catamount times april 2016 Final online edition

Catamount Times
T H E S T . J O H N S B U R Y S C H O O L April, 2016
GETTING
IN THE
CREATIVE
CLASSROOM
1

Catamount Times
April, 2016
School-Wide Art
Show Takes Over
School May 16-31
The annual school-wide art show
will start on Monday, May 16 and run
until Tuesday, May 31. The artwork
can typically be viewed on weekdays
from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and
whenever the building is open for other
activities.
The art show has been held every
year since the building was transformed
into the St. Johnsbury School
in 2001, and generally includes at
least one item from every student at
the school. Prior to that, it was held at
Catamount Arts, where it was limited
to 300 items.
Art items by St. Johnsbury School
students were recently on display at
NVRH, as part of the 6th annual Elementary
and Middle School Art Show.
The show ran from Feb. 15-April 7.
6th Grade Trailblazers Dissect Barn Owl Pellets
In February, the 6th-grade Trailblazers
dissected barn owl pellets with
Mr. Wurzburg. There were two people
to an owl pellet, so we had to learn to
work as a team.
We started with measuring and
weighing the pellet. (We recorded all
of this data in a Google sheet.) We
also made some observations on the
owl pellets and recorded those as
well, but on a piece of paper.
To begin the dissection process,
we soaked the owl pellet wrapped in
tinfoil in a large beaker full of warm
water for about 2-3 minutes, or until
the pellet sunk to the bottom. We dissected
the pellets with probes and
tweezers, being careful not to break
any of the bones until we were positive
that we hadn’t missed any bones.
We identified the different bone
types using a bone identification
sheet, and then tried to figure out what
species of vertebrates the skulls were
so that they could record the data in
our bone packets.
We glued the bones onto a template,
making sure they were in the
correct places, and then glued that
onto a piece of oak tag and created a
poster out of it.
We categorized our bones and
glued them on in their categories, and
then decorated the poster with relevant
art. Hope you like the results!
By Lily S.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Click the picture of the skulls to view a
slideshow of student results.
Check out www.stjsd.org
for interactive PDF
versions of the
Catamount Times.
Catamount
Times
Volume 2, Number 4
Editors
Cybele Hantman
chantman@stjsd.org
Tom Huntington
thuntington@stjsd.org
Jon Morris
jmorris@stjsd.org
The Catamount Times is produced by
the St. Johnsbury School newspaper
club. We accept submissions from all
students at the school.
The 4th Quarter
If you're a sports fan, then you
know how important the fourth quarter
is. Comebacks, game-winning
drives, buzzer-beating shots and
team chemistry highlight many strong
finishes. We anxiously watch and
cheer our teams on. Faithful fans do
not give up. Determined players do
not quit. Being a student and going to
school is very similar.
Our students participate in four
quarters of intense growth and learning.
Every quarter counts. They need
us all to be their number one fan
Principal’s Corner
throughout the entire year. Everyone
needs a cheerleader!
Fourth quarter is full of rapid
change. Students suddenly look a little
older, act with more independence,
and command a new sense of competence.
Students start to imagine themselves
in the next grade, with the new
expectations it will bring.
Soon, students in grades 3 through
8 will begin their SBAC assessments.
Softball and baseball will start. The
cast of our school musical, “Into the
Woods,” will amaze. Girls on the Run
teams will form. Spring band and chorus
concerts will entertain. 8 th -graders
Read Across America: Click the
above picture of Lower School
Principal Jenna O’Farrell to view
a slideshow of community readers
from Read Across America Day.
and kindergarteners will participate
in a graduation. These rituals of
springtime bring us together as a
community as we transition from one
grade to another.
I look forward to all the moments
we will share in the coming months.
Celebrating our accomplishments
and progress unites our school community.
Let’s continue to think big,
work hard, and finish strong!
Jenna O’Farrell
Lower School Principal, PreK-3
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Catamount Times
April, 2016
Spring Musical Cast Takes Acting Class; sees ‘Romeo and Juliet’
The cast of “Into the Woods,” the
spring musical, went up to Fuller Hall
on Feb. 16 to see “Romeo and Juliet,”
for a special daytime performance by
the Acting Company.
In some parts, the play was similar
to the story we all know, but in other
ways it was different. Romeo was invited
to a dance. Everyone had a
mask on, and Juliet was just running
from everyone.
Juliet had faked her death, and
Romeo saw her and drank real poison.
