Candlelight Vigil Commemorates Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hosted by Thaddeus Stevens School

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Light a candle to remember Martin Luther King, Jr.; extinguish it with a commitment to end bigotry.

Join the thousands of schools across America as they gather to commemorate and re-new his vision.

Monday, January 21, 2013

                     5:00 pm, Vail Barn, Lyndon Institute Campus    

Candles Provided

Refreshments 

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“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

~ Martin Luther King

“I had fondly dreamed . . . that no distinction would be tolerated in this purified Republic but what arose from merit and conduct.”

~ Thaddeus Stevens

“We’re digging for gold so we can buy beavers,” is the response to the question, “What are you digging for today?” in the Thaddeus Stevens School’s new “Loose Play” play area for first through fourth grades. The 2nd graders are digging with small shovels and occasionally finding worms in the dirt. The Loose Parts theory of play, designed by Simon Nicholson in 1971, involves materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions. They can be used alone or combined with other materials. Stumps, stones, twigs, boxes, baskets, pots and pans, shovels and buckets all make up the play area next to the red Vail barn, donated by Thaddeus Stevens School grandparent Ruth Wheeler. Over the summer, parents along with school director Julie Hansen, came together to design the new playground. Rather than a traditional playground of metal and plastic equipment, parents decided to incorporate the Loose Play concept. A small stage was built, but the rest of the playground is loose parts for creative play. Parent Emily Switser, who helped with the design, says, “It is so much fun to be able to watch the kids playing together. The playground transforms every time I see it. The kids have really taken to it and have such a great time.”  Teacher Brittany Tinkham says with a gleam in her eye, “Some people see dirt; we see a world of possibilities.” 

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Trash or Treasure?

 

“They feel so professional,” says Jon DeSantis as he adjusts the height of his “new” drafting table. Peyton Pope agrees, “I like them because they tilt up and it’s a lot easier to draw.”  Colby Switzer is just happy that other kids don’t keep accidently drawing on his paper like last year when often two or three children sat at one table. The sun-lit art room is filled with neat rows of drafting tables donated by Lyndon Institute to the Thaddeus Stevens School over the summer. Director Julie Hansen commented, “The LI maintenance team popped in and asked if we would like some old drafting tables, and we jumped at the opportunity.  The lids are angled so that the students don't work on a flat surface; they can stand while they are drawing and shift their perspective readily.” The drafting tables represent only a small portion of the renovations that have occurred at the Thaddeus Stevens School over the summer.  The rooms are flooded with light and the walls are covered in bright-colored paints with student art displayed all over the school.  Art teacher Leah Benedict loves the new look.  “There is so much research that confirms the impact of art on brain development.  We integrate art with the other core subject areas which encourages the kind of deep analytical thinking we promote at the school.”

September 2012

“Parents and board members worked together on painting the rooms and local contractors took on the larger renovations,” says founding Trustee Bob Morgan, “It’s been a great journey since we started the School with only two grades in 1999.”

Thaddeus Stevens School Incorporates Healthy Living Courses and Activities

The students look forward to the walk and some have set goals for themselves:  run two laps and walk two laps with the goal to run all four laps. “It helps me get through the morning because I don’t just keep thinking about going out for lunch recess and I can pay attention in class a little bit better,” says Quentin Piliero.

In addition to the outdoor field science program, an Outdoor Leadership course has been added.  One Friday per month the entire School community takes a hike.  In October the School headed up Devil’s Hill in Peacham.  Science teacher Tom Forster says, “It’s a good beginning hike.  We put the third and fourth grade students in front to set the pace and asked the students to hike in silence for ten minute intervals.  At the end of each interval the students gathered in small groups to talk about what they observed and whether they could tell the difference from walking on dirt or rocks or pine needles.”  After lunch the students chose specific locations to sketch for thirty minutes.  Eighth grader Emily Guay liked the silence because “it made me notice more around me, like I saw a striped rock that was cool and I don’t think I would have noticed it if I was just talking with my friends.”

