The Addison Independent is proud to publish the Students of the Week from area High Schools each week. The students are chosen by teachers and administration from each school who would like to recognize their exceptional engagement in the high schools they attend.
MUHS STUDENT OF THE WEEK
It is with pride that Middlebury Union High School recognizes Katherine “Kat” Townsend as its final student of the week for 2014-2015. Kat lives in Middlebury with her parents, Amy and Bill Townsend. Matthew and Megan, her brother and sister, are freshmen at MUHS.
Kat has achieved High Honors or Honors throughout high school, taking AP Calculus 1 and 2, English, French and Statistics among her courses last year and this. There is a theme to Kat’s interest and academic successes, and it is chemistry. She received a Student Recognition Award in that subject during her junior year from Ms. Atkins and a year-end American Legion Departmental Award in Science. This year, Kat experimented with Virtual High School and took an honors biochemistry course. Next year, she may find herself testing a Pennsylvania section of the Susquehanna River. Bucknell University sits on its banks, and Kat plans to attend and major in chemistry.
Outside the classrooms of MUHS, Kat has been a Peer Leader and a very successful athlete. A three-year varsity soccer player, she was selected to both the Lake Division Second Team and the Senior Classic roster this year. Kat has also run track for two years. She was named Most Valuable Female Runner in her first year and this year is a team captain.
Kat volunteered at Porter Hospital last summer and winter, and she plans to continue doing so this summer. Besides spending time with family and friends, Kat enjoys photography. She presently has a stunning exhibit at 51 Main, in which most of the photos are informal portraits of friends. Kat’s show only runs through the end of this week and is well worth an extended viewing. Go before it’s gone.
Congratulations and best wishes, Kat! We hope you’ll keep your camera always at the ready as you explore the labs and land of the Bucknell Bison.
 
VUHS STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Vergennes Union High School is pleased to recognize John Wagner as its Student of the Week. John lives in Vergennes with his parents, John and Kathie Wagner. John has two older brothers, Logan Blacklock, who graduated from VUHS in 2007, and Kyle Blacklock, who graduated from VUHS in 2005. Also an inspiration to John is JC Dugan, who graduated from VUHS in 2010.
John has been a student in the Walden Project for the past two years. His focus there has been on bringing local foods into schools. He organized the Local Foods Feast at VUHS in the fall of 2014. Also, he has presented at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association’s Vermont Conference as part of a student-youth panel, which discussed local food programs and projects in area schools. John is currently taking a college credit course through CCV.
Outside of school John has worked at Bar Antidote in Vergennes since September 2013. He is a garmache and prep cook, and has been training on the flat top grill. In his free time, John likes to skateboard and cook.
The advice John would give to other students at VUHS is “Find something that means a lot to you as a person and find a way to own it in your education, integrating it into your life.” Karl Steen, a VUHS English teacher, said, “John Wagner thinks critically and harbors a healthy skepticism. He is driven, contentious, well read, and thinks deeply. Always a contender in the classroom, John has taken his learning to the next level as a Walden student. He has become self-directed, more empathetic and purposeful. John is a source of pride for us here at VUHS, and he is deserving of the appellation ‘Student of the Week.’”
Following graduation from VUHS, John is planning to take a road trip to California and then attend culinary school. The faculty, staff and students of VUHS wish John Wagner the very best in the future.
 
Otter Valley Students of the week receive a gift certificate from the Book & Leaf Bookstore. Mt. Abe Students of the Week receive a free pizza from Cubbers. Vergennes Students of the Week receive a free sandwich and drink from 3 Squares Cafe. Middlebury Students of the Week receive a free pizza from Green Peppers. Students of the Week from all area high schools will receive a gift certificate from Vermont Book Shop.
With support from:
Barash Mediation
Business Telephone Systems
Champlain Valley Plumbing and Heating
Jackman Fuels
JW DE Ryan
Martin’s Hardware
Noonie Deli
Tae Kwon Do KICKS
United Way of Addison County
Vermont Book Shop