Harwood Middle School Update, May 31, 2019

Connecting with the Arts...  

38 HUMS performers are getting ready for next week’s Alice in Wonderland. Working together to create a unified vision of The wonderland gardens and getting a little messy in the process. 

Alice In Wonderland JR. 

Thursday, June 6 

Admission $5.00

Curious Scientist 

You may have eaten chicken wings, before, but have you ever made your chicken wing wave to another chicken wing?  7th-grade scientists dissected chicken wings to investigate 

 

How the muscles, bones, and tendons work together to move the joint of a chicken wing and how they compare to a human arm.

Dear HUUSD Community; 

The following summarizes our last meeting on May 22, 2019, which also served as a community forum as part of the PreK-12 planning project. Please visit the District Plan/Bond Project page of our website to review the forum materials and add your own comments via Google Form. (LINK: wwsu.org/district-plan-bond-project)

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to a public forum where Michelle Baker, Director of Finance and Operations, presented a detailed look at our current operational budget and budget/tax projections for the next 10 years and answered questions from the public. We also broke into smaller groups to hear from the public about their impressions of the budget presentation as well as their concerns and hopes about the upcoming PreK-12 planning.

At the HUUSD Board meeting, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board acted on the items below (in order):

1. Consent agenda:  Approved meeting minutes of 5/15/19, accepted Voucher 1258 equaling $435,013.96, Approved Harwood out of state field trips (HU music field trip to NYC, Senior trip to Great Escape, English Dept trip to Salem, MA)

We also heard a report from the Student reps on the board, presented by Hannah Clark, and were introduced to the policy packet which included numerous policies that the board is expected to the approve by the end of June.  We also spent time brainstorming various possible change models for our district configuration and so far have a list of over 20 possible scenarios which will be narrowed down to a much smaller number over the course of the next few meetings.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 5 at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union High School library.  

Please visit www.wwsu.org/huusd-board for board agendas and packets, board committee meeting agendas and meeting times, detailed minutes of all meetings, HUUSD Smart Goals for the 2018-2019 school year, and to find the link to watch board meetings. The direct link to watch this and past recent meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/.  There is also an archive of older meetings which can be found here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=Harwood+Unified+Union+School+Board&sort=-date

As always, we thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,

The HUUSD Board

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.



Mad River Rippers Youth Mountain Bike Program  This program is open to all kids ages 2 to middle and high school students.  Rides are every Tuesday from 5 to 7PM from May 28 through September.  The program is free, but registration is required.  Email bob@madriverriders.com for a registration form.  Riders are placed into small groups based on age, experience and riding style. Each group is teamed up with experienced and trained adult riders.

Mad Mile for Kids July 6, 9:00am at Waitsfield Elementary School.  To register visit the Mad Marathon tent at the Waitsfield Inn on Friday July 5th 4-7pm or Saturday July 6, 8:30am at Waitsfield School. Download a registration form at MadMarathon.com>Mad Mile. For more information contact Joe Robinson atjrobinson@huusd.org.

Lake Monsters Ball Game Fundraiser for Everybody Wins Reading Mentor Program    Each year Everybody Wins sells tickets in May to one specific Lake Monsters game. They get a percentage of ticket sales, promote Everybody Wins! at the game and have a 50/50 raffle there. People have to get tickets through our special link in order to benefit us.  This year's game is on Sunday July 7th, at 5:05 pm. Here's our link for tickets: https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Buy.asp?EventID=271529&promocode=EWVT#.XNFigdNKg8Y

The Valley Players Present HARVEY  a hilarious three-act comedy, May 31-June 16, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.Tickets are $16 for evening shows and $12 for the matinee.

Free Parent Workshop: Helping Your Kids to Be all That They Can Be June 6th, 6-8pm, Crossett Brook Middle School Cafeteria. Come join us for a night of parenting support and laughter with Charlie Appelstein as we learn positive strength-based approaches to growing our children to be the best that they can be.  We will look at many topics including the decoding of problem behavior, mindset changing, self-esteem building, helping inflexible/explosive children, humor at home, limit setting, logical consequences and so much more. Please RSVP to Moie Moulton LaRock atmmoulton@huusd.org .  Walk ins are also welcome.  Free childcare will be provided at Moretown School.  Childcare space is limited and slots will be first come first serve so please let Moie know if you would like to reserve a spot.