Then she woke up and saw he
drank the real poison and all of it. She
stabbed herself in the stomach and
died. At the end, everyone but one
person was dead.
We also got to work with the Academy
theater department in the Black
Box Theater, which was a lot of fun.
We learned how to choreograph
sword fighting on stage and about an
actor’s presence and poise, and also
practiced improvisation.
By Kaylin B.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Music Department Presents Festival of Bands
The school music department presented
a Festival of Bands on March
16 in the big gym. It was pretty sweet
because there were the 5th, 6th, 7th
and 8th grade bands, as well as the
St. Johnsbury Academy Band and the
St. Johnsbury Town Band.
The 5th Grade Band played
“Crusader’s March,” “Mary Ann” and
the school song. The 6th Grade Band
played “Regal March” and “Rock
Around the Block.” Then, the 7th and
8th Grade Band played “Baywood
Overture” and “Accolade.”
The Academy band was next, and
they performed “Bandology” and
“Colors of a New Day.” The town band
followed with “Salute the Duke,” “The
Gateway City March” and “Star Wars
– the Marches.”
All of the songs the bands played
were awesome, but it did not end
there. All of the bands played
“America the Beautiful,” which is a
moment I will never forget.
By Simeon A.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Math at the
Academy
Math at St. Johnsbury Academy is
something students who excel at math
have the opportunity to test for. Every
year, there are a few students who
pass the test, and the next semester
take an accelerated math class at the
Academy.
It means that they are more prepared
for math at a higher level than
the others who test. I was one of the
students who took the test this past
December, and I was one of two who
passed.
It is something I am glad I did. It
has been an incredible opportunity
taking a math class with high school
students while still taking my regular
classes with my grade level. It is
something that has advanced my
math career more than I imagined it
would, and I have learned more than I
thought I would understand when I
first walked into the classroom.
This opportunity creates bonds
between students, and can increase
their ability of math at higher levels.
By Sophia H.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Almost Time for
Spring Planting
It’s already mud season, but it’s
almost time to start planting your
seeds and plants – like roses, which
are pretty to look at and smell. Or you
can start planting vegetables or fruits.
I know my grandmother can’t wait
to start planting her vegetables, because
it saves her money when she
doesn’t have to buy them at the store.
Sometimes store-bought vegetables
and fruits have chemicals on them,
but if you plant your own, then you
know that are no chemicals on your
plants.
My favorite vegetable is a radish
because they’re delicious, and my
favorite flower is a rose because it’s
so beautiful.
It’s almost time to get out there
and start planting!
The 7th and 8th Grade Band at the Festival of Bands.
Mr. Hamel directing the 6th Grade Band.
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By Morgan C.
Catamount Staff Reporter

Catamount Times
April, 2016
An Interview with Mr. White, a Welcome
Addition to Our Teaching Staff
Mrs. Ferrin-Smith Loves Teaching
and Learning
Mr. White is a new 4th-grade
teacher at our school this year, after
teaching 4th grade for several years
at Newbury Elementary School. He
grew up in England, and went to the
King Edward VI high school in Stratford-upon-Avon
– rumored to
be the school that William
Shakespeare himself attended
- and also attended
Johnson State College.
Here are some excerpts
from my interview
with Mr. White.
Q: What are five
adjectives that
you would use
to describe
yourself?
A: Determined,
thoughtful,
forthright, hardworking
and swashbuckling.
Q: What are you currently reading
for enjoyment?
A: I am reading Endurance by Alfred
Lansing. It’s a true story about a
group of explorers who were stranded
during an Antarctic expedition. The
explorers, who were led by Ernest
Shackleton, had to get themselves out
of the situation as there was no way
who taught 3rd grade. He set the bar
pretty high, but he made sure you had
fun trying to get there.
Q: What made you want to become a
teacher?
A: Being a teacher was something I
had always thought about doing, and I
knew it would be an outlet for the creative
energy that I’d used in my
theater career.
Q: What interests do you
pursue outside of the
classroom?
A: When not
spending
time with
my family,
you might find
me mountain
biking on the
Kingdom Trails or
trying out a new recipe
in my kitchen.
Q: What is your favorite
food?
A: I love Indian food like
chicken tikka masala and
lamb rogan josh.
Q: Who is your role model?
A: My dad is my role model. He taught
me an awful lot about working hard,
speaking up for what you believe in,
and knowing how to have fun.
