Every year, Newsweek Magazine selects the best high schools in the country based on how the faculty challenges their students with rigorous advanced-placement courses and tests.

We are proud to report that Montpelier High School made the list this year along with two other Vermont high schools. We congratulate our students and faculty for adhering to such high standards.

It should be noted that only six percent of all public high schools in the country made the list this year.

On Tuesday, June 1, 2010, twelve Montpelier High School Driver Education students participated in a Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles “Distracted Driving Demonstration.” The students were asked to drive a pre-determined course with a golf cart and text a message to an observer on the sidelines. The participating students were soon introduced to the realities of distracted driving, e.g. texting, and the tremendous risk that we are all subjected to when drivers text while driving.

Further, Montpelier High School was honored by being selected as the site where Governor James Douglas chose to sign into law the bill making texting on a cell phone or other electronic device illegal in Vermont.

How can we effectively inoculate our kids against binge drinking and drugging? How many traffic accidents are due to alcohol? What kinds of strategies can parents use to keep teens safe and also instill a sense of camaraderie and “coolness”?

These questions were the subject of a panel discussion organized by Central Vermont New Directions Coalition on May 12th at Montpelier High School. About 40 participants listened to short presentations by four panelists: Dr. Mark Depman, Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Central Vermont Medical Center, Tony Facos, Montpelier Chief of Police, Chip Keinath, Montpelier High School SAP counselor, and Karlynn Koenemann, mother of four boys. There was ample time for questions and answers following the presentations.

Click here for more pictures and the Panel Recap

	Eric Rwabuhihi, a resident of Montpelier and Rwandan genocide survivor, shared his story with students and faculty on May 4th in the MHS library. He told of his near capture, his family’s escape, and the colonial legacy that created the divisions that resulted in the deaths of nearly 1 million Tutsis—including 1,000 members of his extended family.
Rwanda, a beautiful, but resource-poor central African nation, must now manage the enormous number of children orphaned by the genocide of 1994 and more currently, HIV/AIDS. Together these two factors have orphaned 20% of the children in Rwanda alone. In response, Eric has created CHABHA, children affected by HIV/AIDS, which seeks to address the orphaned children in Rwanda and throughout the continent. A suggested donation of $1 per student will demonstrate our commitment to the world community and serve as a meaningful thank you for Eric Rwabuhihi’s generous gift of time. Please visit www.chabha.org for more information. To contribute bring your $1 donation to 217, Cathy Butterfield’s World History Seminar classroom.
Show you care; please share.

Montpelier High School is excited to have been chosen as a partner school for the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC), an organization developed through a partnership of Vermont public schools to offer online, for-credit, classes to students in order to expand their learning opportunities and to strengthen their 21st century skills.

MHS Writing Specialist Jamie Koehnlein was identified as a lead teacher for this program; having been selected from nominations from around the state as being one of the best and brightest when it comes to technology integration, content area knowledge, and ability to lead and motivate other teachers. Jamie will be teaching an AP English course in Fall 2010 that will be available online to students from around the state. As a participating school, our students also have the opportunity to take courses that are not currently available to them.

Enrollment is now open for Summer 2010 online credit-recovery courses as well as a wide range of online courses for Fall 2010 -- everything from AP and honors courses to electives such as video blogging or Flash animation. Interested MHS students should contact their guidance counselor for more information.

Learn more about the VTVLC:

• On the VTVLC website at http://www.vtvlc.org
• By listening to this recent Vermont Edition interview with Jane Lindholm on VPR
• By following VTVLC on Facebook
• In this VTVLC newsletter