Host Families Needed  The CIEE student exchange program is looking for host families for 8 high school students arriving in August. By opening their home, host families make it possible for members of their community to meet, interact, and learn from someone from a different culture.  Host families provide their student with three meals a day, a bed (can be a shared room with 1 other sibling) and love.  Many host families develop a relationship that lasts a lifetime with the student they host.  For more information, contact Susan Kuegel at susankuegel10@gmail.com

Harwood Middle School Update, May 24. 2019

HUMS musicians connect with the greater HU community
through an amazing musical performance this past week. 
HUMS band, chorus and jazz band took the main stage to
dazzle the audience with musical pieces they have
been rehearsing over the past few months. 
Save the date:   HUMS will present
Alice in Wonderland on June 6th @ 6pm in the HU Auditorium. 

HUMS Concert Band. 

HUMS Chorus. 

HUMS Jazz Band

HUMS 8th Grade Scientist
Curious what happens when...
Liquid Nitrogen interacts with everyday objects.
Pictured here scientist ended the class by creating delicious
liquid nitrogen ice cream through
 

How Does It Work?

The Science Behind the Freeze

The secret to the creamy ice cream is all in the rapid freezing of the mixture. The liquid nitrogen causes the fat and the water particles to stay very small, giving the ice cream its creamy consistency. The goal is to avoid ice crystals – similar to what you get when you make ice milk. According to food science experts, rapid freezing preserves the nutrients in food (a quick-frozen vegetable that's three months old will likely have a nutrient composition closer to harvest levels than a five-day-old fresh vegetable. The faster you freeze, the less you destroy tissue structures that could lead to a more rapid loss).

 

Yum! 

HUMS Connected with Nature! 
A Canadian Warbler decided to pay a
visit to Ms. McCarty's English class today.
The warbler decided not to use the door but instead
 went right through the screen on her window as they
were reading a story about a bird's journey. 
The coincidence was uncanny.
The Canadian Visitor did not have a visa for
an extended stay, so after some photo ops
she was gently left to go on her way.   

HUMS

CALENDAR UPDATE

May
May  27	No School
May 31	Step Up Day for HUUSD
June 7	8th Grade Dinner Dance On the Ethan Allen

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

Mad Mile for Kids: July 6, 9:00am at Waitsfield Elementary School.  To register to visit the Mad Marathon tent at the Waitsfield Inn on Friday, July 5th 4-7pm or Saturday, July 6, 8:30am at Waitsfield School. Download a registration form at MadMarathon.com>Mad Mile. For more information contact Joe Robinson at jrobinson@huusd.org.

The Valley Players Present HARVEY  a hilarious three-act comedy, May 31-June 16, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.Tickets are $16 for evening shows and $12 for the matinee.

 

Free Parent Workshop: Helping Your Kids to Be All That They Can Be June 6th, 6-8pm, Crossett Brook Middle School Cafeteria. Come join us for a night of parenting support and laughter with Charlie Appelstein as we learn positive strength-based approaches to growing our children to be the best that they can be.  We will look at many topics including the decoding of problem behavior, mindset changing, self-esteem building, helping inflexible/explosive children, humor at home, limit setting, logical consequences and so much more. Please RSVP to Moie Moulton LaRock atmmoulton@huusd.org .  Walk-ins are also welcome.  Free childcare will be provided at Moretown School.  Childcare space is limited and slots will be first come first serve so please let Moie know if you would like to reserve a spot.

Host Families Needed  The CIEE student exchange program is looking for host families for 8 high school students arriving in August. By opening their home, host families make it possible for members of their community to meet, interact, and learn from someone from a different culture.  Host families provide their student with three meals a day, a bed (can be a shared room with 1 other sibling) and love.  Many host families develop a relationship that lasts a lifetime with the student they host.  For more information, contact Susan Kuegel at susankuegel10@gmail.com

Harwood Middle School Update, May 17, 2019

Curious about how to build a circle with Pringles? Easy... right? Not really.

