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
Middlebury Union High School is pleased to recognize Carolyn Balparda as its Student of the Week. Carolyn is the daughter of Kim and John Balparda of Middlebury. Her brother, Ben, is in 10th grade at MUHS, and sister Megan is in sixth grade at Mary Hogan.
A perennial High Honor and Honor student, Carolyn earned a President’s Award for Academic Achievement in ninth grade. She has participated in Girl Scouts since first grade, and this year she achieved the Gold Award, their highest level of recognition.
Carolyn is a member of the MUHS National Honor Society. She has taken AP American History, Calculus and Statistics, and is currently taking AP English. She is a teaching assistant in American Literature. Last summer Carolyn took a Positive Psychology course at Brown University.
Elsewhere at school, Carolyn has been a Peer Leader and a four-year member of the varsity dance team. She is captain of the team this year. She has also been in Band for four years and in Choir the last two.
Carolyn volunteers each summer as a counselor at the Girl Scouts’ Green Mountain Day Camp. For the past four years, she has held an anti-bullying event for the girls in her troop who are entering middle school. In her spare time, Carolyn enjoys hiking, skiing and watching crime shows. She also dances year round at a studio.
Carolyn professes a “deep, deep love for dogs, specifically dachshunds.” She plans to attend college with the hope of becoming an animal assisted therapist. Her personal philosophy and advice is “to always try to see the humor in life” rather than stress about what cannot be controlled.
Carolyn, you radiate positivity. Lucky indeed will be the dogs and people for whom you’ll care. We wish you the very best in the “big dance” ahead, and we feel certain you’ll achieve your goals!
 
VUHS STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Vergennes Union High School is pleased to recognize Josh Newton as its Student of the Week. Josh lives in Vergennes with his parents Brent and Diana Newton. Josh has an older brother, Alex, who graduated from UVM.
Josh has challenged himself his entire academic career at VUHS. He took AP European History his sophomore year, and AP US History and AP Calculus his junior year. This year Josh is attending Vermont Technical College as a member of the VAST (Vermont Academy of Science and Technology) program. He earned a 4.0 his first semester.
Josh participates in several extracurricular activities at VUHS. Josh has been part of our basketball team since he was a freshman. He is also part of our rowing team. During the summer of 2014 Josh volunteered at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Last summer he worked at Phoenix Feeds.
Josh gives this piece of advice to other VUHS students: “If I had to give advice, I would say work smart and hard. What this means is that whenever you do work make sure to give it your all, but at the same time you shouldn’t work so hard that you become mentally exhausted. If you get stuck on a problem, don’t stare at it for half an hour, ask for help or move on and come back to it later. Recognize when you’re stuck and admit it. This saves time and energy that can be used on other problems.”
Rebecca Coffey, a social studies teacher at VUHS, said, “Josh is a serious student. He wants to learn and increase his skills. He asks questions that help him to succeed. Josh loves a good academic challenge.”
Following graduation from VUHS, Josh plans on studying engineering, probably at UVM. The faculty, staff and students of VUHS wish Josh 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
United Way of Addison County
Vermont Army National Guard
Vermont Book Shop