Annual Report of the Lake Region Union High School District

Annual Report

of the

Lake Region Union High School District

February 20, 2019

7:30 pm

Lake Region Union High School

317 Lake Region Road

Orleans, VT 05860

802-754-2500

www.lruhs.org

2018-2019

LAKE REGION UNION HIGH SCHOOL

FACULTY & STAFF

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Annual Meeting Minutes 2018 .......................................................................................... 2

Board of Directors’ Message.............................................................................................. 4

Budget Expenditures .......................................................................................................... 46-57

Budget Revenues ................................................................................................................ 45

Budget Summary by Program – Graph .............................................................................. 43-44

Capital Reserve Funds ....................................................................................................... 41

Comprehensive Assessment System Results ..................................................................... 21

Continued Formal Education ............................................................................................. 20

Core Values, Beliefs and Learning Expectations ............................................................... 11

Department Narratives ....................................................................................................... 22-39

Food Service Program ........................................................................................................ 58

Guidance Report to the Community .................................................................................. 17-19

Independent Auditor’s Report ............................................................................................ 10

List of Towns & Directors – Board Attendance at Meetings – Ofﬁcers ............................ 10

Notice of Annual Meeting .................................................................................................. 1

OSCU Treasurer’s Report and Program Financial Report ................................................. 60-61

OCSU Superintendent’s Report ......................................................................................... 5

Principal’s Message ............................................................................................................ 12-13

Professional Development ................................................................................................. 6

Pupil Enrollment ................................................................................................................ 59

Strategic Plan - LRUHS ..................................................................................................... 7-9

Staff & Faculty ................................................................................................................... 14-16

Scholarship Funds .............................................................................................................. 40

Treasurer’s Report .............................................................................................................. 42

LAKE REGION UNION HIGH SCHOOL

DISTRICT 24

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

7:30 P.M.

The legal voters of the Lake Region Union High School District 24 were notified and warned to

meet this day at the Lake Region Union High School, Town of Barton to transact business to wit:

Approximately 16 voters attended with 10 board members present. One board member was not

present.

ARTICLE 1: William Davies was nominated for the office of moderator. A motion was made

by Pat Davis and seconded by Jeff Coburn that nominations cease and that the clerk be instructed

to cast (1) ballot for William Davies for the office of moderator for the ensuing year. The motion

passed; the clerk so did and William Davies was duly elected as moderator for the ensuing year.

Tami Wesoja was nominated for the office of clerk. A motion was made by Shelia Martin and

seconded by Topher Waring that nominations cease and that the moderator be instructed to cast

(1) ballot for Tami Wesoja for the office of clerk for the ensuing year. The motion passed; the

moderator so did and Tami Wesoja was duly elected as clerk for the ensuing year.

Shelia Martin was nominated for the office of treasurer. A motion was made by Pat Davis and

seconded by Topher Waring that nominations cease and that the clerk be instructed to cast (1)

ballot for Shelia Martin for the office of treasurer for the ensuing year. The motion passed; the

clerk so did and Shelia Martin was duly elected as treasurer for the ensuing year.

ARTICLE 2: - A motion was made by Pat Davis and seconded by Topher Waring to have the

members of the Board introduced. The motion passed; and the Board Chairperson, David

Blodgett, introduced himself moving to the board members present to introduce themselves.

ARTICLE 3: - A motion was made by Kristin Atwood and seconded by Jason Racine that the

reports of the district officers be approved as printed. The motion passed.

ARTICLE 4: - A motion was made by Kristin Atwood and seconded by Jeff Coburn to

compensate the Board Members in the same manner as last year. Board member Jason Racine

referred to the PowerPoint information displayed on the wall indicating that the LRUHS board

intended to propose an increase. The increases were displayed on the wall. The figures read to

pay $2500. for Board Chair position; $1400. for Vice Chair position; Nine board members at

$1300 each, five board members that also serve as Committee Chairs received $200. each; and

an allocation of $400. each to the two board clerks. Total 2017/2018 salaries were $11,900 and

the increase would show total salaries at $17,400. for 2018/2019. The motion was modified by

Kristin Atwood to pay the LRUHS board salaries increase as presented on the wall and seconded

by Jeff Coburn. The motion passed.

ARTICLE 5: - A motion was made by David Blodgett and seconded by Kristin Atwood to

authorize an appropriation of an additional $65,000 to the Capital Reserve Fund. The motion

passed on a voice vote.

ARTICLE 6: A)-Board Members David Blodgett and Michael Sanville provided a PowerPoint

presentation explaining the revenues and expenses in the proposed budget, specifically noting

areas of significant change from last year’s budget.

B) A motion was made by Michael Sanville and seconded by Jeff Coburn to

appropriate the sum of $ 6,646,978 to pay the expenses for the ensuing year. The motion passed

on a voice vote.

ARTICLE 7: A motion was made by Kristin Atwood and seconded by Shelia Martin to

authorize the Board of School Directors to borrow money to pay indebtedness and current

expenses of the District. The motion passed on a voice vote.

ARTICLE 8: A motion was made by Michael Sanville and seconded by Pat Davis to set what

date and time for the Annual School District meeting to be held in 2019. The Lake Region

annual meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. The motion passed

on a voice vote.

ARTICLE 9: Other business transacted moderator William Davies renowned article 3 was

already passed on a voice vote and cannot be reconsidered at this meeting. Mr. Davies

announced there was an oversite in mentioning that a figure on page 44 of the report was

incorrect and a corrected copy of the page was a handout available to the voters at the beginning

of the meeting. Rodd Roofing was listed at having an expense of 186,746.41 and it should read

150,421.41. It was noted that this typo did not change the balance or totals on the page.

ARTICLE 10: - A motion was made by Gerry Cahill and seconded by Jason Racine to adjourn.

The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tami Wesoja, Clerk

LRUHS BOARD MESSAGE 2018

DAVID BLODGETT, LR BOARD CHAIR

Greetings Supporters of Lake Region Union High School,

Once again it is time to reﬂect on the past year’s activity of the Board and accomplishments at Lake

Region UHS. The pages that follow in this annual report will do just that. You will see reports from our

Superintendent, Principal, Guidance and our Academic and Instructional departments. Each report gives

you a snap shot of what is going on in your school and how your tax dollars are being used. After reading

these reports, and seeing how well Lake Region compares to the rest of the State on the standardized

tests, we hope you will feel that your tax dollars are being spent wisely.

The Board generally meets on the ﬁrst and third Monday of each month. These meetings are public

and I encourage you to attend if you would like to know more about how the Board operates. There

are 11 members representing the 7 school districts that send students to Lake Region. I am continually

impressed as to how well the Board works together to make decisions that are in the best interest of all

of the students at Lake Region. The Board engages in healthy, respectful and thoughtful discussions

that ends in a consensus that is in the best interest of the school, students, faculty, staff and community.

Some of the highlights of this past year are as follows.

In July the Board completed its annual reorganization. This year David Blodgett was elected Chair,

Jennifer McKenzie, Vice Chair and Tammy Wiggitt, Clerk. The board also approved using $22,600.00

capital reserve funds to purchase LED bubs for all the school’s light ﬁxtures. The total estimated cost

is $42,000 minus a $14,400 grant from Efﬁciency Vermont. The estimate payback period from energy

savings is 4 years.

In August the new roof was completed, and the end costs was lower than the estimate. Not all the

insulation below the plastic membrane needed to be replaced. This project was funded with the capital

reserve fund.

October through December the Operations and Finance committee were busy working with the Principal

and Business Manager drafting the ﬁscal year 2019 budget. In December the board voted to bring a

budget with an increase of .78% over FY2018’budget.

In October the Board learned the results of the standardized testing (SBAC) that occurred the previous

spring. Lake region saw an increase in proﬁciency for both English Language Arts (ELA) and math.

67% scored proﬁcient in ELA (ranked 14th in the State) and 51% proﬁcient in Math (ranked 6th in the

State). Overall Lake region was ranked 9th in the state based on these results.

In November the curriculum committee recommended that board adopt a proposal from the Social Studies

department to create a new class called Global Citizenship. This course will include civics, economics,

geography, world language, cultural studies and history. The course will be offered to juniors and is

designed to satisfy Vermont State Act 77 requirements. The full board approved this recommendation.

In January the Board held a retreat titled “Role of the Board in creating Equity for Students”. John

Castle was the guest speaker and facilitator. The retreat focused on the Board supporting the goal of

creating equity for the students at Lake Region. The deﬁnition of Equity in the case was focused on the

idea that every student should receive the resources and educational opportunities they need to learn

and thrive. Some of the ideas and subjects discussed was access to the North Country Career Center,

the groups and clubs available at the school to help students feel connected, the mental health needs

and services provided and access to technology. The Board recognized the need to gather input from

other stakeholders such as high and low performing students, parents and teachers. The Board also felt

multiple pathways to earning a diploma needed to be explored.

Finally, the Board would like to continue these conversations and eventually incorporate some of these

ideas into Lake Region’s strategic plan.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT - 2019

BEV DAVIS, INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT

I would like to start by thanking school board members, community members, parents, students, staff,

teachers, and administration. You all contribute to making the Orleans Central Supervisory Union

(OCSU) a special place. I am excited about the teaching and learning happening in our schools and the

dedication of everyone working to provide the best opportunities for students.

This year, I will continue to focus on the following areas:

Fostering Educational Excellence

Developing Quality Leadership and Staff

Connecting School and Community

Aligning Resources with Needs

Under “Fostering Educational Excellence”, I am supporting boards as they review and revise policies,

and develop meeting agendas that are focused on the work of the Board. I visit all schools on a regular

basis and talk with principals, teachers, staff, and students about the learning that is happening. I am

currently working on developing a recognition system that celebrates the dedicated teachers and staff

that work in OCSU.

“Developing Quality Leadership and Staff ” includes holding regular administrative team meetings

focused on building the knowledge and skills of administrators so that they can support their teachers

and staff in continued growth. I also meet individually with all administrators to support them in leading

their own schools. Director of Instruction Mike Moriarty and I collaborate to plan for professional

development that meets the needs of teachers, support staff, and administrators. In order to improve my

own knowledge and skills I meet regularly with other superintendents and attend workshops on topics

speciﬁc to my role.

The area “Connecting School and Community” is one that is extremely important to focus on. We know

that it is critical that we partner with families and community members in order to serve the needs of

all students. Over the last year we’ve developed an active social media presence and we are using both

Facebook and Twitter to “tell our story”. As a member of the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative

(VREC) we are partnering to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges facing rural schools.

“Aligning Resources with Needs” is an area that we must focus on if we are to maintain a strong system

that offers a high-quality education to our students at a cost our communities can afford. My work in

this area includes meeting with representatives from Wildbranch to ensure that we are using technology

to make our systems more efﬁcient. I’ve also been working with central ofﬁce staff to streamline their

The spring months became very busy for the personnel committee as there were 8 vacant positions

to ﬁll. The personnel committee takes part in interviews and makes hiring recommendations to the

Superintendent and full board. Due to retirements and some teachers moving to new locations there

were 2 English, 2 Science, 2 Math, 1 Spanish and 1 Social Studies vacancies. Eventually the vacancies

were ﬁlled with highly qualiﬁed candidates.

Finally, in June the Board witnessed 83 ﬁne young adults graduate from Lake Region prepared to take

on the world.

As you will see in the following pages the FY 2020 budget put before you for your consideration includes

a 1.08% decrease. This is in line with the Board, Administration, Faculty and Staff’s commitment to

provide quality education while being ﬁscally conscious to the tax payers of this supervisory union.

The Board thanks you, the community, for allowing us to serve and for your support to this school. We

hope to see you February 20.

OCSU INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES

MIKE MORIATY, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION

During the 2018-19 school year professional learning opportunities will be focused on proﬁciency-based

learning, as well as to support initiatives under the OCSU Continuous Improvement Plan. Teachers and

administrators will focus on determining cross-curricular proﬁciencies and content proﬁciencies. Along

with proﬁciency-based learning, teachers in K-5 will continue implementing our new OCSU-wide math

program. Teachers and administrators at the 6

-12

grade level will focus on local assessments in MobyMax

and LR Folio Tasks. Teachers will also be working on personalization and ﬂexible pathways under Act 77.