HUMS engineers work together to build a ring using only Pringles chips. The Pringles Ringle is an engineering challenge in which students create a ring using only Pringles chips, no tape or glue allowed! The challenge requires a lot of patience as well as careful and precise chip placement. Although, the hardest part of the challenge is not eating all of the chips before finishing the ring.

"MESSAGES OF MERCY" PEN PAL PROJECTHUMS Connected Across the Globe

HUMS Students involved in the Kenyan Pen Pal Letter project received their first set of letters from their Pen Pals in Kenya.  HUMS is participating in the "Messages of Mercy" Project through the non-profit organization "Everyone's Child," dedicated to improving the lives of children in Africa.  Former HUMS student and Harwood graduate Tracy Guion is a volunteer with "Everyone's Child" and is spearheading the letter writing project.  Part of Tracy's presentation was to show HUMS students a video of the village and orphanage where their pen pals are from.  Many of the Kenyan Pen Pal Students are orphans; many of their parents have perished from the rampant AIDS virus, while others were involved in automobile accidents as the roads there are dangerous and not well regulated.  Our students learned that potable water is one of the most precious commodities in the village where our pen pals live.   This week the HUMS Pen Pal Project was featured in the"EVERYONE'S CHILD" BLOG PAGE . . . Check it out!  

Curious about where Alice went?   

Our MS performers are busy memorizing lines and designing their costumes for our upcoming musical. Alice in Wonderland JR features our MS chorus classes on 

Thursday, June 6th at 6pm! 

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

The Valley Players Present HARVEY  a hilarious three-act comedy, May 31-June 16, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.Tickets are $16 for evening shows and $12 for the matinee.

Free Parent Workshop: Helping Your Kids to Be all That They Can Be June 6th, 6-8pm, Crossett Brook Middle School Cafeteria. Come join us for a night of parenting support and laughter with Charlie Appelstein as we learn positive strength-based approaches to growing our children to be the best that they can be.  We will look at many topics including the decoding of problem behavior, mindset changing, self-esteem building, helping inflexible/explosive children, humor at home, limit setting, logical consequences and so much more. Please RSVP to Moie Moulton LaRock atmmoulton@huusd.org .  Walk-ins are also welcome.  Free childcare will be provided at Moretown School.  Childcare space is limited and slots will be first come first serve so please let Moie know if you would like to reserve a spot.

Art Show, Social and Fundraiser for Waitsfield Children's Center   May 16, at The Mad River Barn, with raffle drawing at 6:30.  The raffle prize is seven nights lodging in a one bedroom Condo anywhere within the Interval International Timeshare Network with locations worldwide and throughout New England donated by Eagles Resort. All ticket sales benefit The Waitsfield Children's Center. Fifteen percent of food sales will also benefit the Waitsfield Children's Center.

Host Families Needed  The CIEE student exchange program is looking for host families for 8 high school students arriving in August. By opening their home, host families make it possible for members of their community to meet, interact, and learn from someone from a different culture.  Host families provide their student with three meals a day, a bed (can be a shared room with 1 other sibling) and love.  Many host families develop a relationship that lasts a lifetime with the student they host.  For more information, contact Susan Kuegel at susankuegel10@gmail.com

Harwood Middle School Update, May 10, 2019

HUMS students Connect with others through reading.
Spring does exist in Vermont, one has to enjoy it when
it presents itself.  

Curious what may be flying overhead?  Is it a bird, perhaps a balloon, 
or some time of UFO??? 
Well,  most likely the objects you see are one of our
Radio-Controlled airplanes being flown
middle school pilots who are members of our newly started
flight club.  The crew is open to anyone interested in
hands-on building and operating flying machines. 
Recent grant funds will open up the opportunity for more piloted
planes in the HU sky in the coming weeks. 
(Harwood may need a control tower soon)
The group hopes to fly some Highlander Banners during home
sporting events either later this spring or next fall. 
Keep your eyes wandering in the skies!  

