On Tues. Nov. 9th, Bellows Falls Union High School will be featured at noon on the WCAX television show "Across the Fence."
The episode, called "Locally Grown: Understanding Local Foods," will feature BFUHS’s food services provider Cafe Services, which partnered with the Windham Farm and Food Network this past summer to bring students farm-fresh food.
The Windham Farm and Food Network is a not-for-profit, farmer-owned, University of Vermont Extension-supported produce delivery service for wholesale buyers in the Windham County area.
It piggybacks produce from several local farms onto Westminster Organics’ local delivery truck, picking up and delivering en route, resulting in low-cost, fresh local products.
Check out the video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj03pGQ_RL8
Thanks to John Ayer, the our food service director, for doing such an amazing job of offering local food to our students!
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Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Upcoming Presentations
I will be doing two upcoming presentations at Social Studies conferences:
-On Nov. 11-14th, I will be at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in Denver. I will be presenting on topic of "Dissent and Opposition in Eastern and Central Europe (1945-1991)" at the International Assembly. I'm excited about this opportunity to meet other Soc. St. teachers from throughout the country and hopefully will learn a number of new strategies from the presenters.
-On Dec. 3rd, I will at the Vermont Association of the Social Studies (VASS) annual conference in Manchester, VT. I will be presenting on the topic of "Using the Smithsonian's Online Resources in Your Classroom." This presentation is part of my being honored as a Smithsonian Teacher Ambassador while I was in Washington, DC in April. I am excited to see so many of the great Soc. St. teachers from across the state and hear all of the wonderful things they are doing in their classrooms.
Cheers!
-On Nov. 11-14th, I will be at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in Denver. I will be presenting on topic of "Dissent and Opposition in Eastern and Central Europe (1945-1991)" at the International Assembly. I'm excited about this opportunity to meet other Soc. St. teachers from throughout the country and hopefully will learn a number of new strategies from the presenters.
-On Dec. 3rd, I will at the Vermont Association of the Social Studies (VASS) annual conference in Manchester, VT. I will be presenting on the topic of "Using the Smithsonian's Online Resources in Your Classroom." This presentation is part of my being honored as a Smithsonian Teacher Ambassador while I was in Washington, DC in April. I am excited to see so many of the great Soc. St. teachers from across the state and hear all of the wonderful things they are doing in their classrooms.
Cheers!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Commons article
The Commons, an independent newspaper in Windham County in southern Vermont, published excerpts from the four student winners from Bellows Falls Union High School's Literary Kick Off Student Essay Competition.
The four winning students were: Jonah Bolotin, Tori Bissell, Rachel Greenberg, and Hayden Noyes.
Each student wrote about how Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father impacted them as students in Vermont and why it is important to read Loung's story.
The students were rewarded with a signed copy of Loung Ung's second book, Lucky Child, and got to have dinner with Loung Ung.
Congratulations Jonah, Tori, Rachel, and Hayden!
Read The Commons article here.
The four winning students were: Jonah Bolotin, Tori Bissell, Rachel Greenberg, and Hayden Noyes.
Each student wrote about how Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father impacted them as students in Vermont and why it is important to read Loung's story.
The students were rewarded with a signed copy of Loung Ung's second book, Lucky Child, and got to have dinner with Loung Ung.
Congratulations Jonah, Tori, Rachel, and Hayden!
Read The Commons article here.
UVM Outstanding Teacher Day
Congratulations to all of all of the Vermont teachers who were honored this afternoon at the UVM Outstanding Teacher Day. The University of Vermont hosts this event annually in celebration of all the Teachers of the Year from each district throughout the state. Held in the beautiful Ira Allen Chapel on UVM's campus, the ceremony was a wonderful celebration of teachers, chaired by Dr. Faynese Miller, Dean, College of Education and Social Services and State Board of Education Chair.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was on hand to offer up his congratulations to all of the deserving teachers who were being recognized, as well as to highlight what a great job Vermont teachers are doing nationally with their students.
I had the honor of being the keynote speaker at this great event, and it was inspiring to be able to meet and speak with so many of Vermont's finest educators.
