protein. “I could still sell
bacon for 75 cents but it won’t count as
a protein. If a student wanted a sandwich
I would have to charge them the $3.00
for the sandwich plus another 75 cents
for the bacon,” said Hungerford. The
cost of this option would be expensive,
so instead, it was decided that bacon
should be eliminated from the cafeteria
altogether.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
After failing to meet the Department of
Education’s health standards in regards
to saturated fat last year, the cafeteria
was evaluated. After the evaluation,
the Department of Education’s message
was clear: “Stop selling bacon,
now.”
Technology department
promotes online options
checks a few times every day to keep
the school’s computer system running
smoothly. This would save time
and lead to less overall hassle if more
people knew about and used this easy
piece of technology.
The most common complaints they
get are blocked websites. If there is a
site that is inaccessible because of the
filter, the tech department will unblock
it after seeing two things; the name of
the website or a link, and the reason
it needs to be unblocked. They will
not unblock Facebook or other social
networking sites because they are a
distraction from school work and cannot
be monitored to prevent exposure to
problems outlined in the handbook, like
bullying and viewing of inappropriate
images. Technical administrator Jeff
Arey said, “Facebook is a tool and all
tools have their purpose, but Facebook
is not an educational [tool].”
“Old school:”
A simple approach
to better education
By Luke LaRosa
Five days a week, my grandfather trekked through three miles of snow,
uphill, with nothing but a small bag of books and a nickel in his back pocket so
he could buy lunch. He would go to the schoolhouse, put wood in the furnace,
and get his cutting-edge slate board ready for class. This was his education,
and it is a far cry from ours.
We go to school every day with the expectation that we will, invariably,
be on the computer working on some assignment. We will open up a document
on Google Docs, watch a Frontline documentary, or read our online textbook,
and more often than not, we will do all of these. For approximately 35 or so
students at U-32, online courses will be taught via the Vermont Virtual Learning
Cooperative, where assignments are completed for teachers who are, in some
cases, hundreds of miles away.
I think it is no longer an exaggeration to say that our school and our education
have become dependent on technology.
Now I’m not arguing that we should throw the computers out the window
and instead sit reading Walden in a circle, but I do believe technology and our
classrooms must find an important balance. Technology must compliment an
education, rather than drive it.
Technology moves too fast. To utilize any tool takes research, and research
takes time. So the iPad 17.0 may come out and look promising, but by the time
we’ve learned how to utilize it, the iPad 18.0 has already sold out and the iPad
19.0 is in development.
So it begs the question, how much does, for example, that SmartBoard help
us learn? What does it do that a chalkboard didn’t? After waiting for it to load,
repeatedly pressing it until it functions and waiting for it to load again, we will
find that this piece of technology—what was supposed to be our expedient to
knowledge—has given us very little more than a headache and wasted class
time
Ṅonetheless, I do agree that technology can have its benefits. Google Docs
,for example, makes sharing work and collaborating easier. Facebook, in this
context, provides a place for groups to organize projects and plan presentations.
And we all know physics wouldn’t be the same without Randy Brown
emailing the entire class a myriad of websites explaining the tri-chromatic color
theory.
All of these help us learn better, but notice they are all free. We must rid
ourselves of the preconceived notion that the more expensive the technology is,
the more benefit it will be. This is not the case. Using technology in education
is about knowing what tools will work, and what tools won’t. Most often, we
will notice those that are the simplest, and the most accessible, are the best.
Google Docs will give us more than a thousand-dollar SmartBoard ever will.
So call me crazy, but I like books. I don’t think we need to start carving our
essays into stone, but I do think that we must exercise caution when integrating
technology into our classrooms. In the hype of the newest technologies, we can
forget that if they don’t help us learn, they are useless. I could handle walking
three miles in the snow and finding the derivative of a function on a piece of
slate, but I can’t stand a malfunctioning SmartBoard.