“3 Word” Conversations......

BACKGROUND: These community conversations are the next step in our plan to develop a vision and goals for the HUUSD district.  It follows the community-wide survey which closed on April 12 and received over 700 responses. We expect to publish results of the survey and conversations in June 2019, and develop a first draft of the vision/goals in time for the board retreat, which will occur sometime in August 2019.  The hope is for the board to finalize the vision/goals in the Fall of 2019.

FUTURE DATES:

If you cannot join us tomorrow, consider joining one of these events - going outside of the town in which you live is encouraged!!

• Monday, May 13, 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Fayston Elementary School
• Tuesday, May 21, 9:00 - 10:30 am (DAYTIME) at the Waitsfield Town Office
• Tuesday, May 21, 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Warren Elementary School
• Tuesday, May 28, 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Moretown Elementary School
• Wednesday, May 29, 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Crossett Brook Middle School

You can RSVP to a future date using this link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RSVP_CommunityConversations

As always, thank you for engaging with us about education in our district!

The HUUSD School Board

What’s happening with the Harwood bond?
Recognizing the need to present our community with a comprehensive Pre K through 12 plan for the school district, the Harwood Unified Union School District Board of Directors recently approved a timeline to outline our work from now until Town Meeting Day 2020. The goal is to present voters with a bond proposal that encompasses a Pre K through 12 plan for district configuration and construction needs on March 3, 2020. This bond will not only address the Harwood Union campus, but will incorporate changes and improvements for other facilities as necessary.

On April 24, the board approved a list of “Challenges and Opportunities” as a first step in creating a plan.The timeline also includes several upcoming events. There will be a May 8, board discussion of draft criteria to use in evaluating potential Pre K through 12 models. And on May 15, the administration will present a report on current state/do nothing model projections for per pupil expenditure and homestead tax rates through FY 2029. Updates and outcomes will be shared through our regular HUUSD board meeting updates.

On May 22, we will host a 90 minute forum at which community members can share their thoughts, ask questions, and have small group discussions regarding the work with members of the board and administration. At subsequent meetings, the board will outline and identify 3 - 5 scenarios for a Pre K through 12 plan, with a report in September 2019. For updates and supporting documents please refer to the board page of the HUUSD website: https://wwsu.org/huusd-board

We hope to see you at 6:00 on May 22, in the Harwood library for the forum. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts during the public comment section of board meetings or through email to the full board at cen-huusdboard@wwsu.org.

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

The Valley Players Present HARVEY  a hilarious three-act comedy, May 31-June 16, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.Tickets are $16 for evening shows and $12 for the matinee.

 

Free Parent Workshop: Helping Your Kids to Be all That They Can Be June 6th, 6-8pm, Crossett Brook Middle School Cafeteria. Come join us for a night of parenting support and laughter with Charlie Appelstein as we learn positive strength-based approaches to growing our children to be the best that they can be.  We will look at many topics including the decoding of problem behavior, mindset changing, self-esteem building, helping inflexible/explosive children, humor at home, limit setting, logical consequences and so much more. Please RSVP to Moie Moulton LaRock atmmoulton@huusd.org .  Walk ins are also welcome.  Free childcare will be provided at Moretown School.  Childcare space is limited and slots will be first come first serve so please let Moie know if you would like to reserve a spot.

Art Show, Social and Fundraiser for Waitsfield Children's Center   May 16, at The Mad River Barn, with raffle drawing at 6:30.  The raffle prize is seven nights lodging in a one bedroom Condo anywhere within the Interval International Timeshare Network with locations world wide and throughout New England donated by Eagles Resort. All ticket sales benefit The Waitsfield Children's Center. Fifteen percent of food sales will also benefit the Waitsfield Children's Center.

Harwood Middle School Update, May 3, 2019

HUMS Cares and Connects with the Past.  