Mrs. Ferrin-Smith, a 3rd-grade
teacher who was my favorite 2ndgrade
teacher when I was in 2nd
grade, is very interesting. When I
asked her a bunch of questions, she
gave me some responses that were
the complete opposite of what I expected.
If you know Mrs. Ferrin-Smith, you
probably know that she loves to run
and hike. But do you know that she
also likes to paint because she finds it
relaxing? I certainly didn’t know that
about her.
Mrs. Ferrin-Smith has wanted to be
a teacher since she was in kindergarten,
but the idea of becoming a college
coach also crossed her mind.
She is happy teaching and helping
and inspiring kids like her teachers did
for her.
When it comes to picking one best
thing about all of her time teaching …
she can’t do it, because she learns
something new every year that she
teaches. She has been teaching for
11 years, and it makes her happy to
know that she is better now that when
she started in 2004.
During her first year as a teacher,
she walked in thinking that her students
were going to love her right
away, but they didn’t and she realized
that she just can’t assume that they
will love her. So she started to make a
bond with them.
She said that if she could change
one thing about the way she teaches,
it would be to put more “play” in it like
acting and other fun activities.
By Koltyn C.
Catamount Staff Reporter
When it comes to picking one best thing about all of her
time teaching … Mrs. Ferrin-Smith can’t do it, because
she learns something new every year that she teaches.
Being a teacher was something I had always thought
about doing, and I knew it would be an outlet for the
creative energy that I’d used in my theater career.
- Mr. White
rescuers could get to them. It’s an
incredible story of bravery and resilience.
Q: What music are you currently listening
to?
A: I am listening to Wilco and Leon
Bridges.
Q: What is something interesting that
most people don’t know about you?
A: Before becoming a teacher, I was
a stagehand and prop maker. I
worked for the Royal Shakespeare
Company in England and Manhattan
Theatre Club in New York City.
Q: Who was your favorite teacher as
a kid?
A: My favorite teacher was Mr. Butler,
Q: What was your favorite book as a
kid?
A: My favorite book growing up was
Danny the Champion of the World by
Roald Dahl.
Q: Who is your favorite author?
A: My favorite author is Paul Auster.
By Emily E.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Upcoming Music Events
Spring Band Concert: May 31
at 6:30 p.m.
Spring Chorus Concert: June 2
at 6:30 p.m.
4

Catamount Times
April, 2016
Our World Would Not Be the Same
Without Albert Einstein
Artificial Intelligence is Both
Amazing and Terrifying
Albert Einstein was a great man for
several reasons. He had many jobs
and lived his life to the fullest. He had
many ups and downs throughout his
life, such as being hunted by Nazis
and creating the Theory of Relativity.
After being hunted by Nazis for
being German, Einstein fled to America
and never
returned to his
hometown. As
a sailor, he
sailed ships
and repaired
them for a living.
Later, he
became a wonderful
musician.
He played the
violin loud and
clear to appease
people’s taste in music.
He later divorced, unhappy with his
marriage. Then his brilliant brain decided
to lead him to a new, betterpaying
career as a scientist. He remarried,
to a woman named Elsa Loewenthal,
and soon after was promoted
to another job in Berlin, teaching
young men at Prussian Academy. He
lived happily with his family, touring
around the world for the rest of his
life.
Einstein was also famous for his
wonderful theories, all created in a
span of only a couple years! He even
got a brain exam by other scientists
to see why he was so brilliant! His
most famous theory, E=mc 2 , describes
when
mass is made
into energy.
His second
famous theory,
the Theory
of Relativity,
is about objects
being
related in
some way all
of the time.
An atom looks
almost exactly the same as the planets
orbiting the sun, just as the planets
orbiting the sun looks like a galaxy.
It is all directly related in some
form or another.
Without Einstein’s contributions to
our understanding of science, our
world would be quite different.
By Tristan M.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Strange Facts About Black Holes
Black holes aren’t made from dying
stars – they’re made from basically
anything. Everything in this universe
has a certain thing called a Schwarzschild
radius, which works like this: if
the entire Earth
was shrunk to the
size of a peanut
while still maintaining
the same
mass, you would
have a black hole.
If a human
was shrunk to the
size of two neutrons,
you would
have a black hole.
When it comes to
stars, it’s the
same thing; they just manage to reach
their Schwarzschild radius a lot easier
when they’re dying.
If you were falling into a black hole,
you would first begin to notice that
would be strangely stretching towards
you as you fell into it. This is because
the massive amounts of gravity that
are tampering with light are causing
your sight to go
wacky.
