Mar 10
lorenyoung's picture

Emerald Ash Borer

 
The ash tree is a very important tree in Vermont’s landscape.  Ash have beautiful diamond-shaped bark patterns and they stand out in a forest due to their tall and straight lines. 

To me, ash trees are iconic. They make the Green Mountains green in the spring and summer, and turn to vivid orange hues in the fall. My dad and I find morel mushrooms growing in the nitrogen-rich soil at the base of our ash trees. They are known for having great, full tops, and bring good value in the timber market. Birds love ash trees because they are high enough to keep away predators, and deer rely on ash trees as they eat the buds off the young tops in the winter. 
Oct 13

College Essay Workshop -- Online Version

For those who couldn't make the YWP-VSAC College Essay workshop Oct. 14 (it was pretty awesome -- thanks to the seniors who attended), you can go to our online version. From now until Oct. 31, access resources, help & feedback. 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN


 
Mar 21
catrina l's picture

My Morning

Beep,beep,beep my alarm rings its 6:50am. I woke up late. I hear my mom yelling at me and my brother to get up. I get up to turn my light on. I walk over to my closet to find something to wear i grab leggings and a hoodie. I get dress d and walk over to bed and watch some tv while i get ready. I brush my hair and my teeth, i put my socks and my doc martins on, and grab my backpack and go downstairs.Beep,beep,beep my alarm rings again it’s 7:15 so I grab my lunch and go outside to wait for the bus with my friends. We see the bus coming so we go wait in the road, we all get on the bus. About 10 minutes later we met to South meadow a bunch of people get on my friend Jasmine sits next to me. 7:45 we get to school. We start to go down to the store before school starts and grab something to drink. We barley make it to school on time.
 
Mar 09

Author Interview: Tanya Lee Stone

Feb 13
thing one's picture

In Ten Years

  • in ten years i want to have a lil family with my husband. I want to have a nice job with a lot of Somali gold. I want twins that are girls and I want them to have birthday parties with pink. I want to live somewhere that is hot. I don't know where. I want to have a life where I don't have to worry about money. I want to live a life where I can have peace and love. I want a life where my kids do not have to be hated because of something that they can't control. I want a life where all our memories are on a camera. When we look at the camera the camera turns alive with all the memories. I want a life where I can live happily, I want a life where my husband can lead the prayer and we pray as a family. i want a life where our prayer mats are dancing because we are getting  ready to pray
Feb 13
baseball22's picture

a sunny night

My favorite memory was going to Florida. When it was the last day I was going to be in Florida, I went to a Tampa Bay Rays vs the Boston Red Sox. It was a very sunny, warm day. It was a really exciting game. In the first three innings, nothing happened besides the pitchers striking out everyone with their fast slider and fastball. The pitcher's fastball is like speeding down to the catcher like a jet speeding through the sky. When it was the top of the 5th the manager of the rays game out of the dugout to go talk to the pitcher about how many pitches he has thrown there was a pitcher warming up in the bullpen and they put the new pitcher in because he was starting to throw slow. After when there was a new pitcher warming up on the mound. The Boston Red Sox started scoring runs and made the game 2 to 0. After when the Red Sox were done scoring runs the Tampa Bay Rays scored one nice run.

Cats

What is your favorite animal? My favorite animal is a cat becus i have 2 cats and my cats are my life. My cats are very cute and they really like to play with a laser and they oslo like to play in in boxes becus i will make like a little home for them and is like they have a home in the box and they like to sleep in the boxes. My cats also like to get on top of the frig and chow a hole in the cat treats and eat them all and my cats also wake me up at 2:00 am because their food is epdey and when i give them more food They fight like cats and dogs over the food.
 
Feb 13
SG's picture

My Summer Month

School ends and summer starts. Everyone knows what that means. Groups of kids gather up talking to one another about how their summer will be fantastic and what trips they will be planning with family, relatives, or friends. Weary and tired I sigh and enjoy the warm winds blowing across my tired face almost as if it was caressing it. but then I felt a burst of energy to the realization of summer. I found myself grinning the way back, threw my clothes onto the bed, and started to call my friends. We occasionally played a game called ¨deepwoken¨ pretty much for most of my summer but then tomorrow upon waking up I realized I´ve been signed up for summer school. I dread the fact I waited for school to end but just to end with more school. I found myself walking down a steep hill every day. Some days it felt longer, so I decided to choose the outdoor hiking club since it intrigued me more than other subjects like math & arts & craft.
Feb 13
UW Huskies 2022's picture

