We have some fun and exciting sporting events in the coming weeks. This week the Girls Basketball team plays rival Lamoille on Tuesday night at home, Nordic skiers continue on the Craftsbury Wednesday Race scene, and Boys Basketball is home on Friday night. During the weekend, our hockey players host a double header at the Stowe Rink on Saturday night for the annual ‘Pink the Rink’ event. Speaking of Pink, next week is our annual Coaches v Cancer week of basketball games. All the proceeds from these events go to the Lamoille Area Cancer Network.
We have a long standing tradition of strong support for our student athletes. This often looks and sounds like big and loud cheering sections. Loud and proud is great. We love the community support for our teams. However, recently we’ve had some inappropriate behaviors at basketball games by our spectators. We are not alone. Many schools across the state and nation are facing spectator challenges during sporting events. Referees are quitting at high rates because of spectator behavior. Many schools in our state recently stopped allowing spectators at games and even forfeited games because of spectator issues. We don’t want this to happen at PA. The Vermont Principal Association has worked diligently in the past few years to encourage positive spectator behavior. (See image below) You’ve seen many posts in this newsletter and other places about this effort. This is one reason we read appropriate spectator behavior statements prior to sporting events.
While we’ve had mostly positive and fun times at our home games this year, recently there have been negative chants and attitudes towards opposing teams, individual players, and officials. We’ve, unfortunately, had to discipline some spectators for specifically targeting players on opposing teams and officials. We can be better. Some of you and your friends may disagree with what we (PA) and VPA are calling ‘negative’ (see below) and that is your right. But, moving forward, we need the energy and noise to be positive and in line with the expectations listed below. We are an amazing school and community and we need to show this at our events. Games are an opportunity for us to be encouraging and empathetic. Please support our efforts to maintain a highly positive and welcoming environment at our games. You can help by asking those around you to be positive and help explain to your kids that being energetic and excited at games is great, but saying mean and hurtful things are not. Please report any concerns to us during or after games. This is also a reporting form that goes directly to the VPA.
Yearbooks: Now is the time to order your copy of the 2023 Peopleonian! The yearbook committee is hard at work taking pictures and making pages to create lasting memories of this school year. A yearbook costs $58. Payment plans are available – just order one with at least a down payment to make sure you have one in June as extras are not ordered. Contact Michele in the office, 888-4600, to order or ask questions.
Guidance
Reminder: Students applying for the college readiness TRIO Upward Bound Program offered through Vermont State University-Johnson should plan to submit their applications prior to February break. If you are unable to submit by 2/24/2023 be sure to reach out to Sheila Jones or your guidance counselor. If you have any questions about the program stop into guidance.
The School Day SAT test will be offered on April 12, 2023 at Peoples Academy to Juniors. Please sign up in the guidance office. Collegeboard charges a $60 fee to take the exam. The fee will need to be paid by February 9, 2023. Checks should be made out to Peoples Academy and brought to Sheila Jones in the guidance office.
4-H Upcoming Programs & Deadlines: Go to the 4-H Announcements Page to learn more.
February 1 – Get your Science Olympiad team ready to compete! UVM will be hosting the Vermont Science Olympiad on Saturday, April 1, 2023, and we are looking for high school teams to join us for this exciting day of science competition!
February 2 – Have you ever wanted to learn how to program your own game? Well, here’s your chance! In this 4-H World Changers: Learn to Code series, you will learn to program a collecting game using p5.js, a JavaScript library created especially for artists and designers. We will meet virtually each Thursday from February 2 – March 9, 7:00-8:00 pm.
February 11 – Have you ever wondered how rockets work, and what goes into designing them? Come to this teen science cafe hosted by Jeff Gibson, Deputy Chief Engineer at Benchmark Space Systems. At this cafe, Jeff will walk through basic principles and
show you how to design your own functional model rocket from scratch!
February 18 – Discover Engineering is a FREE annual event for youth in grades 5-12 who want to learn about engineering, build skills and network with engineering students, faculty and professionals.
