Volleyball March Madness

Interest in volleyball spiked in March at Middlebury Union Middle School.

Co-Principal Michael Dudek will step down from his position in June to become the Addison Central School District’s first-ever “student response coordinator,” a job that will make him the point person on investigations of hazing, harassing and bullying (H … (read more)

An ongoing effort to inject heavy doses of spirit and camaraderie into the Middlebury Union Middle School community will reach fever pitch this weekend with a first-ever, 2.07-mile “Color Fun Run.”

As the first-ever dean of climate & culture at MUMS, Esther Charlestin’s responsibilities will include student discipline, being a student case manager, facilitating after-school extracurriculars and supporting students and teachers.

What I really want to say is that MUMS really IS a great school. MUMS has a great, hardworking, available and responsive administration, staff and faculty.

Addison Central School District officials are urging vigilance and voluntary compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols — rather than mandatory masking and other restrictions — in the wake of recent, major coronavirus case spikes at three of the district’s … (read more)

In a recent editorial, Angelo Lynn too simply dismisses the challenges in our schools, saying “the pandemic has upset the apple cart” and that it is “no one’s fault.”

Middlebury Union Middle School will soon adopt a new leadership structure to help it navigate through recent challenges that have included handling an unusual number of student discipline issues and absorbing, for the first time, sixth-graders from throug … (read more)

It was a few weeks ago that MUMS seventh-graders Isabel Quinn, Julia Morrissey and Kate Kozak were drawing in art class when collegial chatter turned to Ukraine.

After sitting through a meeting with MUMS parents and school administrators this morning, I think I am starting to get a hint of why the ideals of ‘tolerance’ and ‘color blindness’ arose in the ‘80s.

Middlebury Union Middle School on Monday implemented a ban on all flag-related attire, one of several new strategies aimed at addressing student behavior issues that have made for turbulent times at MUMS since the beginning of this academic year.

I recently retired (June of 2020) from MUMS after 31 years as the school’s guidance counselor and am very saddened by the recent article in the Addison Independent as well as the presentation that Fawnda Buttolph made to the ACSD board.

Middlebury Union Middle School, plagued this fall by an alarming pattern of student discipline problems, is reversing the trend thanks to newly hired staff, new programming and help from the community.

Vermont residents wouldn’t be wrong to look at the state of our schools today and surmise they are in crisis.

Two years ago, educator Fawnda Buttolph’s favorite place to substitute teach was Middlebury Union Middle School. Now she won’t go back.