In the spring of 2016, after much research and discussion, OCSU chose to adopt the Eureka Math program

for grades K-5. This program is one of only a few programs that is fully aligned to our standards, and

was highly recommended by OCSU teachers. Eureka lessons are available for free online, allowing us to

use our money for professional development rather than for curricular materials. In addition, many other

supervisory unions in the Northeast Kingdom have adopted Eureka Math and this has allowed us to share

in professional development costs.

As the state of Vermont transitions to proﬁciency-based learning graduation requirements, all teachers are

learning about what that means for our OCSU students. Teachers and administrators will spend in-service

days and professional learning community early release time this year learning about proﬁciency-based

learning and developing a plan for implementation.

Our leadership team, made up of administrators and teacher leaders, meets regularly to work on the tasks

identiﬁed in the OCSU continuous improvement plan. This plan was developed by the leadership team and

will be reviewed regularly throughout the year and then revised for the following year. The plan is closely

aligned with the continuous improvement plans of individual schools, ensuring that we are all working

together for a common purpose.

The OCSU Local Assessment Plan is being continuously updated and we have contracted with a company

called MobyMax to digitize our common assessments. This will allow us to leverage technology in order to

administer and analyze these assessments in an efﬁcient manner. Data from common assessments allows

us to evaluate our curriculum and allows teachers to have rich conversations about student learning.

Our mentoring program continues to thrive under the expert leadership of Sara McKenny. Teachers in

both their ﬁrst and second years in OCSU meet with Sara regularly to receive guidance and support, and

they have all expressed appreciation for this opportunity.

All OCSU staff members have made a commitment to improving learning for all students, and have been

working towards providing equitable educational experiences across OCSU schools. We are extremely

fortunate to have such knowledgeable and dedicated professionals working with our students.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael D. Moriarty Ed.D.

OCSU Director of Instruction

work so that they can offer high-quality support to schools. Business Manager Heather Wright and I

collaborate to ensure that ﬁnances are on track, and that budgets are developed that meet the needs of

both schools and community members.

As the world of education, and the world in general, continues to change, we must do so as well. If we

build and maintain a strong system that focuses on the areas above, we’ll be able to weather these changes

and OCSU will remain the special place that it is.

Respectfully,

Beverly Davis, Superintendent

STRATEGIC PLAN 2017 - 2022

“Moving Forward”

Adopted September 9, 2016

The Lake Region Union High School board and administration recognize and celebrate the past and current

efforts of teachers, staff, parents and community members in providing quality educational opportunities for

area students. Over the course of Lake Region’s history, there have been many extraordinary achievements in the

areas of academics, extra-curricular activities, community service and social development. The board extends

its gratitude to everyone who has made a positive contribution to the lives of the community’s young people.

To build upon the existing strengths of the school, the board drafted its ﬁrst strategic plan in 2007. The ﬁve-year

plan allowed for a sustained focus, despite signiﬁcant changes in board and administrative leadership. Under

the ﬁrst strategic plan, the school took some major steps forward, including increased graduation requirements,

a community service requirement, a student advisory program, and increased energy efﬁciency.

The board determined that another strategic plan would allow the school to continue to build on its progress and

to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and to prepare for their future. Board members viewed

their leadership role as establishing a clear direction for the school’s success. The board undertook the strategic

planning process in order to formulate its vision and turn that vision into action.

The board, administration and faculty, with input from parents, students and the community, have recently

completed a Core Values and Beliefs statement to serve as the foundation of the school’s ongoing work.

In order to realize the vision for the school, the board and administration have carefully selected goals and

strategies to ensure both a high quality educational program and the most efﬁcient use of resources. It is the

board’s intention that the strategic plan guide the collective endeavors of teachers, staff, parents and community

members over the next ﬁve years.

The board extends its appreciation to the faculty, and staff members who assisted in the strategic planning process.

In particular, the board would like to thank Principal Andre Messier for his role in the planning process and for

his day-to-day leadership of the school.

The Strategic Planning Process

In the fall of 2011, the board, administration and members of the faculty began meeting to discuss the school’s

core values and beliefs. The core values and beliefs statement is a requirement of the school’s accreditation

process through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The discussions leading to the ﬁnal

draft of the statement helped the board and administration during the strategic planning process, and the

statement will continue to guide decision making. The committee that worked on the core values and beliefs

statement obtained input from members of the school community, through a values survey conducted in the

spring of 2012. The board approved Lake Region Union High School’s Core Values and Beliefs Statement on

June 18, 2012.

The board began its strategic planning in February of 2012, working with Ray Proulx, an experienced

educational consultant, Andre Messier, principal and Stephen Urgenson, superintendent. To start, the board

reviewed the status of its 2007-2012 strategic plan. The board then explored information about education in

the 21st century, including international, national and state trends. The board also gathered information on

the current educational experience at Lake Region. Information came from a variety of sources, including

standardized test scores, student survey results and the school’s progress report to its accrediting organization.

The board also considered research on effective educational practices.

During the planning process the board and administration met with department chairs to hear their views

on educational trends and the student population at Lake Region. The board shared strategic planning

information with and solicited input from school board chairs and principals from other schools in the Orleans

Central Supervisory Union.

Stemming from its discussions, the board identiﬁed four broad areas on which to focus: curriculum and

student learning; school culture; technology; and infrastructure. To outline its vision for the school and

students, the board developed a set of goals in each area, followed by strategies to achieve the goals. Lastly,

the board agreed on indicators that will allow the monitoring of progress toward achieving the goals.

The board approved the ﬁnal draft of the plan in August, 2012.

Since August 2012, the strategic plan has guided our work as an educational community. As a part of that

effort, the leadership team of the high school - staff, administration and board - has collected and reviewed

data on the indicators of progress. That data and time for discussion has helped reﬁne our efforts and

continually focus our efforts. In the spring of 2015, the leadership team revisited the strategic plan and

ﬁnalized revisions in August of 2016 to reﬂect our evolving understanding of what we need to do with our

students and how we can be most effective together.

Lake Region Union High School

Strategic Plan 2017-2022

Focus Area #1: Curriculum and Learning Results

Goal #1: By 2018, 100% of students will graduate from high school.*

* Graduate as deﬁned by the state.

• Strategy #1: Reﬁne and enhance intervention strategies.

• Strategy #2: Promote and support the personalization of learning (ie. multiple pathways to learning; External

Learning Opportunities; Personalized Learning Plans; Dual Enrollment)

• Strategy#3: Promote and support Proﬁciency-Based Learning and Proﬁciency-Based Graduation Requirements.

Goal #2: Lake Region students will demonstrate continuous improvement each year on the standardized assessment

and on the deﬁned Lake Region Learning Expectations.

• Strategy #1: Work with the Orleans Central Supervisory Union (OCSU) to develop an academic information

system that will track performance levels in terms of Common Core State Standards and Next Generation

Science Standards for all OCSU students from pre-K through 12.

• Strategy #2: Analyze and apply data to improve student learning and growth.

Goal #3: By 2018, 100% of LRUHS graduates will have developed concrete post-secondary plans.

• Strategy #1: The LRUHS curriculum will be designed to ensure that all students have access to content and

skill development experiences that will prepare them for post-secondary education, 21st century careers and

to be competitive in the global community.

• Strategy #2: Develop a culture for promoting post-secondary education.

Focus Area #2: School Culture

Goal #1: The LRUHS community will provide a safe, respectful and positive school environment, which fosters

self-respect and integrity in every student.

• Strategy #1: Align and implement policies and procedures to support the goal.

(Strategy met by creation of SU Policy manual – Available in print and on SU website.)

• Strategy #2: Analyze and apply data to support the desired environment.

• Strategy #3: School staff is trained around bullying, harassment, gender equality/identity, etc… areas to

focus on language and expectations so policies are applied equitably.

Goal #2: LRUHS will foster a culture through which every student is connected with adults who provide high

expectations and standards of excellence while demonstrating sincere concern and caring for their well-being.

• Strategy #1: Administration will deﬁne expectations and standards of excellence and evaluate the program

accordingly.

• Strategy #2: Collect, analyze and apply data to support the desired environment.

Goal #3: Lake Region Union High School will increase community engagement.

• Strategy #1: Determine the current level of engagement with school activities and establish a target goal to

increase that level.

• Strategy #2: Provide avenues and opportunities for community stakeholders (students, parents, Board,

community, staff) to actively participate in conversations about educational issues and movements.

• Strategy #3: Develop a communication committee (or “outreach” committee).

Focus Area #3: Technology

Goal #1: Maintain learning environments that are equipped with functional and appropriate equipment to support

student learning and instruction.

• Strategy #1: Develop a cross-disciplinary IT Resource Team to evaluate needs and improve communication.

(Include students on IT Team)

Goal #2: All teachers will demonstrate proﬁcient use of technology to advance teaching strategies and to support

student learning.

• Strategy #1: Identify and incorporate new technologies in instructors’ teaching methods.

Goal #3:Every LRUHS graduate will demonstrate proﬁcient use of applications and technology that enables

them to access worldwide knowledge, to communicate broadly with multiple audiences, and to expand their

global community.

• Strategy #1: Faculty will deﬁne expectations and necessary standards for technological proﬁciencies.

• Strategy #2: Integration of the technology proﬁciencies into the curriculum and record accomplishments.

Focus Area #4: Infrastructure

Goal #1: The school will strive to continue a focus on the three Pillar areas that structure the Green Ribbon

Schools program and maintain the established standards of the US EPA’s Energy Star designation.

• Strategy #1: Replacement equipment will be purchased with Energy Star ratings.

• Strategy #2: Develop a building use energy plan.

• Strategy #3: Energy focus areas will be embedded in the curriculum, and the school building/campus and

community renewable and alternative energy sources will be used as learning labs.

• Strategy #4: Green Team, Independent Learning Opportunities, and science classes will investigate strategies

for reducing energy loss/waste.

Goal #2: The school facility will support an increase of spaces that provide ﬂexible and adaptable learning and

teaching environments.

• Strategy #1: Support alternative (outdoor) learning spaces and student learning centers.

• Strategy #2: Create a team to assess the functional needs and propose redesigns of classroom spaces (furniture,

movement, etc..).

• Strategy #3: Continue to promote an aesthetically pleasing campus.

Goal #3: To ensure that the school facility has adequate space for the student population.

• Strategy #1: Investigate and identify space needs.

For a complete version of the strategic plan, please call the principal’s ofﬁce at 754-6521.

TOWNS AND DIRECTORS

ATTENDANCE AT BOARD MEETINGS

Policy adopted by the Lake Region Union High School Board stipulates that attendance of Board members at scheduled board

meetings shall be published in the annual report. The following is a report for the fiscal year July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018

during which time nineteen regular meetings occurred.

Town Term Expire Regular Meeting

Attendance

ALBANY Jennifer McKenzie, Vice Chair 2019 13

Curriculum Chair/OSCU Voting Rep

BARTON Gerry Cahill 2018 18

Tammy Wiggett, Clerk 2020 18

Antoinette Eubanks, Policy Chair/Personnel Chair 2018 19

BROWNINGTON Pat Davis, OSCU Voting Rep 2018 16

GLOVER Jason Racine 2019 13

IRASBURG Michael Sanville, Business & Operations Chair/ 2020 10

Regional Advisory Board

Jennifer Edlund 2019 15

ORLEANS David Blodgett, Board Chair/ OCSU Voting Rep/ 2019 17

Executive Committee Rep /Negotiations

Scott Lalime 2018 14

WESTMORE Linda Michniewicz (appointed 8/1/17) 2020 10

LAKE REGION BOARD/TREASURER ANNUAL SALARIES

Board Chair $2,500.00 (1 @ $2,500) Vice Chair $1,400.00 (1 @ $1,400)

Members $11,700.00 (9 @ $1,300.00 ea) Committee Chairs $1,000.00 (5 @ $200.00 ea)

Treasurer $2,000.00 Clerk $400.00 Assistant Clerk $400.00

$19,400.00 * Total seen under 2310-5110

OFFICERS

Clerk Tami Wesoja

Treasurer Shelia Martin

Moderator William Davies

Superintendent Beverly Davis

*Auditors Due to legislative requirements that schools be audited by a CPA

*INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

Orleans Central Supervisory Union has engaged RHR Smith & Company to audit the school districts for the year ended

June 30, 2018. Copies of Schedule E and Statement E from the Lake Region annual audit is enclosed in the annual

report and an entire copy of the audited financial statements for Lake Region Union High School, is available for Public

inspection at the Superintendent’s Office, 130 Kinsey Road, Barton, VT 05822.

*INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

Orleans Central Supervisory Union has engaged RHR Smith & Company to audit the school districts

for the year ended June 30, 2018. Audited ﬁnancial statements for Lake Region Union High School,

is available for Public inspection at the Superintendent’s Ofﬁce, 130 Kinsey Road, Barton, VT 05822.

TOWNS AND DIRECTORS

ATTENDANCE AT BOARD MEETINGS

Policy adopted by the Lake Region Union High School Board stipulates that attendance of Board

members at scheduled board meetings shall be published in the annual report. The following is a report

for the ﬁscal year July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 during which time nineteen regular meetings

occurred.

CORE VALUES, BELIEFS & LEARNING EXPECTATIONS

CORE VALUES & BELIEF STATEMENT

Lake Region Union High School is committed to the values that we view as vital for success in the

21st Century. In so doing:

• Webelievethateverystudentcanlearn.

• Webelievethathighexpectations,perseveranceandthepursuitofexcellencearethe

cornerstones to success.

• Webelieveahealthyandsafeenvironmentisessentialforstudentlearning.

• Webelieverespect,honesty,kindness,individualresponsibility,andunderstandingtowards

others are crucial elements of the school environment.

• Webelievepositiverelationshipshelpstudentstoreachtheirfullpotential.

• Webelievethattheeducationalexperienceshouldbeengaging,diverse,integrated,

collaborative, and designed to ﬁt the needs of every student.

• Webelieveallstudiesandallprogramsshouldberigorousandchallenging,andshouldkeep

pace with our ever-changing world.

• Webelieveconstantexplorationinthepursuitofknowledgeandwisdomfostersahigher

quality of life.

• Webelievethateachmemberofthecommunityhasaroleinour“…Moving Forward!!”

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

“’Moving Forward!!” You will see these words above the ofﬁce doors when you enter Lake Region.

It is my commitment to the school and the community that we must continue to move forward the

educational institution that we proudly name Lake Region Union High School. I have opened my past

Principal’s Message statements with the same ﬁrst two sentences, and it remains the commitment of all

of the stakeholders responsible for providing the education to the students of Lake Region. It is hard to

believe that I am in my tenth year as Lake Region’s principal, and when I reﬂect upon the work and the

accomplishments during that time period, I see an institution which has put that commitment into practice

with its actions in supporting a forward-thinking movement focused on a program that demands the success

and preparation of our students for life beyond Lake Region in a 21st century world.

The development of a digital portfolio system as a tool for students to store and present evidence of the

school’s identiﬁed student learning expectations and 21

Century skills has been implemented. For the past

several years, Lake Region teachers have used a similar electronic portfolio system to document their own

learning outcomes. The portfolio system, with some modiﬁcations, will be a graduation requirement with

the current year’s junior class (Class of 2020), and it will fulﬁll the new state requirement which states that

Vermont students will need to demonstrate proﬁciencies towards learning expectations in order to earn a

high school diploma beginning with the Class of 2020. Students will be given opportunities in each class

to demonstrate their knowledge and proﬁciency in Lake Region’s four identiﬁed school-wide Learning

Expectations: Communication & Collaboration, Creativity & Innovation, Critical Thinking & Problem

Solving, Informed Thinking. They will acquire a portfolio of these learning opportunities throughout their

time at Lake Region which will provide evidence of their learning and growth.

The past year has seen many notable accomplishments by our students in academics, in athletics, and

other co-curricular areas. Results from the Spring 2018 SBAC English Language Arts and Mathematics

assessments showed the percentages of Lake Region students meeting/exceeding the standard were higher

than the state averages in both areas.

These successes and the recognition of Lake Region’s commitment to student learning have been

instrumental factors in the growth of the student body as more students from surrounding tuition choice

towns have selected Lake Region for their education. We also have enrolled an additional twenty-ﬁve

students from neighboring high school districts who have taken advantage of the Vermont School Choice

statute, and we have seen an increase in students attending from local “choice” towns. These factors have

led to Lake Region’s 2018-2019 enrollment climbing to around 370 students (up from 335 just a handful of

years ago) with indications that we will remain near that mark next year. The increase in enrollment goes

against trends in our state of a decreasing overall student population. This growth has brought challenges

to our ability to meet the diverse student needs with existing personnel as student support resources have

become stretched and class sizes have grown to the point of needing to add instructional core which is

reﬂected in the proposed FY’20 budget.

In addition to the success in the academic arena, Lake Region has numerous examples of students who

demonstrate excellence beyond the classroom walls. Last spring, the boy’s baseball team won the school’s

ﬁrst state title in the sport by defeating top-seeded Lamoille 1-0 in the Division II championship game. This

fall the girl’s golf team took home its second Division II state title in the last ﬁve years. The Lake Region

chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) was recognized for the ninth consecutive year as

one of Vermont’s top two Outstanding Chapters, and many of its members earned recognitions and awards

at the state convention in May. Lake Region students Taylor Lane, Ajay Warner, and Katheryn Pion were

also selected to be state level ofﬁcers. Lake Region’s FBLA chapter is the only one in Vermont that is not

afﬁliated with a Career Technical Center. Several Lake Region musicians and singers continued a long

tradition of excellence in the arts by earning selection to local, state, and New England music festivals for

their performances. Most notably was the selection of senior Emma Strange to sing one of three solo vocal

numbers. The Lake Region Rockin’ Rangers Band was honored to represent Vermont this September at the

Eastern States Exhibition in Springﬁeld, Massachusetts. Many Lake Region student athletes were selected

by their respective league’s coaches to All-League teams for their outstanding accomplishments in the

athletic arenas, and Seniors Riley Urie (soccer) and Brady Perron (hockey and baseball) were selected to

represent Vermont in their respective annual Vermont vs. New Hampshire all-star games. Social Studies

teacher Lee Penniman, was selected as Lake Region’s Outstanding Teacher for the 2017-2018 school year,

and one of Lake Region’s paraprofessionals, Rose Daigle, was recognized by her peers as the Support

Staff Person of the Year. Congratulations to all for the individual, team, and school accomplishments, and

to the many whose names were not mentioned directly in the space above.

Lake Region experienced many notable staff changes during the course of the past year. It is with incredible

gratitude and appreciation that we acknowledge the retirements of Roland Woodard, Greg Hennemuth,

Tom Evans, Topher Waring, and Walter Earle. These long-time educators served a combined 170 years

as educators in Vermont, with most of them within the classrooms of Lake Region. Their contributions to

the students and to the Lake Region community spanned multiple generations and will not be forgotten

any time soon. We also said “good-bye” to two of our support staff employees as Sharon Patenaude

and Susan Harvey-Bingham retired in June, each with over twenty years of service to Lake Region. All

totaled, Lake Region hired eleven new people to ﬁll the numerous vacancies brought on by the retirements

and by other departures in at the end of the last school year: Kate Camara and Evan Gentler (LR Grad

’98) in English; Amanda Phillabaum and Luke Cochran in Mathematics; Drew Lemke and Josh

Hunt (LR Grad ’11) in Science; Malcolm Cheney in Social Studies; Adrienne D’Olimpio in World

Languages – Spanish; Anita Russell (LR Grad ’85) in Student Support Services; and Adam Rosen and

Sherry Girard ﬁlled vacancies in the Special Services department. In addition to these instructional staff

additions, Lake Region contracted with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department during the last school

year to bring a School Resource Ofﬁcer (SRO) to campus. Deputy Jesse Testut worked two days per

week for the remainder of the school year and we are pleased to have Deputy Testut in the building ﬁve

days per week this school year.

The School Board’s vision over recent years has been to incrementally utilize the school’s Capital Reserve

to upgrade the school’s systems without having to ask the community for more funds through a bond. We

have replaced all of the windows and doors, replaced all of the roof surfaces, upgraded the heating and

ventilation system, and upgraded the school’s security system. This year, we will upgrade our outdated

phone and communication system, replace the lower accessibility lift, and continue upgrades to our overall

security. A $25,000 grant from the State of Vermont will cover approximately forty percent of those costs.

Our greatest challenge as we “move forward” will be to continue to provide all of our students with a

quality and meaningful educational experience as the needs of our student population expands, while being

mindful of the increasing ﬁnancial pressures placed upon our community in all areas. The realities of global

economics, legislative unknowns, and shrinking monetary support from the state and federal governments

have us poised to make critical decisions about our programs. I believe that the FY’20 budget presented

to you reﬂects that challenge and the difﬁcult decisions before us. I am proud to tell people that I am the

principal of Lake Region Union High School, and I look forward to continuing to serve the community in

which I was born and raised. Lake Region Union High School has a rich history and is a source of great

pride for our greater community….to “Represent” the blue and white is a great honor and responsibility.

Respectfully Submitted,

Andre M. Messier

LAKE REGION UNION HIGH SCHOOL 2018-2019

LAKE REGION UNION HIGH SCHOOL

2018-2019

DEGREE EXPERIENCE SALARY BENEFITS

ADMINISTRATION

Andre Messier M 26 years $ 116,409.36 $ 36,751.34

Sharon Gonyaw M 20 years $ 86,112.00 $ 34,024.88

Timothy Chamberlin, Guidance M30 20 years $ 51,194.00 $ 8,496.15

Chris Wentworth, Athletics B15 2 years $ 10,800.00 $ 971.89

James Ingalls, Athletics B15 2 years $ 10,800.00 $ 971.89

ART

Stephanie Harper M15 8 years $ 50,143.00 $ 24,353.94

BUSINESS EDUCATION

Betsy Calhoun M30 17 years $ 59,022.00 $ 19,864.46

DRIVER EDUCATION

Chris Wentworth B15 18 years $ 51,622.00 $ 24,487.04

ELL

*Johanna Snedeker M 5 years $ 22,967.00 $ 2,106.80

ENGLISH

Amy Kelley, Dept. Chair M30 20 years $ 61,490.00 $ 5,871.57

Kate Camara B 8 years $ 42,743.00 $ 18,399.51

James Dam M30 14 years $ 53,820.00 $ 24,696.76

Evan Gentler M+30 12 years $ 55,054.00 $ 24,795.88

Tyler Perry B 0.5 years $ 19,520.50 $ 1,796.65

Justin Veysey M 11 years $ 50,870.00 $ 24,419.37

FOUNDATIONS

Mark Van Blunk (.5 LR- .5 SPED) B30 16 years $ 27,165.50 $ 9,741.16

GUIDANCE

Timothy Chamberlin M30 20 years $ 31,229.00 $ 6,705.75

Chastity Urie M 19 years $ 60,090.27 $ 5,459.54

HEALTH & FAMILY WELLNESS

Jodi Gonyaw-Worth M 25 years $ 60,742.00 $ 25,307.75

LANUGUAGES

Jennifer Bjurling M30 15 years $ 55,054.00 $ 12,691.44

Adrienne D’Olimpio M15 28 years $ 63,451.00 $ 25,551.53

LIBRARY

Faith Lucas B15 2 years $ 41,750.00 $ 18,310.15

MUSIC

Sara Doncaster Ph.D 17 years $ 60,598.04 $ 13,190.35

MEDIA

Richard Kelley M15 19 years $ 58,781.00 $ 25,131.28

DEGREE EXPERIENCE SALARY BENEFITS

MATHEMATICS

Kim Messier, Dept. Chair B30 24 years $ 60,767.00 $ 5,506.42

Michelle Badertscher B 18 years $ 52,856.00 $ 24,598.06

Luke Cochran M 6 years $ 45,934.00 $ 11,553.71

Amanda Phillabaum B 4.71 years $ 40,275.00 $ 3,664.35

William Tobin B30 23 years $ 58,033.00 $ 5,560.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Vincent Buttice B30 31.5 years $ 68,275.00 $ 6,482.15

James Ingalls B15 11.08 years $ 49,154.00 $ 24,264.94

SCIENCE

Laurie Wolff, Dept. Chair B15 29 years $ 61,760.00 $ 20,110.85

Joshua Hunt B 0 years $ 37,807.00 $ 8,190.45

Drew Lemke B 2 years $ 40,275.00 $ 11,361.48

Teresa Oughton B15 19 years $ 54,090.00 $ 12,604.69

Thomas Smith B30 29 years $ 61,375.00 $ 20,106.60

SOCIAL STUDIES

Christina Suarez, Dept. Chair M 15 years $ 53,604.00 $ 24,665.40

Malcolm Cheney B15 4 years $ 41,750.00 $ 15,939.88

Mary Farnsworth B15 5 years $ 41,750.00 $ 11,494.22

Johanna Pastel M 4.33 years $ 44,700.00 $ 23,864.13

Lee Penniman M15 17.5 years $ 57,281.00 $ 19,707.79

*SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

*Sherry Girard B15 28 years $ 12,254.35 $ 1,127.61

*Lawrence Hanover M30 14 years $ 55,054.00 $ 17,309.54

*Lisa Moulton B15 20 years $ 60,051.00 $ 13,176.92

*Adam Rosen M30 12 years $ 53,820.00 $ 24,678.80

*Mark Van Blunk (.5 LR- .5 SPED) B30 16 years $ 27,165.50 $ 9,729.79

VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE

Tim Gustafson-Byrne M 16 years $ 56,190.00 $ 19,609.61

AAC/504 COORDINATOR

Amanda Fortin M 7 years $ 48,668.00 $ 24,721.61

SCHOOL NURSE

*Elizabeth Bryant B 3.59 years $ 40,275.00 $ 11,352.74

STAFF NURSE

Jeanette Birch LPN 22.82 years $ 28,062.75 $ 23,524.53

LIBRARY ASSISTANT

Daniel Krushat B 1 years $ 19,254.38 $ 10,264.08

WORK-BASED LEARNING

Sally Rivard 34.5 years $ 29,950.00 $ 2,735.20

Please note:

*OCSU employee assigned to LRUHS

Certiﬁed staff - years “experience” teaching

Non-certiﬁed staff - years “experience” employed by OCSU district

During the 2017-2018 school year, there were 0 out of 35 teachers (0%) teaching under emergency licenses.