This past week the 8th grade had the incredible opportunity to hear the story of a child survivor of the Holocaust named Henny Lewin. Her presentation, filled with images, was impactful and heartwrenching as she told of her experience as a young child being forcibly taken from her home with her parents and moved into the Kovno ghetto in Lithuania. Henny's parents, in an effort to protect her and keep her safe, smuggled her out of the ghetto in a suitcase (she was 3 1/2 years old) with the help of a Catholic priest and she lived with a Catholic family friend for the duration of the war. Amazingly her parents also escaped the Kovno ghetto and they reunited with Henny in 1944. 

There is a lot more to Henny's story and I hope that your children came home and told you about it. As part of a reflection we asked students to draw a picture of a part of Henny's story, so asking your child what they drew could be a good entry point to a conversation. I am attaching an article here from the New Hampshire Gazette that tells some of her story if you are interested to learn more. 

There are a couple more presenters coming in to talk to the 8th grade. Next week, Tom White from the Cohen Center at Keene State is coming in to present about Anne Frank and then on May 24th, Ralph Ibson, my father-in-law will be coming to tell the story of his parents escape from Nazi Germany. If you or someone you know might be interested in coming in to present about the Holocaust or WWII please reach out to me or Jacki McCarty. 

Thank you, 

Team 8 teachers

Sarah Ibson, Jacki McCarty, Katelyn Bouffard, Wendy Moore, Jodie Curran, and Jen Dreimiller

Connecting with others about Curious Topics!  
This past week the 7th-grade finalists presented their oratoricals to their classmates and families. 
Topics were varied and super interesting.   Ask your
7th grader about the final competition and perhaps a bit about their topic. 
Congratulations to Jude, Josey, Nicolas, Libby and Mae for their winning presentations!    

Dear 7th Grade Parents/Guardians, Siblings, Friends, Neighbors, and Teachers,  

Middle school can be a time of transition and identity development for students. I am asking for your support around a project for HUMS students aimed at building self-esteem through a demonstration of love and appreciation from those around them. It is my belief that the more confident and happy one feels about themselves, the more successful they can be in creating positive relationships with family, friends, teachers and community members.  This project is referred to as Lift-Up Letters.  To make the project work, I need your help!  But shhhhhhhhhh…...I would like to keep this a surprise for the students so please don’t let them know what you are up to.   

Here is what I need from you:  Write your 7th grader a letter.  Make it personal - spend time thinking about just them. Include stories that make you smile, or special quotes that are meaningful to you.  Point out special qualities that they have that sets them apart from siblings or peers.  You could include such things as a picture that has special meaning, or an inspirational poem. Most important is the gift of your time, thoughts, and love, so make it personal!  Please do not send gifts, trinkets, candy, or other material items.  This is a chance to express your thoughts and feelings in words, pictures, and stories.  Handwritten letters are best or typed and mailed (see address below). Certain exceptions can be made and letters can be sent via email jdreimiller@wwsu.org but please check in with me first for special permission if the letter needs to come in an email instead or it might get missed. Make sure to put the student’s name in the subject line of all mail.

Please share this letter with other members of your family and with individuals with whom your child shares a special bond, and encourage them all to write Lift-Up Letters to their 7th grade student.  Imagine how special our students feel to receive letters from moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, friends, coaches, teachers or neighbors! We want all students to get about at least four or five letters, so please make sure that you take some time to write and encourage other family and friends to do so too!  The submission date is Monday, May 6, 2019.  You may send completed letters/cards in an envelope to:

Lift-Up Letters

ATTN:  Jen Dreimiller

Middle School Counselor

Harwood Union Middle School

458 Vermont Route 100

South Duxbury, Vermont 05660

For: 7th-grade student’s name here

I will compile all letters and distribute them to the 7th graders at a special event towards the end of the school year.  Please make sure that letters are clearly marked for the student on the outside of their envelopes.   I can be reached at 882-1144 or jdreimiller@wwsu.org   

Curious about their learning?
Students led their conferences this past week
regarding progress on learning goals for the year.   
More conferences to come on May 9th.   

