Ray School Yearbook 2012 by Mathew Doyle

Inside front cover

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Dedication Donna Largent

We, the yearbook staff dedicate this years yearbook do Donna Largent. It is with regret but gratitude that we bid farewell to Mrs. Largent, who has been a guidance counselor at the Richmond Middle School for 13 years. Prior to being here, she was a counselor at the Indian River School and an English teacher in EnÞeld and Lebanon. She ended with 37 total years in education. For the last three years Mrs. Largent has taken on the yearbook as her end of the year project, not because she was particularly skilled at “yearbook design” or an expert with the technology required to put it together. She did it because no one else had volunteered to do it and she knew that our school community would be impacted negatively if we did not have a yearbook. Mrs. Largent’s career is full of instances like this. She has so often “stepped to the plate” and taken on tasks that needed to be done. Thousands of students, staff and families are better off because Mrs. Largent helped them with something important. This year’s yearbook is the most recent example. For this, we thank her and wish her well as she moves on from the Richmond Middle School. Written By: Mr. Lacrosse

k n a h T 3

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Retiring This Year During the twenty Þve years that I've taught at RMS, I have been especially proud of: the Get Real Alcohol/AIDS Peer Educators theater project that we created and toured for 12 years, our RMS Playback Theater Company that toured to a different community location each week, during the community service block, for 19 years. I am also proud of co-creating our Play Production class and the years of innovative and entertaining work that has resulted, Shakespeare and Improv classes, and the many challenging and wonderful productions that we've staged each spring. The chance to teach Yoga for the past ten years has been particularly fulÞlling. I have been continually energized by my love of theater, yoga, and most of all, my students. It is my students who taught me how to teach, how to have fun, and that my expectations of excellence were well founded.

Kate Schaefer

Jodi Horan

I started teaching in 1967, just a month

after graduating from college and have taught at many levels ever since: from high school to kindergarten and so much in between. Susan Finer hired me to teach 6th grade English in 1986 and I moved to the 8th grade nine years later: I found this grade to be the most challenging and rewarding of them all: a perfect match for me. I have loved our students' mercurial nature and inÞnite capacity for discovery, especially as readers and writers and expansive thinkers: they argue and listen and challenge and explore ideas and every year, I have watched them all grow so much. I have cared about and respected each one of them in all their talents and challenges and quirks; and they have returned that respect toward me. We have laughed at each other and ourselves; we have applauded our collective and individual progress at every turn in the road. Each new group learns early on that only one thing can make me truly angry: meanness toward or disrespect of anyone. And who doesn't prefer laughter to anger, challenge to boredom, and diversity to predictable sameness? It's been a really good journey. Remember: random acts of kindness make each day a little brighter. Go well, my friends, and stay well; no matter how large or small your community may be, make sure you help it be a tiny bit better by your presence in it. Jody Horan , RMS Engl!h Teacher

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1986-2012

Retiring This Year This time of year is busy at the Richmond School as

Donna Largent we prepare to send our eighth graders to the high

school and welcome new students from the Ray and Marion Cross Schools. It is also the time of year when dozens of families tour the Richmond School in hopes of enrolling their children. I'm reminded of the Þve hundred or so times I've given tours to new families and students, and as I show them each part of the building, I am proud of how many good things there are here that contribute to an awardingwinning middle school. There are Renaissance paintings, ceramics projects in the library, hand-crafted, painted benches and chairs in the halls and lobby. There are displays of student work: published writing in the Valley News, French cultural projects, remnants of tissue paper from the Balloon projects. There are numerous pairs of shoes outside the drama room door, and many students doing the "Just Dance" moves in the caf. There are War Horses in the eighth grade corridor and brain diagrams in the sixth grade. There are hundreds of positive interactions every day between students and staff. There is a spirit of giving to others through Student Council service projects and Children Helping Children, and staff efforts to reach out to others in need in the Upper Valley and beyond. There are the high top tables made in the woodshop, and Vermont Cows that decorate the walls outside the ofÞce. To me the Richmond School represents some of the best of a quality middle school: kids who are engaged in meaningful learning, staff who care deeply about their work and their students' success, people who truly enjoy working with this age group. These are some of the things I will remember and cherish about my time here.