EXPERIENCE SALARY BENEFITS

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE MANAGER

Tami Wesoja 19 years $ 43,942.00 $ 22,421.69

REGISTRAR

Erica Ingalls 5 years $ 36,129.60 $ 5,079.73

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARIES

Barbara Limoge-King 8 years $ 31,570.00 $ 18,696.32

Kathy McCoy 7 years $ 24,609.60 $ 23,071.34

COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATOR

Sara Elliott 4.5 years $ 15,071.00 $ 1,390.36

PARA EDUCATORS

Anita Russell 19 years $ 20,671.88 $ 22,554.55

*Julie Ashworth 10 years $ 30,208.94 $ 18,506.93

*Yvette Bathalon 9 years $ 19,624.50 $ 17,115.71

*Laurie Boynton 0 years $ 9,200.00 $ 8,929.58

*Rose Daigle 5 years $ 22,319.50 $ 17,469.94

*Adam Guyette 0 years $ 16,415.00 $ 2,180.79

*Linda Lavalle 19 years $ 26,656.00 $ 11,224.00

*Bruce Leonard 6 years $ 26,190.50 $ 11,162.81

*Lucie Morley 21 years $ 19,281.50 $ 17,070.63

*Terry Royston 15 years $ 23,079.00 $ 10,753.84

*Pamela Viens 17 years $ 20,004.25 $ 10,349.69

FOOD SERVICE PERSONNEL

Nicole Libby, Food Service Director 12 years $ 27,830.88 $ 23,473.88

Judy Conley 29 years $ 18,070.50 $ 16,917.59

Marian Fontecha (part-time) 2.25 years $ 7,544.25 $ 697.78

Valerie Young 25 years $ 18,070.50 $ 16,924.64

CUSTODIANS

Patrick Chandler, Head Custodian 3 years $ 44,345.60 $ 13,539.76

Norman Bent (part-time) 17 years $ 17,139.20 $ 1,582.36

Karl Fontaine 2.5 years $ 26,167.44 $ 17,988.62

Robert Judd 7 years $ 65,540.80 $ 23,154.64

Edward Stevens 12 years $ 34,752.64 $ 19,114.01

Please note:

*OCSU employee assigned to LRUHS

Certified staff - years “experience” teaching

Non-certified staff - years “experience” employed by OCSU district

During the 2017-2018 school year, there were 0 out of 35 teachers (0%) teaching under emergency licenses.

LAKE REGION UNION HIGH SCHOOL

GUIDANCE REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 2018

This annual proﬁle is a compilation and summary of important indicators that provide a comprehensive

picture of the level of success of the educational programs at Lake Region Union High School.

ORLEANS CENTRAL SUPERVISORY UNION PERCENTAGE OF DAILY ATTENDANCE (2017-18)

Albany............................................................. 94%

Barton............................................................. 94%

Brownington................................................... 94%

Glover............................................................. 96%

Irasburg........................................................... 94%

Orleans............................................................ 95%

Lake Region.................................................... 94%

Supervisory Union Average......................................... 95%

*Sixty-seven percent of the students in the graduating class of 2018 chose to continue their education

immediately after high school.

*Twenty-three and a quarter credits are needed to meet Lake Region’s graduation requirements. The

average number of credits earned by graduates in the class of 2018 was 25.

*Forty-one students in grades 11 through 12 were enrolled in 3 credit Vocational/Technical courses

offered through the North Country Career Center during the 2017-18 school year.

*Lake Region works in collaboration with the Upward Bound Program based at Lyndon State College.

This program nurtures and supports ﬁrst generation college-bound students. Nine students participated

during the 2017-2018 school year.

*Lake Region also works in collaboration with the VSAC Outreach Program. This program provides

placement and ﬁnancial information for ﬁrst generation college-bound students. Thirty-two students

participated during the 2017-2018 school year.

*Percentage of graduates from the class of 2018 who took the following College Preparatory (Honors)

courses:

(H) Algebra I 23% (H) Earth Science 23% (H)

World History

43% (H) English 9 43%

(H) Geometry 38% (H) Biology 23% (H) US History 30% (H) English 10 38%

(H) Algebra II 49% (H) Chemistry 28% (H) Global Cit. 14% English Lit. I & II 21%

Pre-Calculus 51% Anatomy/Physics 16% (H)

Sci. Elec. Veh.

4% Adv. Comp. I 26%

French I 21% French II 17% French III 15% French IV 5%

Spanish I 38% Spanish II 31% Spanish III 11% Spanish IV 2%

*The table on the next page shows the AP courses offered at Lake Region Union High School.

*During the 2017-2018 school year a total of forty-four students completed Advanced Placement (AP) exams.

There were nineteen seniors and twenty-ﬁve juniors who completed a total of 85 exams.

*Students enrolled in AP courses and total taking AP Exams in 2017-18, and students enrolled in AP courses in

2018-19 are as follows:

Course School Year AP Students Students # is exam score

Enrolled # Taking Exam #

English/Lang. 2018-19 20

& Composition 2017-18 19 19 5 - one student

4 - ﬁve students

3 - six students

2 - seven students

English/Lit. 2018-19 9

& Composition 2017-18 7 6 5 - one students

3 - four students

2 - one students

Psychology 2018-19 37

2017-18 21 15 4 - three students

2 - ﬁve students

1 - seven students

U.S. Government 2018-19 0

2017-18 11 11 3 - ﬁve students

2 - two students

1 - four students

Calculus 2018-19 11

2017-18 11 5 5 - one student

3 - one student

2 - two students

1 -one student

Statistics 2018-19 16

2017-18 29 22 4 - three students

3 - ninestudent

2 - nine students

1 - one student

Biology 2018-19 10

2017-18 6 6 3 - two students

2 - three students

Physics 2018-19 11

2017-18 14 1 1 - one student

Music Theory 2018-19 0

2017-18 1 0

*Cohort Graduation and Drop-out rates are a culmination of four years of data collected by the Agency of Education, as

they track a group of students from the time they enter ninth grade until the end of their fourth year of high school.

Students who would be counted as “Non-Graduation completers” or “Drop-outs” are for example:

•Studentsonastate-approvedextendedyear(s)graduationplan

•Studentswhoun-enrollfromLakeRegionandenteranotherstate-approvedalternativeeducationprogram

*see tables below:

4-year Cohort

DROP-OUT RATE

Lake Region

Vermont

2016-2017

2015-2016

18%

2014-2015

17%

2013-2014

2012-2013

14%

10%

4-year Cohort

GRADUATION RATE

Lake Region

Vermont

2016-2017

91%

89%

2015-2016

74%

88%

2014-2015

82%

88%

2013-2014

90%

88%

2012-2013

86%

87%

LAKE REGION UNION HIGH SCHOOL

CONTINUED FORMAL EDUCATION

CLASS OF 2018

FOUR YEAR INSTITUTIONS IN VERMONT

Castleton University 1

Champlain College 1

Northern Vermont University 6

Saint Michael’s College 2

Southern Vermont College 2

University of Vermont 4

Vermont Technical College (4 year) 3

TWO YEAR OR TECHNICAL COLLEGE OR TRAINING PROGRAM

Community College of Vermont 10

Herkimer Community College 1

White Mountains Comm. College 1

Word of Life Bible Institute 1

Police Academy 1

OUT OF STATE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES

OUT OF STATE COLLEGES/UNIVERISITIES

American International College 1

Boston University 1

Clarkson University 1

Colorado School of Mines 1

Husson University 1

Johnson & Wales University 2

Kansas State University 1

Montclair State University 1

New England Conservatory of Music 1

Thomas College 1

University of Colorado-Boulder 1

University of Maine-Orono 2

University of Mass. – Dartmouth 1

University of New England 1

University of New Hampshire 1

University of Northwestern Ohio 3

University of Southern Maine 2

Wentworth Institute of Technology 1

MILITARY 3

WORKING 22

TOTAL 83

COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM RESULTS

The spring of 2018 marked another signiﬁcant transition in Vermont’s Comprehensive Assessment

System. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), which has been administered to 11

grade students for the past three years, was administered to 9

grade students. The SBAC test, which

is aligned to the Common Core, is designed to assess student’s knowledge in the areas of English

Language Arts (ELA – Reading & Writing) and mathematics. In Science, a new assessment aligned

with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) was piloted with the 11

grade students with

a plan for full implementation scheduled for May, 2019. (Note: Because it was a pilot, no results

were released to individual schools.) New to the state’s comprehensive assessment system will be the

FitnessGram, which will measure the physical ﬁtness of our students. This was also piloted this past

year and will be administered in ofﬁcial capacity to 9th grade students in the spring months of 2019.

Achievement level results from the state’s Comprehensive Assessment System are used primarily for

school improvement and accountability. More detailed school and district results are used by schools

to help improve curriculum and instruction. Individual student results are used to support information

gathered through classroom instruction and assessments.

The overall report provided to Lake Region contains a variety of school and comparative state-level

assessment results for the SBAC tests administered to grade 9 students (Class of 2021 - The current

school year’s sophomores). Achievement level distributions and mean scaled scores are provided for all

students tested as well as for subgroups of students classiﬁed by demographics or program participation.

At this point, Lake Region Union High School has received its SBAC results from the spring 2018 tests

administered to the 9

grade students, however, the results are still embargoed by the state. We can

report that the percentage of Lake Region’s 9

grade students meeting or exceeding the standard in both

ELA and mathematics was higher than the overall percentage across Vermont. As mentioned above,

there were no results released for the science or physical ﬁtness assessments given in 2018 because the

assessments were pilots and had not been validated or benchmarked by the state.

Level 4 students have exceeded the achievement standards and have demonstrated the knowledge

and skills in the tested areas needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework

after high school.

Level 3 students have met the achievement standards and have demonstrated progress towards

attaining and mastering the knowledge and skills in the tested areas needed for likely success in entry-

level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.

Level 2 students have nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to

demonstrate the knowledge and skills in the tested area for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing

college coursework after high school.

Level 1 performance indicates a minimal response/ability to perform tasks with grade-appropriate

materials and indicates that they need substantial improvement before likely success in entry-level

credit-bearing college coursework after high school.

Note: We recognize that each class of students is unique and comparing results from other classes

can sometimes be misleading and must be done with caution. This was the 1st year that the Smarter

Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) was used to assess our 9th grade student’s knowledge of the

Common Core. The data received provided us with some comparative data with respect to other schools

across Vermont as well as other states. We look forward to receiving results in future years from the

SBAC assessment, analyzing the data, and evaluating the effectiveness of changes made to curriculum

and instructional/assessment strategies. The Lake Region faculty and administration are committed to

continue taking strides to improve the quality of instruction and of content to move our students further.