A Challenge I Face Right Now

One challenge that I face right now is the challenge of catching up on all of the work that I missed while I had covid.
It’s not that much work, but it seems like all of it just walked up to me and punched me in the gut. “AAAAGGHHH!” That is the noise that goes through my head every time a teacher tells me that I have more work that I missed while I was sick.
If I don’t get all of this work done sometime soon, I think I just might die of boredom.
The Work is worrying me into woe. I am getting so sad and every time I am happy and I accidentally think of work, I am as worrisome as a wart. I envy everybody that already has all of their work completed, like Axel, and Ben, but not me, I still have lots of work to complete.

 
Feb 13
kaylam's picture

Oldest Person I know

 The oldest person I know is in my family and her life is as busy as a bee.  She's my great grandmother and her name is Evelyn quenal. My great grandmother is 79 years old and is still here today shining like the sun. My great grandmother has a big passion for cooking and baking and that's what I love about her.  When she met my great grandfather she always makes special desserts and food for our family when we visit them in canada. My great grandmother also has a huge passion for gardening, she has one of the biggest gardens ever seen with some of the most beautiful flowers seen in the world.
 
Feb 13
csizmesx's picture

The game vs South Burlington

One experience that made me happy was when I scored 10 points, had about 12 rebounds and 3 steals and that game was against South Burlington. Coming into the game I was a little nervous because I was trying to top my previous performance in the early stages of the year when we first played them I had 16 points and and that was the most that I had ever scored in a game, so this game I thought that I had to top that plus graham wasn’t there and I thought to myself ‘’ that I had to makeup for his rebounds if he is not going to be there.’’ So we went out on the court and it was the first quarter we won the tip off and I gave it to mat and then I cut into the basket and did a uro step and scored the first points in the game. Then I had number 12 which was one of their best players and I stole the ball from him and gave it to Westin. Mo wasn't in the game until the end of the 1 quarter because he was late but we still had a 10 point lead going into the second quarter.
Feb 13
sapphirek's picture

Love

Love is like a warm bed, a familiar room, or a person. It’s caring, and reassuring. Love is unconditional. My favorite kind of love is family love, the one you share with your parents and your siblings (even though you don’t act like it.) The type of relationship that lifts you up like an elevator and supports decisions you make that better your mental and physical health. The type of relationship that doesn’t want you to fail and pushes you to the cliff of your fullest potential. People who give constructive criticism and try their best to fulfill your needs. People who want to get you excited about things like sugar keeps you restless. The type of love that never changes like seasons and is always bright. Shared between you and millions of others like plates at a restaurant. Love to me is forever. Always there and never forgotten is love. Love loves you, and you love love.

 
Feb 13
stELLA's picture

The rain

The weather has a big effect on my mood. Sunny days make me feel motivated and energized but they can also make me feel uncomfortable. The heat can sometimes make me tired, so I would call rainy gray days my favorite. On rainy days I can hear the rain pattering on on the sidewalk and the water sloshing down the sides of the street. The rain makes me feel cozy. On rainy gray days I could curl up on the couch all day. There is something I just love about the rain, I feel instantly relaxed. All I have to do is just sit back and take some time to think, I don't have to run off anywhere. Sometimes the rain and the gray sky makes me feel depressed, but that just gives me more time to think about what I need to do. On a day when the rain keeps everyone locked in their houses, and scared to leave the comfort of their warm house, families can bond over board games and movies. The rain pushes everyone to move closer. Take a day to gather yourself. This is why I love the rain.
 
Feb 13
Lenny's picture

Windy Weather


If I woke up and it happened to be a windy cloudy day, its pouring rain, I would like it but not for the morning because I have school to get to in the morning. I wouldn't want it to be all rainy and muddy around.

It would also give me the motivation to stay home from school. At home, it’s rainy and muddy. I would enjoy it because It’s like a dark mood outside and I could easily sleep to the sound of rain. 

Sleeping to the sound of rain is a very peaceful thing to do, it feels like I’m one of the raindrops falling from the sky and hitting the floor peacefully, pitter-patter.

The sky color is very pretty, I like the dark blue with black trees in the distance.

Just rainy cloudy weather makes me feel alive, especially the warm breeze.
 