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Luke LaRosa Zebulin This Bolduc Newspaper operates under the rights guaranteed by the First
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Joseph 17, Carriveau 1787, and is dedicated to the principles of responsible journalism
which dictate that the freedom of the press is not separate
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Lynne McConnell Nicole Herring
Conner Winkeljohn Mariah from Howland the responsibility of the press. This publication sees its
Jordan duties Jewett as service, information, and enhancement of community
Stuart and Laperle student awareness of events happening inside and outside
Lynne McConnell Shannon of Lawrey the school. Opinions expressed in the U-32 Chronicle do not
Clare Mills
Luke LaRosa
necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration.
Ashley Morrissette
Calvin McEathron MacKenzie Palana
Sophie This Puleio publication is completely written and produced by students
Nathaniel Nichols- Jordan of Sarracco a U-32 journalism course.
Fleming
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basis of race, language, sex, or age or handicapping condition
under the provisions of Title VI of the 1972 Educational Amendments;
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By Halle Toulis
The auditions for the fall play
were more different than they ever
have been at U-32. The play will be
directed by guest director Jon Mazer
from Chicago because the Stage 32
director, Erin Galligan-Baldwin, is
now out on maternity leave.
Auditions were done over Skype
with Mazer who can’t be at rehearsals
until mid-October. “It was awkward.
Very awkward,” said sophomore Silas
Miller.
Although no student has met Mazer
face to face, he seems like a very nice
guy. Miller said, “Well, I haven’t officially
met him yet, but from what I’ve
seen of him, he seems like he knows
what he’s doing.” And sophomore Corey
Kline added, “It will be good to work
with a different director because each
new director brings something different,
and their choices could positively
affect Stage 32 forever.”
Stage 32’s fall play is The Rimers
of Eldritch, a small town drama with
some shocking twists and turns. Miller
said, “The play is dark and suspenseful!”
and then continued, “I think the school
will find this play more interesting than
By Tyler Elliott
Homework is becoming a problem;
students say they are spending too much
time on homework and they don’t like
it.
Sophomore Zack Allen is taking 7
academic classes and spends 2-4 hours
of homework each night. He also plays
a fall sport. Allen’s practice gets done
around 6:30 p.m. and by the time he
gets home and has dinner it will be 8:00
p.m. Then Allen will have 2-4 hours
of homework to do. It can be 12:00
By Cam Bolduc
The lunch prices at U-32 have risen
over the past four years, causing more
students to bring lunch from home, and
reconsider the convenience of buying
food from the café.
Since the 2008 and 2009 school
year, the lunch meal prices have gone
up, and most extras, like drinks and ice
creams have also gone up, prompting
some students like sophomore Alex
Knudsen to bring lunch from home.
“Lunch here is expensive,” said Knudsen.
“The lunch that I bring is better than
the food I can buy here.” Sophomore
Corey Kline agreed, “I feel like every
year I come here, the prices have gone
up by 25-50 cents and the food quality
goes down. If this continues, I will bring
lunch from home because the quality
will be better.”
Some of the students, like sophomore
Grady Wimble, said that the prices are
The U-32 Chronicle
FEATURES
Friday, October 7, 2011 • Features Editors: Luke LaRosa, Nathaniel Nichols-Fleming • Page 3
Actors await the arrival
of Stage 32 guest director
some of the PG plays we’ve done in the
past, but it’s definitely more confusing.”
Kline said, “I think it’s going to keep
people guessing till the very end, it has
lots of surprises!”
Until Mazer gets to U-32, the
rehearsals will be directed by Heather
Clark-Warner. The first half hour of
every rehearsal is spent doing yoga on
the stage. Kline said, “I do like that we
start each rehearsal with 32 minutes
of yoga; it’s a good way to relieve the
stress of the day and clear my mind
before I have to become somebody
else...sometimes I wish we could get
right down to running lines.” Miller
added, “Even though Heather has little
experience with theatre, she helps us
by leading us in mind-relaxing warm
ups, and she listens to what we think we
need to do and makes sure it happens.