ART DEPARTMENT

STEPHANIE HARPER, TEACHER

The art department is soaring with student participation and creativity again this year. Stephanie Harper

has had to add extra stools in her classroom to accommodate her growing number of students, which

she is thrilled about! She is also happy to announce the start of the Kindness Rocks Project at Lake

Region. On Freshman Day this year, students began painting inspirational rocks and since then other

students and staff have been adding to them. The project is displayed in the roundabout at the front

entrance of the school. Its goal is to spread kindness throughout the community in an artistic way.

Anyone is invited and encouraged to participate. For more information on the project visit https://www.

thekindnessrocksproject.com/.

Currently in art classes, students are busy working on projects that are personal, fun, creative and

connected to the National Art Standards and Lake Region’s LRfolio requirements. Students are building

their drawing and painting skills, sculpting skills, photography skills and their critical thinking and

problem solving skills through various hands on projects. Mrs. Harper is always coming up with new

innovative way for the students to create. Something new that she is excited about implementing this

year is the Pinbox 3000 project. This is a STEAM powered project that encourages innovation and

creativity while promoting teamwork, as students work together in designing & constructing their own

pinball games. This was an idea that Mrs. Harper and her students got after visiting the Stowe Arts and

Crafts Festival this fall.

In addition to visiting the crafts festival, students had the opportunity to tour the West Branch Sculpture

Park & Gallery where they analyzed and evaluated a variety of artworks. For some students this was their

ﬁrst time ever visiting an art gallery, so it was a “real world” experience for them. Their big takeaway

from the day was that artists really can make money and become successful for their art. Many found

it inspiring. Mrs. Harper is hoping to offer more ﬁeld trip opportunities like this throughout the year.

Another new learning opportunity that she gave her photography students this year was a fall photoshoot

scavenger hunt at the Newport Waterfront. Mrs. Harper wanted her students to be able to capture a

variety of subject matter in a location that they may not go to on their own. Students learned how to

manipulate the settings on a 35mm black and white ﬁlm camera to produce images that they later

developed on their own in the darkroom.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

AMANDA FORTIN, ACADEMIC SUPPORT SUPERVISOR

Academic Support is open to all students who need assistance to improve their study skills or extra

assistance with academic concepts. Academic support is a component of the Title 1 school-wide program

and serves students during their scheduled study halls. Two teaching professionals are currently serving

grades 9-12.

ENSURING 504 CIVIL RIGHTS

AMANDA FORTIN, 504 CASE MANAGER

The goal of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is to eliminate discrimination on the basis of

disabilities in programs or activities that receive federal money. Disabilities include, but are not limited

to, long-term medical conditions, learning disabilities, and emotional illnesses. If the impairment

“substantially limits one or more major life activities,” the individual is entitled to accommodations

so that he/she may access that activity. For example, if a student has a learning disability, but is not

eligible for special education, he/she may still be eligible for accommodations that would allow him/

her to access learning in the classroom.

BUSINESS DEPARTMENT

BETSY CALHOUN, FBLA ADVISOR, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

“It’s vital that our students are able to navigate the digital world and engage as 21st century

citizens”. P21Learning (Partnership for 21st Century Learning)

TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

The Technology Applications course continues to ask our students to demonstrate proﬁciency with

transferable skills (File Management, Keyboarding, Word Processing, Presentation, and Spreadsheets)

in a Microsoft Ofﬁce simulated environment called SAM 2016 (Skills Assessment Manager). The

self-paced, blended learning environment promotes the development of a growth mindset as students

complete a series of trainings, assessments and project applications.

ACCOUNTING

We have an agreement with the Community College of Vermont that allows our Lake Region Accounting

students to earn 3 college credits while in high school if we have at least ﬁve students enrolled in the

semester. Students in small schools like ours beneﬁt from easy access to a college course built into

the school day, but we’ve struggled to meet the minimum enrollment.

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA

The 2018-2019 LR FBLA Ofﬁcer Team is led by the Co-Presidents: AJay Warner & Taylor Lane. Ella

Stevens is serving as our Vice President, Katherine Pion works as our Secretary, Sam Heinrichs and

Melina Hapgood are teaming up as our Reporter and Historian, our Co-Treasurers are Noah Hill &

Richard Davignon, and Tory Mason keeps order as our Parliamentarian.

Lake Region is proud to have 3 students step up to work on the Vermont State Ofﬁcer Team this fall:

AJay Warner as VT FBLA Historian, Taylor Lane as VT FBLA Treasurer, and Katherine Pion as the VT

FBLA Reporter for the 2018-2019 school year. Our FBLA chapter continues our mission of service,

education, and progress through holding bi-annual Blood Drives networking with the American Red

Cross, holding a DIME WAR in support of the March of Dimes mission, and organizing two major

full marketing projects (Fall Apple Project & Winter Fudge Project). We expect to have a very strong

showing at the VT FBLA Spring Leadership Conference at Lake Morey in March with membership

increasing monthly. Eight students attended the National Fall Leadership Conference in Albuquerque,

New Mexico in November, and returned ready to participate fully in all Vermont FBLA activities,

including the summer National competitions in San Antonio next summer.

CCV - Introduction to College & Careers

I’ve been teaching the CCV free, non-credit Introduction to College & Careers (ICC) course for high

school students for over ten years. ICC prepares students for college by helping them set goals, problem-

solve, manage time and stress, improve communication skills, take better notes, reduce test anxiety,

and plan ﬁnancially. This fall, we are piloting the course within the school day with 8 students, hoping

to remove barriers that prevent students from attending after school (transportation, sports, jobs, and

other family commitments).

In the past couple years, students have shown an increased interest in the return of the Community Art

Club, and Mrs. Harper is happy to share that it is ﬁnally back up and running. So far, students have

earned community service hours for face painting, mural painting, and making photo booth props for

the haunted forest. Holiday window painting and other community activities are to come.

The Lake Region Student Art Show is scheduled to take place on May 10th thru 17th. By request, this

year it is planned to be open for a full week to allow the public more time to view the show. Last year,

Mrs. Harper bussed her students over to see their work in the show. She also had her students and the

public serve as judges for various themed art awards, which she plans to do again this year.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM

SARAH ELLIOTT, COORDINATOR

Civic responsibility is something many community members are currently discussing as it pertains

to the current events of our nation. We are facing changes at many levels and our small, tight-knit

community can beneﬁt the most by standing by and supporting one another through this time. A big

part of this is role-modeling for our young adults what it means to be a responsible citizen, and in turn,

our young adults become role-models for the children who see them. Volunteering is a great way to

become actively involved in your community and to make a difference in the world around you.

There is a story I share sometimes with students about an older gentleman picking up starﬁsh and

throwing them into the ocean. A person comes along and says he isn’t making much of a difference

because there are still hundreds on the shore. He picked one more up, threw it in and said “it made a

difference to that one”. We need to remember we are all working together on this Earth and it is our

job to keep it a safe, sustainable place for the future generations. Many students are not exposed to

volunteer work and therefore do not understand the value in helping fellow citizens, so by modeling

behavior we can change the feeling over time— and maybe make a difference for that one person!

Our students here at Lake Region are doing just this– from volunteering at staple non-proﬁts such as

the Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Shelter, local libraries, elementary schools and ﬁre departments

to assisting local historical societies in cleaning up cemeteries, helping local Veterans, and being camp

counselors for a variety of local summer camps. Our community should be extremely proud of the

work that our students are doing to make this a better place for themselves and the people around them.

It is incredible that each year our school of roughly 350-400 students complete almost 10,000 hours of

volunteer work in the community, and this is just documented hours that are turned in!

For the second year in a row the Student Leadership Council worked with Ms. Elliott to host the

“Haunted Forest”, which this year was moved inside to be a “Haunted School”, and was a great success

once again despite the weather. We partnered with local parent’s clubs to host a “Trunk or Treat”

event concurrently, making it a family-friendly, Halloween event and hopeful yearly tradition for our

community. This coming winter and spring, Ms. Elliott will be visiting 8th grades in the area to talk

about community service and begin the conversation about the requirement for Lake Region credit.

Students are able to start their hours after they have graduated from the 8th grade, and the past few

years have shown an increase in students being ﬁnished their requirement far before their senior year,

if they had started as soon as they were able to. This also allows for students to earn additional credits

in community service, and to document far more than the required 80 hours, which looks great on

college and work resumés and applications.

DRIVER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

CHRISTOPHER WENTWORTH, TEACHER

The Lake Region Drivers Education program is based on the state guidelines outlined by the Vermont Driver

Education and Trafﬁc Safety Association to deliver a quality driver education program for our students.

The class is delivered in two phases: classroom and in-car instruction. Concepts that are introduced and

learned in the classroom are then reinforced in the car. A combination of driving practices, laws, visual

techniques and skills are learned. These concepts help the students reduce the risk of the driving task and

also prepare them for the state driver license exam.

Students are taught that driving is the most high-risk daily activity that the majority of us face in our lives.

The Zone Control Driving System is used as the basis to teach student drivers to reduce or eliminate as

many risk factors as possible in their driving and situations they face on the road. For example, we cannot

eliminate snow/ice on the roadway at times but we can reduce the risk by having good winter tires and

slowing our speed in those conditions.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

AMY KELLEY, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The members of the English Department welcome veteran teachers Kate Camara and Evan Gentler to their

ranks. Mrs. Camara taught, most recently, in the Alternative Program for the North Country Schools, while

Mr. Gentler left a position at Charleston Elementary School to join us. We consider ourselves fortunate

to have secured such talented teachers for our school. Enthusiasm and camaraderie drive our work as a

team. Thoughtful collaboration makes for a lively environment in which both students and their teachers

continue to learn and to build essential skills.

In classes throughout the English department, students strive both to meet department-wide proﬁciency

goals and to achieve the school’s learning expectations while reading and responding to texts that challenge

them to ask good questions and to engage with big ideas that cross disciplinary boundaries.

Our goal as a department is to ensure that students graduate from high school well prepared for the

demands of career and college. We are happy to report that Lake Region students continue to meet (and

exceed) expectations. Students consistently score well above the state average on the English Language

Arts component of the required SBAC test, and students enrolled in two Advanced Placement classes

(Language and Composition, Literature and Composition) score well above the national average on the

difﬁcult assessments aligned with these courses.

Despite our students’ success, we have not rested on our laurels. The English Department continues to

review its department-wide proﬁciency expectations in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language (grammar

study and vocabulary acquisition), and Speaking and Listening. Collegial debate about what students

should know and be able to do drives these conversations. We have approached these and other revisions to

our program with care and consideration. We teach directly to these proﬁciency statements, ensuring that

students are well versed in literature, but also well equipped to read critically, to participate thoughtfully

in discussions, and to express themselves effectively in writing. Students who are comfortable unpacking

complex texts and engaging in debate are well-prepared for a wide range of post-graduate options. We

provide students with daily opportunities to read, to write, to converse, and to think their way through

increasingly complex questions in an effort to ensure that students graduate prepared to continue learning

and to participate actively in their communities.

While teachers continue to honor the classics, students have access to a wider variety of texts than ever

before and can elect to enroll in several new courses. These classes, offered in response to student survey

data, reﬂect our commitment to supporting students in personalizing their education. Survival Stories and

War Stories are popular options, as is the Song Lyrics course. A new class, Dramatic Literature, challenges

students to manage complex text without beneﬁt of a narrator and to write their own one-act plays. We

strive to provide all students with opportunities to make meaning out of texts they ﬁnd engaging, keeping

the curriculum fresh and relevant while promoting cultural literacy at the same time.

Classroom instruction will include lectures, a library project, and the Drive Right textbook. Guest speakers,

videos, Prezi presentations, and the state curriculum powerpoints drive classroom instructional lessons. The

students will have a chance to hear from guest presenters and a Texting While Driving Simulator provided

by the Orleans County Sheriffs Ofﬁce. DVR Video Recording is available to enhance in the car instruction

and provide students the opportunity to document work in their LRFolio. Students are required to attend

30 hours in the classroom, drive six hours with the instructor and observe another student driving for six

hours. A minimum of 8 of the 30 hours of instruction is on the Deadly D’s (Drunk, Drugged, Drowsy, and

Distracted Driving). This is the minimum requirement in the state of Vermont. Students must pass the

class with and 80% average and also pass the ﬁnal exam with no less than an 80%.

FAMILY HEALTH & WELLNESS DEPARTMENT

JODI GONYAW-WORTH, TEACHER

All ninth-grade students take one semester of Health Education. The focus on the course is on developing

skills that maintain and enhance one’s wellness. Students engage in activities and projects that analyze

their own personal health habits. They practice problem-solving, decision-making, goal-setting, and other

skills that apply to the topics covered. These units include body systems, disease prevention, nutrition,

sexuality, substance abuse prevention, ﬁrst aid and safety, mental and social health and aging. Some class

projects include restaurant food analysis, mental health research, personal stress management plans and

designing health-oriented community events. Activities and assessments include practical application of

the wellness skills to real life scenarios.

