Catholic Schools Week
2018 Edition
Letter From The Editor
If you are reading this, you are likely the type of person who reads the prologue and epilogue of a book. I have always appreciated the person who goes above and beyond the story and considers what is required of the author and the author’s loved ones to bring a book to life. You, reader, are a person who cares about the driving force, the nuance and, ultimately, the people behind the writer; those who do the steady and often thankless work of encouraging the artist, making the dinners, putting the children to bed…
The epilogue is the only time the real-life characters in an author’s inner circle are given the space in mind and paper they so richly deserve. While everyone is still reeling from a fantastic story well told, the epilogue is there to bring us back to earth, in all our humanness...examining the humanness of the art and also, the bumps and bruises of the process of building a story. In almost all epilogues, the author references a point of near defeat - the time that the book was almost lost - but then, defeat is conquered by a late-night chat with ‘Aunt Joan’. The author prevails. The story is written.
Catholic Schools Week is an integral part of our community’s story. CSW is full of events, fundraising, friendly competition, service, and fun. We cook together. We eat together. We read together. We play, laugh and pray together. It’s a time of celebration and chaos! It’s joyful and, it’s overscheduled. It’s too short and, a little too long. It’s the yin and yang of Catholic Schools Week that makes it so wonderful and, so complex. And what good is any story if it lacks meaning and complexity?
During Catholic Schools Week, we focus on thanking our parishes, thanking our students and, joyfully bouncing from event to event. During the bouncing, we marvel at the fullness and bustle of the school.
But, we never forget that the prologue and epilogue of Catholic Schools Week and, Catholic Education is, of course, you. You, the parent who chooses to send your students to Saint Michael School. You who does the steady and thankless work of encouraging your children, making the dinners and, putting them to bed. So this, our 2018 Catholic Schools Week epilogue, is dedicated to you.
Parents, there is no Saint Michael School without you.
We thank you for bringing your children to Saint Michael School and we thank God for bringing you to our doors.
Now and always, thank you for doing the often thankless work that builds the foundation of all great things and, for your love of our community - it holds and fosters our story so well.
With gratitude,
Bethany Thies
Editor-in-Chief
Catholic Schools Week Calendar Recap - Alicia Chechile, 7th grade student
Sunday- The Parish Appreciation Brunch!
Parishioners are a big help to our school. They volunteer, donate to our scholarship fund, and enjoy spending time with the students. The Parish Appreciation Brunch is the school’s way of saying thank you for all of their support. Parish Appreciation Brunch is an all-school event. Every family makes food (enough to feed an entire Parish!) and the Parish Brunch coordinator/SMS parent, Tina Crocker, makes sure everything is organized and runs smoothly (Thanks, Mrs. Crocker!). The school families eat with the parishioners and, then the students make homemade thank you cards to leave on the the tables. This year, members of the Drama Club performed two songs from their upcoming spring play, Xanadu!
Monday- Winter Sports!
Winter Sports is a time to get active and enjoy winter! Winter Sports is a 5-week program that allows students to experience sports during the school day! Our programs this year are:
Brattleboro Outing Club - Cross Country Skiing/Snowshoeing
The Official Brattleboro Bowl Page - Bowling
Rouleau-Holley's Tae Kwon Do, Inc
Mount Snow - Skiing/Snowboarding
Nelson Withington Skating Facility
Brattleboro Gymnastics-PK gymnastics
Tuesday- Read-a-Thon!
The annual Read-a-thon is the students’ favorite event! It was a great time to get comfy, and not have a care about anything while you spend the entire day reading in your homeroom. This year, there was a new addition to Read-a-thon: an all-school book swap. Families brought books that they were no longer using to share with the school community. This gave our students many options for new stories and adventures during the day. It was a huge success and we look forward to next year!
Wednesday- Service to St. Brigid’s Kitchen (Cooking a meal for 140)
This year, we added a brand new service project, cooking a meal for the guests of St. Brigid’s Kitchen. The PK - 8th grade classrooms took turns making parts of a meal to serve to the guests at St. Brigid’s the next day. The Brattleboro Reformer took photos and interviewed some of the students (the link to that article is included in our publication). All of the classes had a great time preparing food with Miss Bobbi-Jo for those who don’t always have enough food. It feels good to help others and remember how fortunate we are to have access to healthy food at home and school. The school prepared a great meal of chili, cornbread, garden salad, fruit salad and homemade chocolate chip cookies! The meal served all of the guests with plenty left over for the St. Brigid’s Kitchen Take-a-Bag program.
Thursday- School Spirit Day and St. Brigid’s Kitchen meal service!