She’s very supportive and understanding
and is doing a great job!”
The play will be performed after a
5 week rehearsal period, on Thursday,
November 10 during U-band and at
7:00 p.m. It will also be performed
on Friday, November 11 at 7:00 p.m.
And the last performance will be on
Saturday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m.
a.m. by the time Allen gets done. Then
Allen has to get up at 6:00 a.m. to get
ready for school. He only gets 6 hours
of sleep when a teenager needs at least
8 hours of sleep.
Spending up to 4 hours on homework
a night affects the student’s social
life, and it is important as a teenager, to
have fun and spend time with friends.
Spending hours on homework also
affects the student’s time spent with
their family.
Sophomore Vivianna Dorfman is
just too high. Sophomore Bailey Starr
agreed with him, “The prices have really
gone up and it really frustrates me;
it’s unnecessary if the food quality is
going to stay the same or get worse.”
By Calvin McEathron
While the writing of most high
school students is read only by a teacher,
two seniors have recently had their pieces
appear in national publications.
Senior Rose Wunrow, a cross country
runner, had her essay titled “From
Hare to Tortoise” published in Chicken
Soup for the Teenage Soul. The book,
which is a compilation of personal
narratives by high school students, is
wildly popular, selling directly to teens
throughout the world.
Wunrow, who originally wrote the
story as a college essay for an Advanced
Expo writing assignment, said that this
was her first attempt at publication.
“Generally, I like writing poems more
than short stories,” Wunrow admitted.
“I sometimes lack the attention span to
see a story through from beginning to
end. I loved writing this story, though,
because I chose a topic that means a
lot to me. It’s also the first personal
narrative I’ve ever really finished.”
The story follows Wunrow in her
academic and musical pursuits, while
she is struggling to keep up in cross
country. Yet, as the piece continues, she
begins to realize that her race times are
less important than the relationships
she is forming, and that her grades
Students fear growing homework load
taking 7 academic classes and spends
30 minutes doing homework each
night. She also plays a fall sport. By the
time soccer, dinner and her homework
gets done it is 10:00 p.m. and she has
to get up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for
school.
Senior Brock Allen plays sports
and manages to get his homework done
by doing it during his free band. Allen
advised, “Get your homework done then
go screw around or vice versa as long
as you get your homework done.”
Lunch prices rise for fourth straight year
Sandwich prices rose from $2.75
last year to $3.00 this year.
Photo credit: Rose Wunrow
Poetry and essay featured:
Students’ work published
Rick Hungerford, the head of
the food service program for U-32,
explained the increase in price. “We
are not making money to support the
program,” said Hungerford. He explained
that he has to raise the prices
so the lunchroom staff can keep their
benefits, such as insurance.
Hungerford compared our prices to
prices at Montpelier High and Harwood.
“The prices are low here,” Hungerford
said. “For the same sandwich meal from
the Red Hen Bakery at Montpelier, it is
$6.00, compared to the $3.00 students
pay here.
Not all is bad though, “The food
here is okay,” said Wimble, and Starr
agreed with him. “I’m pretty peeved
that the chicken fingers are gone, but
the Rustic Rolls are as good as ever!”
said Starr. Both students buy lunch in
the café every day.
Rose Wunrow, published author,
poses with her work.
aren’t as crucial as friendships. “The
relationships forged within our cross
country team are ones that will carry
on past our running days and into old
age. The comradeship of sharing the
intense emotions which sprung out of
an eternally grueling sport made the
bonds between me and my teammates
surpass friendship,” she writes.
While this is her first submission
for publication, Wunrow says that she
would be interested in submitting her
work in the future. “This was my first
By Nathan Battistoni
There are new faces among the
U-32 staff this year. But they are not
only at U-32 to teach students. They
are here to learn from other teachers
as well.