What a great event. Thank you to the University of Vermont, and congratulations to all of the 2010 Outstanding Teachers who were recognized today for all of their hard work and devotion to teaching.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was on hand to offer up his congratulations to all of the deserving teachers who were being recognized, as well as to highlight what a great job Vermont teachers are doing nationally with their students.
I had the honor of being the keynote speaker at this great event, and it was inspiring to be able to meet and speak with so many of Vermont's finest educators.
What a great event. Thank you to the University of Vermont, and congratulations to all of the 2010 Outstanding Teachers who were recognized today for all of their hard work and devotion to teaching.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Smithsonian's SHOUT! project
I took part in an online brainstorming session for teachers this afternoon for Smithsonian Education's new SHOUT! project. Shout invites educators and students to take an active role in global environmental issues. In the field and online, teachers and students can interact with experts, share ideas, and collaborate with people around the world committed to solving environmental challenges.
Shout is a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, Microsoft Partners in Learning, and Taking It Global.
This is an exciting opportunity for not only science-based classes, but also for any teachers looking to add a science component to their cross-curricular units, and it offers up great project-based connections.
Check out the website to find out more about the new Shout project.
Shout is a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, Microsoft Partners in Learning, and Taking It Global.
This is an exciting opportunity for not only science-based classes, but also for any teachers looking to add a science component to their cross-curricular units, and it offers up great project-based connections.
Check out the website to find out more about the new Shout project.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Digital Video Project in NYC
On Monday, the Teachers of the Year were in New York City with the Pearson Foundation working on creating videos for the Digital Video Project. We were asked to film and edit short videos on the topic of "Why I Teach." You may think this would be an easy topic for teachers, but it was difficult to say everything you want to in under two minutes. I had a script written, but we were encouraged to record it off the cuff as it would capture our passion and emotion much better. After three takes and hours of editing, I was really excited with how it came out. All of our videos will be posted on the Pearson Foundation website, and I'll put a link to it here when they are uploaded and ready to be viewed. Hopefully these videos will inspire future teachers who are thinking of entering the profession!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
National Teacher Forum -- Day 3
We heard from two more incredible teachers and leaders this morning:
Mary Beth Blegen (1996 National TOY - from Minnesota)
Sarah Brown Wessling (2010 National TOY - from Iowa)
All I can say is WOW! These two women are so passionate about teaching, and are such powerful voices in the profession. Getting to know them, as well as the other state and national Teachers of the Year, has been the best part of this experience because I have come away with such a positive outlook on teaching and education in this country because these incredibly creative and determined people are in every state. Education in the US is in good hands and it will improve with these people taking leadership roles and leading teaching and America's schools into a new era.
In the afternoon, we went into the town of Princeton and I got the chance to walk around Princeton University. An absolutely beautiful campus with such a rich history and tradition, but what those old brick buildings taught me in my short afternoon stroll was that I never want to stop learning. I am a lifelong learner. Learning is fun and exciting and I wished for this afternoon that I was a student at Princeton, which made me think of the incredible professors that these students have in their courses -- true masters in their fields. Tying it together, I want to keep learning better ways to make my classroom, and the learning it it, more fun and exciting, so my students have this same attitude about learning.
Next it is off to New York City for the second part of our conference!
Cheers!
Mary Beth Blegen (1996 National TOY - from Minnesota)
Sarah Brown Wessling (2010 National TOY - from Iowa)
All I can say is WOW! These two women are so passionate about teaching, and are such powerful voices in the profession. Getting to know them, as well as the other state and national Teachers of the Year, has been the best part of this experience because I have come away with such a positive outlook on teaching and education in this country because these incredibly creative and determined people are in every state. Education in the US is in good hands and it will improve with these people taking leadership roles and leading teaching and America's schools into a new era.
In the afternoon, we went into the town of Princeton and I got the chance to walk around Princeton University. An absolutely beautiful campus with such a rich history and tradition, but what those old brick buildings taught me in my short afternoon stroll was that I never want to stop learning. I am a lifelong learner. Learning is fun and exciting and I wished for this afternoon that I was a student at Princeton, which made me think of the incredible professors that these students have in their courses -- true masters in their fields. Tying it together, I want to keep learning better ways to make my classroom, and the learning it it, more fun and exciting, so my students have this same attitude about learning.
Next it is off to New York City for the second part of our conference!
Cheers!
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