Reflecting on my past 23 years at RMS, I appreciate the depth of change that has taken course in education. When I began in 1988, we were using large desktop computers with floppy discs, and the world had not yet been introduced to the Internet. We did not have laptops or cell phones or “i” anything. However, the one constant over the years has been the dedication and enthusiasm of the teachers and staff to the students. Teaching practices and the latest trends come and go and yet the staff at RMS always strives towards excellence in their passion for teaching and, bringing out the best in the students. Each year watching and getting to know a new group of eager students has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. Theories and trends may change, but the enthusiasm of the students never diminishes. Richmond Middle School has always been a wonderful place to practice the craft of teaching with a remarkable group of students, teachers, staff, administration and parents. I will always appreciate what I have learned over the years and wish the school and students continued success.

Pat Buchanan

Front Office Staff

Mrs. DeFelice: “Never look down at anyone unless you are helping him.” -Sir RIchard Branson

Mrs. Wybourne: “Keep calm and carry on.”

Mrs. Knowlton: “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” - Norman Vincent Peale

Mrs.Lovejoy: “Take a chance, Columbus did, buzz in!”

The front cover was designed by Sarah Dunbar, RMS sixth grader, and the back cover was designed by Matti Hartman, RMS eight grader. 6

RMS YEARBOOK

LETTERS FROM THE OFFICE Mr. Lepene and Mr. Nourse Mr. Lepene

To the students of the Richmond Middle School, I want to thank you for a successful 2011-2012 school year. I have been so impressed by the entire student community this year and want to thank you. When people ask me about the Richmond Middle School the first thing I talk about are our students. This year you have exceeded even my most positive comments. As a group, you have encouraged and maintained a positive climate and a place of support and friendship. Last year the 7th grade class had the opportunity to hear from a speaker who challenged us to be "action verbs". He asked that when each of us saw an opportunity to help or support another person we took it. In a sense, we should look for ways to contribute to make both our school and local community a better place. I'm proud to continue to feel this is indeed the spirit of the students and staff at RMS. As I reflect back on this school year I am pleased and encouraged by the countless examples of "action verbs" I come across in the halls of the Richmond Middle School. You have organized and carried out numerous community service and benefit activities. You have rehearsed and performed amazing concerts and drama productions. You have gathered resources for the less fortunate in our local community and for groups around the world. You have demonstrated excellence, creativity and hard work in our classrooms on a daily basis. You have taken your effort and skills out into national and local competitions and playing fields and represented our school and yourselves with excellence and sportsmanship. Most of all, you have fun together. I hope you take the opportunity to take action to make a positive change in your life and the lives of the people around you. A community is only as positive and strong as the contributions of each member of that community. Whether you are leaving us to attend Hanover High School or are returning next year for a new year at RMS I hope you will continue to exceed expectations. Have a great summer and best of luck! Congratulations on an excellent year. Mr. Lepene

6th Grade

Richmond Middle School Sixth Grade, your Þrst year of middle school, and what a year of change it has been! Some of you loved the fact that you didnÕt have to walk in lines anymore, and others of you liked changing classes each period, while others of you enjoyed trying new skills as you participated in various electives. You enjoyed planning activities for preschoolers in ÒKids and CompanyÓ, carving bowls and making benches in woodworking, and learning improvisational skills in drama. Academically, your teachers offered you both nurture and challenge. You began the year with the theme of ÒHow I Learn, How I ThinkÓ. You made designer brain models and explained the brainÕs parts and functions as you completed your oral presentations in science class. During Morning Meetings, you have had guest lecturers all of whom were community members who added to your knowledge of the brain. In social studies you studied an explorer and mapped his/her route using Google Earth software. In English you have matured in terms of your ability to write several drafts of a piece of writing, crafting and editing until you created something unique and coherent. You learned one of the longest words in the English language, and made your ÒCreative DictionariesÓ using your knowledge of root words, sufÞxes and preÞxes. In French class, you studied the culture of Francophone Africa, and learned traditional West African dance with Jeh Kulu. You made great progress learning new vocabulary and French grammar throughout the year. In math class, you used the ÒSmart BoardÓ for problem-solving, created Scratch project on the computer, and constructed part or all of your house on Google Sketch Up. We hope your Þrst year of middle school has been memorable and helped you grow as thinkers and learners. Your team teachers wish you well as you continue your journey in seventh grade next fall! Written by The Sixth Grade Team