These new faculty members are
interns who are trying to broaden their
try at getting published - I didn’t really
expect it to happen. As far as the
future, I’d love to try to get published
again. That’ll probably come further
down the line.”
Fellow senior Melita Schmeckpeper,
a costume designer for the theater department,
had a piece of poetry accepted
for publication by CICADA, a literary
magazine for young adults. Schmeckpeper,
who “spent six months on and
off” working on the piece is a veteran
of the publication process, as she has
had her work published in CICADA
on at least one previous occasion.
Schmeckpeper, who plans to study
plant biology next year, sometimes
spends “most of the day writing poetry.”
Her entry spoke of her desire to be a
streetlamp. “I want to be mistaken for
a streetlamp: all aloof Victorian charm,
my wrought iron bones gilded with
light, a blinding halo hiding my covertly
jealous eyes,” the poem read.
She says that she will continue to
write poetry and submit her work for
publication once she has finished her
college essays.
Wunrow’s story can be found on
Amazon.com or at a local library,
while Schmeckpeper’s poem will be
published in the CICADA magazine
in January of 2012.
High School Music Concert
October 20th at 7 P.M.
Interns join teaching staff
Intern Jenn Ingersoll, at U-32
with the TAP program, is working
with Steve Barrows.
Photo credit: Liz Gilbert Photo credit: Liz Gilbert
learning to outside the classroom as
well as gain valuable teaching experience.
The interns come from two
different programs, The University
of Vermont (UVM) and The Teachers
Apprenticeship Program (TAP). There
are nine interns from UVM and two
interns from the TAP’s program. When
asked about the benefits of interning,
intern Jo Pastel said, “There’s only so
much you’re going to learn in classes.
It gives you that hands on experience
you just don’t get.” Pastel is interning
with social studies teacher Ben Heintz
for one full year and plans to apply for
jobs in the field.
John Pandolfo, the coordinator for
the interns, said that the programs benefit
the U-32 student body “by exposing
students to additional teaching strategies
and experience in the classroom.
It also benefits teachers by exposing
them to fresh ideas that these interns
can bring to us. It also provides us with
prospective candidates, and spreads the
word of U-32.”
There are five interns from the
UVM graduate program that are full
year apprentices, and two other half
year interns from the TAP program.
The other 4 undergrad students from
UVM will return to UVM at the end of
their fall to continue their schooling.

By Stu Laperle
After a disappointing season last
year when the Raider football team
finished just 4-5, new head Coach
Brian Divelbliss looks to get back on
the winning track.
After commencing the season on a
0-4 record, the playoffs may look like a
lofty goal, yet that does not discourage
Divelbliss from salvaging the season.
“We’ve been getting better as each
game goes on,” Divelbliss said. “We
just got to start finishing on both sides
of the ball.”
The Raiders have struggled finding
the end zone this year, scoring only 15
points in their first 4 games. Sophomore
Adam Gowans said, “Although offense
has been our prominent problem, our
defense has been doing a good job
making stops and rallying to the ball.”
In order to win games, “everyone has
to do their 1-11, everyone has to do
their own personal jobs every play,”
said Divelbliss.
At the beginning of the season,
some members felt wary with the absence
of long-time Coach Mike Law.
When asked about preparation tactics
for this season, Divelbliss responded,
“We try to prepare before the season,
having everyone coming in over the
summer not just for workouts, but
also for team building.” Gowans said,
“Coach Divelbliss did a good job of
transitioning to the new pistol offense,
Concussion from page 2
difficulty remembering new information,
more emotional, nervousness or
anxiety, sleep less than usual, feeling
tired, having no energy, balance problems,
fuzzy or blurry vision.
According to Bolduc, “There’s
a lot of stuff that’s happened that I
don’t remember. My memory is just
gone.”
