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 proud to present Laura Whitley as its Student of the Week. Laura is a senior at MUHS and lives in Weybridge with her parents, Pat and Lisa. Her older brother, James, is a junior at UVM and Brian is an eighth-grader at MUMS. Laura thanks her teachers for their unwavering support and encouragement during her time at the high school. She has pursued a rigorous curriculum and has thrived academically. She especially enjoys math and science and has truly loved her coursework in chemistry and biology. 
Laura has completed some of the most challenging courses at the high school and her name regularly appears on the honor roll. As a senior, she is serving as a teacher’s assistant and is enrolled in Introduction to Psychology at the college. She rounds out her coursework with two independent studies, one in Molecular Biology and the other in Organic Chemistry. 
Athletically, Laura captains the school’s varsity field hockey team. She represented the Tigers as part of the gymnastics team in her 9th and 10th grade years, where she focused on the beam and the bars. Last summer she participated with a group of her friends on a house painting crew and honed her interior painting skills. Laura is an active member of St. Mary’s Church in Middlebury and teaches Sunday School and assists with confirmation classes. 
As Laura looks ahead to college, she knows she wants to pursue a major in the sciences. She is focused on institutions in or a near a city and is considering going to medical school one day. She thinks that she may potentially focus on geriatrics as she has enjoyed her volunteer role with Elderly Services here in Middlebury. She spends her free time playing games, going on walks and engaging with Addison County senior citizens.
Laura is a valued member of the MUHS school community and she will be missed after she graduates in June.  The faculty and staff know that a bright future awaits her as she moves on to college study.
 
VUHS STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Vergennes Union High School is pleased to recognize Lance Bergmans as its Student of the Week. Lance lives in Ferrisburgh with his parents, Sue and Gerry Bergmans. Lance has two younger brothers; Luke, a 10th grader at VUHS, and Tyler, a 6th grader at Ferrisburgh Central School.
A great student, Lance has been on high honors every quarter of high school. As a junior he was inducted into the National Honor Society. He has challenged himself by taking upper level classes such as AP Calculus, AP Biology, Health Psychology, and Humanities. Lance’s received the outstanding achievement in math award as a sophomore, the outstanding achievement award in science award as a junior, and the Clarkson high school achievement award as a junior. Lance also attended Boy’s State.
Lance played JV Soccer as a freshman and Varsity Soccer as a sophomore, junior and senior. He also played JV Basketball as a freshman and sophomore and Varsity Basketball as a junior and senior. Lance is also in the symphonic band at VUHS.
Over the summer Lance worked at Fine Lines in Wood, a woodworking shop, in New Haven, Vermont. Lance also delivers bread for Better Off Bread, a small, locally owned bread company in North Ferrisburgh.
Lance says this about his high school career: “All of the hard work pays off. I am always doing homework or studying for tests when I’m not at practice, and it does get tiring, but I can tell everyone that it will work out and you will see results. I’ve also learned that having close friends in high school really helps take away a lot of the stress that accompanies it. … Always do your homework, and do it well. Put your full effort into it and it will help you do much better or assessments when they come up.”
Sarah Thompson, a science teacher at VUHS says this about Lance, “Lance is a phenomenal student with incredible drive and discipline, capable of balancing challenging classes with an unwavering commitment to varsity level soccer and basketball. Every day Lance is ready to learn and shows this through active discussion with his peers, asking great questions, and making connections to other topics. I have loved being Lance’s teacher and see nothing but success in his future; I am so excited to see what he does.”
Following graduation from VUHS, Lance plans to go to college for exercise and movement science or another major along those lines and then to become either an athletic trainer or physical therapist. The faculty, staff and students of VUHS wish Lance 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:
Bourdon Insurance Agency
Business Telephone Systems
Champlain Valley Plumbing & Heating
Green Earth Energy
J.W. & D.E. Ryan
Jackman Fuels Inc.
Middlebury Antique Center
Peak View Eye Care
Tinker and Smithy Game Store
United Way of Addison County
Vermont Book Shop