The final piece, which began with the Animal Celebration Day, featured an awareness of local foods.  Eric Paris, local dairyman whose farm is certified organic, spoke to the students about the importance of knowing where their food comes from and what happens to it on its way to their table. Mr. Paris cautioned the students about the rising rates of diabetes in Americans due to too many processed foods.

Chef Craig Locarno from Lyndon Institute, a member of the Vermont Fresh Network, also visited on Animal Celebration Day and told the students that they are the future and need to be healthy to do the best they can.  Thaddeus Stevens School and Lyndon Institute have worked together to offer Stevens School students fresh, healthy lunches made with locally raised produce and meats.  In keeping with the School’s focus on sustainability, no paper plates or plastic utensils are used to serve lunch. 

"We are so proud to have our school recognized by NEASC accreditation.  The Trustees credit the vision and tenacity of Director Julie Hansen and the school's faculty. We have all committed years of service to building an institution worthy of this honor, and to have it singled out for professional endorsement is gratifying." 

The School conducted a thorough self-study according to the guidelines and standards mapped out by the Association. Parents, both current and past, participated in the self-study in cooperation with faculty, staff, students, and Trustees. Last April the School hosted a visiting team of four evaluators who spent three days scrutinizing the report, sitting in on classes, and speaking with all the constituents of the School.

“I have led self-studies in the past and participated as a visiting team member on two occasions. I believe in the process. It keeps the school focused on its mission and its core values of excellence,” says School Director, Julie Hansen. “It has always been my goal to achieve this for the School but building that capacity takes a few years.”

Translator Deconstructs Fairy Tales for Stevens School

Elborg Forster, international translator, presented three stories to the Stevens School students. The Wizard of Oz, Babar, and Maya, the Bee, all represent the values of cultures from which their authors wrote.

“We constantly tell the students that art and literature are cultural artifacts, so it was great to use examples of stories they have read as children,” says Leah Benedict, art teacher at the School.

Using colorful overheads and reading from the stories, Forster explained the symbolism found in the stories. Babar, the French story written between two wars, depicts a stylish, middle-class life filled with music and food and parties. The French longing for a past that had been lost in World War I found comfort in the Babar stories. African elephants transported to France and acquiring the French culture represented the African colonies funded by France.

“I guess I won’t read these stories the same,” says fifth grader Lauren Rauert. “We talk about this in class, but I never really understood it.” Frank Baum, the author of the classic Wizard of Oz places his story in Kansas, the heart of mid-west plainspoken optimism. The yellow brick road and Dorothy’s silver slippers refer to the change from the silver standard to gold in Ameri

“I liked it that Dorothy represented his ideas about women being able to be independent even before they could vote in America,” says Sydney Benjamin, eighth grader.

Forster has translated a number of stories, letters, and poems from German to English and from French to English, and is usually published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

May 2011

Giving Back to the Community  (Caledonia Record November 2, 2009)

Civic participation is a key component to The Stevens School, named after Thaddeus Stevens.   Born in Danville and raised in Peacham, Stevens went on to become an influential representative from the state of Pennsylvania., eventually authoring the Fourteenth Amendment.

“His legacy demands that practice citizenship in all kinds of ways,” says Julie Hansen, School Director.  Students learn to identify their points and to articulate them with confidence.  “Certainly,” says Hansen, expressing one’s opinion is critical to preserving American democracy, but so is giving back to one’s community.  The Youth Shelter Walk is an aspect of learning to do that.”

The students also volunteer at the School’s annual “Simple Gifts” activity, as part of St. Johnsbury’s Victorian Holiday celebration in December.  Students and parents work at stations with craft supplies to help younger children create small gifts during the holiday season.

