VERGENNES — The high school careers of the Class of 2024 may have started under the cloud of the COVID pandemic, but, like many newly minted Vergennes Union High School grads, Calvin Gramling is putting that community experience in the rearview mirror and looking ahead.

The beginning of his ninth-grade year during the fall of 2020 is a little fuzzy in Gramling’s memory.

“I barely remember my first week at VUHS,” Gramling recalled during a recent interview. “We weren’t allowed to do a lot of activities because of the pandemic, and I was only in school for two of the days. It was nice to see everyone and be able to talk and share our experiences from the long ‘summer break.’”

But ninth-grade wasn’t the first time he’d strolled down the hallway of the high school. Cal has two older siblings who preceeded him at VUHS: Ian, who graduated in 2017, and Bess, part of the class of 2019.

“I spent a lot of time in the high school before I was a student there,” Cal remembers. “My mom was very involved in my siblings’ activities such as the musical and band, so I would tag along and see a glimpse of the high school experience. It was nice to have my siblings to see what opportunities were available to me when I got to high school That way, I could start doing the things I wanted to pretty early on.”

He seemed to have learned that lesson pretty well, because Cal Gramling was active in both studies and extracurriculars. Although he may have come off as reserved or disorganized to some of his classmates, he wonders if that’s just because he took part in a variety of things. 

“I tried to involve myself in as many clubs and activities as I could so I’m sure there’s a lot of different concepts of who I am,” he observed. “But I always try to be kind, friendly and joke a lot (even if the jokes aren’t funny).”

He said his sister, Bess, was very active in the VUHS musical program, which then took up a big chunk of his own childhood. It’s not surprising this inspired him to join in the experience. He played roles in popular VUHS musicals all four years — “Elf the Musical,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Newsies” and “Mama Mia.” 

“I’d say singing came a little easier than I thought, but dancing took a lot of practice,” Gramling said.

The VUHS Auditorium wasn’t the only place where Gramling got to show his talents to the public. One of his favorite memories from high school was his junior year Homecoming Parade, when each grade had to choose a music genre and the Class of ’24 chose rock. 

“It was a ton of fun putting together the float and I remember walking in the parade with some wild outfit and a guitar,” Gramling said. “It was always a fun way to get all the grades together in a bit of friendly competition.”

The taste for competition was fulfilled on the track and cross country course, where Gramling excelled. He’s grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of a state champion relay teams in track — twice! In 2023 and again in 2024, Gramling joined with fellow Class of ’24 members Calder Rakowski and Riley Gagnon, along with Grey Fearon (Class of ’25) to with the Division-III title in the 4-by-800-meter relay. The quartet also won the Vermont indoor 4×800 title this past January, and in his junior year, Gramling claimed the indoor 800-meter open title on his own.

Like most track & field athletes, it’s not the pain of the competition that Gramling recalls most vividly, but the camaraderie of the team. 

“I’ll always remember track and cross country for the community before the sport,” he said “My teammates were always kind, supportive and making me laugh. It’s really a sport where you can get out of it what you put into it. I’ve felt really fortunate that the sport I love also led to winning. 

“It is also a really mental sport, which personally has led to struggles to stay focused,” Gramling added.

THE MEMBERS OF the winning VUHS Boys’ four-by-800-meter relay team of, from left, Grey Fearon, Riley Gagnon, Calvin Gramling and Calder Rakowski pose after their repeat victory in the D-III championship meet this past May. Gramling, Gagnon and Rakowski graduated June 7.
Photo by Phil Gramling

Extracurriculars aside, members of the VUHS Class of 2024 were in school for book learning … right? For Gramling, the classroom was certainly an important place. He describes his academics as “fairly typical,” staying within the walls of the main building and not venturing out to the Walden outdoor learning experience of the Hannaford Career Center. But while he was there, he buckled down and took a broad range of courses, weighted toward the Humanities.

While every teacher had their own special impact on Gramling, he says Michael Thomas had the most profound effect on his future and his intention to become a teacher.

“As my English teacher for the last three years, he simultaneously changed my viewpoint on reading and writing, and exemplified a teaching style I respect and hope to use qualities of in the future,” Gramling said.

This fall, Gramling is heading off to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where he hopes to major in Anthropology and also study History and Music. 

“After I graduate, I hope to get my teaching license and then teach high school Social Studies, either in Vermont or a nearby state,” Gramling said. “I’d feel fulfilled if I get to do that for the next 50 years.”

Change and growth are the mark of high school for most teenagers. And 18-year-old Cal Gramling saw a lot of change between the fall of 2020 and commencement this month.

“It’s a bit sad, but I feel like high school really started for me in my junior year,” he said. “I don’t really remember a ton from my freshman year just because it was so disconnected … Though once most of the regulations were lifted and we could get back to a normal schedule, COVID’s effect kind of became a memory more than a reality.

“I feel really happy with how my high school experience went,” he continued. “I think there are a few clubs and activities I wish I might have started earlier, but I find it more valuable to think about what I can do in the future.”