Eventually,
your legs and
arms would
stretch away from
you, starting the
spaghettification
(actual scientific
term) process.
Soon, your limbs
would detach from
your body, and
then the black
hole would completely swallow you.
By Lukas M.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the development
of computers that can perform
tasks that would require human
intelligence. AI research was founded
by Dartmouth College in 1956. Some
of their first responses were to talk,
solve algebraic equations, play chess
and checkers, and solve logical theorems.
Scientists
believe that
they will soon
be able to
make computers
do everything
a human
can do, which
is both amazing
and terrifying.
Kismet is one of many robots that
can actually sense emotions and also
express human emotions. Kismet was
made in the late 1990s by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, as an
experiment to see if scientists could
develop a robot that could differentiate
5
and simulate emotions like anger,
happiness and sadness, etc. The robot
hears, sees and has a mind of its
own. This robot is one of many that
show how far we’ve come.
In 2013, scientists released the
Never Ending Image Learner (NEIL).
NEIL takes images off the Internet to
discover
new things
and expand
its intelligence.
Scientists
designed
this
robot to understand
words, emotions,
colors,
numbers,
shades and other objects – for example,
a deer looks like an antelope or
leaning towers can be in Pisa (Italy).
Artificial intelligence will probably
even replace your teachers!
By Ezra W.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Cicadas: Endlessly Fascinating Insects
Cicadas are, in my opinion, one of
the best critters in the world. For the
first time in 17 years, we will hear the
distinct buzzing of the northeast breed
of cicadas.
Cicadas are
strange insects that
emit a noise that can
go up to 100 decibels
– that’s louder than a
lawnmower! Strangely
enough, cicadas
only come out every
13 or 17 years, depending on their
type. Scientists aren’t sure how they
keep track, but they assume cicadas
have some kind of clock-like instinct.
Why do they come out only every
13 or 17 years? Scientists have studied
this question, and think that cicadas
evolved into this cycle to counter
ordinary predators’ reproduction rate.
Confusing, right? Let me explain.
If a predator’s life span is usually 5
years, and cicadas came out every 5
years, every time they came out they
would be hit by a wave of predators.
So if they came out every 13 or 17
years, they wouldn’t be killed off as
often or as much.
Studies are scarce about cicadas,
though. They ultimately don’t harm
humans, which classifies
them as nonthreatening.
When
critters and animals
are on the nonthreatening
list, they
aren’t studied as
much, which is sad
but true.
Scientists have been trying to organize
different groups to study cicadas,
but the funding from the government
and community is not high
enough to get the needed equipment.
Hopefully cicadas will soon be recognized
as amazing creatures so we
can study them more.
Why do cicadas emit such a loud
noise? Why do they hibernate for 17
years at a time? Someday, we will
find out.
By Tristan M.
Catamount Staff Reporter

Catamount Times
April, 2016
Book Review: The
Time Machine
“The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells
is a wonderful book of fantasy, wonder
and tension. The main character
(referred to only as the Time Traveler)
discovers how to build a time machine,
shows if off to his friends, then
travels into the future – only to get it
taken away by some mysterious creature.
The book is really strange, but it is
one of the better mystery books I have
read. I would give it 5 stars! I really
love all of H.G. Wells’ books, especially
“The War of the Worlds,” but this
one definitely ranks right up there.
One of my favorite aspects of the
book is the showing of man’s progression,
humans getting weaker and living
in a perfect paradise.
I recommend this book to people
who like mystery, slight horror or science
fiction.
By Tristan M.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Friday the 13th is
Coming in May!
Are you one of those superpanicked
people that, whenever Friday
the 13th comes around, you know
that something bad is going to happen?
Well then, you are suffering from
Triskaidekaphobia. (Yeah, I can’t pronounce
it, either.) Advice to those who
are suffering from this: don’t walk under
ladders or let a black cat cross
your path, and make sure to cover up
all your mirrors and keep the cutlery
straight. Also, invite 12 or 14 people to
dinner, not that unnerving number in
between.
There is only one Friday the 13th
this year, in May. You might not believe
this, but Friday is viewed as an
unlucky day of the week. Why, you
ask? Because Friday is the day that
people party and have dates and
scream “TGIF!”
I really wouldn’t worry, though, because
it’s all just superstition and folklore.
Don’t you wish I would’ve said
that before you went to all the trouble
of reading this?
By Isidora D.