While there are a total of eight
concussions on the football team alone,
other sports are affected, though not as
severely. We noticed that junior Metta
Sairs was “spacey”and “disoriented”
after being hit in the head with a field
hockey ball last week, forcing her to
take a trip to the emergency room.
Sophomore Cheyenne Smith was
described as “sluggish,” “confused,”
and “not acting like herself” and was
forced out of play on the soccer field
THE U-32 CHRONICLE
ACTIVITIES
Friday, October 7, 2011 • Activities Editors: Rose Wunrow, Conner Winkeljohn • Page 4
Annual U-32 cross country
invitational hosts 1000 runners
Coach Divelbliss (third from right) poses with players.
Football coach hopes to
salvage remainder of season
while moving away from Mike Law’s
under center winged T.”
Divelbliss uses“character” as a focal
point in his philosophy, while also
adapting methods from Law. Divelbliss
said, “Even with the 0-4 start, the guys
have done a great job staying together
and united as a team.”
Sophomore Grady Wimble said,
“From the past years that I knew Coach
Divelbliss, he has always had a positive
attitude while encouraging his players.”
Gowans said, “Coming into the season
I had a lot of trust in Coach Divelbliss.
He has plenty of experience, and I am
glad that after the rough start, he is
putting pressure on the team.”
“We don’t have one guy,” said
Divelbliss. “We rely on everyone to
make a difference. We have the talent;
we just have to apply it.” Wimble said,
“With a very young team with low
numbers, it puts a lot of pressure on the
head coach, trying to make corrections
to a team while working towards the
future.”
Sophomore Paul Beling also noticed
the sense of urgency among the
team and coaches. “In order to salvage
the remainder of the season, we got to
keep the integrity up throughout all
the practices and games.” With all the
injured players soon returning, Beling is
confident that they will have an impact
on the remainer of the season, while
also boosting the team’s morale.
for a while. And we can all remember
last year’s graduate Angie Aseltine’s
frighteningly severe memory loss from
last year’s soccer injury.
Athletic trainer Jennie-Beth Kruger
said she is “not 100 percent sure” why
such high numbers of concussions are
being recorded this year. “I think it
might have something to do with the
heightened awareness around concussions
and head injuries because of
the new concussion law passed this
summer.” The bill, which Governor
Peter Shumlin signed into law in July,
requires more education about the issue
in school athletic programs. Shumlin
has been criticized by many concerned
citizens regarding this law, saying that
it is “too weak” and “not effective,”
compared to other states that require
more in-depth medical evaluations, and
Photo courtesy of u32.phanfare.com
By Sam Merriman
On Saturday, September 24, U-32
hosted an invitational cross country
meet with 1000 runners, making it one
of the biggest cross country races of
the season.
U-32 hosted its annual invitational
for cross country running and included
students from 3rd to 12th grade who
ran a one- to five-kilometer course. The
elementary schools ran at 8:00 a.m.
and 9:00 a.m., followed by the middle
school girls and middle school boys.
The JV girls then ran at 11:15 a.m.
and JV boys at 11:45 a.m., followed
by the varsity girls and varsity boys.
The middle school ran a 3-kilometer
race (or around 1.8 miles) and the high
school athletes a 5-kilometer race (or
around 3.1 miles).
Mark Chaplin, the high school cross
country coach, believes that the team is
doing well. He believes the upcoming
girl’s team looks promising with so
many sophomores and freshmen. He is
pleased with the boys team this year and
hopes there is room for improvement.
Ten runners will graduate this school
year. Since last year, seniors Charlie
Hoffert and Larissa Kehne have been
captains of the varsity squad, being the
fast runners on the team. The entire
senior class alone makes up over a
By Jessica Symonds
As of this season, there are now
nine athletes from Harwood playing
on the U-32 football team.