Stevens School Students Visit Home of Namesake, Thaddeus Stevens (Caledonia Record, March 2009)

"Newspaper accounts tell us that it was in this window that Mr. Stevens was informed that President Lincoln had been shot," said Gail Tomlinson, director of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.  As part of their trip to Philadelphia, Pa. recently, Stevens School students rode the train from Philadelphia to Lancaster in order to tour the home of Thaddeus Stevens, currently under construction as part of an historic preservation project that recognizes the importance of the work Stevens and his colleague Lydia Hamilton Smith. 

Students donned hardhats and explored the home of their school's namesake.

"Connecting our Vermont students to his Vermont roots and his life and work in Pennsylvania has been an idea we have talked about for quite some time," said Julie Hansen, director of the Stevens School. "When I called Tomlison, she was very excited to host our students."

"It makes you realize that a person doesn't have to have a big fancy house to make history," said Luna Guzman, an eighth grader at Stevens School.

A large cistern has been uncovered at Stevens's home that appears to have functioned as a stopover for runaway slaves.  A spitoon was discovered and a door leading out of Stevens's property into the cistern. The cistern was built as part of the water system but does not appear to have contained any water.  "I would have to say that this is the best primary document I've used so far to make history real for the students," says Hansen.

"It was cool to be in his home and know that he was from right in Vermont and did so many good things," said Andrew Hershey, a seventh-grade student.

Beginning their trip in Philadelphia, the students first explored Independence Hall and sat in the chairs of the first United States senate.  After spending a day in the urban environment, they traveled to Lancaster to visit the Stevens home and to experience the food and hospitality of the Amish community.

Sixth-grader Natalya McDonnell Parrish crystallized that idea when she said, "I can't believe I stood in the same room as he did when he found out about President Lincoln."

 The Stevens School takes First Place at Regional MathCounts 2008-2009 Competition...Again!! (Caledonian-Record March, 2009)

For the third year in a row, the Stevens School won first place at the regional MathCounts competition held at Lyndon State College on Saturday, February 14. Competing with schools from Montpelier and the Northeast Kingdom, the Stevens School not only placed first as a team but also won the top prize in two more categories: Clare Neal, eighth grader, won first place in the individual overall competition and second place in the individual countdown round. David Fickes came in second place in the individual overall competition. The winning Stevens team included Clare Neal, David Fickes, Aren Tulp, and Julia Fickes.

MathCounts is a national math enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory. Over 100 students spent their Saturday morning solving math problems as individuals and as members of school teams. The top ten students then competed head to head in the final countdown round.

Jon Snyder, Stevens School math teacher and MathCounts coach expressed his pride, "MathCounts is both challenging and fun for our kids. I am proud of each one of our competitors and for all the parents and students who came to support us during the competition. We are excited about competing in the state round in March." 

 In My Opinion by Julie Hansen (Caledonian-Record, November 2008)

Regarding the Burton Snowboard Controversy

As a member of the national network of First Amendment Schools, the Stevens School takes interest in the current controversy with the new Burton Boards’ graphics on their snowboards.  The corporation contends that the images of nude women and self-mutilation fall under the protection of free artistic expression.  It would be good to remind them that the First Amendment guarantees protection from governmental intrusion on free expression, not on the public’s rejection of images it deems objectionable.  Further, it is important to remember that, in exchange for the protections on individual liberties, there exists an exchange.  The governed must uphold a commitment to protecting and promoting the common good.

If Burton wishes to continue the argument of free expression, it is then important to examine the decisions of the courts with regard to the limits of free expression and the common good.  First Amendment protections for obscenity and pornography have limited themselves to images entertained by adults.  In Miller v California, 1973, the Court set guidelines to consider when determining what constitutes obscenity and pornography.  These include:

-       Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;

-     Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

In another First Amendment case, Chaplinsky v New Hampshire, the court said that “obscene . . . words . . . are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality.”