Feb 13
Mohamed08's picture

Roller coaster Weather

Weather affects my mood in various ways. First, if it’s too cloudy I predict my day won’t go as smoothly and I’ll most likely be kind of mad and bored all day. While the wind laughs at me on a gray gloomy day I am in a mood of all the colors in the rainbow mushed together. “I’m so MAD!” I shout and I feel like a gray cloud over my head follows me everywhere I go, raining and thundering as my day fades away like Elmer's purple disappearing glue. Secondly, if it’s raining heavily outside I guess it’ll be a chill day, just relaxing, nothing to worry about, and probably a little tired. Walking down the sidewalk in my boots through the puddles “ Splish Splash” and listening to the rain hitting the puddles like a hammer hitting a nail. Lastly, I love it when the sun is out everyone is happy, and a smile on my face and everyone around me. I’m in the happiest mood you’ll ever see me in even if someone is as angry as a bee. My aura will change their mood in a gazillisecond. 

 
Feb 13
Lenny's picture

Windy Weather


If I woke up and it happened to be a windy cloudy day, its pouring rain, I would like it but not for the morning because I have school to get to in the morning. I wouldn't want it to be all rainy and muddy around.

It would also give me the motivation to stay home from school. At home, it’s rainy and muddy. I would enjoy it because It’s like a dark mood outside and I could easily sleep to the sound of rain. 

Sleeping to the sound of rain is a very peaceful thing to do, it feels like I’m one of the raindrops falling from the sky and hitting the floor peacefully, pitter-patter.

The sky color is very pretty, I like the dark blue with black trees in the distance.

Just rainy cloudy weather makes me feel alive, especially the warm breeze.
 
Feb 13
EM209's picture

Bruges, Belguim

In the 13 years I've been living, the best place I've visited would be Bruges, Belgium. The best part was waking up in the morning and smelling the huge feast we would have for breakfast. It would be a true uphill battle to get out of bed and walk down the stairs, but once I did I would find this glorified table filled with cheeses, croissants, meats, and berries. The table smelled like heaven and tased like it too. With all the tasty food I wouldn't be able to decide my favorite!! When I came down the stairs I grabbed a plate and walked out to the backyard. The backyard was breathtaking and would leave me speechless. The vines were all the size of an elephant's eyes. And the grass was watered and cut fresh.The pool was infinite. You could feel the water stream pushing you backwards to enforce the feeling that the pool would go on forever.  My early morning walks through the garden were incredible.
Feb 13
WestinB08's picture

Getting old.

Getting old is a blessing in disguise. Oftentimes getting old is looked down upon but there is a lot of good that comes with getting old. Everyday you are alive you gain a story, as the days and knowledge adds up so does the respect that you get. I’ve never looked at an old person and thought of them to be lesser than I am, I've always had a deep respect for them in some sense. If you are a young person with open ears who is ready to listen, sit down and have a conversation with someone who is old and hear what they have to say.
I love my body and what it does for me but one of the things I am scared of when growing old is loss of mobility. I am scared of not being able to do the things I love and pushing my body to its limits. For now I still have lots of time for growing into my mind and my body, I’ll keep enjoying my youth and living like there is no tomorrow. 

 
Feb 07
essay challenge: Teenager
Summit House-WCS's picture

Life as a Pre-Teen Teenager

Being a teenager is the beginning of a transition in life. It’s where I voice-crack way too much, get more socially awkward, and actually care if I make a fool of myself for laughs.

But it is so much more than that as well. There are some seemingly upsides, like once again, actually caring if I make a fool of myself. (It makes me really not want to remember what I was like in first grade.) But there are also some seemingly downsides, like getting insecure about myself in different things. But most of all, being a teenager is confusing. Why I think this is, is because, for example, some things you might think are downsides, can actually be upsides, like sometimes you have to be who you are by making a fool of yourself, instead of caring what everyone else thinks.
Feb 02
justfiddlinaround's picture

Mental Health

What mental health means to me, mental health is a thing everyone has, something we have to take care of. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It is affected by: biological factors, such as genes and brain chemistry, Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, family history of mental health problems. When we experience good mental health, it doesn’t mean we are always in a good mood, nor does it prevent the stresses of life from coming our way. Mental health can really alter how you act, for example in a book I am reading (Girl in Pieces By Kathleen Glasgow) Charlie, the main character, has bad mental health and would cut herself because she said it freed the bad feelings. She did not want to cut herself but her brain would tell her that's what she needed to do. She was put into a mental hospital because of that. Her life was all a whirlpool.