Athletic Director Amy Molina
said that the Vermont Principals’ Association
(VPA) rule allows schools
that don’t have a certain sport at their
home school to reach out to schools
that do, allowing them to give their
athletes an opportunity to play that sport
elsewhere. This rule is what has allowed
the nine athletes from Harwood to play
on the U-32 football team. This does
not apply to the middle school level so
traditionally players from Harwood,
Senior Larissa Kehne finishes
second at U-32 Invitational.
third of the runners. As this is their
last year at U-32, the seniors say that
they will try hard to win states.
Cross country runner Larissa Kehne
said that running a 5k race “feels like
the most exhilarating pain I’ve ever
felt. Like sitting in a river and being
pushed down by the current.”
The posting of the team’s placement
can be seen on the bulletin board
outside of Chaplin’s office. The points
are given according to placement in
the varsity race (first place – 1 point,
Main Street Middle School and U-32
all play on the same team. However,
once players from Main Street Middle
School reach high school level, they
play for Montpelier High School.
Last year, some of the Harwood
players played for Montpelier and some
played for U-32. “That was a very,
very special situation,” said Molina.
“It will never happen again. The longterm
solution is to play with U-32. It
is working really well because they
all grew up playing together,” said
Molina.
U-32 sophomore Paul Beling said,
“They (the Harwood players) are all good
Photo courtesy of.u32.phanfare.com
second place – 2 points, etc.). Winning
teams are decided by which team has
the fewest total points of the first five
varsity runners. The schools’ placing
of the first three teams plus U-32’s
placing are as follows:
Girls School Placing:
First Place Middlebury- 65 Points –
Total Time: 1:57:30 – Average Time:
23:30
Second Place Bellows Academy- 80
Points – Total Time: 1:58:57 – Average
Time: 23:47
Third Place North Country- 113 Points
– Total Time: 2:01:15 – Average Time:
24:15
Fifth Place U-32- 185 Points – Total Time:
2:06:40 – Average Time: 25:20
Boys School Placing:
First Place Middlebury- 47 Points –
Total Time: 1:32:48 – Average Time:
18:33
Second Place U-32- 78 Points – Total
Time: 1:35:50 – Average Time:
19:10
Third Place North Country- 113 Points
– Total Time: 1:38:11 – Average Time:
19:38
The entire U-32 team finished the
course. Junior Ben Merrylees said his
race “didn’t go brilliantly, but better
than I expected.” When the outcomes
of Saturday’s meet were posted, he
said, “Our team did really well.”
Harwood consolidates with U-32 football
a longer period of time on the bench
after an athlete suffers a concussion.
Kruger said that the school is doing
what they can to prevent concussions
in all contact sports. U-32 requires
every high school student involved in
a sport with a risk of a concussion to
take a baseline concussion test at the
beginning of the season, and in the
event that they receive a head injury,
they are not allowed to return to play
until the score after impact matches
or exceeds the baseline score. Kruger
said the test is a compilation of digital
questions that measure hand-eye coordination,
reaction time, and memory
skills. Kruger added that the school
offers numerous concussion education
materials provided to student athletes
and their parents. There is a concussion
education program for all coaches, as
well as the football team watching
a video on concussions and proper
tackling.
While Kruger said she believes
that concussion reports are particularly
high this year, she feels confident in her
own abilities as an athletic trainer to
deal with the head injuries this season.
With previous experience dealing with
hockey players’ concussions and brain
trauma, Kruger said she used to be
scared about this medical issue, but
kids, and there is a good relationship
between us and them.” When asked if
he thought the nine players take away
playing time from U-32 students, he
answered, “No, they don’t. There just
aren’t enough numbers this year, and
we need them.” Beling also said, “It is
cool how last year there were four and
this year there were nine. They kind of
like recruited each other to come and
play.”
With the number of football players
from U-32 in the last four years
slowly dropping, members of the team
hope that the number of players from
Harwood keep rising.
now believes “I know what I’m dealing
with.”
“I don’t know if it’s a problem,”
she said.