I would suggest that the above standards make clear that the images of naked Playboy Bunnies, cut hands dripping with blood and burn marks representing self-mutilation on a snowboard, in no way elevate public discourse or civic concern for the welfare of the common good.  Indeed, Burton’s statement on a web page reinforces their desire merely to shock:  “Board art has long been cutting edge, RAW and off the cuff . . . always in your face.”  We must ask, “In our face for what?”  What is the political or artistic value that is promoted?  And if we have to ask then your point has not been adequately made. 

Surely, the adult members of the corporation are aware that self-mutilation is a pathology that is harming too many of our young people.  Surely the adult members are aware of the connection between violence against women and the objectification of the female image.

That the snowboards are purchased by consumers over the age of eighteen does not adequately respond to the concerns of the community at large.  The boards will find their way to the slopes.  The cross-over from the adult world to the children’s world changes the dynamic of the “free expression” argument to one that must address the responsibility to those in the larger community who will forced to view them.  Schools across the state participating in ski programs sponsored for elementary students risk exposing children to images that they are not equipped to view.

In deciding Tinker v Des Moines, another First Amendment case, the Court said that “students do not shed their Constitutional rights at the school door.” Equally, corporations do not shed their responsibilities to the communities in which they live and operate.

We hope that a comprehensive public discussion will ensue in the upcoming weeks.  We need to hear from the managements of the ski resorts who sponsor the school ski days during the winter.  We would want to be assured that our students participate in a program that understands its responsibilities toward safeguarding our younger generations.  We are all responsible for the protection of our nation’s children, for building citizens for the future.  One of the marks of maturity is to control impulses that gratify only ourselves, to make reasoned decisions that consider the consequences of our actions and to consider the implications of our actions. 

There is a greater good and Burton has chosen to relinquish its responsibilities to that greater good. 

Stevens School Community Reads We the People

April 2008.  "Order in the courtroom!   I won't tolerate any more disruptions in my courtroom," said the Honorable Keith Aten, presiding over the Stevens School mock trial, as the fifth and six grade students were escorted out of the room for protesting one of the witnesses. For the eighth consecutive year, students from the Stevens School in Peacham presented a mock trial as part of their integrated course of studies.  

This year's trial, The People vs. Stover, was presented at the Caledonia County Courthouse. Stevens' seventh and eighth grade students are given the facts of the case and the witnesses' statements. They work in teams and are given guidelines regarding the expectations of each assigned roles. Both the defense and prosecution each work for one day with a professional attorney to assist them with their "game plan." This year Colin Benjamin, Esq. assisted the defense team and William Cobb, Esq. assisted the prosecution. "Working with Attorney Benjamin helped us so much. He helped me to devise a strategy for my closing statement," said Max Buckminster, seventh grade defense attorney.  

The jury is made up of parents, local citizens and former students. While the jury deliberated, the Honorable Keith Aten (local Littleton attorney) discussed the case with the students both praising and offering suggestions on how they might have presented the case. He also answered questions from the audience.

"The mock trial requires students to think and write clearly and logically. It pushes them to use the more complex skills of analyzing and synthesizing information," said Julie Hansen, Stevens School Director. "I am so proud of these kids. They've worked very hard and as always rise to the occasion."

 Stevens School Takes Top Prize in Regional Mathcounts...Again!

Jon Snyder, Stevens School math teacher and Mathcounts coach expressed his pride: "Mathcounts is both challenging and fun for our kids. I am proud of each one of our competitors and thankful for all the parents and students who came to support us during the competition." 

Stevens School Celebrates Eighteenth Annual African-American Read-In

February 2007.  "It was a wonderful occasion for the school to celebrate diversity and share the important work of African-American poets and writers. The kids did a great job performing their readings," said Beth McCabe, parent of fifth grader. Students researched poets, essayists, novelists, and songwriters from the days of slavery up to contemporary rap artists to perform and read during the two-hour celebration. Musical offerings were interspersed throughout the readings. Parents, students, and community members discussed the work and issues of race. Responding to a recent suggestion that it is divisive to distinguish African American literature from other literature, eighth grade student Lizzie Moye said, "But today is not just about recognizing a few poems; it is about recognizing the history of African Americans, looking at what is in the brain and the heart and the body." Eighth grade student Jasper Craven used a rap rhythm to perform a poem by Imiri Baraka. "A lot of these poems deal with America and how it works so they apply to all of us. Reading them joins us together."