Catamount Staff Reporter
Do you remember the “Star Wars”
ad with all those sloths? That’s the
new Disney movie, “Zootopia,” in a
nutshell.
But it’s more
than just funny,
slow sloths. It’s the
story of a bunny
named Judy
Hopps, who wants
to be more than
just a typical carrot
farmer - she wants
to be a big-city cop.
She joins the
police academy
and is at the bottom
of the class.
But not for long –
Judy gets sick of
being called
“bunny” and
“carrots” by the
instructor, and
soon bounces
ahead of all the
other animals in
the training school even though she’s
the smallest of them all.
On her first day of work, all the other
members of the police force are
assigned to a super special mission.
‘Zootopia’ is a Must-See Disney Movie
The cast of the spring musical, ‘Into the Woods,’ delivered knockout performances on
April 6 and 7 at the school auditorium. Click the above image to view more photos
from the performances. Click here to view a video of the performance.
6
She gets assigned to … writing parking
tickets in a dopey little car in a
meter maid uniform.
On her way writing parking tickets,
You might have heard that ‘Zootopia’ is better than
‘Frozen.’ Well, whoever said that is totally right!
she meets a sly fox named Nick
Wilde. He guilt-trips her into giving
him and his business partner a giant
lollipop for their scheme.
Later, Judy is the last member of
the police team that is not already
working on a missing mammal case.
Mrs. Otterton begs her to help find her
missing husband, and Judy blackmails
Nick into
helping her.
The plot is
very complicated
and thickens
with a fake
ending that
seems to end
sadly. But don’t
worry, it ends
happily just like
every animated
Disney movie
ever.
I really liked
this movie because
it was
different than
most Disney
movies. You
might have
heard that
“Zootopia” is
better than “Frozen.” Well, whoever
said that is totally right! “Zootopia” is a
must-see movie!”
By Isidora D.
Catamount Staff Reporter

Catamount Times
April, 2016
Reflecting on a Great Girls Hoop Season
Girls basketball was fun this past
season. Our coach was Mrs. Ely, Emily’s
mom, who was great. We got jerseys
and made new friends on the
team, and we only practiced one
weekday and only one weekend.
There were lots of fun moments,
but my personal favorite was meeting
people on the team and going up
against other schools to see what
they practice. It’s cool that you start
out not knowing a lot of people, and
then when you are on the team, you
meet new people.
There were two different girls
teams, the Red team and the White
team. We played a bunch of other
teams, and many of them were good,
but we won all of our regular season
games except for a tournament
against Waterford. Waterford was really
good this year, but we got second
place in the tournament.
Winning doesn’t really matter,
though. What matters more is having
fun. That said, our team did really well
this year. We beat Barnet 20-15,
which was a fun game against a good
team. We also had a great game
against Waterford, but we lost because
they were just a little bit better
than us.
I was sad that the season ended,
but we had a great season. If you’re
into a kind of intense and fun sport,
then join the 5/6 girls basketball team
next year. You’ll be glad you did!
By Zoiey U.
Catamount Staff Reporter
The 6th grade White team gets pumped up before
a game during the Waterford tournament.
Upcoming Baseball and Softball Games
May 2: Home vs. Blue Mountain Union at 4 p.m.
May 6: Away vs. Daisy Bronson at 4 p.m.
May 9: Home vs. Haverill at 4 p.m.
May 11: Away vs. Oxbow at 4 p.m.
May 16: Home vs. Daisy Bronson at 4 p.m.
May 19: Away vs. Haverill at 4 p.m.
May 23: Home vs. Oxbow at 4 p.m.
May 31: Away vs. Blue Mountain Union at 4 p.m.
Baseball and softball games are at the same time.
Home softball games are at the school softball field.
Home baseball games are at Legion Field.
Girls Lacrosse is My Passion
Every year, more and more sports
are played professionally, but women’s
lacrosse is not. You can start
playing lacrosse as
young as five years
old, but it stops after
college.
I think that women’s
lacrosse should be a
professional sport.
Many people would
enjoy watching professional
lacrosse.
I mean, college lacrosse
is alright, but
professional lacrosse
would be more exciting.
That’s why I think it
should keep going on
up to a professional
level. My experience
with lacrosse has been
Every year, more and more
leagues let young men into their major
league sports. Nowadays, gender is
becoming less and less of a problem,
but there are still sports that only men
can play professionally.