“I’m scared. If it happens again,
they told me it’ll be twice as worse as
the last one, and I keep having symptoms;
like if I was to get hit again, my
symptoms could be a lot, lot, worse.
It’s changed my life now. I don’t ever
want that to happen, I don’t want to
take risks,” said Bolduc.
Read The Chronicle online!
On the U-32 website, go to the Resources heading and
then to Publications to find current and past issues of
The Chronicle with additional photos and stories.

By Adam Gowans
The U-32 football team has gotten
off to a disappointing start due to
injuries, said seniors Calvin McEathron
and Stuart Laperle. The team has started
the 2011 season with a record of 0-4.
“The injured players [Laperle, Ethan
Tyrrell, Brady Helme, and Nick Johnson]
are all nearing full recovery,” said
quarterback McEathron, “but without
two of the four team captains [Laperle
and Johnson], things are moving slow.”
Coach Brian Divelbliss commented,
“I’m not surprised, based on the fact
that we’ve had this many injuries, but
if you’d asked me in the summer, I
would not have said we would start
0-4.”
“I don’t like making any excuses
but the reality is that we are low in
numbers and we are young,” said
Divelbliss. Seniors Evan Spencer,
Laperle, sophomore Paul Beling and
junior Connor Garand would say the
slow start is due to the difficulty of
schedule, for a young Raiders program.
“Yeah, we haven’t really had much to
build off of so far,” said Laperle about
the 0-4 start. “We played and lost to
the two biggest teams in the first two
games.” Spencer commented, “We’ve
had a very difficult schedule for a
young team. We need to get the ball
on Cedrick’s foot. Also, most players
on our team are first year players, who
The U-32 Chronicle
Editor’s Edition
Friday, October 7th, 2011
Tower constructed in memory of Picard
By Kaylee Herring
On September 2, a building was
constructed on school grounds on the
lacrosse and football field in memory
of former student JD Picard who passed
away on February 24, 2008.
The money was donated in honor of
the Picard Family to the U-32 Booster
Club and The Vermont Trappers Association.
The club asked the Picard’s
what they wanted the money to go to.
The family said that they trusted the
Booster Club to come up with a good
idea.
The original plan was to buy a
new piece of equipment for the wood
shop, but teacher Dave Bazis wasn’t
in need of special equipment at that
time. The Booster Club’s second idea
was to buy a set of benches for the
upper field. Representatives of the
club talked to Athletic Director Amy
Molina and Casey Harrington, Building
and Grounds Supervisor, about
the benches, but the club realized that
the logistics involved with putting in
bleachers made it undesirable. Then
U-32 parent Maureen Lawson said,
“When my son Kyle and JD played
middle school and JV football on the
upper field, I always thought the tower
was an eyesore.” Lawson asked Molina
and Harrington what they thought about
renovating the tower to make it look
The new tower on the upper football field was constructed in
memory of former student JD Picard.
Football team confronts injuries, losses
Photo by Rose Wunrow
better, be safer and larger for storage.
They all thought that was a good idea
and that’s what began the construction.
The Booster Club really wanted the
donated money to buy something that
related to JD. They chose the building
because Picard played lacrosse and
football on that field. The club also
bought a black granite bench with
etchings of JD on it. The bench was
given to the school, but then the school
board changed the memorial policy and
the family was told the bench had to
go. JD’s parents now have the bench
in a little garden at the family home in
Middlesex.
Tyson Leno Construction was the
company which renovated the tower.
Tyson and his brother Sterry are alumni
of U-32 and knew JD. Also, Allen
Lumber discounted the materials for
the Booster Club.
Lawson was thinking that, “Maybe
it could be referred to as the JD Picard
Memorial tower in the same way the
brown concession building is called the
Shapiro Building.” She also said, “JD
was a very special person who touched
so many hearts during his short life.