College & Career Pathways 2023: High schools around the state are invited to bring students to one of this year’s College & Career Pathways events:
Bennington College – Tuesday, February 7, 9am-2pm
Vermont State University Lyndon Campus – Thursday, February 23, 8:45am-1:45pm
Saint Michael’s College – Thursday, March 16, 9am-2pm
Vermont State University Castleton Campus – Wednesday, April 5, 9am-2pm (in partnership with the Rutland Area Guidance Counselors’ College Fair)
These events are free to attend, and students will have the opportunity to take part in workshops on a variety of college and career planning topics. Lunch is provided, and most venues will include the option of a campus tour. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCP2023 to bring students to one of the weekday events.
We will also be offering a public event for high school families on Saturday, March 18, 9:30am – 12:30pm. Families can participate in-person at UVM or virtually via Zoom. Find additional details on our website.
Co-Curricular Activities
Pink the Rink Fundraising: The students who are part of the hockey teams at PA are hosting a Pink the Rink bake sale on January 26th. Students should bring in cash, Venmo is not an option for bake sales. Pink the Rink is a fundraiser that we host every year to raise money for cancer. The actual event will take place on the evening of Saturday, January 28th. We ask that as many people come to support these events. Puck drops for girl’s hockey at 5:15 and boy’s hockey drops at 7:30. Students who come to the girl’s game will get 2 free raffle tickets and 1 free raffle ticket at the boy’s game! We hope to see you there!
Boosters Clothing Sale: The PA Booster store is LIVE! Orders can be placed at https://vermontscreenprinting.com/stores/web-stores/pabc/. The order deadline is March 3rd and estimated delivery is May 12th. Check out the new blankets for the cooler spring activities!
Reminder @ Games/Events: In order to allow our athletes, coaches, & administrations proper time to prepare for games appropriately we ask that you do not enter the PA Gym until 15 minutes prior to game time. Transition between practices and games is short and we would appreciate the gym free of spectators during this time to efficiently prepare for our fans. Thank you in advance for your all support and understanding with this. Go Wolves!
Support: If you are able to support our seniors, look for the senior fundraiser raffles that are happening during home basketball games. Coming soon, be on the lookout for our Senior game dates and our PINK games which help us say Game Over to cancer.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 1 Boys Basketball, Pink Game
February 2 Girls Basketball, Pink Game
February 3 No School, Professional Development
February 27-March 6 No School, Winter Break
March 3 Boosters Clothing Sale Ends
March 7 No School, Town Meeting Day
2022-2023 LSUU School Calendar
Community
Talk. They Hear You: Meaningful conversations with your middle or high schoolers, Tuesday, January 24, 6:00PM, Morristown Centennial Library: It’s never too early to take small steps to have open and honest conversations with the kids in our lives about substance use and mental health. Our local youth are using substances– early in life, too often and too much. No child is immune. Many short conversations in everyday moments throughout the child and teen years make a difference!
Come join a community of parents, caregivers, and those that interact with young people to improve support of our local youth. We’ll have fun snacks! Offered by Morristown Centennial Library in collaboration with Healthy Lamoille Valley. Please pre-register at info@centenniallibrary.org. Check the event out on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/events/504318041569260
Winter Weather Resources to help keep everyone safe. If you are interested in checking them out, they can be viewed on the VSBIT site.
Sharing Priority from Working Communities Challenge
WindowDressers: Stowe Electric Department is working with the nonprofit WindowDressers to set up a community building in fall 2023. Provides inserts to low-income households for weatherization of drafty or failing windows. Needed: A location to build, Volunteers to measure windows, build, and supply food and drink. Contact: wendy.crosier@maine.edu
Housing: Morrisville residents interested in being on the housing committee should contact the town administrator: edodge@morristownvt.org. Anyone residing in Morrisville (people who are housing insecure, renting, or own a home) can serve on this committee.