Students performed pieces in groups using the traditional call and response as well as solo recitations. "I really liked the Langston Hughes poems," said fifth grader, Quinn Bornstein.

The Read-In has been a tradition since the opening of the school. "It gives us an opportunity to have discussions with parents and community members about the issues and ideas that shape who the students will become, what they will value as they continue to find their voice and their place in society," said Julie Hansen, Director of the School.

Parent of a fifth grade student, Maria Dufresne summed up the event by saying, "For these students this is not a one day symbolic recognition of diversity and equality, but rather an integral part of the school's commitment to individual voice and understanding of each as a human being."

Stevens School Students Visit New York City

November 2006. "We alternate among New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston so that students can acquire a sense of the multicultural nature of America," says Director Julie Hansen. This year the students visited New York City staying in a youth hostel, riding the subway, visiting the United Nations, dining in Chinatown, riding the Staten Island Ferry, absorbing the art at the Met.

The annual trip is designed to reinforce and to extend the curricular foci of the school, so particular activities and locations are chosen that can be referred to throughout the year. Students participated in a Model UN last spring and remembered seeing videos of the rooms. "Sitting in the Security Council room really stuck with me," says Blake Schoolcraft. "I had seen it on a video about the UN and in movies, but it’s different actually being there."

Several students gave presentations on specific artists while at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Willie Dege, eighth grader, gave a presentation on Picasso, standing in front of the painting he had studied earlier in the year. "It was pretty cool to see the painting for real," he says, adding, "But it was weird that some of the visitors stood around and listened while I was talking."

Leah Benedict, art director and fifth and sixth grade social studies teacher explains that the trip builds confidence in the students, "just by learning how to ride the subway with so many different people."

"The Board of Trustees supports the goals of the trip and plans the budget accordingly. Parents participate in a variety of fund raising events that also support the cost of the trip. We couldn’t do it without everyone’s support," says Hansen. "It is a lot of work, but it enriches the curriculum; it deepens the students understanding of their world, and it strengthens the relationships between the students and teachers."

Stevens School Launches Innovative Science Program

September 2006. Science teacher Pete Little is taking science on the road. "Approaching science from the field naturalist point of view asks the students to engage in all of the elements of middle school science: earth, life, and physical sciences. Students must understand the interaction of each of those elements on the world around them." Director Julie Hansen has wanted to use the outdoors as the primary learning space for science classes for quite some time. "The environment provides the best classroom for scientific inquiry," says Hansen, "and the authentic science experiences develop an active mind that seeks answers using evidence acquired during the focus of study, a skill that carries over into other academic work."

The School began with a model developed by previous science teacher Dawn Morgan when the seventh grade class adopted the Peacham Bog and dedicated one day per week – all day – specifically on the bog for an entire semester. The effectiveness of the program inspired Hansen and the Stevens School Board to consider a more comprehensive model for the entire school. The School took into account the Vermont requirement of 120 hours per course, seasonal changes, locations, and transportation and designed an immersion program that begins with phenology in the fifth/sixth grade and builds to create field naturalists by the end of eighth grade. Four times per school year, for one full week, each grade boards the bus with science journals in hand prepared to devote their energies to observing, collecting data, cataloging species, and gathering comparative information.

Eighth grader Willie Dege says, "This is so much better than last year; it feels like we are actually doing scientific experiments." Jasper Craven agrees, "Today we found a rock and checked to see how it broke apart and we had to identify if it was a cleavage or a fracture and then talk about why."

"My hope is to create students who can walk into any ecosystem and explain how it came to be the way it is and what factors may, and inevitably will, change it," says Little.