JD and my son Kyle had been friends
since kindergarten. When someone you
love or care deeply about passes away,
it helps in the healing process to think
there is something you can do to make
sure that person is never forgotten. It
is my hope that when people look at
the tower they remember JD.”
The football team prepares for upcoming game.
need to develop a skill set and their can do is end 5-4 and I’m still not sure
own style of play.”
that’s enough.”
When asked about his views on When asked for his thoughts on
the success for the rest of the season, the games from a fan’s perspective,
Divelbliss said, “I focus on one game senior Duncan Bishop said, “I feel
at a time, no looking ahead, and no that the injuries don’t help the team’s
looking back, and I go into every game cause, but they still need to get after
thinking we are going to win, but it’s it and make the routine plays that you
more difficult than that. The best we need to win.”
Photo by LIz Gilbert
Rainy homecoming
unites Raider nation
By Kurstin King
On Friday, September 30 and Saturday,
October 1, U-32 hosted many
sporting events, from football to field
hockey.
On Friday afternoon, a pep rally
was held in the old gym. All of the
varsity sports teams came up in front
of the school and engaged in many
tug-of-war competitions. The fall
cheerleaders spread some school spirit
and get the student body pumped for
all the events to take place in the two
days that followed.
On Friday night, at 7:00 p.m. U-32
played a football game against Bellows
Falls. The football team is “going
out, trying to win a game,” said head
football coach Brian Divelbliss. “Bellows
Falls has played a good season
so far, being 0-3,” stated Divelbliss.
“So the outcome of the game should
be interesting.” When asked about the
players who were injured, Divelbliss
said, “Five of six of the 11 players that
have been injured should be returning
for the game,” giving them more players
and a better chance at the game. The
game ended in a 24-0 loss for U-32.
On Saturday, October 1 at 2:00
p.m., the U-32 varsity field hockey girls
were supposed to take on Hartford. “I
think that we are going to play a great
game,” stated Melissa Muller-Moore,
the coach of the team. “We have had
a good season so far. The girls are
working hard and having fun. Their
skills are really strong and they play
well together,” said Muller-Moore. The
outcome of the game is up in the air
with the U-32 team having a good year
and the Hartford team “have tradition-
ally been a strong team.” Because of
weather and conditions of the field the
game was canceled.
On Saturday at 5:00 p.m. the
varsity boys played a game against
Peoples Academy. The game was wet
and cold and ended in a 1-0 win for
the U-32 boys.
Later that night the varsity girls
were supposed to play Peoples Academy,
but because of weather and the
field condition it was postponed till
Monday. Coach Steve Towne stated,
“Peoples is one of the top teams we’ll
play this season.” At a past game against
Harwood, U-32 lost 5-1. Now the U-32
varsity girls are getting ready to play
a team that bet Harwood 6-4. Towne
stated that, “We will have our main
goalie back.”
Junior Alexis Powell makes a
play during a recent game.
Hole in none: golf team done
A member of last year’s golf team
takes a stroke at the ball.
Photo courtesy of phanfare.com
By Ryan Booth
Last year’s golf team was possibly
the last one that will play at U-32, but
students here are trying to keep that
from happening.
Potential golf members are trying
to recruit students so U-32 will fund
them. Athletic Director Amy Molina
was asked the reason for cutting golf.
She answered, “Last year’s budget
forced the cut.” There is no golf team
as of right now, but previous U-32 golf
Coach Joe Salerno has offered to coach
if there is a team, said Molina. When
Molina was asked if the golf program
does not occur, what will they do for
golf players? She answered, “Two
options are talking to local schools or
have no golf program.”
U-32 is commonly known for
football, basketball, and lacrosse in the
community, but less so for golf. “Golf
is not a mainstream sport,” senior Duncan
Bishop said. However, with more
support and players there could be a
golf team said Bishop. Golf members
are in the process of talking with other
students but according to Molina there
has to be, “a firm commitment from
golf players before winter break or
golf will not go.”
Photo courtesy of phanfare.com