Ninth grade Social Studies students are currently reading books about the Middle East. For their summative, they will be recording podcasts that will include book reviews and recommendations.

There is a new bookshelf in the library filled with great choices for this assignment. A few new titles include The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy, Mohammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria by Mohammad Najem, Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson and we have multiple copies of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. Luke Pomeroy chose DeNiro's Game by Rawi Hage which is about two boyhood friends caught in a war zone in Beirut during Lebanon's civil war.

We are one of eight schools in Vermont granted a partnership with Outright Vermont to develop curriculum that supports the Vermont Reads 2023 book Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. The book takes place in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950s during the Red Scare and the Lavender Scare. The main character, Lily, is a Chinese American teenager who is on a path of discovery including her pursuit of a scientific career, her cultural identity and her love interest. Author Bill Konigsberg stated, "It's an instant classic. The finest LGBTQIA+ romance I've read in ages."

Both the Young Adult Diverse Books Book Club and the Faculty/Staff Book Club are currently reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club. Please consider reading this state-wide read. We have plenty of copies in the library, so please pick up one for yourself or a set for your classroom. And, please let me know if you'd like to be involved in the partnership with Outright Vermont. Ms. Sullivan Justice, co-advisor of our Queer Straight Alliance, and the QSA students helped contribute to the application process and we would like to involve as many faculty, staff and students as possible. Outright Vermont's main mission is "Building a Vermont where all LGBTQ+ youth have hope, equity, power!"

Oliver Boswell made me a beautiful bowl in his ceramics class! It has a fish motif and I've filled it with sweet chocolate treats! Stop by for a candy and to admire Oliver's handy work!