All classes, PK - High School participated in a homeroom bulletin board competition. The judges (Father Justin and some of the rectory staff) divided into two groups: Elementary, PK - 5th grade and Middle/Upper School, 6th - 11th grade. The 4th and 5th grade homeroom won the elementary group, and the 7th and the 8th grade homeroom won the Middle/Upper School group. At 11:30 a.m., parent volunteers, High School faculty and, high school students all went over to St. Brigid’s Kitchen to serve the meal prepared by SMS students the day before. At 1:30pm, the entire school played their annual game of: Are You Smarter than a SMS Student? A panel of students from each grade go against a panel of teachers, parents and adult volunteers to find out who is smarter, students or grown-ups? (Once again) the students won the game, 63 to 35.
Friday- Student Appreciation Day!
On Friday of Catholic Schools Week, we dressed up in our finest clothing, and the teachers served us breakfast! The teachers wear white shirts, black pants and a black tie! This year, the breakfast included waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage and fresh fruit! After breakfast, the students were treated to a surprise show by performer, Ilze Luneau! Ilze performed many basketball tricks and included the students in her act. Ilze has been on The Tonight Show and Ellen! A great time was had by all!
Catholic Schools Week 2018 was a blast, and we cannot wait for the next one!
Ms. Nobile reflects on Catholic Schools and Catholic Schools Week.
I still remember the feeling I had the first time I toured St. Michael’s with Mrs. Beam on a sweltering late July day three and a half years ago. Despite the packed up classrooms, there was an energy coursing through the veins of the school; the hallways waiting to be filled with students’ laughter and desks eager to hold children yearning for knowledge.
I’m sure the same thing could be said about many educational institutions; but there’s something special about a Catholic School.
I am a Catholic school kid. I have an unnatural affinity to navy blue, and I still leave room for the Holy Spirit when dancing. It is because of my experience that I am able to see the source of this energy.
I often tell my students that I strongly believe in living by one of God’s greatest rules: Love one another. He didn’t stutter or make exceptions. And that is exactly what we do everyday at St. Michael’s, we love one another. That is the source of our energy.
GaGa ball games, the all-school Halloween dance, the Christmas concert, Night at the Museum (insert exhausted sigh here). We like to have fun. And the way we love one another best is when we are having fun, especially during Catholic Schools Week.
CSW events bring out the best in our students. As they establish their reading nooks for Read-a-Thon, students situate themselves in clusters around the classroom happily sharing beanbags and books. But our love for one another is most apparent during, “Are You Smarter than a SMS Student?” Students cheer on not only their classmates but students from each grade as they work together to “beat” the grownups.
Catholic Schools Week is not just a celebration of Catholic Schools, it’s a celebration of our love for one another.
Polo Shirt Survey - Westerly Gooley, 8th grade student/Polo Shirt Graphics - Ava Cutler and Neve Pichette, 7th grade students
"To year-round polo shirt or not to polo shirt...that is the question!”
This survey has been initiated by and for the many SMS students in the middle and high school who feel that the dress code should be amended to include year-round polo shirts. Many have stated that their dress shirts are a) not warm enough b) ill-fitting for many body types and c) uncomfortable.
For this journalist, questions remain. What happens to the SMS tie? Should the polo “season” be extended to female students only as they are not required to wear a tie? We asked the students and the survey says…
Mrs. Beam Appointed to Vermont AOE Independent School Council - Tara Castricone, 9th grade student and Elizabeth Mazzer, 10th grade student
On November 11th, 2017, SMS principal, Mrs. Elaine Beam, was invited to join the Council of Independent Schools by Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont Secretary of Education. The Council of Independent Schools, a state agency which serves as an advocate for Vermont’s independent schools, is comprised of a group of principals who work together as an advisory group and assist in accrediting independent schools. The chosen principals travel to Barre, Vermont three times a year to review completed school applications.
In an interview with Cori Urban from Vermont Catholic magazine, Mrs. Beam stated, “I am honored to be asked to join other independent school leaders in representing our schools and hope that I can bring awareness to the issues of inequity, especially for our Catholic schools,”. Mrs. Beam also stated, “I can speak for our school when changes are being proposed and, also work with other Independent Schools as education changes.”
Mrs. Beam had some experience with the council when she worked in the public school system, as well as in other private schools. She believes, “she has perspective from both sides”. Mrs Beam is excited about this unique opportunity.
SMS Drama Club to perform Xanadu, Jr. on Thursday, March 8th at 6:00 p.m. in Rand Hall.