Dear members of our six town community,
At our last meeting on April 24, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the four (4) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

1. Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda: approved past meeting Minutes; accepted Board vouchers equaling $861,774.04; approved an out-of-state field trip for Warren Elementary School students; approved the lease agreement for CBMS Tractor/Mowed
2. Adopted: That the board approve list of challenges/opportunities we are trying to address through the PreK - 12 plan as a working document subject to change.
3. Adopted: That the board approve the timeline for PreK - 12 plan.
4. Adopted: To set aside a longer time for the policy team that has been previously scheduled.

Also at this meeting, Assistant Principal for HUUSD, Sam Krotinger, along with Sally McCarthy and Lisa Therrien, presented on Proficiency-Based Learning. Their presentation can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uQwDkbPKEVcXFKeXFJa0pIZWdzOG1DSmhUazhRSm4tQ1Br/view

Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 8th, and expected to begin at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union High School library. No committee meetings are expected to occur. Please confirm time and place of meetings by visiting our website as start times and locations are subject to change. Agendas are posted at least 2 days before the meeting. For more information on the SMART goals that drive the work of these committees, check the HUUSD board web page.

Please visit www.wwsu.org/huusd-board for board agendas and packets  (including committees that are meeting), detailed minutes, HUUSD Smart Goals for the 2018-2019 school year, and to find the link to watch board meetings. The direct link to watch this and past recent meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/.  There is also an archive of older meetings which can be found here:https://archive.org/search.php?query=Harwood+Unified+Union+School+Board&sort=-date

And finally, please note that the HUUSD board is also hosting multiple “Community Conversations” throughout our district from May 7 through May 23 and we hope you consider attending at least one, perhaps in a location other than your own town! The purpose of the community conversations is to dive deeper into survey results and get to the next level of developing a vision and goals that will guide decisions throughout our district. Stay tuned for specific dates and locations.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,
The HUUSD Board:    Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Chair, Torrey Smith (Duxbury)  *Vice Chair, Hannah Clark (student rep, class of 2019), Jonathan Clough (Warren), Carlton Cummisky (student rep, class of 2021), Gabriel Gilman (Moretown), James Grace (Waterbury), Tim Jones (Fayston), Jake Lynn (student rep, class of 2020), Garett MacCurtain (Duxbury), Maureen McCracken (Waterbury), Theresa Membrino (Fayston), Kristen Rodgers (Moretown), Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield), Alexandra Thomsen (Waterbury), Jeremy Tretiak (Waitsfield), Rosemarie White (Warren)

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

Free Parent Workshop: Helping Your Kids to Be All That They Can Be June 6th, 6-8pm, Crossett Brook Middle School Cafeteria. Come join us for a night of parenting support and laughter with Charlie Appelstein as we learn positive strength-based approaches to growing our children to be the best that they can be.  We will look at many topics including the decoding of problem behavior, mindset changing, self-esteem building, helping inflexible/explosive children, humor at home, limit setting, logical consequences and so much more. Please RSVP to Moie Moulton LaRock at mmoulton@huusd.org .  Walk-ins are also welcome.  Free childcare will be provided at Moretown School.  Childcare space is limited and slots will be first come first serve so please let Moie know if you would like to reserve a spot.
 

Art Show, Social, and Fundraiser for Waitsfield Children's Center   May 16, at The Mad River Barn, with a raffle drawing at 6:30.  The raffle prize is seven nights lodging in a one bedroom Condo anywhere within the Interval International Timeshare Network with locations worldwide and throughout New England donated by Eagles Resort. All ticket sales benefit The Waitsfield Children's Center. Fifteen percent of food sales will also benefit the Waitsfield Children's Center.

PACE Vermont  Until now, Vermont public health experts have relied on youth surveys done every two years to capture changes in substance use in young people. But we know a lot can happen in two years! Our partners at the University of Vermont and the Vermont Department of Health are launching the Policy and Communication Evaluation (PACE Vermont) research study to understand the impact of state-level policies and communication campaigns on substance use beliefs and behaviors in young Vermonters, aged 12-25. Help us learn more about what’s happening in our state and inform substance use prevention efforts. For more information or to participate in the PACE Vermont Study, visit pacevt.org or @pacevt.