Personal Wellness is an elective course available to students in grades 10-12 that focuses on ﬁtness,

independent living skills, career readiness and exploration, ﬁnancial literacy, nutrition, stress management,

emotional well-being, social health, health care and safety. Students usually exercise two days a week and

can earn physical education hours from the course. Students choose ﬁtness activities to host which has

included yoga, tai-chi, Zumba, nature walking, working out in the weight room, exercise videos, dance, and

some team sports. Class activities include designing affordable healthy meals, creating a budget, writing

cover letters and resumes, participating in mock interviews, understanding taxes and health insurance,

managing one’s own health care, researching and creating presentations on stress management, managing

anxiety and depression, and maintaining healthy relationships, as well as creating individual ﬁtness goals

and plans.

FOUNDATIONS PROGRAM

MARK VAN BLUNK, DIRECTOR/SPECIAL EDUCATOR

The Foundations Program is an alternative educational experience housed in the “Wood Shop” of the

Lake Region Union High School building. The program is designed to serve a small number of mostly

Special Education students with emotional needs and other at risk behaviors. There is support provided

by a Home School Coordinator and the School Based Clinician as well as the Director and Special

Educator and Para-Educators to work on student needs. Highly qualiﬁed licensed teachers work with the

students in all core subject areas. The students also receive Art, Physical Education, Cooking and Team

Building classes. They learn how to advocate for themselves and have empathy for others. Many of the

projects and units are based on hands on, highly interactive experiences. Some things we have worked on

are: building the foundation for the snack shack near the soccer ﬁeld, making wreaths for the holidays,

building tools and a tool box for each student, making coat racks and coffee tables, wooden burl bowls,

an aqua-phonics garden with tilapia ﬁsh and supplied the cafeteria with lettuce, cooking holiday feasts,

The English Department continues to provide opportunities for students to expand their horizons and

develop their skills in venues outside the classroom as well. Students represent Lake Region well in

Poetry Out Loud, an annual recitation competition, and enjoy opportunities to publish their creative work.

Guest speakers and published authors share their knowledge and expertise. We hope to travel this next

semester, enabling students to attend live theatrical productions and thus to connect the page to the stage.

We continue to update classrooms, too, providing students with comfortable, friendly spaces in which to

learn. We are grateful for the community’s support of these endeavors.

Finally, the English Department is pleased to announce that several members of the Class of 2019

have earned membership in the English Honors Society. Zachary Barrup, Isaiah Braithwaite, Shawna

Columbia, Brookelynne Conley, Sam Heinrichs, Abbygale Karlen, Adam Kruszyna, Amanda Mason, John

Matthews, Addie Poginy, Jacob Richardson, Ajay Warner, and Mackenzie Young are the English Honors

Society’s newest members. We applaud their diligence and enthusiasm and respect their achievements.

Congratulations to these talented young people!

GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

TIMOTHY CHAMBERLIN, DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING SERVICES

CHASTITY URIE, SCHOOL COUNSELOR

The School Counseling Department offers comprehensive guidance and counseling services focused on

college and career readiness for Lake Region students. All students use online “Family Connections”

accounts to guide them in their four-year course planning, post-secondary planning, and college application

admissions processes.

At Lake Region we are committed to personalized learning opportunities for all students. Students draft

Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs) with their advisors, who guide them through the process. We hope

to empower students to follow their interests and create their own learning opportunities as they meet the

graduation requirements and prepare for life after high school. Our objective is to help students learn to

set goals and reﬂect on their learning while making choices based on their plans for the future.

This is the second year Sally Rivard has been a part of the School Counseling team, assisting me with the

supervision of Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs). The students are guided in aligning their ELO

with LRfolio expectations and their Personalized Learning Plan (PLP), which allows students to pursue

their personal interests in an atmosphere of “supported independence.” ELOs feature a personalized learning

planning process that offers students other high-quality educational experiences, creating opportunities for

students to pursue ﬂexible pathways to graduation, documented through evidence aligned with LRfolio

Graduation Proﬁciencies. Following are two examples of ELOs.

Work-Based Learning (WBL) experiences allow students to engage in college and career planning based

on a speciﬁc career interest. Pre-employment skills, such as job searching, resume and cover letter writing,

interviewing, and appropriate workplace behavior, as well as communication, self-reﬂection, leadership

and problem-solving skills are emphasized prior to and during the workplace experience.

Independent Learning Opportunities (ILOs) are a way for students to personalize their proﬁciency-based

learning. Working alongside teachers, school counselors, and other supportive adults, students assume

increased responsibility for their education, designing their own pathways to learning and identifying the

strategies for leaning and evidence of growth.

In all Expanded Learning Opportunities, growth mindset, habits of work, and motivation are key to student

success. These opportunities are currently available to any Junior or Senior.

From the Class of 2018, sixty-nine percent of the seniors indicated that they would continue their education

in a post-secondary education or career training program in the Fall of 2018. Please contact Timothy

Chamberlin at 754-2500 x315, Chastity Urie at x314, Barbara Limoge-King at x316, or Sally Rivard at

754-2500 if you have any questions.

reﬁnishing the picnic tables, constructing locker cubbies for the Irasburg Village School, rebuilt the sign

for the Barton Legion Post, cleaning up historical cemeteries in Glover from the 1800s and made the sign

in boxes for the community to use at those cemeteries as well as other small projects around school. Last

school year we made a solar panel to investigate the possibility of using solar energy to provide heat to

the Lake Region School building. The solar panels are now heating the LR greenhouse many more great

ideas are coming for the future of Foundations.

The expectation of the program is that students learn the skills and supports needed to transition to the

traditional classroom experience. Students can access parts of the program or be supported throughout

their day. There are summer services available to continue support and maintain academics. The students

have shared meals and worked together to build an atmosphere of family and professionalism as they work

through their high school years.

HEALTH SERVICES

ELIZABETH BRYANT, RN

JEANNETTE BIRCH, LPN

Lake Region Union High School employs 2 nurses to provide school health services to our students, staff

and communities.

Our responsibilities:

• Assessment,treatment,management,anddocumentationofacuteillnessesandinjuries,andchronic

diseases.

• Administrationofregularlyscheduledandasneeded(PRN)medications.

• Developingandimplementingindividualhealthcare/emergencymedicalplansforstudentswithhealth

challenges.

• Maintainingandupdating studenthealthrecordsandreviewingthemforcompliancewithVermont

immunization requirements

• Annualvisionscreeningsforstudentsingrades9&12andforotherstudentsasneeded.

• Hearingscreeningsasneeded.

• ProvidinginputonstudenthealthissuesinIEP,504andotherstudentfocusedteammeetings.

• Promotingandimplementinginfectious/communicablediseasecontrolmeasures

• Completingandsubmittingstatereportsonimmunizations,healthscreenings,medicalhomes,dental/

well child visits, and insurance status

• CodingforMAC(MedicaidAdministrativeClaiming)reimbursementstothesupervisoryunion.

• Actingasresourcetotheschoolcommunityandliaisontoareahealthcareproviders.

• Maintainingtheschool’sAED.

• Developingandmaintainingtheschool’srstaidkitsforemergencypreparednessneeds.

• Maintaining/providingspaceforbreast-feedingmothersasabreastfeedingfriendlyemployer.

Our Staff:

• Elizabeth Bryant, RN; a 1.0 FTE licensed associate school nurse, is OCSU’s coordinator of school

health services, providing nursing leadership within OCSU and consulting with the superintendent on

health issues. She also provides nursing services at Orleans Elementary School and LRUHS, as well as

nursing supervision at Barton and Lake Region.

• Jeannette Birch, LPN, a 0.8 FTE staff nurse, works with Ms. Bryant to provide nursing services to

Lake Region students. She also collaborates with LRUHS Health Teacher to provide personalized drug

awareness in the classroom. Additionally, she is the ﬁrst aid coach for

We have continued utilizing our electronic health records to provide data for quarterly health ofﬁce activity

reports. The following is the total health ofﬁce activity in LRUHS for the 2016-2017 school year.

Health Ofﬁce Dispositions: Referral/ Collaboration:

Health Ofﬁce Visits ....................2919 Medical/Dental ........................... 303

Illness .........................................2239 In school ..................................... 360

Injury .......................................... 466 Parent/Family Contact ................ 705

Other .......................................... 234

Daily Medications ...................... 776 Dismissals:

PRN Medications .......................1474 Back to Class ..............................2683

Treatments ..................................2750 Home .......................................... 151

Screenings .................................. 229 Emergency Transport ................. 1

LRUHS as part of the supervisory union meet half a day each month with fellow OCSU nurses as a

Professional Learning Community (PLC) to gain new knowledge /skills, share concerns, educational

experiences and ideas to improve our school nursing practices. This creates a network of professional

support which can be accessed any time by phone or email, which is critical, as school nurses work

independently.

INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS

JAMES INGALLS, ATHLETIC CO-DIRECTOR

CHRIS WENTWORTH, ATHLETIC CO-DIRECTOR

Lake Region Athletics completed another solid year in the 2017-18 seasons. This included two State

Championships and a couple of State Runners Up.

In the fall of last year our boys’ soccer team was able to again compile an impressive regular season record

and secure a high seed in the tournament to attempt to defend their State Championship from the year

before. In the end they were able to ﬁnish their season with another hard fought State Championship, going

Back to Back. The girls soccer team battled hard all season as they continue to build for the future. Our

cross country teams had another year of increasing numbers and results. The golf season was moved to the

fall semester for the ﬁrst time and saw both our Boys and Girls teams have successful seasons including

both ending the year as State Runners Up.

The winter season looked to build on the excitement and solid results from our fall teams. Our girls and boys

basketball team both took on the challenge of moving to the Capital League and had solid regular season

records and made good runs in the playoffs. Both programs were able to place people on the State All Star

teams and have solid showings in those games. Wrestling struggled to maintain overall participant numbers

but achieved individual success as Josh Roberts ﬁnished State Runner Up in the 138 pound weight class.

Finishing off our year in a strong fashion were our spring sports. Softball had a solid season and showed

great improvement as individuals and a team throughout the year. Track and Field had excellent participation

numbers and had very competitive results in the meets and state meet. Girls Tennis again worked hard

and are looking to build the program to new heights over the next few years. Baseball had a good regular

season with some nice wins. The last few regular season baseball games the team seemed to really come

together in preparation for a strong post season run. They were able to defy the odds and pull out an

extremely hard fought win in the State Championship game. Deﬁnitely an amazing way to ﬁnish out our

athletic year here at Lake Region.

Overall it was a very successful year for LR Athletics and we are very proud of how all of our student athletes

competed and represented Lake Region Union High School. Many senior student athletes received some

type of scholarship toward college during awards night. We commend the coaches and volunteer coaches

for their dedication and not only teaching our athletes how to play the game, but also the importance of the

classroom, character and sportsmanship. Thank you for your continued support of Lake Region Athletics.

LIBRARY/MEDIA DEPARTMENT

FAITH LUCAS, SCHOOL LIBRARIAN

DANIEL KRUSHAT, LIBRARY ASSISTANT

Faith Lucas continues as School Librarian this year. She is busy learning new strategies to market

library programs and services to students in an effort to boost the circulation of library materials and

the focused use of library facilities.

Daniel Krushat continues to serve as the Assistant Librarian. Daniel is returning for his second year

as the Library assistant to Faith. He moved to the Northeast Kingdom from Connecticut after attaining

his degree in English Literature from Elmira College. He was born and grew up outside Baltimore,

Maryland, and is happy to be experiencing Vermont’s unique four seasons; summer, early winter, winter,

and late winter. He loves working at Lake Region and hopes to keep supporting students and staff to

provide a better environment for all to learn and grow.

Each year we review our resources and assess our inventory to determine the demand for new and updated

resources that meet students’ needs. The demand for audiobooks continues to rise. The library meets

this need by providing students and staff with supports through Audible and the library’s collection of

Kindles. We accommodate requests quickly, ensuring that students have access to the resources they

need in order to succeed. As a result of the increased demand for electronic materials, we have increased

our holdings. The library currently loans out more than thirty e-reader devices through which students

can enjoy 770 titles. The library supplies the newest Kindle Fires, which allow the librarians to monitor

student use of these devices. These devices partner effectively with Audible ﬁles, enabling students to

read with ease.

