On Thursday, April 18, the Middle School and High School participated in the Dancing Through Barriers educational program with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The Dancing Through Barriers program fosters team work and community building through dance and dance education. Participants danced their way through history from a movement exercise to understand the Middle Passage, small group work to connect to each individual’s heritage, the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance. Ms. Perkins commented that it was fun to be “moving as a community of many communities.” During the program, participants also learned about the founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Arthur Mitchell, and the ballet company’s history.

One of the highlights of the High School program was the “Soul Train Line” where two dancers at a time dance down the center aisle formed by two parallel lines of people cheering the dancers on while waiting for their turn to dance, strut or bust a move!

A number of students provided testimonials at the end of the workshops and they used words like “exciting,” “fun” and “a great opportunity” to describe their experiences. And, in one very moving testimonial, Kiki Grillo-Chope stated, “I love dancing!” When asked what she thought about the workshop, Sadie Boulbol said, “It was enlightening to see how they put that story to choreography.” Clara Burkholder, who takes dance lessons, even performed her solo competition piece at the end of the workshop for the Dance Theatre of Harlem educators’ feedback and critique.

This programming was made possible thanks to a grant from Pentangle.

The solar eclipse glasses from the Echo Leahy Center traveled far and wide with our faculty. Ms. Vonada, her daughter Ruby and her son Russ viewed the eclipse from Washington, DC!

The organization, United Against Book Bans, made hundreds of book resumes available for librarians, teachers, educators and community members during National Library Week. In a press release, the American Library Association stated, "Created in partnership with dozens of publishers and with information provided by publishers, librarians, and School Library Journal, Unite Against Book Bans book résumés are easy-to-print documents designed to help support readers’ access to books that are targeted by censors. Each book résumé summarizes the book’s significance and educational value, including a synopsis, reviews from professional journals, awards, accolades, and more."

Click here to check out the downloadable resumes.

The Vermont Humanities Council has chosen Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow as the Vermont Reads book for 2024. Gather was a National Book Award Finalist this year and Ken Cadow is a principal at Oxbow Union High School. The publisher's note states, "Told in a wry, cautious first-person voice that meanders like a dog circling to be sure it’s safe to lie down, Kenneth M. Cadow’s resonant debut brings an emotional and ultimately hopeful story of one teen’s resilience in the face of unthinkable hardships."

For more information on the author and his process, read the article "From a Cabin in Norwich School Principal Ken Cadow Wrote a Young Adult Novel Set in Vermont That's Up for a National Book Award" from Seven Days.

A number of teachers are very excited about incorporating this book into their classes next year. I will be applying for the Vermont Reads grant soon. If you are interested in being a part of the planning and/or programming, please let me know.