I would love for ESPN to air games
in a professional women’s softball
league. I have played softball for seven
years now, and I still get told by my
friends and coaches that I will never
make a career out of it because it’s
not a professional sport. (I can play
softball in high school and college, but
there’s nothing for me after that.)
We all thought that MMA (Mixed
Martial Arts) was just going to be a
sport for men, but then Ronda Rousey
made a women’s sport out of it! I am
hoping softball will be the same way.
Last year, there was a girl named
Mo’ne Ikea Davis who played boys
Little League baseball. And then, after
a whole debate about it, Little League
got tons of recognition because of a
girl playing a boys sport.
Maybe it will take a boy to play girls
softball for us to get our own professional
sport. In any case, I know that I
want softball to become a professional
sport.
By Emma P.
Catamount Staff Reporter
amazing. It is a hard sport to learn
and play, but you get the hang of it
after a while. The rules can be complicated
and it’s
easy to forget
some of them – I
do quite a bit.
If I ever make
some mistakes,
my teammates
and/or coaches
help me fix them
so I don’t do
them again.
Lacrosse will
always be my
passion – it’s
always so much
fun every year.
By Stephanie C.
Catamount Staff
Reporter
Softball Should Be a Professional Sport
Check out www.stjsd.org
for interactive PDF
versions of the
Catamount Times.
7

3rd Grade Classrooms Get Creative to Make Learning Fun
Three 3rd-grade classes participated
in a new “Creative Schools Initiative”
in Vermont, which is designed to
integrate the arts into all aspects of
school curriculum. The St. Johnsbury
School was one of eight schools that
participated in the program.
Three of the five 3rd-grade teachers
- Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Ross and Mrs.
Redmon – partnered with visual artist
Gowri Savoor for an arts integration
unit, which was designed to make
learning both engaging and also fun
by integrating visual arts and science.
Students in the three classes made
connections between the engineering
design process and the art process,
as they explored weather hazard solutions
while designing and creating a
model village from scratch.
The unit spanned the entire month
of March, and the students’ work was
celebrated at a concert on April 9 at
the school, which featured a performance
by world-renowned Scottish
percussionist Evelyn Glennie and a
professional orchestra.
The three St. Johnsbury School
teachers participated in a year-long
graduate course in cross-curricular
integration, which culminated in last
Participating in this has been incredible, and has
already had an impact on how I teach. It also
helps make learning fun again for students.
- Mrs. Taylor
Last month, an artist named Gowri
Savoor worked with Mrs. Taylor, Mrs.
Ross and Mrs. Redmon’s 3rd grade
classes on building a town and trying
to keep it safe from floods, storms and
things like that. By using solar panels,
water wheels and windmills, it’s less
likely to lose power. And the homes
were built higher off the ground to prevent
floods.
Gowri was
very fun and
creative. She let
us use shaving
cream for one
project – she
took a plastic bin and covered the bottom
with shaving cream.
Using dropper
bottles, she took
different colored
oils that complemented
each other,
and dripped oil
all over the shaving
cream.
Next, we took a piece of card stock
month’s classroom project with
Savoor.
“Participating in this graduate
course has been incredible, and has
already had an impact on how I
teach,” said Mrs. Taylor, who was the
team leader.
“I wouldn’t describe myself as an
artsy person, but I have participated in
a number of simple activities that I
can incorporate into my lessons to
help students to truly experience
learning in a whole new way,” she
said. “It also helps make learning fun
again for students.”
This sentiment was echoed by her
students during a classroom visit last
month. “It’s pretty cool,” said Tristan
M. while searching online for images
of a water wheel. “We do special projects.”
“I like making things for the village,”
said Trevor H. while making
solar panels. “We’ve done a lot of cool
things.”
“I like art,” added Phyler H. “This is
artsy and science. I don’t like sitting
and listening. This makes the tie-ins
interesting. This is way more fun.”
By Tom Huntington
Catamount Times Editor
Visual Artist Gowri Savoor Works with 3rd Grade Students
This is artsy and science.
I don’t like sitting and listening.
This makes the tie-ins interesting.
This is way more fun.
- Phyler H.
and skimmed it flat across the shaving
cream off the card stock. We then
used those as roofs on the houses
and buildings in our village.
I hope I can do more things like this
in the future, and that you can do
something like that, too.
By Phyler H.
3rd Grade
Visual artist Gowri Savoor, who is
from the United Kingdom and lives
in Barre, works with 3rd grade students
to create a model village.
Click images to view a slideshow.
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