To encourage reading among our students, the Reading Rewards Program will continue this year with

prizes, including Subway gift cards, a Parker Pie pizza, City Cinema movie tickets, and Kindle Fire

readers. Rewards are based on the number of pages read, which are tracked on a Reading Log. Readers

have until the end of the current school year to reach their page count, collect their prizes, and develop

their life long reading skills.

With the help of students, the library is also creating a variety of ways to display our many just-released

hardbound books to lure and entice readers, both old and new. We have voice 15 voice recorders, 4

digital cameras, and 15 headphones, which are available for students to borrow.

The library is a hive of activity —during some periods there may be 40 to 50 students sharing this space.

The library space has become a student friendly learning space especially during the lunch periods. The

space is a quiet study area where students work on homework individually or in groups on homework

or projects. Students are able to do research, homework, read, or just relax.

Our 16 laptops and 16 desktops are in constant rotation throughout the day! The library team is able

to assist with student computer login or password issues. If there is something we are not able to help

with we can connect students or staff to the Wildbranch Tech Team.

Solving the “Riddle of the Day” has become quite popular amongst staff and students. We are not sure

what they enjoy more--solving the riddle or getting a sweet treat! Students also may just come in for a

great read, a space to work or relax, and some might just want to say hello to the Library Team.

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

KIM MESSIER, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The math department returns the mathematics team of Michelle Badertscher, Kim Messier, Amanda

Phillabaum, and Bill Tobin. And we are happy to be joined this year by Luke Cochran who comes to us

from UCA.

Mathematics is a key component of the Lake Region Union High School action plan. One key area of

focus is preparing students for the mathematics portion of the SBAC Common Core Standards Test which

is now given to all students during the spring of their Freshman year. The scores from the spring 2018

administration of the SBAC showed that Lake Region students again scored higher than the Vermont State

average in mathematics. Strategies for continued improvement include administering review and practice

problems, dual math requirements for sophomore students below grade level, the Jr/Sr Core Math class,

and the utilization of a mastery learning concept across the department. Math teachers will continue to

implement mathematics teaching strategies in their lessons to emphasize and reinforce basic skills.

This year marked the sixth year of summer mathematics offerings at Lake Region. Eighteen incoming

freshmen took part in the Summer Algebra program. There were also twenty students enrolled in Summer

Geometry, to complete half of their sophomore year mathematics requirement. This “3 in 2” model

requires sophomore students who have completed Algebra to take both Geometry and Algebra II during

their sophomore year. Data is being recorded to track student performance in regards to these increased

math requirements.

In our quest to expand the mathematics offered to students in our district, Lake Region continues to open

its doors to over 20 8th graders this year. These students are being given the opportunity take one of two

yearlong Algebra courses, regular level or honors level, at the high school. Algebra is a key Common Core

concept. The 8th grade students who successfully complete these courses earn 1 high school mathematics

credit.

Several students received awards and accolades from the mathematics department during the 2017-2018

school year. Students who maintain an A average in mathematics for four years and take an AP mathematics

course are awarded department honors. This award was given to: Celeste Piette, Brady Perron, Kaden

Swett, Brendan Dutton, Paige Menard, Meghan Gervais, Caelyn Gonzalez, Melanie Joubert, Bradey Kerr,

and Joshua Lavine.

The Mathematics Department of Lake Region Union High School continuously strives to provide each

student with a strong mathematics foundation.

MEDIA TECHNOLOGY

RICK KELLEY, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The TV/Media class is producing video announcements daily. Those announcements are broadcast to

every classroom throughout the school and published on the school website. New announcements are

uploaded every day at the end of period two and they can be viewed by clicking the announcements

button on the homepage of the school website. In addition to the announcements, students create

commercials, documentaries, and local news stories.

The Computer Aided Design (CAD) students continue to learn to operate industry standard software,

and they are using that software in combination with our 3D printers for rapid prototyping and parts

production. Students who master AutoCad at Lake Region can go on to receive specialized training in

any of the engineering, architectural, or design focused ﬁelds of study offered at North Country Career

Center or at a university.

The Web Design students are learning to code in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. With our quarter-

based class structure, the students can choose to learn basic online structural and design elements

required for every website or they can focus on the more interactive elements of websites like the code

that’s necessary to run everything from blogs to content management systems and ecommerce solutions.

Students in the 3D modeling and animation course are using a free and open source software by the

name of Blender. Despite being free, Blender shares many of the same features that can be found in

software that cost thousands of dollars. Models created in Blender can be used for video, animation,

gaming, or 3D printing and rapid prototyping. In fact, Blender is used more often than our CAD program

throughout the day by students interested in 3D printing.

Students in the Robotics course spend much of their time focused on programming simple machines

using Arduino micro controllers and basic electronic components such as LEDs, DC motors, servo

motors, various sensors, breadboards and jumper wires to help connect everything together. Students

focus on building the electronic circuits from scratch and programming in a language based heavily on

C++. The robotics students can also make use of our 3d printers for the creation of custom parts, but

usually only with the help of students who have already completed the 3D modeling or AutoCad courses.

Also continuing this year is out partnership with Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC). In

the fall, Mr. Kelley is teaching a course titled Digital Information Technology. In that course, students

from Lake Region and all over the state can explore Microsoft Ofﬁce online applications, web design,

emerging technologies, operating systems, project management, communication methods, Information

Technology careers, and much more. In the spring, he is teaching a course titled Computer Programming

with Python. In that course, students from Lake Region and all over the state can learn how to make

video games and interactive programs using the Python programming language. Along the way they’ll

learn about variables, string manipulation, and functions, as well as conditional and iterative code.

Students will also gain skills in computational thinking, abstraction, algorithms, decomposition, pattern

recognition, and generalization.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Dr. SARA DONCASTER, TEACHER

The music program remains a vital component of the total school curriculum, and supports students at

all levels in both the instrumental and vocal course offerings at Lake Region.

The Lake Region Music Department main events are the fall pep rally, winter concert in December,

spring concert in April, All-State parade, Memorial Day parades and graduation. Community members,

faculty and alumni regularly perform with the band and chorus.

LR’s musicians are active in the community and are given a diverse range of musical experiences. In

addition to our core concerts listed above, students may earn community service hours by performing

in a variety of fund-raising and outreach concerts. LR chorus students spent a day caroling before

winter break last December, performing at numerous locations in Barton, Orleans and Newport. The LR

Marching Band performed at the Vermont Day Parade at the Eastern States Exposition in Springﬁeld,

MA on September 22nd. The music program presented their annual “LR Rocks” fund-raiser at LR in

April. Ten students presented a classical voice recital in May to showcase their talents and to raise funds

for the music department scholarship fund. This scholarship fund is used to provide private lessons for

students.

Band and chorus students are preparing for upcoming music festivals at the regional, state and local

level. These auditions take place in November, December and January, and present an important venue

to make music with some of the ﬁnest musicians in the state. In the spring of 2018, ten band and chorus

students attended the Northeast Rotary Music Festival in Newport, six attended the All-State Music

Festival in Brattleboro, VT, and one singer attended the New England Music Festival in Norwalk, CT.

Emma Strange was awarded the top scholarship prize in classical voice at All-State and the New England

Music Festival Association concert festival. She presented performances at both events.

Technology continues to enrich learning for music students at Lake Region through our online music

classroom, Music First. The opportunity to compose and receive online mentoring from professional

composers through the Music-Comp program is open to any LR student. The four LR Folio tasks are now

part of all music classes and address the following learning targets: Communication & Collaboration,

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Creation & Innovation and Informed Thinker. LR music students

completed folio tasks in jazz band, concert band, music theory for singers, chorus and select chorus.

Band students were graded with proﬁciencies this year and conventional grades. Habits of mind, LR

Folio tasks and proﬁciencies are aligned with one another and to the “Create-Perform-Respond &

Connect” National Music Standards.

Attending live performances and working with outside groups is an important part of music education

at LR. On June 10th, students and faculty attended a performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

at the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington. The Northern Vermont University chamber singers visited

LR and presented a concert. LR graduate Spencer Perry performed with the ensemble, his ﬁnal tour

with the NVU Singers. Spencer graduated in 2018 with a degree in jazz performance and conducting.

Larry Gordon and his advanced world music vocal ensemble, Northern Harmony, led a singing clinic

in October with the select chorus. They taught music from the Republic of Georgia, Bulgaria and an

early American piece. The select chorus performed with Northern Harmony during an advisory mini

concert, which was attended by approximately 150 students and teachers in the cafeteria. That evening,

Northern Harmony presented a concert at the Irasburg Town Hall joined by members of the select chorus.

Hearing musicians live and receiving instruction from working musicians is a tremendous vocational

opportunity for our music students at LR.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

JAMES INGALLS, PE TEACHER

VINCE BUTTICE, PE TEACHER

Lake Region students are required to complete 1.75 years of physical education throughout their career.

The ﬁrst semester credit that students earn is from entry physical education. The remaining year and

quarter of physical education can be of the student’s own choosing.

The physical education curriculum includes team play experiences, dual sports, cooperative activities

and individual challenges. Students have access to pedometers and heart rate monitors to provide data

for self-assessment and teacher evaluation. The physical education department uses Fitnessgram testing

to assess the student’s ﬁtness levels and uses the data to report to the State of Vermont. Ten-day units

are the norm and these units include various formative and summative assessments, both written and

physical. Physical education students are required to complete two portfolio projects a semester along

with a personal ﬁtness plan. Vince Buttice and James Ingalls organize and teach all physical education

sections.

The last quarter credit requirement supports an independent pursuit. Playing sports or participation in

an organized ﬁtness activity fulﬁlls this requirement. This curriculum is tracked, organized and planned

with the student(s) on an individual basis with veteran teachers Vince Buttice and James Ingalls.

We are seeing great numbers of students participating in physical activities during all lunch periods

helping us to keep our students ﬁt and healthy. Students enjoy activities that range from volleyball,

basketball, pickleball and badminton.

The Physical Education Department continuously strives to provide each student with the building

blocks needed to live a healthy life.

The Foundations Music Ensemble met three times per week during the 2017 -2018 school year, led by

Dr. Doncaster and Foundations teacher Mark Van Blunk. The class ranged in size from ﬁve to eight

students; the ensemble performed two songs on the LR Rocks Fundraiser. Chris Doncaster and Micah

Carbonneau visited the class several times to provide instruction and support. The class is continuing

this fall.

The fall musical, directed and produced by Johanna Pastel was a resounding success. 40 singers, actors

and tech crew presented a superb performance of “Newsies.” Music director & conductor was Sara

Doncaster. Pianist and vocal coach was Mark Violette. The pit band –Peter Storrings, Peter Matthews,

Fintan Letzelter (LR Freshman), Jared Wiggett, Mark Violette, Chris Doncaster, and Tom Arnold

– gave the students invaluable experience performing with a live band. In addition to three evening

performances for the public, LR presented two matinee performances for OCSU elementary schools

and Lake Region students and teachers.

From the students and teachers of the ﬁne and performing arts at Lake Region, thank you to the

community and administration for their unwavering support of music education in our schools.

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

LAURIE WOLFF, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The Lake Region Science Department is excited to offer students a buffet of courses serving all levels

and types of learners for all four years. It is our mission to raise aspirations and motivate our students

to “ﬁll their plate” with as much exposure to the Sciences as their schedules will allow in hopes of

instilling stewardship, sustainability, and foundational knowledge of how things work, while fostering

a love of lifelong learning. Our returning members include Teri Oughton, Tom Smith and Laurie Wolff

(formerly Carr.) This year the Science department welcomes two new members to the team.

New to Lake Region is Drew Lemke who grew up in the Midwest, and then ventured with his wife to The

Bering Sea for two years to teach on St Lawrence Island, Alaska. In the Physical Sciences Mr. Lemke

is ﬁlling big shoes left by the retirement of Mr. Topher Waring. Drew has accomplished his Advanced

Placement certiﬁcations, and is putting our brightest minds through their paces. This year we are happy

to offer a General Physics course to broaden our Physical Science elective offerings. In other classes

he is providing opportunities for students to write code using C++ programming, and work with circuit

boards for hands on experience and practical applications on Arduino microcontrollers.