6th Grade

7th Grade

Richmond Middle School The 7th grade did a new study this year on local Civil War soldiers. Visiting Hanover and Norwich cemeteries started the students off searching for the gravestones of "their" soldier and family. Primary sources such as the VT Census and military records gave more clues as the students became real historians piecing together the life of one soldier and their life during the Civil War. Secondary sources revealed more details about battles, wounds, prisons, and more. Once the research was complete, students wrote biographies, editing, checking facts, and revising. The culmination was a new collection of biographies of many local Civil War soldiers. In science classes students researched what was known about medicine and how surgeries were done during the Civil War, comparing that to modern day battlefields. Classes created their own procedures for an amputation (on chicken leg quarters); some students being Civil war surgeons and some students being current day surgeons. Later students took bacteria samples from the tools, cultured them, and analyzed the results. After seeing the results, students were glad they weren't operated on during the Civil War! Jaden Gladstone played Civil War tunes and shared stories behind the tunes. Also, student recitations of the Gettysburg Address occurred in the auditorium. Written by Ms. Wallis

7th Grade

Elective Team

Richmond Middle School What is it about the Richmond Middle School elective program which makes it so unique? Why is it sometimes described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the jewelâ&#x20AC;? of the middle school? The elective

program offers our students a rich experience in building life-long skills in the areas of: art, music, drama, photography, woodworking, foods, physical education, model aviation and more. Students learn about world hunger and work on process and product as they create ceramic and fabric bowls in the Empty Bowls elective. They design and build model tree houses and integrate them into the spaces of tree branches in the Ultimate Treehouse elective. Some days there are fifteen or more boys and girls playing ukuleles in the lobby as part of the Ukulele elective. Students make intricate jewelry boxes, mandolins, Adirondack chairs and high-top tables in Woodworking. They write and produce wonderful, original scenes in Play Production, as they develop abilities to work intuitively and collaboratively. They create beautiful music in Chorus, Jazz Band, Strings Orchestra and Concert Band as they learn to work in large groups. In Physical Education classes, they develop collaborative and problem-solving skills as they interact with the natural environment. Our school community values the elective program, because it helps students become well-rounded human beings, sparks their creativity and allows them to develop an appreciation for the arts. We value the program because it creates a niche for every student to find a place of comfort.

Elective Team Richmond Middle School

8th Grade

Richmond Middle School The doors are about to open, the tide of people, including you, will Ă&#x;ow through them and then they will close again. You will be allowed to visit, but re-entry will be impossible. You will have moved on. You will stand outside those doors basking in the sunshine and a question will pop into your head: Was that an entrance or exit? And it will have been both. Your eighth grade experience will end with the closing of those doors, but do you remember its beginning? The greeting of friends both old and new outside and the expectation that all you'd been waiting for was about to be real? The idea that you would be the big kids, 'they' would be the small kids, and you would rule with a dominance the world had never seen... And then you headed down into the basement and the work really started. Over the course of the year you learned about different cultures and ideas, religions and political viewpoints. You wrestled with identity, both your own and that of characters out of history and novels. You saw each other excel and struggle with academics, athletics, drama, dance, art, music, and a host of other activities. Throughout it all, the social elements and dynamics of being a teenager also demanded your attention. Romances both Ă&#x;owered and withered, friendships formed, strengthened, and changed - sometimes several times. This all came together when you were assigned to partners and groups with both friends and, well, not friends. You took part in discussions, took notes, wrote papers, built balloons, illustrated war horses, acted out scenes from plays, dove into the Renaissance, made posters, skits, media presentations and movies, and demonstrated your skills in countless other ways. In other words you learned. About yourself and the world around you. And hopefully all of this led you to a better understanding of what it means to be 'them' instead of us. Perhaps, even, that there really isn't a them at all; that we are all human and all that that entails. We, your teachers, certainly saw the evidence of this. As a class you have been welcoming of new students, open to different viewpoints, and willing to put yourself in each other's shoes before snapping to judgement. Well, most of the time. Yes, there is still work and learning to be done, but that is why the closing of these doors is not just an exit but also an entrance. For now you are walking into the next phase of your life. Remember what you have learned here, it is your foundation. Keep it close, and build your future upon it. PeaceWritten by Mr. Goodling