New Programs at Saint Michael School - Ava Clark, 8th grade student and Sophie Richards, 7th grade student
Recently journalism club members were given an opportunity to interview St. Michael Catholic School’s Development and Admissions administrator, Mrs. Thies, about the new programs occurring at St. Michael Catholic School. She explained how these new programs are being created to provide students unique opportunities to participate in more activities inside the classroom and, in the greater community.
This model provides students with electives and internships based on their interests, hobbies, and future goals. The school would be engaging with students in more community service based curriculum and, introducing them to more internship possibilities. Most of these programs will only be available to High School students; however, a few internships will be extended to interested 8th grade students in high academic standing.
Two to three new, student-driven opportunities will be offered every trimester; in addition to long-term intern partnerships. Some of the new programs include a Digital Photography course, Bradley House service internship, Omega Optical internship, a metalsmith program, the Green Mountain Club, and additional Fine Arts credit opportunities with Shoot the Moon Theater Company and, a High School specific dramatic play. These are just the beginning and, several new partnerships for the 18/19 school year are already in the works!
Saint Michael School has been actively moving the middle and high school to include more community-based programming, which would enhance the rigorous academic core of subjects. The office and staff would ask the students what they would want to do and listen to suggestions of their liking. From there, the school has committed to providing community programming to give students opportunities to explore their interests in a hands-on setting.
One of the opportunities being included in the new programs is an Omega Optical internship, which would be working with research and development teams that produce optical interference filters. There will be six openings for students in grades 8 through 12. Students must apply for this internship and will be selected by a Faculty team and Omega Optical representatives. Omega Optical is interested in hiring residents of New England and would be willing to hire them right out of high school. Some of the SMS administration followed up with Omega Optical on Friday the 9th of February. They will be sharing details with parents soon.
Mrs. Thies explained that Community Service Internships with organizations like the Bradley House would provide students the opportunity to understand how organizations work and, to partner with programs outside of our regular, community service requirements. Students would be helping with hands-on activities with residents and, possibly some administrative support as well. The program will run twice a week and, will be open to a max of eight students per day.
Clubs and Activities are being added to our current programming, like The Green Mountain Club, a nonprofit established in 1910, located in Burlington, Vermont. Their mission is to have the Vermont Mountains play a bigger role in the life of Vermont’s people by protecting and preserving the Long Trail System, and fostering, through education, the stewardship of Vermont’s mountains and hiking trails. This program would act as community service, and be a fun athletic activity for those who participated in this program. Students will be building trails along with maintaining and cultivating those trails. The club will be open to students in grades 7 through 12. This program is scheduled to start in April of 2018.
The metalsmith program, taking place at Morrell Metalsmiths in Colrain, Massachusetts with Justin Morrell as the instructor, is a 12-week elective occurring for 1 hour a week. There would be 10 to 12 open spots for students in grades 9 to 12 to join. This would be an experiential elective with first priority given to students wanting to enter a skilled, trade field.
Additional theatre electives will be offered on and off-site during the third trimester. The Drama Intensive II will be offered to 9 - 12 grade students with fine arts teacher, Mr. Bob Thies. Students will also be able to apply for an off-site Theater Company internship with Brattleboro based theater company, Shoot the Moon.
Many students at Saint Michael School have expressed interest in photo editing and photography. During the third trimester, 12 students will have access to a digital photography elective with instructor Bill Steele, owner of Gorham Mountain Photography. There will be 10 weeks of class, and 2 of those weeks will take place in Mr. Steele’s Brooks-House photography studio.
A new program currently being developed is a partnership with local engineering and architecture firm, Stevens and Associates. A Fall 2018 CAD and introduction to engineering/architecture elective is in process and, Stevens and Associates has expressed interest in taking on interns who are interested in engineering, environmental engineering, and architecture. Stevens and Associates will be on-site at SMS on Friday, March 2nd for a panel discussion.
These new programs and classes will be an exciting opportunity to try new things and get exposure to community leaders, businesses and experiences. We are excited to see how these new programs will enhance the students experience at Saint Michael School.
TONIGHT AT SMS - 2018 Night at the Museum!
PK: Holland
K: China
1/2: Mexico
3: Uganda
4/5: Croatia
6: Peru
7/8: Italy
High School - 3 groups
England
Ancient Greece
Native Americans/Indigenous People: Crow, Pueblo, Seminole, and Pequot
WINNER OF OUR SMS PHOTO CONTEST! 9th Grade Student, Ezra Christi!
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Contact Us! We'd love to hear from you!
Email: journalismclub@smsvt.info
Website: www.smsvt.info
Location: 48 Walnut Street, Brattleboro, VT, USA
Phone: (802) 254-6320
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMSVT/
Twitter: @StMikesVT