Also new to the department this year is Mr. Josh Hunt who comes to us by way of Nature’s Classroom,

and Barton Graded School. He is a 2011 Lake Region graduate with a love for Biology. Mr. Hunt is

navigating the Life Science world in the footsteps of Greg Hennemuth who retired this summer after

thirty-one years of teaching. Josh is designing curriculum to reach our most scholarly, as well as our

more reluctant learners. One way he fosters engagement is by tackling local environmental concerns

and encouraging problem solving approaches to learning.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), (think Common Core for Science) continues to be the

framework from which we create our learning expectations and proﬁciencies. Members of the department

attend workshops, collaborate with district-wide peers and continue to dive into the NGSS Framework

to deﬁne and reﬁne course work aligned with those National Standards.

This year the Vermont Science Assessment (VTSA,) as part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment

Consortium, will be administered to Juniors in the Spring. Last year the State piloted a draft Science

Assessment aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, but no actual results were released to

individual schools. This year we will receive results from which we can guide our instructional practices

to most effectively reach our targets, and derive both teacher and student strategies for more meaningful

Science education that is rigorous and relevant in this rapidly changing world.

SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT

CHRISTINA SUAREZ, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The Social Studies Department would like to welcome Malcolm Cheney as a part-time teacher in addition

to assisting with intervening with students in need of LR Folio Task recovery, in addition to being our

new Varsity Soccer Coach! He joins us from Worcester, Massachusetts where he taught Middle School

Social Studies with a strong background in literacy skills and Common Core Standards as well as a

Humanities Inquiry based proﬁciency system. Mr. Cheney holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary

Education and History in addition to a Master of Education in Special Education. He is an excellent

addition to the Lake Region team all around!

2017-18 found the Department continuing to implement a Historical Inquiry based proﬁciency system

(PBGRs) as aligned with both Common Core and the National Council of the Social Studies Standards.

Both 9th and 10th grades have solidly engaged the standards, and Ms. Pastel and Ms. Penniman worked

to revise and reﬁne the standards as appropriate for 9th graders. We are seeing the fruits of this labor

with greater proﬁciency in the incoming 18/19 sophomore class. Sixty percent of the Honors students

in particular already demonstrated proﬁciency of 10th grade standards, allowing Ms. Suarez to teach

to the “Exceeding Standard,” which has yet to happen with the exception of a student or two who

independently engaged them.

Ms. Suarez implemented the pilot of Honors Global Citizenship and was grateful to the Rowland

Foundation and Steven Tatum for arranging a group of teachers to attend their Equity in Education

conference at UVM last fall. It was a wonderful opportunity to think further on the standards and plan

Folio Tasks. We thank the Board for approving our Global Citizenship Standards as a required course

to meet the requirements of Act 77 for the class of 2020, the Educational Quality Standards and LR’s

Strategic Plan strategy #3. We are implementing the program as a requirement for all juniors this year

unless they are taking an AP both junior and senior year. Additionally Ms. Suarez and Ms. Farnsworth,

along with students, will revise the standards and indicators for student understanding and clarity, along

with creating a broad tool box of LR Folio tasks to align with these standards. Ms. Farnsworth and Ms.

Suarez look forward to reporting their successes and challenges next year.

During the summer of 2018 Lee Penniman attended Eric Jensen’s Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind

Conference in San Antonio, TX. While at this conference Mrs. Penniman gained valuable knowledge

about the effects of poverty on brain development and learning. Jensen’s book by the same name was

chosen as our staff development book for the year. Mrs. Penniman is serving as the book discussion

leader and the information she gained at the conference has helped with this work.

Mrs. Penniman also completed another course here at Lake Region led by our own Tim Chamberlin.

Mrs. Penniman worked with students and other staff members on independent pathways and student

voice and choice. Part of the work of this course was to communicate all of the options students have

with the ﬂexible pathways to graduation here at Lake Region.

During the February break Mrs. Penniman traveled with several Lake Region students to Belize, C.A.

While in Belize students studies included Ecology, life pathways, and Marine Biology. Mrs. Penniman

also continues to work as the organizer for Lake Region’s credit recovery program, is a participant

during the Bridges program, and also attended the Ed Camp offered by the Supervisory Union, along

with Ms. Pastel and Ms. Farnsworth. In addition, Mrs. Penniman also continues to work with students

in extracurricular activities such as the Cooking Club and Student Council. Ms. Pastel has worked

tirelessly over the last couple of years on the school musical. This year’s production was Newsies and

was a great success.

SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

CYNTHIA ADAMS, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

ADAM ROSEN, TEACHER

LISA MOULTON, TEACHER

LAWRENCE HANOVER, TEACHER

SHERRIE BLANCHARD, YES PROGRAM

There are four Special Educators and nine para-educators who provide services to students who are

eligible for special education services. Students receive assistance in English, Math, Science, and Social

Studies classrooms. Students also attend assisted study halls to receive instruction in basic academic

skills.

There are a number of students who attend the majority of their classes in self-contained resource

rooms that meet their academic, social, and emotional needs. We are committed to assisting students

learn life skills.

When students who have an Individual Plan turn sixteen, a Transition Plan is developed with them and

their parents. Goals and objectives are written and updated yearly to plan for their transition from high

school to future education or training for employment. We have a Youth Employment Specialist at Lake

Region who works with students to provide opportunities for work experiences. Lake Region guidance

department, as well as Northeast Kingdom Human Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation assist in

helping students transition to adult life.

TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

GEOF GONTER, TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST

This summer, Lake Region continued its replacement cycle by replacing the remaining 2010 and 2011

laptops:

20 MacBook Air laptops went to room 204

20 MacBook Air laptops went to room 206, replacing some aging Dell laptops

40 MacBook Air laptops went to Science, with 20 as replacements and 20 as new computers

The 2012 MacBook Pros went into the cart in the French room. The remaining 2011 MacBooks went

to rooms 101 and 201. In addition, 12 laptops were purchased to replace aging staff computers and

for additional employees hired. We moved two carts of older laptops to the Spanish and an additional

math room. The desktops in the Ag department were replaced with Dell laptops and two older laptops

were put into service to control our CNC routers. Two newer iMacs were added to the TV Studio to

accommodate some video camera upgrades.

One new laptop cart was purchased to house the new computers and one was purchased to replace an

older computer that was having issues. No new printers were purchased, but one unused printer was

moved to a classroom in the science wing. Additional wireless access points were added to rooms to

assure that our network is robust enough to handle the increasing numbers of laptop computers in

service.

We also started the updating of computers to Ofﬁce 2016, Windows 10, and macOS High Sierra, to

keep current with operating systems and applications. The migration to Windows10, with staff and

ofﬁce computers, should be completed by the end of the calendar year.

Two replacement servers were implemented as part of the infrastructure replacement cycle, with plans

to virtualize several other servers in order to lower the number of needed servers. Additional wireless

access points were purchased in order to accommodate the additional devices in the classrooms, with

new wiring installed.

VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

TIM GUSTAFSON-BYRNE, TEACHER/FFA ADVISOR

After a year of renovation and reinventing programs we are now getting down to the business of

providing students with wonderful hands on learning experience. We have new state of the art equipment

and the students this year are continuing to learn industry standard skills.

Ag Science – Our ﬁsh farming and hydroponic labs have been most successful. The ﬁsh farm consists

of two 250 gallon aquaculture tanks that house some 350+ tilapia. The hydroponics lab consists of 6

“grow towers”. Each is capable of producing 28 plants from seed, which allows us to produce head

lettuce from seed to ﬁnal harvestable size in 4 weeks. The lettuce and several other vegetables are

being grown in this system and continue being harvested and served in Lake Region’s cafeteria.

This year the students are beginning Landscape Design in a virtual world environment. Students go

into the virtual world, create a house and create different landscape scenarios for the different houses

in our world

Creative Woodworking – The shop equipment is all in one well designed area and students are

creating many different quality wood projects. We have recently added a 24” table sander and two

CNC computer run routers to create artwork on the students’ projects. These machines are capable of

producing intricate designs in wood and other materials. The students have to create a design on the

computer, upload it and program the cnc to route their designs into wood.

Alternative Energy and Sustainability – In this class, students are learning about different alternative

energy practices. We have worked on solar power; students have researched and constructed solar

ovens; students have built an energy efﬁcient full size wall section of a house as a way to explore

energy efﬁcient building practices; and have studied about wind turbines and turbine blade design.

Introduction to Welding – We are now in our totally renovating and redesigned welding area. We now

have 5 new, state of the art, welding machines. There is such an interest in welding, by the students, we

have committed to the addition of 3 more welding stations. We have also added a metal cutting band

saw and a steel bender to our list of equipment for this department.

WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

JENNIFER BJURLING, FRENCH/SPANISH TEACHER

Ms. Bjurling teaches all levels of French and one section of Spanish 1 at Lake Region Union High

School. Ms. Bjurling brings to the department 15 years of experience in foreign language instruction.

While maintaining curriculum alignment with the ACTFL and the NCSSFL standards, Ms. Bjurling

emphasizes learning the language through speaking the language. LR Folio tasks will incorporate this

speaking emphasis.

Ms. Bjurling will continue the department practice of an annual ﬁeld trip to Canada and a bi-annual trip

to France. Last March, students passed four days in Quebec City. Students dined together at La Grolla

(an authentic Swiss fondue restaurant), savored Tourtière at Le Restaurant aux Anciens Canadiens (a

traditional Québecois restaurant housed in the Maison Jacquet built in 1675) and partook in a traditional,

family-style sugar shack meal, complete with music and dancing at Cabane à Sucre L’En-Tailleur on

L’Île d’Orleans. Students watched the World Cup Big Air Snow Boarding competition at Îlot-Fleurie,

a snowboarding venue built in the heart of metro Québec. Competitors included Olympians Laurie

Blouin and Max Parrot. Students also spent a day dog sledding with a French speaking guide at Chenil

La Poursuite. Pairs alternated between mushing and riding through the forest of L’Île d’Orleans. During

their free time, students visited shops and museums and passed the afternoon amongst the cobble stone

streets and city walls of Old Quebec.

Ms. Bjurling hopes to take students to Canada for a curling clinic later this year. Curling is a favorite

winter pastime of the Quebecois. Ms. Bjurling intends to take students to Europe in 2020, providing

the political environment is safe and there is sufﬁcient student participation.

Ms. Bjurling is thrilled to be a member of the Lake Region community. She thoroughly enjoys her

students, the school and the beautiful lifestyle the Northeast Kingdom affords----especially the close

proximity to curling!

This is my ﬁrst year at Lake Region High School, although I have been a Spanish teacher for 30 years in

Lyndonville. After 4 years of teaching K-8 Spanish, I am excited to be back in a high-school classroom.

My World Language partner, Jennifer Bjurling, who teaches French and one section of Spanish 1, and

I have been working to align our grading scales with the ACTFL and NCSSFL standards. We employ

the ‘Can Do’ statements from them ACTFL standards as well as the Performance Indicators that apply

to all language acquisition skills.

This year, I am focusing on incorporating Project Based Learning units around cultural events and

holidays in Mexico. We recently ﬁnished a week on the Day of the Dead holiday celebrated in southern

Mexico that ended with a student exhibition night to show all of our art work as well as a huge Mexican

taco buffet dinner. This series of small projects throughout the week also allowed us to complete a Folio

Task on Creator Innovator as well.

WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

ADRIENNE D’OLIMPIO, SPANISH TEACHER

As I have with students since 1990, I will be bringing a group of Lake Region Juniors and Seniors to the

Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico during the April, 2019, break time. Our eco-tour allows us to experience

the real Mexico as we snorkel the Great Maya reef, hike the Maya sites of Lamanai, Tulum and Chichen

Itza, visit with children at their Maya immersion school and observe all kinds of birds, reptiles and

mammals in their natural environment. It is a wonderful trip that we do with my friend and guide Miguel

who has now toured with over 400 students, teachers and family members from the NEK in 20 years.

I am very much enjoying my transition to Lake Region and look forward to many years of teaching

students here to love Spanish and traveling with them to Mexico.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Each year Lake Region students pursuing post-secondary education receive ﬁnancial support through

many local organizations, businesses and scholarship funds. The amount of money distributed to the

Class of 2018 through local scholarships was $101,785 to be dispersed as indicated by individual

awards. This does not include ﬁnancial assistance given to the students by colleges, national

foundations or the State and Federal Government.

SCHOLARSHIPS

DONNA UNDERWOOD ENGLISH SCHOLARSHIP

Two scholarships totaling $700.00 was awarded June, 2018