Mr. G

Balloon Launch 42

8th Grade Electives

Lilly Cadow

Nic John

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Marion M

iller

Matti Har

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Nick Be

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Jake and Eric Mccoy

Olivia Hin

Max Porter

Nathalie Dragnev

Leah Shi

pulski

Jame

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Kevin H

s DiL

Julie Calandrella

alla

Katie

Lovell

ison

att ck P

oland

nT Jorda

Ian G

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Just ry

in C

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Kaleb Hunt

Laurel

Mende

Kaz Matsuoka

Kirs

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lsohn

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behn

troh Sam S Sina H

Vane

odge

ssa N

wok

oye

roff

Pat Dy

Sara

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Sam

Sch

Rujin

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war

Sop

hia C

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Matt Whalen

rnin

Zac Che

Vincent M

oore

beau

Annie Olsen

Haz

aum

nb Rose

Fenner

Zande

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elbach

Lamm

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Erik Bidstrup ford

Hailey Blatch

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dre n An

Etha

Hana Dai

2012 PROJECTS

GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI * MERIBALAIS & BOIS D'AVRIL, HAITI

Children Helping Children thanks the entire Richmond community for helping us support projects around the world. Each small step helps the world be a kinder place as our recipients spread the generosity beyond their own borders. * * * Check out our link on the Richmond School website.

Plays!

Homeroom Pictures

Balch

Buchanan

Homeroom Pictures

Callawa

Dakai 81

Homeroom Pictures

Davis

rs e i n l u a s De 82

Homeroom Pictures

Dodds

Downey 83

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s Fellow

Fisher 84

Homeroom Pictures

lin d o o G

Foxall 85

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di n o r G

Hall 86

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MacD

i k s o n Iva 87

onald

Homeroom Pictures

n a m t s Ea

Pratt 88

Homeroom Pictures

do Queve

Stott 89

Homeroom Pictures

Sylvester

Yearbook Team Richmond Middle School

Mr. Eastman and Mrs. Largent would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to this year's yearbook staff. Annie Olsen took many pictures, worked on advertising, and assembled several collages. Hana Dai took pictures and also worked on the grade level collages. Katie Lovell designed the baby pictures pages and also worked on some of the eighth grade personal pages, and Sophia Castaldo designed many of the eighth grade personals and worked on numerous collages. Andrea Sedlacek helped take pictures and design the baby picture collages. We also appreciate the Ă&#x17E;ne artwork for the front and back covers done by sixth grader, Sarah Dunbar, and eighth grader Matti Hartman. Many thanks to our yearbook editor, Alex Taylor, who assembled much of the yearbook single-handedly. In addition, he kept us organized and continued to revise our "to do" lists as we went through the process. We had a very dedicated and competent group of students with whom to work this year, and as a result, have produced a Ă&#x17E;ne product all in color. Luk

ent a Larg

Donn

ast

Above (from left to right): Sarah Dunbar, Katie Lovell, Matti Hartman, Sophia Castaldo, Hana Dai, Alex Taylor, Annie Olsen. Not pictured: Andrea Sedlacek

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